Japanese anime has gained a huge following outside of Japan and has become an important part of global popular culture, with many anime conventions and fan events held around the world.

The bullet train (Shinkansen), which began operation in 1964, was the first high-speed train system in the world and is still one of the fastest.

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