The first novel ever written, The Tale of Genji, was written in Japan in the 11th century by a noblewoman named Murasaki Shikibu.

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.

The emoji, invented by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999, has become a popular form of communication and a ubiquitous feature of modern digital communication.