The Walkman, invented by Sony in 1979, revolutionized personal music listening by allowing users to listen to music on the go.

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.

In Japan, there is a tradition of eating soba noodles on New Year's Eve to bring good luck.