Interesting Facts Japan really makes everyone think, even the most sophisticated and experienced travelers. This state is very different from the corners of the globe that are familiar to us.
Landing in Tokyo, from the very first minutes you understand that fate has thrown you almost to another planet. What exactly does it feel like? Yes, in almost everything. In culture, traditions, rules, laws, even in landscapes that open from the windows of a hotel room.
However, not only interesting facts about Japan will be presented in this article. The reader will receive a lot useful information about different areas lives of ordinary inhabitants of this country, will get acquainted with them in absentia in order to definitely want to visit the amazing country of the Rising Sun in the future.
Section 1. General Information
Modern Japan is not without reason considered the birthplace of the sun. This is where a new day begins. Today, this amazing country combines modern nanotechnologies and centuries-old traditions.
Skyscrapers of megacities peacefully coexist with ancient temples and sacred gate spirits, luxury hotels with traditional Japanese ryokans, and expensive SPA-salons with national
Such an unusual state, as a rule, attracts tourists with its unique atmosphere and architecture.
A map of Japan shows that everything here is at a fairly modest distance from each other. For example, children can visit all the best amusement parks in one visit: Disneyland, Disney Sea, Mineland Osarizawa, etc.
By the way, it is worth paying attention to the fact that prices in the Land of the Rising Sun go off scale, and there is no concept of tourist seasonality. Therefore, Japan is more loved by businessmen and wealthy tourists. Although there are a lot of attractions here.
The capital of the country is Tokyo. Among the most major cities, except for the capital, includes Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya. The biggest seaside resort located in the Okinawa archipelago.
Section 2. Traditions at home
Still, Japan is amazing and unique. Interesting things here can open almost immediately, as they say, at the doorstep.
For example, when receiving an invitation to the following information should be taken into account:
- It is customary to walk indoors without shoes, they are left in front of the entrance to the house. The restrooms always have special slippers into which you can change.
- When visiting, it is permissible to sit down only in the places offered by the hosts. By tradition, the Japanese sit on the tatami on their knees, legs crossed. But now these rules are not so strict. Sitting with your legs crossed or stretched out is considered bad manners. It is forbidden to step on or step over anything in the house.
- Going to visit, you should take sweets or strong drinks with you. (hashi) are for eating only. They should not be waved or pointed at anyone. It is also inappropriate to stick them in food, it is associated with death.
- At the end of the meal, it is customary to take the rest of the food with you.
Section 3. Japanese gestures
On the traditions of the house, interesting facts about Japan, of course, do not end there. Let's talk about facial expressions and gestures. This language of the local population is very peculiar and unusual for other people. To avoid misunderstandings when communicating, you should know some of them:
- nodding your head does not at all mean the consent of the interlocutor - this is how the Japanese show that they listen carefully and understand;
- a "V" gesture is used when taking a photo;
- the thumb at the nose means "I", and the crossing of the arms on the chest means "I thought";
- index fingers, put to the head in the form of horns, speak of discontent;
- a figure of three fingers is considered an indecent sign; the usual “come here” gesture, but performed with both hands, will also be perceived badly;
- a fist put to the head with an open palm means “stupid” among the Japanese, and waving the palm in front of the face expresses disagreement with something.
Section 4. Prostrations and Behavior in Society
Japanese young and old in public places are usually shy and less sociable, so it is better to turn to middle-aged people with questions.
Not everywhere there are places for smoking, there are no trash cans on the street. The best way out is to buy a pocket ashtray.
Visitors (o-keksan) of restaurants, shops and other establishments are treated with respect and adhere to the rule "the customer is always right".
In Japan, there is no handshake ritual, bows are used instead. At the same time, return bows should be made with the same frequency and respect that the other side demonstrates. Sometimes just a nod of the head is enough.
Section 5. Japan: facts from the life of women
- On Valentine's Day in Japan, girls give gifts to show their sympathy for the guy.
- The Japanese subway has special carriages for women, which are attached to the train daily in the morning. During rush hour, women can easily reach their destination.
- Men are always served first. For example, in stores, a man is greeted first, in restaurants they are the first to leave an order.
Section 6. Social life
Many interesting facts about Japan directly or indirectly indicate that this is actually unusual country, different from other powers:
- despite the predilection for voyeurism, Japan has a minimal number of rapes;
- here is the most tolerant attitude towards smoking - you can smoke everywhere (except airports and railway stations);
- Japanese people's favorite topic is food. At the table they praise the treat, and during dinner they say the word “oishii” (delicious) several times;
- prisoners do not have the right to vote in elections;
- the Japanese are afraid to travel the world; They consider the USA the most dangerous country;
- in Japan, public transport is expensive, the cheapest subway ticket costs 140 yen (50 rubles);
- the country has low pensions and no pension insurance (you need to take care of your old age in advance);
- the streets are clean and there are no trash cans, and there are only boxes for bottles;
- The Japanese constitution forbids the country from having an army and taking part in wars.
Section 7. Improvement of the city
Not everyone knows that the capital of Japan is considered the safest city in the world, even six-year-old children can travel by public transport on their own.
The absence of bins on the streets is due to the fact that all waste is sorted and further processed. Each type of waste is picked up on a specific day. Violation is subject to a fine.
In snowy areas, the streets are heated, and because of this, there is no ice and snowdrifts. The same is likely to await travelers if they go on an excursion to the mountains of Japan. But at the same time, there is no central heating in the houses, and all residents heat themselves.
Section 8. Features of the Japanese language
Japan is notable for its exceptional writing:
- Japanese writing consists of three types of writing: Kanji (hieroglyphs), Hiragana (an alphabet of syllables) and Katakana (a syllable system for writing words of non-Japanese origin);
- many hieroglyphs include up to 4 syllables, but there are exceptions: for example, the hieroglyph 砉 includes 13 syllables and is read as “hanetokawatogahanareruoto”;
- all months have serial number; September (九月 kugatsu) means "ninth month";
- there are practically no personal pronouns in the language, and the words used in this capacity have an additional meaning;
- Japanese has a system of polite speech, consisting of several types of politeness (colloquial, respectful, polite, and modest); men communicate in a colloquial manner, while women communicate in a respectful manner;
- in Japanese speech there is a word 過労死 (Karoshi - "death by processing"); annually in Japan from sudden death thousands of people die;
- before Japan was known to the West, the Japanese used the single word 恋 (koi) to describe romantic attraction, meaning "irresistible attraction to the unattainable."
Section 9. Strange and unusual facts about Japan
- In Japan, all the rulers are descendants of the first founder of the Japanese Empire in 711 BC.
- Almost 99% of the people of Japan are ethnic population. Post-war Japan in 1945 had significantly more guests from near and far abroad, then there were only 68%.
- Mount Fuji belongs to Hongyu Sengen Temple. Ownership rights are confirmed by a donation dated 1609, signed by the Shogun.
- In Japan, dolphin meat is eaten. However, such dishes are practically not ordered by tourists from other countries.
- Habitual snowmen are molded from two snow balls.
- The Japanese are big car enthusiasts.
Japan, without a doubt, is a unique state. The ancient traditions of the people have always been of interest to residents of other countries. Interesting facts about Japan will tell not only about the peculiarities of life in this state, but also about the nature, population, culture of this people.
70 facts about Japan
2. In Japan, it is customary to eat dolphins.
3. On Valentine's Day in Japan, gifts are given and only girls show sympathy.
4. Japan has the slowest McDonald's.
5. In Japan, it is customary to make snowmen from only two balls.
6. Fruits are very expensive in Japan, but fish and meat are cheap.
7. Tips are not given in Japan.
8. There is no looting during earthquakes in this state.
9. Colonel Sanders is one of the most important symbols of Christmas in Japan.
10. In Japan, even the grocery store sells pornography.
11. In the Japanese subway, there are cars only for women. This is done so that no one harasses girls during rush hour.
12. This country has one of the lowest rates of rape in the world.
13. Police officers from Japan are the most honest people in the world, because they never take bribes.
15. The age of 13 in Japan is the age of consent. From this age, residents can voluntarily agree to intimate relationship and it won't be violent.
16. Skirts school uniforms in Japan, they differ in length depending on age: the older the student, the shorter the skirt.
17. If a dress, skirt or shorts on a woman in Japan is short to such an extent that panties and buttocks are visible, then this is normal. Deep cleavage in Japan is unacceptable.
18. Japan is the only country in the world where a train delay of 1 minute is considered a significant delay.
19. In this country, one of the most high levels suicide.
20. In Japan, 30% of marriages occur as a result of parent-organized matchmaking.
21. Residents of Japan are terrible workaholics.
22. In all the cities of Japan, located in the north, where snow falls in winter, there is heating of sidewalks and streets.
23. There is no central heating in this country. Everyone heats their home as best they can.
24. It is bad manners to come to work on time in this country.
25. In Japan, you can smoke everywhere except airports and train stations.
26. Formally, Japan is still considered an empire.
27. On the streets of Japan you can see a flowerpot with umbrellas, which are designed for those who forgot their umbrella at home.
28.B Japanese 3 types of writing are used simultaneously: katakana, hiragana and kanji.
29. There are no guest workers in Japan.
30. Almost everything railways Japan are private.
31. Months do not have names in Japanese. They are designated by numbers.
32.98.4% of the population of Japan are ethnic Japanese.
33. In this country, prisoners do not have the right to vote in elections.
34. About 200 volcanoes are located on the territory of Japan.
35. The capital of Japan is the safest metropolis in the world.
36. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution forbids the country from having its own army and from taking part in wars.
37. There are no landfills in Japan. This is due to the fact that all garbage is recycled.
38. There is not a single trash can on the streets of Japan.
39. Pensions are very small in Japan.
40.Most low level vandalism in Japan.
41. In Japan, men are always the first to greet.
42. All toilets in Japan are heated.
43. Favorite drink in Japan is tea.
44. Theatrical performance in Japan can even last 8 hours.
45. In Japan there is the death penalty.
46. Instead of a signature in this country, they put a nominal seal - hanko. Every Japanese has this seal.
47. In the cities of Japan, left-hand traffic.
48. In Japan, it is considered offensive to open a gift in the presence of the person who gave it.
49. The sixth part of Japan is covered with forests.
50. In Japan, it is illegal to cut down trees for commercial purposes.
51. In Japan, you can eat loudly champing.
52. Approximately 3,000 companies that are over 200 years old are located in this State.
53. In 2017, Japan celebrated its 2677th anniversary. It was officially founded on February 11, 660 BC.
54. There are over 50,000 people in Japan who are over 100 years old.
55. In Japan, a public transport ticket is very expensive.
56. Monkeys who live in Japan know how to steal wallets.
57. There are more animals in Japan than children under the age of 15.
58. Japan is called a country rising sun.
59. Hinomaru - this is the name of National flag Japan.
60. The main Japanese goddess is the goddess of the Sun.
61. Translated into Russian, the anthem of Japan is called "the reign of the emperor."
62.Most of the phones sold in Japan are waterproof.
63. In Japan they sell square watermelons.
64. Vending machines are very common in Japan.
65. Crooked teeth in Japan are a sign of beauty.
66. The art of folding paper figures - origami, originally from Japan.
67. In Japan, there is a restaurant where monkeys work as waiters.
68. Japanese cuisine is very popular all over the world.
69. Rice is a staple food in Japan.
30 facts about the Japanese
1. The Japanese love to make pizza with grains and mayonnaise.
2. The Japanese eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3. Residents of Japan are considered one of the leaders in life expectancy.
4. Before entering the house, the Japanese always take off their shoes.
5. Instead of cutlery, the Japanese have chopsticks.
6. Every day, residents of this country buy meat, vegetables and fish, as they prefer fresh products.
7. There are no floors in hospitals for the Japanese.
8. To protect their home, the Japanese use not only dogs, but also crickets.
9. While bathing, while soaping their body, the Japanese do not sit in the bath. They lather outside the tub, then rinse before getting into the hot tub.
10. Blow your nose in public place not correct for the Japanese.
11. The Japanese are incredibly polite people.
12. The Japanese do not know how to relax. They even call 4 weekends in a row a vacation.
13. Many Japanese people sing and draw beautifully.
14. Until the age of 8, little Japanese take a bath instead of with their parents.
15. The Japanese like baths and hot springs.
16. In Japanese families, it is quite normal when brother and sister do not talk.
17. For any reason, the Japanese give money.
18. The Japanese believe almost everything, and therefore are considered too naive people.
19. The Japanese are very fond of dancing.
20. It's very easy to confuse a Japanese.
21. It is believed that if you managed to excite the Japanese, then he has blood coming from his nose.
22. The Japanese are very fond of pets.
23. Japanese people rarely say "thank you" in supermarkets.
24. A large number of residents of Japan scold their own country.
25. The Japanese have a very common practice of adopting adult children.
26. Japanese girls don't wear pantyhose.
27. The Japanese serve tea after every meal.
28. The Japanese love to sleep at work, and they are not punished for this.
29. The Japanese love to repeat everything.
30. Japanese girls cut their hair after breaking up with a guy.
Do you have other facts that deserve attention? Share them in the comments!
Japan is a small country located on mountainous islands. Once upon a time, Japan was isolated from the rest of the world for centuries and in every possible way prevented the penetration of Europeans and their culture into these lands, but much has changed since then. Today, Japan is one of the most developed and high-tech countries. Most of the technical innovations are given to the world by the Japanese. And, of course, one cannot ignore the original Japanese culture, which is adored by millions of people around the world.
- Japan includes almost seven thousand islands, but the four largest of them occupy 97% of the total area.
- Officially, Japan is still an empire. This is the only empire that has survived to this day.
- Japan is the only country in the world against which nuclear weapons have been used during hostilities.
- Japan was founded as a state over two and a half thousand years ago. At the same time, the imperial dynasty has not been interrupted to this day.
- We owe the Japanese language such words as "typhoon" and "tsunami" (see).
- According to its own constitution, Japan does not have the first right to declare war on anyone.
- Snowmen in Japan are made from two snowballs, and not from three, as in other countries.
- There is no central heating in Japan. At the same time, sidewalks are heated in northern cities in winter so that they do not have to clean the snow.
- A train delay of more than 60 seconds is considered an unacceptable delay in Japan.
- Fruit in Japan costs crazy money. For example, a melon will cost the equivalent of several hundred dollars.
- Two thirds of Japan is covered in forest. Forests here, by the way, are not cut down at all (see).
- There are so many people in the Tokyo subway that special people pack passengers into the cars. The metro here, by the way, is private, not state-owned, and different companies own its different branches.
- The tradition of committing ritual suicide in Japan it is still practiced by people who have not coped with their tasks and who want to "wash away shame from themselves."
- Most Japanese work at least 12 hours, and 6 days a week, not 5.
- Tipping in Japan, as in Finland, is not accepted (see).
- In Japan, very short skirts are considered the norm, but clothes with a neckline are considered vulgar here.
- You can smoke almost everywhere in Japan. All Japanese smokers carry small pocket ashtrays with them, because it is strictly forbidden to shake off the ashes on the ground or on the floor.
- The Japanese language includes four levels of politeness, from conversational to especially polite.
- The Japanese do not give names to the months, preferring to call them "second month" or, for example, "tenth month".
- In Japan, square watermelons are grown - they are easier to transport than round ones.
- Japan is a mono-ethnic country, more than 98% of its population are ethnic Japanese. For the most part, they treat foreigners coolly, albeit very politely and correctly.
- Tokyo is recognized as the safest major city in the world.
- All garbage in Japan is recycled and reused.
- Japan is home to the world's oldest operating inn, the Hoshi Ryokan, which dates back to 718.
- Every year Japan experiences about one thousand four hundred earthquakes. Most of them, fortunately, are very weak (see).
- More than fifty thousand people over a hundred years old live in Japan, which makes it real country centenarians.
- The peace treaty after the end of World War II between Japan and Russia has not yet been signed due to the unresolved issue of ownership of the Kuril Islands.
It's no secret that the Japanese are considered pretty unusual people: they have very peculiar culture, music, movies, and everything in general. After reading the facts from this article, you will understand where the roots of these oddities grow. It turns out that the Japanese have always been like that.
For more than two and a half centuries, Japan has been a closed country.
In 1600 after a long period feudal fragmentation and civil wars, in Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first head of the shogunate in Edo, came to power. By 1603, he finally completed the process of unifying Japan and began to rule with his "iron fist". Ieyasu, like his predecessor, supported trade with other countries, but was very suspicious of foreigners. This led to the fact that in 1624 trade with Spain was completely prohibited. And in 1635, a decree was issued prohibiting the Japanese from leaving the country and prohibiting those who had already left to return. Since 1636, foreigners (the Portuguese, later the Dutch) could only be on the artificial island of Dejima in the harbor of Nagasaki.
The Japanese were short because they didn't eat meat.
6th to 19th century medium height Japanese men was only 155 cm. This is due to the fact that it was in the 6th century that the Chinese “neighborly” shared the philosophy of Buddhism with the Japanese. It is not clear why, but the new worldview was to the liking of the ruling circles of Japanese society. And especially the part of it that vegetarianism is the way to save the soul and better reincarnation. Meat was completely excluded from the diet of the Japanese, and the result was not long in coming: from the 6th to the 19th century, the average height of the Japanese decreased by 10 cm.
Trade in "Night Gold" was common in ancient Japan
Night gold is a phraseological unit that denotes a product of human life, its feces, used as a valuable and balanced fertilizer. In Japan, this practice was used quite widely. Moreover, the waste of rich people was sold for more high price, because their diet was plentiful and varied, so more nutrients remained in the resulting “product”. Various historical documents from the 9th century onwards, detail the procedures for toilet waste.
Pornography in Japan has always flourished
Sexual themes in Japanese art originated many centuries ago and date back to ancient Japanese myths, among which the most famous is the myth of the emergence Japanese islands as a result of the sexual relationship between the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami. In ancient monuments there is no hint of a disapproving attitude towards sex. “This frankness in the story of sex and literary materials, - writes the Japanese cultural anthropologist Toshinao Yoneyama, - has survived until our day ... In Japanese culture there was no consciousness of original sin in relation to sex, as was the case in Christian cultures.
Fishermen in ancient Japan used tamed cormorants
It all happened like this: at night, the fishermen went out to sea in a boat and lit torches to attract fish. Next, about a dozen cormorants were released, which were tied to the boat with a long rope. At the same time, the neck of each bird was slightly intercepted by a flexible collar so that it could not swallow the caught fish. As soon as the cormorants gained full crops, the fishermen pulled the birds onto the boat. For their work, each bird received a reward in the form of a small fish.
In ancient Japan, there was a special form of marriage - tsumadoi.
A full-fledged small family - in the form of cohabitation - was not in ancient Japan typical shape marriage. basis family relations constituted a special Japanese marriage - tsumadoi, in which the husband freely visited his wife, maintaining, in fact, a separate residence with her. For the bulk of the population, marriage was concluded upon reaching the age of majority: at the age of 15 for a boy and at 13 for a girl. The conclusion of marriage assumed the consent of numerous relatives, up to the grandparents on the part of the wife. Tsumadoi marriage did not imply monogamy, and it was not forbidden for a man to have several wives, as well as concubines. However, a free relationship with their wives, leaving them without a reason to marry a new wife, was not allowed by the laws.
There were and still are quite a lot of Christians in Japan
Christianity appeared in Japan in the middle of the 16th century. The first missionary who preached the gospel to the Japanese was the Basque Jesuit Francis Xavier. But the missionaries did not last long. Soon the shoguns began to see Christianity (as the faith of foreigners) as a threat. In 1587, the unifier Toyotomi Hideyoshi forbade the stay of missionaries in the country and began to persecute believers. As justifications for his actions, he pointed to the fact that some Japanese converts desecrated and destroyed Buddhist and Shinto shrines. Hideyoshi's political successor Tokugawa Ieyasu continued the repressive policy. In 1612, he banned the practice of Christianity in his domains, and in 1614 he extended this ban to all of Japan. During the Tokugawa era, about 3,000 Japanese Christians were martyred, the rest were imprisoned or exiled. Tokugawa policy obligated all Japanese families register at a local Buddhist temple and receive a certificate that they are not Christians.
Japanese prostitutes were divided into several ranks
In addition to the well-known geisha, who by and large were simply leading ceremonies, in Japan there were also courtesans, who, in turn, were divided into several classes depending on the cost: tayu (the most expensive), koshi, tsubone, sancha and the cheapest - street girls, bath attendants, servants, etc. Behind the scenes, there was the following agreement: once choosing a girl, it was necessary to adhere to her, “settle down”. Therefore, men often kept their own courtesans. Tayu rank girls cost 58 momme (about 3,000 rubles) at a time, and this is not counting the mandatory 18 momme for servants - another 1,000 rubles. Prostitutes of the lowest rank cost about 1 momme (about 50 rubles). In addition to the direct payment for services, there were also related expenses - food, drink, tips for many servants, all this could reach up to 150 momme (8000 rubles) per evening. Thus, a man containing a courtesan could well lay out about 29 kenme (about 580,000 rubles) per year.
The Japanese often committed pair suicides from unrequited love.
After the "reorganization" of prostitution in 1617, the entire extra-family sex life of the Japanese was moved to separate quarters like the "red light district", where the girls lived and worked. The girls could not leave the quarter, unless they were bought by wealthy clients as their wives. It was very expensive and more often it happened that lovers simply could not afford to be together. Despair brought such couples to "shinju" - paired suicides. The Japanese did not see anything wrong with this, because they have long honored rebirth and were completely sure that in the next life they would definitely be together.
Torture and executions in Japan have been legal for a long time.
To begin with, it should be said that there was no presumption of innocence in the Tokugawa-era Japanese legal system. Each person who went to court was more likely to be considered guilty in advance. With the coming to power of the Tokugawa, only four types of torture remained legal in Japan: scourging, squeezing with stone slabs, tying with a rope, and hanging on a rope. Moreover, torture was not a punishment in itself, and its purpose was not to cause maximum suffering to the prisoner, but to obtain frank recognition in a committed crime. It should also be noted here that the use of torture was allowed only for those criminals who were threatened with the death penalty for their deeds. Therefore, after a sincere confession, the poor fellows were most often executed. The executions were also very different: from a banal beheading to a terrible boiling in boiling water - this is how ninjas were punished who failed a contract killing and were captured.
Ever since the Land of the Rising Sun first appeared in ancient Chinese chronicles, its history and cultural traditions never cease to amaze.
Although almost everyone has heard about how Mongol invasion that country was hit by a tsunami or how Japan was cut off from the rest of the world during the Edo period, in Japanese history there are many other strange-interesting facts, and technical achievements still amaze today.
1. Prohibition on eating meat
Beginning in the middle of the 7th century, the Japanese government introduced a ban on eating meat that lasted for over 1200 years. Probably inspired by the Buddhist commandment not to take the life of others, Emperor Temmu in 675 AD. issued a decree that forbade the consumption of beef, monkey meat and domestic animals on pain of death. The original law prohibited eating meat only between April and September, but later laws and religious practices have led to a complete taboo on meat.
After Christian missionaries appeared in the country, eating meat was again popularized in the 16th century. Although another ban was announced in 1687, some Japanese continued to eat meat. By 1872, the Japanese authorities officially lifted the ban, and even the emperor began to eat meat.
2. Kabuki was created by a woman dressed as a man
Kabuki, one of the most famous and iconic phenomena in Japanese culture, is a colorful form dance theater, in which male and female characters played exclusively by men. However, at the dawn of its inception, kabuki was the opposite - all the characters were played by women. The founder of kabuki was Izumo no Okuni, a priestess who became famous for performing dances and skits while disguised as a man. Okuni's energetic and sensual performances were a huge success, and other courtesans adopted her style by imitating her performances.
This "female kabuki" was so popular that dancers were even invited by daimyo ("feudal lords") to perform on stage in their castles. Whilst everyone was enjoying the new frank art form, the government wasn't quite up and running. In 1629, after a riot broke out during a kabuki show in Kyoto, women were banned from the stage. Female roles male actors began to play and kabuki turned into the theater as it is known today.
3 Japan's Surrender Nearly Failed
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced unconditional surrender Japan to the Allied Powers during a nationwide radio broadcast known as the "Jewel Voice Broadcast". The radio broadcast was not actually broadcast in live, but was recorded the previous night. In addition, it was not carried out from the imperial palace. The same night that Emperor Hirohito wrote down his message, a group of Japanese military men who refused to surrender launched a coup d'état. The leader of this coup, Major Kenji Hatanaka, with his men captured Imperial Palace for a few hours.
Hatanaka wanted to disrupt the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Although his soldiers carefully searched the entire palace, the capitulation record was never found. Miraculously, despite the fact that everyone leaving the palace was thoroughly searched, the recording was carried outside in a laundry basket. However, Hatanaka did not give up. He rode his bicycle to the nearest radio station, where he wanted to announce live that a coup had taken place in the country and Japan was not surrendering. By technical reasons he never managed to do this, after which he returned to the palace and shot himself.
4 Samurai Tested Their Swords By Attacking Passers By
In medieval Japan, it was considered shameful if a samurai's sword could not cut through the opponent's body with one blow. Therefore, it was extremely important for a samurai to know in advance the quality of his weapons and to check each new sword even before real battles. Samurai usually tested swords on criminals and on corpses. But there was another method called tsujigiri (“kill at the crossroads”), in which random commoners who had the misfortune to go to the crossroads at night became targets. At first, cases of tsujigiri were rare, but eventually it became such a problem that the authorities felt it necessary to ban the practice in 1602.
5. Trophy noses and ears
During the reign legendary leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japan invaded Korea twice between 1592 and 1598. Although Japan eventually withdrew its troops from that country, its incursions were very brutal and resulted in the death of one million Koreans. At this time for Japanese warriors it was not uncommon to cut off the heads of their enemies as spoils of war. But since it was rather difficult to carry the heads back to Japan, the soldiers instead began to cut off their ears and noses.
As a result, entire monuments were created in Japan for these terrible trophies, which were known as "ear tombs" and "nose tombs". One such tomb in Kyoto contains tens of thousands of trophies. Another in Okayama contained 20,000 noses, which were eventually returned to Korea in 1992.
6. The father of the kamikaze committed hara-kiri
By October 1944, Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi believed that the only way to win the Second world war is the infamous Operation Kamikaze, in which Japanese suicide pilots crashed their planes into Allied ships. Onishi hoped that such attacks would shock the US enough to force the Americans to abandon the war. The vice admiral was so desperate that he once even said that he was ready to sacrifice 20 million Japanese lives for victory.
Upon hearing of Emperor Hirohito's surrender in August 1945, Onishi was distraught when he realized that he had sent thousands of kamikazes to their deaths in vain. He considered that the only acceptable atonement would be suicide and committed seppuku on August 16, 1945. In his suicide note Onishi apologized to the "souls of the dead and their inconsolable families", and also asked the young Japanese to fight for peace on the planet.
7. First Japanese Christian
In 1546, the 35-year-old samurai Anjiro was a fugitive for killing a man in a fight. While hiding in the trading port of Kagoshima, Anjiro met several Portuguese who took pity on him and secretly transported him to Malacca. During his time abroad, Anjiro learned Portuguese and was baptized under the name Paulo de Santa Fe, becoming the first Japanese Christian. He also met with Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest who went with Anjiro to Japan in the summer of 1549 to establish a Christian mission.
The mission ended unsuccessfully, Anjiro and Xavier went their separate ways and the latter decided to try his luck in China. Although Francis Xavier failed to evangelize Japan, he was eventually made a saint and patron of Christian missionaries. Anjiro, who is believed to have died as a pirate, has been completely forgotten.
8. The slave trade led to the abolition of slavery
Shortly after Japan first made contact with Western world in the 1540s, Portuguese slave traders began buying up Japanese slaves. This slave trade eventually grew so large that even the Portuguese slaves in Macau had their own Japanese slaves. The Jesuit missionaries were not happy with such activities and in 1571 convinced the King of Portugal to end the enslavement of the Japanese, although the Portuguese colonists resisted this decision and ignored the ban.
The Japanese warlord and leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi was furious about the situation with the slave trade (and, paradoxically, he had nothing against the enslavement of the Koreans during the raids in 1590). As a result, Hideyoshi in 1587 issued a ban on the trade in Japanese slaves, although this practice continued after that for some time.
9. 200 School Nurses of the Battle of Okinawa
In April 1945, the Allies launched an invasion of Okinawa. The bloodshed, which lasted 3 months, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people, 94,000 of whom were civilians in Okinawa. Among the civilian dead was the Himeyuri Student Corps, a group of 200 schoolgirls aged between 15 and 19 who were forced by the Japanese to work as nurses during the battle. At first, the Himeyuri girls worked in a military hospital. But then they were transferred to dugouts, as the island was increasingly bombarded.
They fed wounded Japanese soldiers, helped perform amputations, and buried the bodies of the dead. As the Americans advanced, the girls were ordered not to surrender and, if captured, to commit suicide with a hand grenade. Many girls really killed themselves, others died during the fighting. The “Dugout of virgins” is known, when 51 girls died in a littered room during the shelling. After the war, a monument and a museum were built in honor of the Himeyuri girls.
10. Nuclear weapons program
Atomic bombings Hiroshima and Nagasaki shocked Japan and the world in August 1945, but one Japanese scientist may not have been surprised at all. Physicist Yoshio Nishina has been worried about the possibility of such attacks since 1939. Nishina was also the leader of the first program to create nuclear weapons in Japan, which started in April 1941. By 1943, a committee led by Nisin concluded that nuclear weapons would be possible, but very difficult, even for the United States.
After that, the Japanese continued to explore the possibility of creating nuclear weapons as part of another project "F-Go Project" under the supervision of physicist Bunsaku Arakatsu. Japan actually had all the knowledge to create atomic bomb She just didn't have the resources. Proof of this is the fact that in May 1945 the United States Navy intercepted a Nazi submarine heading for Tokyo with a cargo of 540 kg of uranium oxide.
