Thousands Celebrate Reed Dance

Japanese is written using three scripts: hiragana (syllabic, for native words), katakana (syllabic, for foreign words and emphasis), and kanji (logographic characters borrowed from Chinese). A standard educated Japanese person is expected to know 2,136 kanji characters designated by the government, plus thousands of other characters used in names.

Most of Mount Fuji, Japan's iconic 3,776-meter volcano, is privately owned by Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha shrine, which received legal ownership in 1871. The Japanese government owns only the summit above the eighth station. Fuji is considered a sacred site and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.

Japan has one of the highest concentrations of vending machines in the world — roughly one machine for every 23 people. These machines dispense not just drinks and snacks, but also hot meals, umbrellas, fresh flowers, books, and even live insects. The vending machine culture reflects Japan's embrace of convenience and technology.

The People's Republic of China officially classifies its population into 56 ethnic groups. The Han Chinese make up approximately 91% of the population, with 55 recognized minority groups making up the rest. These minorities include the Zhuang, Hui, Manchu, Uyghur, Miao, and Tibetan peoples, each with distinct languages, customs, and histories.