Hahaha. Yeah I guess. But the name originated when most of the world powers were to the east of Japan: Europe China. It just stuck even after the New World was discovered.

1) Only if you are somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, at the East of Japan. There are actually no islands in this region, as far as I know. (Except those which are part of Japan) 2) Europe was originally called this by the Phoenicians: "We Europeans are the original Westerners, and have been for quite some time. That's because the name Europe is (apparently) derived from the Phoenician term for "where the sun sets" - as opposed to Asia, derived from the Phoenician for "where the sun rises". I don't think the Phoenicians meant anything insulting by making us inhabitants of the land of the setting sun, but then again." Source and further information: http://blog.fishonabike.com/2005/06/land-of-setting-sun.html "European 1603, from L. Europa "Europe," from Gk. Europe, often explained as "broad face," from eurys "wide" + ops "face." Klein suggests a possible Sem. origin in Akkad. erebu "to go down, set" (in reference to the sun) which would parallel orient (q.v.). Another suggestion along those lines is Phoen. 'ereb "evening," hence "west." " Source and further information: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Europe&searchmode=none 3) "Both Nippon and Nihon literally mean "the sun's origin", that is, where the sun originates, and are often translated as the Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Imperial correspondence with Chinese Sui Dynasty and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before Japan had relations with China, it was known as Yamato and Hi no moto, which means "source of the sun". " "Nippon appeared in history only at the end of the 7th century. Old Book of Tang (舊唐書), one of the Twenty-Four Histories, stated that the Japanese envoy disliked his country's name Woguo (倭國), and changed it to Nippon (日本), or "Origin of the Sun". Another 8th-century chronicle, True Meaning of Shiji (史記正義), however, states that the Chinese Empress Wu Zetian ordered a Japanese envoy to change the country's name to Nippon." "The Japanese name for Japan, 日本, can be pronounced either Nihon or Nippon. Both readings come from the on'yomi. 日 (nichi) means "sun" or "day"; 本 (hon) means "base" or "root". The compound means "base of the sun" or "sunrise" (from a Chinese point of view, the sun rises from Japan); it is of course a source for the popular Western description of Japan as the "Land of the Rising Sun"." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Rising_Sun

Somewhere about mid-Atlantic you would be the other side of the globe from Japan, so technically as you approach the American continent Japan is closer to the West than it would be towards the East and therefore Japan would be the 'land of the setting sun'. If you keep going far enough across America and on across the Pacific ocean, flying would be best, eventually you would see Japan appear on the horizon, now if you're in a helicopter you stop and wait till the sun passes overhead and sets ..... over Japan!

It'll become that faster if you go east of Japan.