The education system in Japan is very competitive, especially for entrance to institutions of higher education. The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Japanese knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds as the 6th best in the world.
Post-war Japan has been heavily influenced by American and European modern music, which has led to the evolution of popular music called J-pop and Shibuya-kei (See: Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, and Fantastic Plastic Machine), but many instruments, such as the koto, were introduced in the ninth and tenth centuries. 
Life expectancy in Japan is one of the highest in the world. Very few countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, San Marino, Andorra, and Macau have a slightly higher life expectancy than Japan. On an average the Japanese lives 4 years longer than an American does, and most of the Japanese have tea and rice for/with their breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Japan's national flag is called the Hinomaru (meaning "Disk of the Sun"). The flag has a red circle against a white background. This red circle symbolizes the rising sun. The Japanese deity Amaterasu Omikami is a sun goddess who was born from the left eye of Izanag as he purified himself in a river and went on to become the ruler of the Higher Celestial Plain ("Takamagahara").
Don't forget Anime, Sushi, Origami (1, 2, 3), Cinema, and SAKE BOMBS!
All of the photographs above are courtesy of our friend L. Stephenson.
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