Country

Japan

Also Known As Nippon

Eastern Asia

An archipelago nation off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland, comprising four main islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, and thousands of smaller ones. Its Heian period (794 to 1185), centered on the imperial capital at Heian-kyo, present-day Kyoto, produced a highly refined aristocratic court culture that gave rise to some of the earliest and most fully realized works of Japanese prose literature. This is the home setting Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji are described against in the Literature atlas.

Facts

Capital

Tokyo 2

Formerly Edo; became the imperial capital in 1868, replacing Kyoto.

Population

122,587,000 2

Britannica 2026 estimate. The atlas own earlier region-era figure, 123,900,000, is not overwritten; this population-year fact dates THIS value specifically.

Population Estimate Year

2026 2

Area (sq km)

377,975 2

Total land area across the four main islands and thousands of smaller ones.

Classification

Sovereignty Status

UN Member State 1

Japan

Cities

113 entries

Subregion

Country (Contained By)

Continent

Population Band

Capital Status

Founding Era

Showing 1 to 50 of 113 in Cities, page 1 of 3.

FAQs

What was Tokyo called before it became the capital of Japan?

Tokyo was called Edo until 1868, when it was renamed eastern capital in contrast to Kyoto, the earlier capital to the west.

Tokyo was originally known as Edo, a name meaning estuary that came from the city's position on a bay. In 1868 the name was changed to Tokyo, which means eastern capital. The new name was chosen as a contrast to Kyoto, the previous capital, which lies to the west.

Connections

Associated With

Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Aichi Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Chiba Prefecture

East Asia

Fukuoka

Source Fukuoka (Wikipedia)

Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Fukuoka Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Gifu Prefecture

Hiroshima

Source Hiroshima (Wikipedia)

Hiroshima Prefecture

Hiroshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Hiroshima Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Hokkaido

Hokkaido is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Hokkaido (Wikipedia)

Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Hyogo Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Ibaraki Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Kanagawa Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Kawasaki

Source Kawasaki (Wikipedia)

Kobe

Source Kobe (Wikipedia)

Kumamoto Prefecture

Kyoto

This source names Japan directly: "basin in the Kansai region of Honshu, Japan, ringed by mountains that historically limited its growth and gave the city its grid-planned layout, modeled on the Chinese capital Chang'an when it was..."

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

Kyoto

This source names Kyoto directly: "capital at Heian-kyo, present-day Kyoto, produced a highly refined aristocratic court culture that gave rise to some of the earliest and most fully realized works of Japanese prose literature."

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

Kyoto Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Kyoto Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Miyagi Prefecture

Nagano Prefecture

Nagoya

Nagoya is a city in Japan.

Source Nagoya (Wikipedia)

Niigata Prefecture

Okayama Prefecture

Osaka

Osaka is a city in Japan.

Source Osaka (Wikipedia)

Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Osaka Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Sagamihara

Sagamihara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Source Sagamihara (Wikipedia)

Saitama

Source Saitama (Wikipedia)

Saitama Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan.

Source Saitama Prefecture (Wikipedia)

Sapporo

Source Sapporo (Wikipedia)

Shizuoka Prefecture

Taiwan

Japan lies to the northeast.

Source Taiwan (Wikipedia)

Tokyo

Tokyo is Japan's capital.

Source Tokyo (Wikipedia)

Tokyo

Source Tokyo (Wikipedia)

Yokohama

Yokohama is a city in Japan.

Source Yokohama (Wikipedia)

Yokosuka

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Source Yokosuka (Wikipedia)

Bordered By Water

Has Capital

Tokyo

Tokyo is the capital of Japan.

Source Tokyo (Wikipedia)

Long-Form Articles

The Sea That Opened Behind It

In the Other Atlases

Has Member

Group of Eight (G8)

Also in Economics Atlas: a member of this subject.

Nationals Include

Kotaro Tanaka

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Kotaro Tanaka

Kuniko Ozaki

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Kuniko Ozaki (Wikipedia)tier 2

Masaakira Tomii

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Masaakira Tomii

Mineichiro Adachi

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Mineichirō Adachi (Wikipedia)tier 2

Shigeru Oda

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Shigeru Oda (Wikipedia)tier 2

Shūji Masutani

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Tetsuzo Kojima

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Tetsuzo Kojima (Wikipedia)tier 2

Tomoko Akane

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Tomoko Akane (Wikipedia)tier 2

Ume Kenjiro

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Ume Kenjirō (Wikipedia)tier 2

Yorozu Oda

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Yorozu Oda (Wikipedia)

Yoshiko Mibuchi

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Yoshiko Mibuchi (Wikipedia)tier 2

Yuji Iwasawa

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Yuji Iwasawa (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1tier 2

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Yuji Iwasawa (岩沢雄司; born 4 June 1954) is a Japanese jurist and professor.

Yukihiko Imasaki

Also in Law Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Yukihiko Imasaki (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1tier 2

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Yukihiko Imasaki (今崎幸彦, Imasaki Yukihiko; born November 10, 1957) is a Japanese jurist.

Eiji Yoshikawa

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Haruki Murakami

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Haruki Murakamitier 2

Ihara Saikaku

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Junichiro Tanizaki

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Kazuo Ishiguro

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Keigo Higashino

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Kenzaburō Ōe

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Kenzaburō Ōe

Matsuo Bashō

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Matsuo Basho (Wikipedia)

Murasaki Shikibu

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1

Natsume Sōseki

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Natsume Sōseki

Natsuo Kirino

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Okakura Kakuzo

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Sayaka Murata

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Sei Shonagon

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Sei Shonagon

Yasunari Kawabata

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Yasunari Kawabata

Yoshida Kenko

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Yukio Mishima

Also in Literature Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Yukio Mishimatier 2

Isaac Namioka

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Jun-iti Nagata

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Jun-iti Nagata (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph [nationality-culture]

Quote, Lead paragraph [nationality-culture]

was a Japanese mathematician

Kiyosi Itô

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Seki Takakazu

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Seki Takakazu, Biography (MacTutor History of Mathematics)Summary

Quote, Summary

Takakazu Seki was a Japanese mathematician who was the first person to study determinants. He also discovered Bernoulli numbers before Jacob Bernoulli.

Shinichi Mochizuki

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Shizuo Kakutani

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Teiji Takagi

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source MacTutor History of Mathematics: Teiji TakagiBiography text

Quote, Biography text

Other Mathematicians born in Japan

Yasutaka Ihara

Also in Mathematics Atlas: a national of this subject.

Akira Endo

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Chiaki Mukai

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Chiaki Mukai (Wikipedia)Lead sentence, nationality

Quote, Lead sentence, nationality

is a Japanese physician and JAXA astronaut

Chujiro Hayashi

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Chujiro Hayashi

Hakaru Hashimoto

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Hakaru Hashimoto

Hanaoka Seishu

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Hanaoka Seishu

Mikao Usui

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Mikao Usui

Satoshi Furukawa

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Satoshi Furukawa (JAXA astronaut profile)Profile, birthplace line

Quote, Profile, birthplace line

Born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.

Shinobu Ishihara

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Shinobu Ishihara (Wikipedia)Lead sentence, nationality

Quote, Lead sentence, nationality

was a Japanese ophthalmologist who created the Ishihara color test to detect colour blindness

Sugiyama Waichi

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Sugiyama Waichi

Takuo Aoyagi

Also in Medicine Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikidata: Takuo Aoyagi

Matataro Matsumoto

Also in Psychology Atlas: a national of this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Matataro Matsumoto

Showing 151 to 200 of 308 in Nationals Include, page 4 of 7.

Origin Of

Japanese-Western Eclectic Architecture

Also in Architecture and Design Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Metabolism

Also in Architecture and Design Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus: Metabolism (movement)Scope note

Quote, Scope note

Japanese architectural movement of the 1960s and 1970s, dedicated to urban-scale issues based on biologic principles of dynamic growth and change.

Minka

Also in Architecture and Design Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Getty Research Institute, Art and Architecture Thesaurus: MinkaScope note

Quote, Scope note

Refers to a style of Japanese domestic structure

Ryukyuan Architecture

Also in Architecture and Design Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Shinden-zukuri

Also in Architecture and Design Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Shoin-zukuri

Also in Architecture and Design Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Ceramics

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Gardner's Art Through the AgesFred S. Kleiner (after Helen Gardner)

Chikamatsu Monzaemon

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Hakuin Ekaku

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Getty Research Institute, Union List of Artist Names: Hakuin Ekaku (Japanese monk and painter, 1685 or 1686-1768)Birth and Death Places

Quote, Birth and Death Places

Born: Hara (Nagano, Japan) (inhabited place)

Hokusai

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Gardner's Art Through the AgesFred S. Kleiner (after Helen Gardner)

Kanō Tan'yū

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Getty Research Institute: Union List of Artist Names: Kanō Tan'yūBirth and Death Places

Quote, Birth and Death Places

Born: Kyoto (Kyōto, Japan) (inhabited place)

Kawase Hasui

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Tadao Ando

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Tani Bunchō

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Getty Research Institute, Union List of Artist Names: Tani Bunchō (Japanese painter, 1763-1840)Birth and Death Places

Quote, Birth and Death Places

Born: Tokyo (Tōkyō, Japan) (inhabited place)

Toshiko MacAdam

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Toshiko MacAdam

Unkei

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Utagawa Kunisada

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Getty Research Institute, Union List of Artist Names: Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese printmaker and illustrator, 1786-1864)Birth and Death Places

Quote, Birth and Death Places

Born: Tokyo (Tōkyō, Japan) (inhabited place)

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Shinto

Also in Divinity Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Akira Yoshino

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Akira Yoshino

Hiroshi Amano

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Hiroshi Amano

Ichisuke Fujioka

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Ichisuke Fujioka

Isamu Akasaki

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Isamu Akasaki

Momosuke Fukuzawa

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Momosuke Fukuzawa

Namihei Odaira

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Namihei Odaira

Sazō Idemitsu

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Sazo Idemitsu

Shuji Nakamura

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Shuji Nakamura

Yoshio Masuda

Also in Energy Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikidata: Yoshio Masuda

Akira

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Akira (1988 film) (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Akira (Japanese: アキラ, pronounced [aꜜkiɾa]) is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk action thriller film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, produced by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō, and written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, based on Otomo's 1982 manga Akira.

Animal Crossing (2001 video game)

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Animal Crossing (video game), WikipediaLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article

Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article

Animal Crossing, known in Japan as Dōbutsu no Mori, is a social simulation game developed and published by Nintendo.

Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Barefoot Gen

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Barefoot Gen, WikipediaLead sentence 1

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Barefoot Gen (Japanese: はだしのゲン, Hepburn: Hadashi no Gen) is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Keiji Nakazawa, loosely based on Nakazawa's experiences as a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

Bushido, Samurai Saga

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Castle in the Sky

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Castle in the Sky, WikipediaLead sentence 1

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Castle in the Sky, also known as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Castlevania (1986 video game)

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Chrono Trigger

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Dance Dance Revolution

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Dance Dance RevolutionLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article

Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article

Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games.

Dark Souls

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Departures (2008 film)

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Departures (2008 film) - WikipediaLead sentence 1

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Departures (Japanese: おくりびと, Hepburn: Okuribito; "one who sends off") is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki.

Donkey Kong

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Drive My Car (2021 film)

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Drive My Car - WikipediaLead sentence 1

Quote, Lead sentence 1

Drive My Car (Japanese: ドライブ・マイ・カー, Hepburn: Doraibu Mai Kā) is a 2021 Japanese drama film directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Takamasa Oe.

Elden Ring

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Father Mother Sister Brother

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Final Fantasy VII

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Galaga

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Gate of Hell

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Ghost in the Shell

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Gigantis, the Fire Monster

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Godzilla 1985

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Also in Film and Media Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Showing 1 to 50 of 280 in Origin Of, page 1 of 6.