Microsoft Flight Simulator official artwork and logo

[Update]: The newest patch has now also fleshed out France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.

In an effort to further flesh out the already massive world map, Microsoft Flight Simulator will be releasing a major update every couple of months. The first of these has just arrived, and as the title would suggest, it is entirely about Japan!

"World Update I: Japan features upgraded digital elevation mapping across the entire country, high-resolution 3D photogrammetry for six prominent Japanese cities (Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya and Yokohama), and six exquisitely hand-crafted airports (Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima)," reads the brief announcement.

"Throughout the environment, new countryside and pagoda-style architecture has been added, along with nearly two dozen custom landmarks & POIs that invite you to explore the area's timeless World Heritage sites, towering neon skyscrapers, iconic bridges and sacred shrines. But that's just the beginning -- this update also brings a trio of exciting Landing Challenges set at Japanese airports, new opportunities for pilots to overcome environmental obstacles and prove their skills."

Since words alone aren't exactly the best way to showcase a new region, allow me to also share with you the recently posted trailer. Have a gander, it's a rather pretty one:

When it comes to the actual gameplay changes and bug fixes that have arrived alongside the Japan update, those you can check out by hopping over to the patch notes on Steam. It's nothing too important, however, so if you just want to jump into a plane and start exploring Japan, you'll be perfectly fine.

Have fun with the new update, and if you need a few more tidbits of information, you can read more about Microsoft Flight Simulator over at the official website.