The Japanese men's national basketball team has competed in several Olympic Games and has produced several NBA players, including Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe.

The Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Nikko is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a famous example of traditional Japanese architecture.

The Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century saw the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the modernization of Japan.