Often called the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan is officially known as Nippon and is a highly advanced technological nation with a cultural history that spans centuries.

Japan is an archipelago of 6,842 islands with the four largest being Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The islands of Japan are located within the volcanic zone of the Pacific Ring of Fire with 108 active volcanoes and are distributed into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Roughly 75% of Japan is forested and mountainous with most part of the island unsuitable for agriculture, industrial or residential use. This resulted in the country’s population density to be concentrated in the coastal areas.

The country’s capital city Tokyo is Japan’s most populous and is the residence of the Emperor of Japan as well as the Japanese Government. Japan is a constitutional monarchy whereby the Prime Minister is appointed by the Emperor to lead with the main responsibility of governing the country with the support of the Ministers of State.

According to the World CIA Fact Book, Japan’s economy is the third largest in the world and maintains a close interlocking structure between various sectors. The country’s Growth Domestic Product (GDP) relies on services (71.3%), industry (27.5%) and agriculture (1.2%).

The country has a highly advanced and massive industrial manufacturing capacity that fulfils some of the world’s most advanced technological needs. These include motor vehicles, electric tools, ships and chemicals.

Well-known global companies in Japan include Toyota, Honda, Sony, Nintendo, Canon, Panasonic, Toshiba and Sharp. Japan is also the world’s third largest automobile manufacturer and is known as a world leader in robotics. Japanese engineers were the first to create human-like robots such as the ASIMO.

The service sector comprises of about three quarters of its total economic output. These include banking, insurance, real estate, retailing, transportation and telecommunications. The country’s service sector interlocks with the industrial and agriculture sectors.

Tourism in Japan offers a unique cultural experience that combines traditional and modern lifestyles. Popular tourism destinations include Tokyo, Kyoto and Mount Fuji. Currently, Japan has 19 Heritage sites such as the Himeji Castle, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and Nara. The country has numerous attraction feudal castles, memorial museums and amusement parks.

Possessing a unique cultural identity that seems contradictory yet alluring, modern Japan has influenced today’s pop culture with Anime, J-pop and video games.

The country possesses a long and militaristic history that was recorded to have begun around 30,000 BC. This martial history helped develop various forms of self-defence arts including Karate, Judo, Jiujutsu, Kendo and Aikido. One of the most well-known ancient warrior class Samurai, skilled swordsmen who wielded the master crafted blade called katana.

Japanese citizens are also renowned for their politeness and professionalism. Crime rate is one of the lowest in the world and makes it one of the safest country to visit.

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