Japan Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Updated 11:58 AM ET, Tue March 3, 2020

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(CNN)Here's a look at Japan, a country of islands located off the eastern coast of mainland Asia.

About Japan

(from the CIA World Fact Book)
Area: 377,915 sq km
Population: 125,507,472 (July 2020 est.)
    Median age: 48.6 years (2020 est.)
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    Capital: Tokyo
    Ethnic groups: Japanese 98.1%, Koreans 0.4%, Chinese 0.5%, other 1%
    Religion: Shintoism 70.4%, Buddhism 69.8%, Christianity 1.5%, other 6.9% (Many practice both Shintoism and Buddhism)
    GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.443 trillion (2017 est.)
    GDP per capita: $42,900 (2017 est.)
    Unemployment: 2.9% (2017 est.)
    What makes Tokyo the world's greatest food city?
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has three Michelin-starred restaurants, including French eatery Signature, pictured. All of its Japanese chefs and staff have lived and worked in France.
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    Signature – Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has three Michelin-starred restaurants, including French eatery Signature, pictured. All of its Japanese chefs and staff have lived and worked in France.
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    In Tokyo, fruit and vegetables are treated with huge respect and can command eye-watering prices for single specimens. Restaurateurs and shop owners alike have exacting standards and aren't shy about returning anything that doesn't meet them.
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    It's all about the produce – In Tokyo, fruit and vegetables are treated with huge respect and can command eye-watering prices for single specimens. Restaurateurs and shop owners alike have exacting standards and aren't shy about returning anything that doesn't meet them.
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    Sushi's definitely the star of Tokyo's dining scene but there's so much more to the city's culinary landscape -- and we're not just talking Japanese. Many of Tokyo's Michelin-starred restaurants are European, including 50 French restaurants.
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    Sushi – Sushi's definitely the star of Tokyo's dining scene but there's so much more to the city's culinary landscape -- and we're not just talking Japanese. Many of Tokyo's Michelin-starred restaurants are European, including 50 French restaurants.
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    For a lot of Tokyoites, ramen is the epitome of cheap, fast food -- a simple bowl of noodles to be slurped down in a matter of minutes during lunchtime or after a long night out.
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    Ramen – For a lot of Tokyoites, ramen is the epitome of cheap, fast food -- a simple bowl of noodles to be slurped down in a matter of minutes during lunchtime or after a long night out.
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    At the opposite end of the price spectrum is Takazawa, a 10-seat restaurant owned by Tokyo chef <a href="http://www.takazawa-y.co.jp/gallery/" target="_blank">Yoshiaki Takazawa</a>. Each dish on the set menu tells a story with both unique techniques and unexpected tastes, making Takazawa's menu one of the most coveted in the world. In this dish, "Rock on the Seashore," Takazawa disguises bass with a black bread skin and fills it with potato puree to make it look like a stone.
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    Takazawa – At the opposite end of the price spectrum is Takazawa, a 10-seat restaurant owned by Tokyo chef Yoshiaki Takazawa. Each dish on the set menu tells a story with both unique techniques and unexpected tastes, making Takazawa's menu one of the most coveted in the world. In this dish, "Rock on the Seashore," Takazawa disguises bass with a black bread skin and fills it with potato puree to make it look like a stone.
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    Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hosted the Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival earlier this month. World-renowned chefs in attendance included Peru's Virgilio Martinez, Paco Perez of Spain and Ryousuke Nakatani of Kitcho Tokyo.
    Photos: Inside the world's culinary capital
    Ritz-Carlton Tokyo – Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hosted the Asia-Pacific Food and Wine Festival earlier this month. World-renowned chefs in attendance included Peru's Virgilio Martinez, Paco Perez of Spain and Ryousuke Nakatani of Kitcho Tokyo.
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