The Japanese are a civilization with a powerful military but their economy is unique and may take some time getting used to.
Strengths[]
The Japanese have a strong emphasis on their military. Their economic system uses shrines to assist in resource gathering. This potentially allows for improved resource production and potentially allow for fewer population slots to be used for economy and more for military. Once they begin to attract wildlife and herd animals, their extensive resource gathering boost will be even more appreciated. One of the Japanese wonders, the Toshogu Shrine, enhances the other shrines and acts as a large shrine itself. Shrines can also receive a boost from the Home City Card Heavenly Kami, which reduces their cost, and increases the amount of resources they generate. This allows for a powerful economy later in the game.
Another unique ability is that many Japanese Home City cards can be sent twice. While they and all Asian civilizations lack the "3 Villagers" card, they have the capacity to send the "2 Villagers" card twice. This two-sending ability will make for interesting strategies early on, as players weigh their options in the early game. Japan also has an impressive set of mercenary shipments at their disposal, which will sometimes become an important part of many strategies.
Japanese offensives can be deadlier compared to other civilizations'; players who ship Dojos get the option to train five Yumi Archers or Ashigaru Musketeers, or three Samurai, Naginata Riders, or Yabusames. Considering the resource cost, this can save a lot in the long term if they are protected. Likewise, the Japanese can also train a Daimyo in the Fortress Age; he is a powerful unit that acts as a mobile Outpost, Barracks, and Stable in one. Shipments can be sent to him, allowing a Japanese player to pile on pressure with well-timed shipments such as Ronin in the midst of a battle. He also trains all standard infantry and cavalry without having to bring a Villager over to build. If fallen in battle, the player can retrain the Daimyo at the The Shogunate.
The Japanese have a few infantry units; Yumi Archers are fast-attacking units, Ashigaru Musketeers are their version of the generic Musketeer, and Samurai are a slightly weaker but cheaper version of the German Doppelsoldner. Depending on their Consulate stance, the Japanese can also train Hatamoto Samurai, who cost export instead of coin. By using the right cards and Wonders to support the infantry units, Japanese infantry can be very tough to defeat.
Japanese Wonders focus on military strength; the Golden Pavilion boosts the strength of all land military units, such as infantry and cavalry, and provides some "Advanced Arsenal" researches. Great Buddha grants Informers, which works similarly to Spies, which can be used to spot incoming attacks or prepare for a raid without having to get to the Imperial Age.
Without using cards, players are limited to one Daimyo; Daimyo Masamune, as Mototada and Kiyomasa are sent from the Home City. This effectively triples unit production, making it very hard to repel an attack if the three are well-protected and the player has a robust economy. Furthermore, Shogun Tokugawa, who can be sent in the Industrial Age, trains a different batch of units; Yamabushis, Shinobis and also artillery, allowing a Japanese player to cover all three general unit types at once. While costly, Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa are also strong in a siege themselves, given their high stats.
With the Home City Card "TEAM Chonindo" combined by the Portuguese "TEAM Fish Market" or Mexican "TEAM Rendering Plant" cards, civilizations can be very difficult to defeat on water maps.
Weaknesses[]
The Japanese economy starts off slowly, as they cannot gather food from hunting. Instead, they can gather food from Cherry Orchards or must farm or fish it. However, the player has an additional option of building Shrines, buildings that attract local wildlfe and lead to a steady stream of a certain resource. Enemy players will be unable to hunt animals currently at a Shrine and must destroy the Shrine first. However this means to gain maximum output from a Shrine there needs to be a decent amount of animals nearby, poor placement means a lower resource trickle.
Defensively, the Japanese have to rely on Castles, much like the Indians and Chinese. Castles are a mix of Outposts and Artillery Foundries, and players who lose them will find themselves struggling to replace artillery. Likewise, they also rely on Wonders to Age up, and losing these will deny a Japanese player their benefits.
Losing the Shogunate will severely weaken the player's military, as this will prevent Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa from being retrained if they fall in battle.
The Japanese do not have access to Factories, which can severely limit their growth. Likewise, some units require export in order to be trained, which is slower to acquire.
