Japan: 1570s, via Portuguese "Japao", Dutch "Japan", acquired in Malacca from Malay "Japang", from Chinese "jih pun" ("sunrise") (equivalent of Japanese "Nippon"). Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's "Chipangu". (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Japan)

Hi this is what I found on the net Nihon and Nippon are the two names used in Japanese to refer to Japan. The latter is usually preferred in formal situations, probably because it can be pronounced with more forcefulness. The kanji characters used are "nichi" meaning sun, and "hon" meaning origin, The combination is usually translated as "the land of the rising sun". This phrase can be traced back to the 7th-century ruler Prince Shotoku, who used it in a letter to China. The origin of the word "Japan" used in western languages is less clear. One theory holds that it came from the Portuguese "jipang", which in turn was an attempt to pronounce "Jihpenkuo", the name for Japan used in northern China. Another idea is that Dutch traders pronounced "Yatpun", the name used in southern China, as "Japan" (the 'j' being pronounced like a 'y').

hehe reminds me of the song animals - house of the rising sun ~ there is some story about marco polo

if the sun rises from there why isn't it all that hot? :P