Would you like to know 50 crazy facts about Japan that you would probably never guess? For westerners, the Far East remains a mystery still, and the Japanese culture is no exception. When we think about that baffling nation, a number of different things come to mind: sushi, anime, kimonos, sumo, chopsticks, geisha, Tokyo, the atomic bomb, origami, samurais, weird beautiful writing, manga, rice… This country has a rich culture to offer to its visitors, and this is widely known and appreciated, but Japan also has bizarre aspects and insanely fun facts that should not be overlooked.
If you like traveling around the world and getting to know different cultures first hand; to really experience how it is to live somewhere else where traditions and customs are absolutely opposite and alien to yours, then Japan is a mandatory stop. In case you are already planning a trip to this distant beauty, you should check out What To Know About Japan Before Going: The 7 Most Insane Things that will shock and bewilder every visitor.
I’m sure you are eager to find out which are the 50 crazy facts about Japan that we have compiled for you in this list. So let’s get to it already and kick off the countdown.
50. Late-night dancing is illegal in Japan
49. Japan has more than 50,000 people that are over 100 years old
48. Japan has only 2 gun-related homicides a year
47. The world’s oldest company operated in Japan from 578 AD to 2006
46. Japan consists of over 6,800 islands
45. The average delay of a Japanese train is just 18 seconds
44. Square watermelons are grown in Japan
43. There are more pets than children in Japan
42. More adult diapers are sold in Japan than diapers for babies
41. 98% of all adoptions are of male men
If you thought those facts were crazy, wait until you see the remaining 40 crazy facts about Japan, with 40 to 31 on our countdown found on the next page.
40. There are over 5 million vending machines in the country
39. In Japan, sleeping on the job is acceptable
38. There’s a highway that goes through a building in Japan
37. For the Japanese, black cats bring good luck
36. More paper is used for comics than for toilet paper in the country
35. Japanese Haiku poetry, which consists only of three lines, is the shortest in the world
34. 70% of Japan’s surface is covered in mountains, with over 200 volcanoes
33. Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%
32. There are approximately 1,500 earthquakes yearly in Japan
31. Rice is eaten in every meal in Japan
30. Japanese people live an average of four years longer than Americans
29. ‘Karaoke’ means ‘empty orchestra’ in Japanese
28. Raised floors help indicate where to take off your shoes
27. There are almost 130 voice-acting schools in Japan, due to anime’s success
26. There are coffee shops in Japan where you can play with kittens
25. Japan has produced 18 Nobel Prize winners
24. The Japanese population is 98% Japanese; there are almost no immigrants
23. Japan’s unemployment rate is less than 4%
22. Going to KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan
21. In Japan, it is rude to say “no” directly
20. In Japan, flower arranging is a form of art
19. For the Japanese, it is impolite to tear a gift’s wrapping
18. Snowmen in Japan are made of two snowballs, not three
17. Japanese people carry around a small towel to wipe their sweat off
16. Most homes have extra shoes for guests
15. Drinking or eating while walking is considered to be rude
14. Bus drivers turn the vehicle off at red lights to reduce pollution
13. At Japanese train stations, there are staff workers whose job is to help shove passengers inside the train, as they are so crowded
12. If you are sick in Japan, you should wear a mask to prevent spreading your disease.
11. The most popular pizza topping is squid
10. There are lactation bars where you can get fresh human breast milk: a shot, or straight from the nipple even
9. The Japanese police have paintballs to shoot at fleeing vehicles so as to identify them easily
8. There’s a sacred shrine in Japan that is rebuilt every 20 years
7. ‘Yaeba’, crooked teeth, is considered attractive; so much so that girls go to the dentist to get their teeth unstraightened
6. In 1949, India sent the Tokyo zoo two elephants to cheer the spirits of the defeated Japanese empire
5. Every year in Japan men compete to get the title of “fastest shirt ironer”
4. The Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji is a traditional suicide spot.
3. The ‘ganguro’ Japanese fashion (literally ‘black face’) consists of dying your skin as dark as possible
2. In Japan you can find the world’s shortest escalator, it only has 5 steps
1. Slurping when eating noodles is polite and indicates that the food is delicious
