This book is not for those who are dedicated to the study of Japan. It is designed for people as ordinary as the author himself, whom the extraordinary country and its inhabitants, our neighbors, by the way, never cease to amaze. Mysterious Japan is gradually entering our lives, becoming part of reality. For more than half a century, this nation has been conquering the world again - but this time peacefully, charming, without causing anyone suffering. On the contrary, such a "conquest" benefits everyone, makes our world more interesting and colorful. But how did the islanders manage to survive in endless internecine wars, to repel the raids of the aggressors who poured into the archipelago? How did you manage to turn from a closed and unknown country - the "terra incognita" of the Far East - into a powerful great power in half a century? How did you manage not to break in the rain of napalm, and then under nuclear strikes at the end of World War II? And not just survive the nightmare times, but quickly restore the lost and again take the appropriate place in the world to become an advanced nation?.. We should know the answers to these questions. They will be useful for us too. To begin with, it would be worth ending our inability to be surprised, with laziness and lack of curiosity. It is unlikely that this book will give any comprehensive answers. But it will arouse the desire to continue looking for them, arouse interest in Japan and the main wealth of this country - its people.