Japan is an island country in East Asia, made up of four major islands and over 14,000 smaller ones. About 75% of its land is mountainous and forested, so most people live on the eastern coastal plains. Tokyo is its capital and largest city, with a population of almost 123 million as of 2026. Japan has a long history of rule by shoguns and samurai, and was unified under the Tokugawa shogunate in 1600, which kept it isolated. In 1853 an American fleet forced it to open trade, which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868. Japan industrialised rapidly, fought in the Second World War, and rebuilt as one of the world's largest economies. It is now a constitutional monarchy and a global leader in cars, electronics and robotics.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.