With Russian President Vladimir Putin set to visit Japan next week, expectations are growing as to whether progress will be made on a territorial row that has been a thorn in bilateral ties.
But strolling through the streets of Tokyo, a few Russia-linked buildings and restaurants, both old and new, suggest there is history between the two countries that goes beyond the disputed islands off Hokkaido.
One is a Byzantine-style Orthodox cathedral founded in 1891 by Russian priest Nicholas Kasatkin — an eye-catching structure that sits among modern Tokyo buildings.