Japan, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, has dense cities, imperial palaces, mountainous national parks and thousands of shrines and temples. The Shinkansen bullet trains connect the main islands: Kyushu (with the subtropical beaches of Okinawa), Honshu (home to Tokyo and the Hiroshima atomic bomb memorial) and Hokkaido (famous as a ski destination). Tokyo, the capital, is known for its skyscrapers, stores and pop culture.
