Quiz: How much do you know about Japan?

Tokyo was originally a small fishing village named Edo. Its name was changed to Tokyo, when it became the imperial capital, with the arrival of Emperor Meiji in 1868. Today, Tokyo has an estimated population of 13.9 million people. The Greater Tokyo area (over 40 million people) is considered one of the world's most populous metropolitan areas.

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. The oldest existing stone torii was built in the 12th century

Within minutes of entering Japan, virtually all visitors are received with the phrase "Irasshaimase!", meaning "Welcome to the store!" or "Come on in!."

Of all Japanese exported dishes, sushi is the most wide-spread internationally. Contrary to popular belief abroad, sushi is not the Japanese word for raw fish. Actually, sushi literally means sour-tasting, referring to the fermentation that happens when rice is cooked with vinegar. In the 14th century, fermented rice (sushi) was used as a way to preserve raw fish. The idea of eating raw fish with rice occurred only three centuries later.

Yayoi Kusama is best known for her colourful and psychedelic use of rhythm and pattern. She is considered one of the most important artists born in contemporary Japan. Her work touches on a number of different themes including feminism, minimalism, surrealism, and pop art. Struggling with mental illness and neurosis, she is living as a voluntary resident at a mental hospital, channeling her energy into her work. She’s still holding exhibitions, including at the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo.

Geishas are artists, whose job is to receive and entertain guests. During the evenings they serve them drinks, but more importantly, they keep the conversation lively and they amuse them with their arts, which include playing musical instruments, dancing or singing. Though it is quite difficult to be invited to a geisha performance (tea houses work with a referral-based clientele), some tea houses are slowly opening up, and it is now possible, if rare, to find afternoon performances to the general public.

Ama is the Japanese word for sea woman. No, they are not a kind of mermaid; they are the pearl divers of Japan. Mikimoto Pearl Island is one of the places where these professional pearl divers make a living, collecting cultivated pearls.

The national sport in Japan is sumo. The name given to the wrestling belt worn by rikishis (sumo wrestlers) is mawashi. It is around nine-metres-long and sixty-centimetres-wide. Wrestlers wrap it around their waists between four to seven times. If the mawashi falls off during a bout, the wrestler is automatically disqualified. On average, rikishis weigh around 166 kilos. If you visit Japan outside the sumo tournaments, you can still see the sumo practicing in their stables.

Pagodas in Japan derive from the Chinese pagodas. These buildings were originally used as reliquaries but in many cases they ended up losing this function. The pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temples.

The photo shows the ruin of the Genbaku Dome, in Hiroshima after the United States detonated the atomic bomb over Hiroshima the 6 August 1945. Most of Hiroshima was destroyed. 70% of the city’s buildings collapsed and another 7% were severely damaged. The impact of the bomb killed 70,000 people immediately. Those that survived the detonation of the bomb, either suffered serious injury (such as burns) or became ill in the next days and months because of the radiation effects. By the end of 1945, a total of 166,000 people had died. Many more would die in the subsequent years, victims of cancers and leukemia. The dome of the hall survived the blast, and the city government decided to keep it as a reminder of the destructive force of atomic bombs, as a memorial to all who died in Hiroshima, and as a symbol of peace.

Naruhito is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. His Enthronement was 22 October 2019. Hirohito was his grandfather who was also Emperor of Japan.