Japan (lit. land of wind and ghosts) is the nation that is on the other side of the world, unless you live in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. If you live in China, it’s quite close. If you live in Japan, just look out of the window. If you live in Japan and do not have a window, you can make a small one by poking your finger through your rice paper wall, or the newly invented cardboard wall released in 2007.

Japan is also a form of bread. Yakitate Japan! is a thrill-a-minute animated series about making this type of bread. The word for bread in Japanese is pan, hence the making of Ja-pan (no kidding). This delightful pastry-like treat is commonly found in convenience stores throughout the country, but is avoided by ethnocentric Westerners who are generally appalled by its unmentionable filling.