Nippon basically means “made in Japan.” When you see a “Nippon” mark on the underside of a base of a piece of ceramic, you know that you have a piece that was made in Japan.

Why do we call it Japan instead of Nippon?

He called Japan “Zipang” because people in the south part of China told him about the country of the rising sun and the term they used to refer to it. So, both Japan and Nippon meaning where the sun rises have the same etymology and they are different pronunciation of the same kanji. This is how Japan got its name.

Has Japan ever changed its name?

Around the 7th or 8th century, Japans name changed from Wakoku (倭国) to Nihon (日本). Some records say that the Japanese envoy to China requested to change the name because he disliked it; other records say that the Chinese Empress Wu Zetian ordered Japan to change its name.

What was the original name of Tokyo?

Edo The history of the city of Tokyo stretches back some 400 years. Originally named Edo, the city started to flourish after Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa Shogunate here in 1603.