The Japanese murrelet is a small seabird that is native to Japan's coastal waters and is known for its distinctive black and white markings.

In Japan, there is a tradition of eating soba noodles on New Year's Eve to bring good luck.

The 16th century saw the rise of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who were instrumental in unifying Japan under a centralized government.