The Japanese men's national basketball team has competed in several Olympic Games and has produced several NBA players, including Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe.

Japan is home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto and the island of Itsukushima Shrine.

Akira, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo in 1988, is a classic anime film that helped to popularize the cyberpunk genre of science fiction.