The most incredible Japanese inventions of all time - Japan is responsible for creating some of the most innovative and important inventions in history. From electronics to food and transportation, Japanese inventions are an important and integral part of, not only Japan's culture, but also the world's. Mainly pioneers in the technology sector, Japan has created new ways of consuming entertainment and looking at the digital world. In this gallery, we have put together some of the most incredible and significant inventions this country has given to the world. Click through and be surprised!

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The first novel - 'Genji Monogatari' is a book that is attributed to a Japanese lady-in-waiting named Murasaki Shikibu. It is believed that the novel was written in the 11th century and was the first novel ever recorded in history.

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Katana - It is believed that a first version of this sword appeared in China. This version was later brought to Japan where a much lighter sword was developed for use by samurai warriors. It is believed that the invention dates back to the Muromachi period, between 1336 and 1573.

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Instant Ramen noodles - You can thank Japan if you love instant noodles. Momofuku Ando invented this form of instant food as well as the Chikin Ramen brand in 1958.

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Arita ware - It was discovered that this type of porcelain was invented in the 16th century by a potter named Ri Sampei. Arita porcelain was an especially popular export between Europe and Asia.

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Emojis - The emoticons that we use everyday on our cellphones and computers were created by Shigetaka Kurita and his company NTT DoCoMo. Emojis came about from Shigetaka feeling fed up with only being able to use texts to communicate in his messages.

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Microcomputer - The predecessor of the home computer was invented and developed in Japan in 1972. The Japanese Sord Computer Corporation launched the SMP80/08, currently known as the first microcomputer.

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Portable electrocardiogram machine - In 1937, Taro Takemi developed the first portable electrocardiogram machine—something that is very necessary for many patients in hospitals around the world. The modern machines still retain some of the features and functionalities of the original.

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Karaoke - The karaoke machine was invented in 1969 by Daisuke Inoue, however, it was only in 1971 that he managed to consolidate the final product and put it on the market. Although not very successful right off the bat, the karaoke machine was eventually acquired by most bars in Japan.

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Walkman - It was Sony, a Japanese company, that developed a way to put cassettes in a compact box, so the music could be heard anywhere. Launched in 1979, the Walkman allowed tapes to surpass vinyl sales for the first time in history.

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CDs - The famous 'compact discs' were invented by Sony and Dutch company Philips. The details of the discs were agreed upon by both brands.

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Portable CD player - The first CD player was released by Sony in 1984.

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DVDs and Blu-Ray - Later, Sony developed DVDs and the latest Blu-Ray to combat HD-DVD.

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The first electric hybrid - The first hybrid electric car launched on the market was the Toyota Prius, in 1997. An electric hybrid car combines a conventional internal combustion engine with an electric propulsion system.

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Portable camera - Portable video recording has existed since the 1950s, but it was only in 1983 that Sony developed the first professional portable camera that recorded on Betamax cassettes. It was a much simpler way than that of predecessors.

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Programmable drum machine - The world of music hasn't been the same since 1980. It was in that year that Ikutaro Kakehashi invented the Roland TR-808—a programmable drum machine that became quite popular at the time.

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Electric rice cooker - The first electric rice cooker was invented by Toshiba in 1955. The invention revolutionized the way Japanese families cook rice. By the 1970s they evolved into microcomputers, capable of adjusting temperatures.

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Camera phone - Some believe that the first camera phone was developed by Samsung in 2000, however, the first was actually created in 1999 by Kyocera Corporation—a Japanese company that introduced the VisualPhone VP-210, the first camera phone capable of saving 20 JPEG images.

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Flash memory - Fujio Masuoka was the inventor of the first flash memory in 1984. He worked for Toshiba in the 1980s.

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Motion-sensitive remote - This type of remote was invented by Nintendo for the Wii console. Known as the 'Wii Remote,' it was one of the most outstanding inventions of 2006.

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Pocket calculator - Calculators have been around for years, yet the first microchip-based pocket calculator was invented by the Japanese company Busicom in 1970.

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Blue LED - Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura are the three Japanese inventors responsible for the development of the first blue semiconductor diode. This invention has led to the development of almost all LED products we know today. It earned them a Nobel Prize for Physics in 2014.

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Lithium-ion battery - It was Japanese Asahi Kasei who studied lithium batteries along with every study that had ever been done on them. Asahi's study helped Sony develop the first lithium-ion battery that would ultimately be used by the entire world market.

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QR code - The QR code is older than you think. It was developed in 1994 by a subsidiary company of Toyota called Denso Wave. This helped Toyota with the manufacturing process. It was only later that it was adapted into the product we know today.

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3D printing - Although somewhat recent, the first to think and write about the concept of a 3D printer was the Japanese Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute. Hideo Kodama wrote about the idea of ​​a rapid printing system that would use photo polymers—something that actually exists nowadays.

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High speed train - It was Japan that invented the first high-speed railroad in 1964. From Tokyo to Osaka, the first "Shinkansen" became popular, not only in the country of the rising sun, but also throughout the world.

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Androids - The first android robot was developed in 1970 at Waseda University in Japan and was called WABOT-1. He had artificial ears, mouth, and eyes and was capable of lifting objects.

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PlayStation - One of the most popular consoles in the world for the last two decades, the Playstation was invented by Ken Kutaragi, former president of the Sony Computer Entertainment group. The first version of the console was imagined and developed in 1990.

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VHS - Although now extremely dated, VHS cassettes were invented in 1973 by Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano who worked for JVC.

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Correction tape - As an alternative to the traditional fluid whiteout, Seed, a Japanese company, invented the white-out correction tape in 1989.

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