🇯🇵 Japan

Capital: Tokyo
Area: 377,975 km²
Population (2025): around 123 million inhabitants
Political system: Constitutional monarchy with a parliament
Official language: Japanese
Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY ¥)
Time zone: UTC+9
Tourists in 2024: around 33 million (goal: over 40 million by 2030)

Japan, an archipelago located in East Asia, embodies a fascinating encounter between ancient traditions and cutting-edge modernity. Comprising four main islands (Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Shikoku) and thousands of smaller ones, the country is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Volcanic mountains, dense forests, and futuristic megacities shape this contrasting land. Tokyo, its sprawling capital, is the nation’s economic and cultural heart, where skyscrapers, Shinto shrines, and lively districts coexist in harmony.

The Japanese people, renowned for their sense of respect, hospitality (omotenashi), and collective discipline, hold a deep attachment to their traditions: tea ceremonies, martial arts, festivals (matsuri), and Shinto-Buddhist rituals shape social life. Despite the hardships of its history—natural disasters, wars, and reconstruction—Japan has established itself as a global economic and cultural powerhouse.

Its cuisine, inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, is built on a balance of flavors and a celebration of ingredients: sushi, ramen, tempura, sake, and wagashi reflect this culinary diversity. The country is also known for its iconic symbols: the snow-capped Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms (sakura), Kyoto’s temples, and the neon lights of Shibuya and Shinjuku.

Looking ahead to 2030, Japan is investing in technological innovation, ecological transition, and the preservation of its cultural heritage. Between robots, artificial intelligence, and ancestral traditions, the archipelago aspires to remain a unique model where past and future constantly intertwine.

All our Japan blog links are here