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

The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and subsequent tsunami devastated Japan's northeast coast and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The Hells of Beppu in Beppu, a city on the island of Kyushu, are a series of hot springs that are too hot for bathing, but are a unique and interesting sight to see.