Question: Some think the resulting nooks create better insulation and wind resistance.
Nooks might create better insulation and wind resistance.

Answer: yes

Question: Areas served by roads have been built up and tend to be crowded at the height of summer.
The roads had been built to serve the great demand for access to the pristine beaches.

Answer: it is not possible to tell

Question: All represent different, often contradictory, facets of the greater whole that is Japan one of the world's most intriguing countries.
Japan is intriguing and often contradictory.

Answer:
yes