What country is it where the sun rises first, mountains smoke, and cherry blossoms bloom like nowhere else?

Its short borders enclose art treasures and an undeniable spiritual leader, in the heart of an eternal city. Solve the riddle → A paper band around a 'wrist' that carries your destination and sometimes your longing. Solve the riddle → What is the green lady with a torch in her hand and a crown with seven rays? Solve the riddle → What flows upstream in history but always runs north, through the heart of the desert? Solve the riddle → What was once criticized as an ugly construction, but is now an iron monument that breathes with the seasons? Solve the riddle →