I've always wanted to visit Japan. A beautiful island in the Pacific, but has one of the most modern cities in the world. 
I agree.  Nippon or Nihon-koku meaning "State of Japan".  It's a sovereign nation in Asia.
And that nation has gone through a millennia of changes. Kyoto is a really interesting city. I mostly know it from the Kyoto protocols though
Modern day Kyoto, Japan is occasionally referred to as the Thousand-Year Capital.
I find it really interesting that they still have an Emperor (and thus a royal family), although they are ceremonial figureheads, much like the royal family of Great Britain today. 
And with a country that's divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions, that must not be easy to rule over!
Exactly. And, although they have about a third of the US's population, their Congress equivalent has many more representatives for the people compared to the US.
On top of that they have a massive population for such a small island, of 127 Million.  The worlds 10th largest.