The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is the northernmost-living non-human primate and is famous for its habit of bathing in hot springs during the winter.

The Kamakura period, which lasted from the 12th to the 14th century, was a time of political upheaval and marked the rise of the shogunate.

The 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult shocked Japan and led to increased scrutiny of religious groups.