Japan Travel Guide

Thanks largely to its geographical isolation and social cohesion, Japan is among the world's most enduring and stable nations. Though the country has certainly had its share of violent civil wars, coups and one revolution, albeit fairly gentle, Japan has rarely been invaded and never truly colonized. Indeed, according to tradition, it boasts the longest-reigning dynasty in the world, with the present monarch, Emperor Akihito, 125th in an unbroken line stretching back to the first century BC. The reality is, of course, far more complicated.

During the seventeenth century, Japan cut itself off almost completely from outside influence for a period of more than two hundred years. It then did an about-turn, embraced Western technology and in no time possessed one of the world's most powerful economies. Modern Japan initially seems like so many other developed, industrial countries, but scratch the surface and you'll find a society deeply layered in ancient legends and a vibrant history