The first novel ever written, The Tale of Genji, was written in Japan in the 11th century by a noblewoman named Murasaki Shikibu.
The Muromachi period, which lasted from the 14th to the 16th century, was a time of great artistic and cultural achievement, including the development of tea ceremony and the Noh theater.
Japan has a robot that can play rock-paper-scissors with you and never loses.