Movies
This 1982 classic by Stephen Spielberg is about a young boy discovering a strange creature from another planet who just wants to return home.
E.T. the Extra-terrestrial
This Italian man worked for the Spanish government, hoping sail across the Atlantic Ocean and reach India. By accident, he discovered America in 1492.
This Japanese Olympian won the silver medal in 2010 for her figure skating performance in the Winter Olympics.
Mao Asada
This J Pop group made their big hit "Happiness" in 2007.
Arashi
This Englishman wrote plays that are still read and performed around the world today. His most famous play is about two teenagers who fall in love, and tragically commit suicide.
William Shakespeare
This 1998 horror movie was so successful in Japan, Hollywood made their own version of the movie in 2002.
Ringu
This is known as the earliest female leader in Japanese history.
Queen Himiko
He was the first baseball player to leave Japan and play permanently in America. Famous for his "tornado" pitch, he played for the MLB for 13 years.
Hideo Nomo
Who needs hearing to play music? This Austrian composer continued to write music even when he lost his sense of hearing. Perhaps his best known song is "Für Elise"
Ludwig Van Beethoven
This prolific writer has written many, many books, but perhaps his most famous is "Norwegian Wood", published in 1987.
Haruki Murakami
This Hayao Miyazaki movie was released in 1984, before the founding of Ghibli Studios.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ)
This emperor conquered most of the land from China all the way to Russia and Iran. He died almost exactly 800 years ago.
Genghis Khan
This Japanese Ski Jumper won the silver medal in the 2014 winter olympics. He is still competing today at 53 years old.
Noriaki Kasai
This rock group from Kanagawa released their first album in 2003, while they were still in high school. Their first 4 albums have the band name in the title.
Radwimps
This American author had a spirit of adventure; he loved bullfighting, hunting, and fishing. He wrote many stories, including "The Old Man and The Sea", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and "A Farewell to Arms".
Ernest Hemingway
Legendary Director Akira Kurosawa made this 1950 classic - starring the iconic actor Toshiro Mifune - about a samurai who is killed in the forest. Everyone has a different point of view of what happened.
羅生門 (Rashomon)
Democracy, Philosophy, and Theater all come from this ancient civilization over 2000 years ago.
Greece
This man from Yokohama was a professional wrestler and martial artist. Perhaps he is best known for founding New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NWJP)
Antonio Inoki (猪木寛至)
This Japanese woman is a performance artist, but she is most famous for marrying the biggest music star in the world in 1969.
Yoko Ono
This author wrote classics like Confessions of a Mask, and Temple of the Golden Pavillion. He had extreme political ideas, and tried to overthrow a military base in Tokyo in 1970. He failed, and committed Seppuku that same day.
(三島 由紀夫) Mishima Yukio
This Japanese director made over 50 movies, including the 1953 masterpiece Tokyo Story (東京物語)
Yasujirō Ozu (小津 安二郎)
This scientist from Serbia focused on electrical engineering, and famously invented the AC (Alternating Current) power system. Today, most people have heard his name, even if they don't know the person.
Nikola Tesla
This Brazilian football player won the World Cup in 2002. He is famous for his unique haircut.
Ronaldo
This pop star from Kishiwada is best known for her hit song "Mayonaka no door". Tragically, she died of cancer in 2004 at the young age of 44.
Matsubara Miki
This novel by Kōbō Abe won the Yomiuri Prize for literature in 1962. It tells the story about a Tokyo teacher who visits the countryside, tricked by villagers, and trapped at the bottom of a sand pit. A classic movie was based on this novel, made in 1964.
砂の女 (The Woman in the Dunes)