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

The Tokyo Marathon, first held in 2007, has become one of the most popular marathons in the world, with over 30,000 runners participating each year.

Sapporo is the largest city on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and is known for its winter sports and beer.