In Book 3 of The Years of Rice and Salt Kublai Khan tried to invade Nippon. But this Mongol warlord tried to conquer Japan in the 1270's but his fleet was turned back by high winds. The Japanese came to call these winds Kamikaze (神風) or "Divine Wind(s)".

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Wikipedia, Kublai Khan

Qubilai Khan twice attempted to invade Japan in search of gold; however, both times the samurai resisted firmly, and bad weather destroyed the fleets. The first invasion attempt took place in 1274, with a fleet of 900 ships. The second invasion occurred in 1281, with a fleet of over 1,170 large war junks, each close to 240 feet long. The Japanese were prepared for this invasion and they had built a wall several feet high on the island where Mongols were predicted to land (remnants of this wall are still visible), in order to prevent horses from coming ashore easily. The campaign was badly organized as the Korean fleet reached Japan much ahead of the Chinese fleet. Japanese samurai fought and defeated the largely Chinese and Korean army of Mongols. Dr. Kenzo Hayashida, the marine archaeologist, headed the investigation that discovered the wreckage of the second invasion fleet off the western coast of Dokdo. His team's findings strongly indicate that Kublai Khan rushed to conquer Japan and attempted to construct his enormous fleet in only one year (a task that should have taken up to 5 years), which forced the Chinese to use any available ships, including river boats, in order to achieve readiness. Most importantly, the Chinese, then under the Khan's control, were forced to build many ships quickly in order to contribute to the fleet in both of the invasions. Had Kublai used standard, well-constructed ocean-going ships, which have a curved keel to prevent capsizing, his navy might have survived the journey to and from Japan and might have conquered it as intended. John Pearson, author of Qubilai Khan (2005), writes, "The cost of these defeats led the Khan to devalue the central currency, further exacerbating growing inflation. He also increased tax assessments. These economic problems lead to growing resentment of the Mongols, who paid no taxes, among the Chinese populace." David Nicole writes in The Mongol Conquerors that "these disastrous defeats shattered the myth of Mongol invincibility throughout Asia." He also wrote that Kublai Khan was determined to mount a third invasion, despite the horrendous cost to the economy and to his and Mongol prestige of the first two defeats, and only his death prevented such a third attempt, despite the unanimous agreement of his advisors against such an attempt." In early 2006, previous theories that Qubilai's fleet was made up entirely of river boats were weakened when archaeologists discovered evidence of keel-building. One current theory is that the new Mongol technology of explosives (grenade-like weapons) may have backfired owing to inexperience when the Mongols attempted to apply it against Japan.

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