The Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century were repelled by a combination of strategic planning and a typhoon that destroyed the invading fleet.

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

Sword Art Online, created by Reki Kawahara in 2009, is a popular anime and light novel series that takes place in a virtual reality MMORPG world.