Festival of Ice and Snow

Sapporo, capital of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, has four months of snow each year, and temperatures fall below - 20°C. The city takes advantage of its weather with a midwinter festival featuring hundreds of giant statues and sculptures carved from packed snow. The Snow Festival, which attracts visitors from all over Japan, also has children's attractions such as ice slides.

Okinawa's Subtropical Islands

The southern islands of Okinawa, with their white sandy beaches and year-round warm climate, are one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations. The farthest south of Okinawa's 160 islands are those in the Yaeyama archipelago. These subtropical islands with their jungles and mangrove swamps are also home to many cultural traditions life unchanged for centuries.

Toy or Car?

From clockwork car to the real thing: When a toy manufacturer had the idea of making a life-size working version of its famous product, it caused a sensation - over 1,000 people applied for the 99 cars available. A delightful mixture of toy and real car, the electrically-powered Q-Car runs at up to 50 kph and adds a colorful touch of fun Japan's roads.

Rooftop Mini - Soccer

The 2002 World Cup left Japan full of people wanting to play soccer. Japan's cities have little space for soccer pitches, so people were delighted to discover Futsal - more compact vision of the game. This 5-a-side game now has over a million Japanese followers. And in a unique Japanese twist, many of the city courts are built on the tops of buildings and used at night.