Japan is home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto and the island of Itsukushima Shrine.

Basketball is growing in popularity in Japan, with several professional teams and the national team competing at the highest level.

Mobile Suit Gundam, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino in 1979, is a popular anime series that helped to popularize the mecha genre of anime, which features giant robots.