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.

Tokyo is the political and economic center of Japan, and is home to the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the headquarters of many major corporations.