Japan's surrender in World War II was announced on August 15, 1945, and marked the end of the war in the Pacific.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, created by Nagaru Tanigawa in 2003, is a popular light novel series and anime that explores themes of existentialism, time travel, and alternate realities.

Japan has a game show called "Human Tetris" where contestants have to contort their bodies to fit through holes in a moving wall.