Strange Japan. No matter how much we write about the alluring country of Japan, it continues to amaze and amaze

Japan is a very amazing country, unlike any other. Do you want to know some facts about her that will shock you? Read!

1. Valentine's Day in this country is a great way for a girl to tell a guy she likes about her long-standing feelings. In Japan, it is the girls who give valentine cards and make surprises for the guys. Very convenient: no need to wait for a man to dare and come up first.
2. In Japan, very high prices on fruit. For example, buying an apple will cost $2, and a few bananas will cost $5. Fish and meat products, on the contrary, are cheap.
3. Pornography in Japan can be purchased anywhere, even in a regular grocery store. There is always a shelf with the press, where a separate place is allocated to hentai. In a bookstore, hentai is about a third of all products. If it's a big bookstore, then hentai takes up several floors.
4. Hentai - anime with elements of eroticism and pornography - is sold to persons under the age of majority, absolutely legally.
5. The highest sales of hentai about violence and sex with persons under the age of majority.
6. The Japanese do not hesitate to read hentai even in public transport, just by putting the cover on the book.
7. Subways in Japan have separate women's carriages. They are launched during the busiest hours to keep the men from touching the women in the crowd. And they love to do it.
8. Despite the above shocking facts, Japan is one of the last places in the world in terms of the number of rapes. This figure, for example, in Russia is 5 times higher.
9. The main body of Japanese characters contains two to four syllables. However, it can be much more complicated: the hieroglyph 砉 contains 13 syllables and is pronounced like “hanetokawatogahanareruoto”.
10. The Japanese, even in the modern world, are very scrupulous in matters of honor. This applies to all areas of life and even politics. Several prime ministers have resigned after failing to deliver on their campaign promises to voters.
11. Japan has a lot of the very best. For example, the most expensive amusement park is located here. It's called Disney Sea. 4 of the highest roller coasters you will also find here. The capital of Japan, Tokyo, has the most developed subway, the largest railway interchange and the largest mixed pedestrian crossing.
12. The Japanese snowman is made exclusively from two snowballs, and not from three, as in the rest of the world.
13. At Christmas, the Japanese like to go to a KFC restaurant for a portion of fried chicken. The founder of the institution - Colonel Sanders - is considered one of the symbols of this holiday.
14. One-third of all Japanese weddings to this day take place after matchmaking and bridegrooms, which are arranged at the initiative of the parents of the young.
15. In Japan, there are northern cities with a lot of snow. Residents of these cities are incredibly lucky - the streets and pedestrian areas are automatically heated. The snow melts by itself. No need to clean it up and sprinkle the paths.
16. But even in the northern cities there is no central heating. The Japanese are warming themselves in their homes as best they can.
17. In Japan on official level the cause of death is recognized as overwork (Karoshi). Every year, about 10 thousand people die for this reason.
18. In Japan, there is practically no ban on smoking in in public places. The only exceptions are airports and railway stations.
19. Japan still retains the title of Empire. Of course, formally. Today, there is only one such country in the world.
20. Japan for all centuries of history The country is ruled by one dynasty. The current emperor Akihito is a direct descendant of the first emperor, who was the founder of the state.
21. Japan is 2671 today.
22. The Japanese favorite topic of conversation is food. Even when they eat, all the talk is about taste preferences. It is considered bad manners not to say “delicious” once during dinner.
23. The Japanese love to repeat themselves. For young people, this is considered kawaii - that is, cute, charming.
24. Not only are characters difficult to understand, but Japanese writing is divided into three types: Hiragana (a syllabary system for writing Japanese words), Katakana (a syllable system for writing borrowed words) and Kanji (writing with characters).
25. There are no immigrant workers in the country. The problem of cheap work force solved very simply: the minimum wage that can be paid to a foreigner is higher than the salary of a Japanese. This means that only qualified specialists can come to work. Our country would also benefit from such a decision.
26. Most of railways in Japan is privately owned.
27. Emperor Hirohito was never removed from power, after the war he led the reformation and ruled until 1989. His birthday is considered a national holiday and is celebrated on April 29th.
28. The most famous mountain Japan, Fuji, is the private property of Hongyu Sengen Temple. The mountain was given to the temple in 1609. Court of Japan in the 80s. XX century confirmed the legitimacy of the donation of the mountain. Nobody can encroach on private property in Japan. This is severely punished.
29. The Japanese language is divided into several types depending on the degree of politeness: colloquial, respectful, polite, and very polite. Women use a respectful look, men use a colloquial one.
30. In Japan, there is such a word as "Hikkikomori". They call them people who voluntarily isolated themselves from society, asocialized. They often do not work, live off relatives, and may not leave the house or even their room for years. 7% of the male population of Japan is Hikkikomori.
31. Months in Japan do not have names like we do. Therefore, January is their first, February is their second, etc.
32. Until Western influences penetrated Japan, the Japanese knew only one expression that meant sympathy, feelings: "koi", translated: "an irresistible attraction to something unattainable."
33. The population of Japan is predominantly ethnic Japanese - more than 98 percent. This is a rarity in modern countries.
34. Prisoners are not allowed to vote in elections in the country.
35. The Japanese eat dolphins. They cook soup from them, make barbecue, eat them raw. According to them, the dolphin does not taste like fish, it has tender meat.
36. The Japanese language has one unique feature: there are almost no personal pronouns, and those few pronouns also have other meanings. So, the pronoun "I" means directly "I" and plus "private", "personal".
37. Tokyo is such a safe city that small children of five or six years old without adults can ride the subway and buses. Perhaps this is the safest city in the world.
38. The Japanese have a fear of travel as they are afraid of everything outside of their country. most dangerous country, according to the Japanese, are the United States of America.
39. The Japanese constitution does not allow its state to have an army and participate in wars.
40. study in Japanese schools starts on April 1 and has 3 trimesters. Pupils go to school from April to July, then rest until September, then study until December and from January to March.
41. All the garbage collected in the country is sent for recycling. In this regard, waste tanks simply do not exist. Garbage is divided into glass, the one that can be burned can be recycled and cannot be burned. Each species is exported on a specific day of the week. If a Japanese violates these rules, he faces a fine of $1,000.
42. You will not find urns in the city either, only bins where you can throw bottles. And it's clean on the streets. That's how it would be for us.
43. It is believed that every Japanese must earn a comfortable old age in his life, so pensions in the country are very small - no more than three hundred dollars. This is given the relatively high prices for food and transport. Pension insurance is also not provided for by the legislation of the country.
44. Godzilla was called Godzilla for a reason. In Japanese, it sounds like Gojira - a mixture of the words Gorilla and Kujira (whale). It was not easy to come up with this, I guess.
45. Public transport in the country is not cheap - you can ride the metro for at least 50 rubles in terms of our money.
46. Men in Japan always come first. In any institution, shop, restaurant, they will say hello and take an order first from males.
47. The Japanese love jeeps, despite the high traffic density. Even in densely populated cities where there are traffic jams, there are very few sedans on the road.
48. All toilets in Japan have a variety of functions, from heating a toilet seat to simulating the sounds of running water (in case you need to mask unpleasant sounds). The Japanese toilet is a whole spaceship with a bunch of buttons.
49. Every Japanese knows that the cute cartoon kitty Hello Kitty is from England.
50. In no case should you leave a tip in Japanese establishments. They are tantamount to giving. As long as you pay the price set initially, you remain on an equal footing with the seller.
51. What is racism in Japan do not know. You will never see its manifestation on the street. And isn't that great.
52. One of the popular channels in Japan shows a series about 2 birds with one stone, Putin and Kiriyenko. In the story, they are trying to survive in a police state.
53. The age of consent in Japan, that is, the age at which a person can give permission to enter into an intimate relationship with himself, is thirteen years.
54. Japan is three times the size of England in area. The area of ​​Japan is 374,744 km², and that of England is 130,410 km².
55. Japan is often referred to as an overpopulated state. This is an incorrect statement, since its density per 1 sq. km - 360 people. In England, for example, per 1 sq. km accounts for 383 people.
56. The terms "wrong" and "different" in Japanese are denoted by the same word 違う (chigau).
57. For several years now, there have been things in the country that we used to see only in science fiction films. These are vending machines with all kinds of products, futuristic trains, strange fashion. All this gives Japan a unique flavor.
58. IN Japanese quite a lot of voluminous deep words. For example, the word 御来光 (goraiko) means sunrise as seen from Mount Fuji.
59. The Japanese have often been considered the superior race in history. So, Hitler himself, admiring, called them "honorary Aryans." IN South Africa during apartheid, only the Japanese were not infringed on their rights, as they were called "honorary whites."
60. If an emergency occurs in the country, every Japanese's phone starts beeping loudly, even if it was on silent mode. Plus, a message comes with information about what happened, as well as about future plans evacuation.
61. The Japanese don't know what looting is. Empty houses will remain untouched. No one will ever plunder them. This causes genuine surprise among all foreigners.
62. It is not easy to find a Japanese speaking English. At the same time, they often use anglicisms in their speech. But even these words will be difficult to make out, since the Japanese have their own original pronunciation.
63. In Russian, there are words borrowed from Japanese, for example: “cotton wool”, “pollock”, “ivashi”, as well as the well-known “tsunami” and “typhoon”.
64. The Japanese, in turn, also borrowed some words from the Russians: “ikura; caviar” and “noruma; norm”, as well as the phrase: “woo people; to the people”, which came into use after Alexander II.
65. In Japan, there is still such a punishment for a crime committed as the death penalty. So, recently for a year this type of punishment was applied to 8 criminals.
66. Apparently, the previous fact allows Japan to remain the country with the lowest percentage of murders and violent crimes. In addition, the Japanese are a long-lived nation. They are absolute champions in average life expectancy.
67. In the heart of Japan, Tokyo, is the huge gay district of Shinjuku-Ni-Chome. Here is the most a large number of concentration of gay bars around the world.
68. Hieroglyphs in China and Japan are almost the same. There are some differences, however, knowing Japanese, you can read simple Chinese texts, such as signs on the streets.
69. The Japanese do not sign documents. Each of them has a special seal, which they affix instead of a signature daily. You can buy a print in a regular store.
70. If the train is delayed even for a minute, this is already considered late. Have you seen this in any other country?
71. If you were presented with a gift in Japan, do not rush to open it. This is considered bad manners. You just need to say “thank you”, and you can open it only at home alone.
72. In Japan, it is customary to smile, even if you are in a lot of pain. A smile should hide all inner feelings.
73. If the Japanese have caught fire with some idea, then be sure that they will bring the work they have begun to the end and will do it flawlessly and with taste. For example, in French restaurants in Japan, you can be served menus in French, in Italian - in Italian. Signage and decoration will also be appropriate for the country. But in this case, do not look for the English text there.
74. The Japanese take the institution of property very seriously. It is in this country that you can find establishments that are several hundred years old. At the same time, the owners from generation to generation are the same family. So, the Hoshi Ryokan Inn has been operating since 718 and has the same dynasty of owners.
75. Tanuki are headstrong Japanese werewolves that bring happiness and good fortune. Their eggs are a traditional symbol of prosperity. The mythical happiest tanuki has an egg area of ​​8 tatami, which is 12 m. If misfortune comes, they pay with them.
76. The territory of Japan is more than half covered with forests. The cutting of trees for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. The country uses wood, which is mined in tropical forests.
77. From 1992 to 2002, the country helped other states the most in the world. It's about on international humanitarian assistance.
78. The ticket clerk on the train, before looking at tickets and travel cards, bows and takes off his hat in front of the passengers. You can learn politeness from the Japanese.
79. The secret that makes Japan unique, unlike other countries, is simple: centuries-old traditions and modern Western trends are harmoniously combined here. The Japanese honor their culture and cherish the past, but at the same time keep up with the present.
80. Well, the last, almost indisputable fact remains: Japan is the most best country in the world!

Many facts may seem shocking to us. Be that as it may, Japan is a rapidly developing country, with a minimum crime rate and a fairly high level and life expectancy. Most countries, including ours, have a lot to learn from the Land of the Rising Sun.

1. Japanese phones have a built-in nationwide emergency alert system. When some kind of cataclysm occurs, a loud beep sounds on all phones (even if the sound was turned off) and a message appears explaining what happened and how to behave.

1. In Japan, on Valentine's Day, they show sympathy and give gifts to girls. I won’t tell you what this tradition is connected with, but today it performs an important social function: it allows girls to say “yes” without waiting until a Japanese man has the courage to approach her.

2. In Japan, fish and meat are cheap, but fruits are very expensive. One apple costs two dollars, a bunch of bananas five. The most expensive fruit is melon, a variety like our "torpedo" will cost two hundred dollars in Tokyo.

3. In Japan, pornography is sold absolutely everywhere. In every combi (grocery store), on the counter with the press, there is always a separate shelf with hentai. In small bookstores, hentai makes up a third of the entire range, in large bookstores, 2-3 floors are allocated for printography.

4. Hentai is allowed to be sold freely to minors.

5. The two most popular sub-genres of hentai are violence and sex with minors.

6. Wrapped in a cover, hentai is calmly read on the subway.

7. The Japan Subway and JR have women-only carriages. They are attached in the morning so that no one harasses the girls during rush hour. The Japanese are voyeurs, and groping girls in crowded trains is something of a national sport.

8. At the same time, Japan has one of the lowest percentages of rapes in the world. Five times less than in Russia. It seemed to me important to note this, after all that I have said above.

9. Most Japanese characters are 2-4 syllables long, but there are surprising exceptions. For example, the character 砉 reads like “hanetokawatogahanareruoto”, these are thirteen syllables! Describes the sound made when flesh is separated from bone.

10. The issue of honor still plays a central role in Japan, even in politics. Last prime minister Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigned after failing to deliver on a campaign promise (sic!). Two of his predecessors too.

11. Japan is a small country, but there are a lot of big things here. Here is the most expensive amusement park in the world, Disney Sea, four of the ten highest roller coasters. Tokyo has the most developed subway system in the world, the largest railway hub and the largest mixed pedestrian crossing.

12. In Japan, it is customary to sculpt snowmen strictly from two balls, and not three, as in the rest of the world. And then the Japanese excelled.

13. Colonel Sanders is one of the main symbols of Christmas in Japan, like Coca-Cola in the USA. On Christmas Eve, the Japanese like to go to KFC with the whole family and eat a large portion of chicken wings.

14. In Japan, 30% of weddings still occur as a result of matchmaking and お見合い (omiai) arranged by parents.

15. In all the northern cities of Japan, where snow falls in winter, sidewalks and streets are heated. There is no ice, and the snow does not need to be removed. Very comfortably!

16. However, there is no central heating in Japan. Everyone heats the apartment as best they can.

17. The Japanese word 過労死 (Karoshi) means "death by overwork." On average, 10,000 people die each year with this diagnosis. Studio Ghibli director Yoshifumi Kondo, author of my beloved the whisper of the heart died with this diagnosis.

18. Japan has one of the most liberal tobacco laws. You can smoke everywhere except railway platforms and airports.

19. Japan - last country in the world, formally retaining the title of the Empire.

20. The Japanese imperial dynasty has never been interrupted. The reigning Emperor Akihito is a direct descendant of the first Emperor Jimmu, who founded Japan in 711 BC.

21. Japan turns 2671 this year.

22. The Japanese are constantly talking about food, and when they eat, they discuss how they like the treat. Having dinner without saying “oishii” (delicious) a few times is very impolite.

23. In general, the Japanese love repetition. When girls do it, it's considered kawaii.

24. The Japanese language uses three types of writing at the same time: Hiragana (a syllabary system for writing Japanese words), Katakana (a syllabary system for writing borrowed words) and Kanji (hieroglyphic writing). Crazy, yes.

25. There are no guest workers in Japan. It's been achieved simple law: The minimum wage for which a foreign worker is allowed to be employed in Japan is higher than the average wage for a Japanese worker. Thus, the way to the country remains open for highly paid specialists, and unskilled visiting labor does not dump the wages of local residents. Solomon's solution.

26. More than half of the railways in Japan are private. Non-state carriers are responsible for 68% of the country's total rail traffic.

27. Hirohito was never removed from power, after the war he led the reformation and ruled until 1989. Hirohito's birthday National holiday and celebrated every April 29th.

28. Mount Fuji is privately owned. In the Shintaist temple of Hongyu Sengen, a donation from 1609 was preserved, with which the Shogun transferred the mountain into the possession of the temple. In 1974, the authenticity of the donation was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Japan, after which he had no other choice but to transfer the mountain to the property of the temple. Because property rights in Japan are inviolable.

29. The Japanese language consists of several levels of politeness: colloquial, respectful, polite, and very polite. Women almost always speak in a respectful form of the language, men in colloquial.

30. Seven percent of the male population of Japan is Hikkikomori. Seven!!!

31. In Japanese, months do not have names, instead they are indicated by serial numbers. For example, September is 九月 (kugatsu), which means "ninth month".

32. Before Japan opened up to the west, the only word to describe romantic sympathy was 恋 (koi), literally meaning "irresistible attraction to something unattainable."

33. Japan is a mono-ethnic country, 98.4% of the total population are ethnic Japanese.

35. Dolphins are eaten in Japan. They make soup, cook kushiyaki (Japanese kebab), and even eat it raw. The dolphin has rather tasty meat, with a pronounced taste and completely unlike fish.

36. There are practically no personal pronouns in the Japanese language, and those words that are sometimes used as pronouns have at least one more meaning. In Russian, for example, the pronoun "I" does not mean anything but "I", and in Japanese 私 (vatashi, I) also means "private, personal"; 貴方 (anata, you) - "my master". It is polite to use “anata” only at the first meeting, then it is customary to address the interlocutor by name or position.

37. Tokyo is the safest metropolis in the world. Tokyo is so safe that six-year-olds take public transportation on their own. This is fantasy actually.

38. The Japanese consider the outside world very dangerous and are afraid to travel. So a Japanese woman friend once asked me if it would be too dangerous for her to stay alone in the Kensington Gardens area of ​​London. They consider the United States the most dangerous country.

39. The ninth article of the Japanese constitution forbids the country to have its own army and participate in wars.

40. In Japan academic year begins on the first of April and is divided into trimesters. Schoolchildren study from April to July, then September to December and from January to March.

41. There are no garbage cans in Japan, as all garbage is recycled. Waste is divided into four types: glass, incinerable, recyclable and non-incinerable garbage. Each type of waste is taken out on a specific day and it can be thrown away only on strictly allotted dates. There is a large fine for violating the procedure, in my house it is a hundred thousand yen (about a thousand dollars).

42. There are also no trash cans on the streets at all, only special bins for collecting bottles. An illustrative example of what is clean where they do not crap.

43. Japan has very low pensions. The maximum social allowance for distressed old people is 30,000 yen, which is about three hundred dollars. There is also no compulsory pension insurance, it is assumed that every Japanese must take care of his old age himself.

44. Godzilla (Japanese for Gojira) is not an accidental name. This is a portmanteau of the words "Gorilla" and "Kujira" (whale). One can only guess how they interbred so that a reptile turned out.

45. Transport in Japan is very expensive, the cheapest subway ticket will cost 140 yen (50 rubles).

46. ​​In Japan, men are always served first. In a restaurant, a man is the first to place an order, and the drink is brought to him first. In stores, they always greet the man first.

47. The Japanese drive big cars. City cars are impossible to meet even in close Tokyo, but there are a lot of jeeps.

48. For all the time in Japan, I have not seen a single toilet without heating the toilet seat and with less than 10 buttons. And recently I discovered that in my house the toilet can make the sound of running water to hide, uh, its own sounds.

49. Everyone in Japan knows that Hello Kitty comes from England.

50. Tipping is strictly not accepted in Japan. It is believed that as long as the client pays the appointed price for the service, he remains on an equal footing with the seller. If the buyer tries to leave extra money, he thereby devalues ​​the service / product provided to him, reducing the equal exchange to handouts.

51. During the year of my life in Japan, I have never encountered manifestations of racism against myself. I think it's very cool.

52. Japan is the best country in the world.

53. Japanese MTV is on popular series Usavich, a cartoon about two birds with one stone, Putin and Kiriyenko, trying to survive in a police state.

54. The age of consent in Japan is 13.

55. Japan is three times the size of England. The area of ​​Japan is 374,744 km², England 130,410 km².

56. Japan is often cited as an example of an overpopulated country. In fact, Japan's population density is only 360 people per square kilometer. This is less than in England, where there are 383 people per square kilometer.

57. In Japanese, the words "wrong" and "different" are denoted by the same word 違う (chigau).

58. Things have taken root in Japan that seemed to be the future twenty years ago, and today leave a strange retro-futuristic impression. Automatic taxi doors, vending machines selling everything from fruit to soups to used underpants. Fantastically shaped trains and funny fashion. All this is very cool.

59. The Japanese word 御来光 (goraiko) describes the sunrise seen from Mount Fuji. There are many capacious words in Japanese.

60. Hitler admired the integrity of the Japanese nation and called them "honorary Aryans". In apartheid South Africa, the Japanese were the only ones who weren't disenfranchised because they were considered "honorary whites".

61. In Japan, on Valentine's Day, girls show sympathy and give gifts. I won’t tell you what this tradition is connected with, but today it performs an important social function: it allows girls to say “yes” without waiting until a Japanese man has the courage to approach her.

62. There is no looting in Japan. If you type “looting in japan” into Google, you will only find tens of thousands of surprised foreigners who cannot understand why empty houses are not robbed in Japan.

63. The Japanese hardly speak English, but they use a fantastic amount of anglicisms. Alex Case tried to make a list, counted over 5000 words and got tired of continuing (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) At the same time, their Japanese pronunciation distorts them so much that you can not hope to understand them, or that they will understand you if you pronounce the word with the original accent.

64. Few people know that the words “wata”, “pollock” and “washi” are borrowed from Japanese. About the "tsunami" and "typhoon", I think everyone knows.

65. Japanese also has borrowings from Russian. The words イクラ "ikura; caviar” and ノルマ “noruma; norm". There is also a funny expression “ヴ・ナロード” “woo people; to the people”, it was inherited from Alexander II.

66. Japan has the death penalty. Eight criminals were executed in Japan last year. The last two executions were attended by the Minister of Justice of Japan.

67. In Japan, the most low level homicides and the lowest rate of violent crimes per 100,000 population among all analyzed countries. Here is the highest average duration life in the world.

68. Tokyo has one of the largest gay areas in the world, Shinjuku-Ni-Chome. It has the largest concentration of gay bars in the world.

69. Japanese and Chinese characters are the same. There are regional differences in Chinese characters more and in a simplified form they are written differently. But knowing Japanese, you can understand the general meaning of Chinese signs.

70. Instead of a signature in Japan, they put a special nominal seal of hanko. Every Japanese has such a seal and it is used many, many times a day. You can also buy it at any store.

71. Japan is the only country in the world where the criterion for a train being late is a minute mark.

72. In Japan, it is considered impolite to open a gift in front of the giver. They thank him for it, after which they set aside to open it in private.

73. The Japanese believe that a person should be able to hide suffering behind a smile. There is even a saying 顔で笑って心で泣く (kao de waratte kokoro de naku; smile while you suffer inside).

74. The Japanese are a nation of very passionate people. If they do something, they strive for complete authenticity. So, in all French bakeries, Japanese inscriptions are duplicated in French. In the Italian gelateria, the ice cream will be signed in Italian, and in the Spanish restaurant, the menu will be in Spanish. In English, however, there will be nothing. Sometimes it seems that for them it is just “another European language”.

75. In Japan, property rights are strictly observed, so there are dozens of companies with more than a thousand years of history. For example, the Hoshi Ryokan Inn has been in continuous operation since 718. It has been run by the same family for 46 generations (sic!).

76. Tanuki - wayward Japanese werewolf animals that bring happiness and prosperity. Their eggs are traditional symbol Good luck. The canonical happiest tanuki has an egg area of ​​8 tatami, which is 12 meters. In case of trouble, they bear retribution with them. Studio Ghibli has a wonderful Pom Poko cartoon about them, check it out.

77. Two-thirds of Japan is covered with forests. Japan bans commercial logging of its own forests, but it consumes 40% of all timber that comes from the rainforest.

78. For 10 years, from 1992 to 2002, Japan was the largest donor of international aid in the world. This is by the way to everyone who is now gloating over the Japanese misfortune.

79. When the conductor enters the next car high-speed train, he always takes off his hat and bows, and only then begins to check the tickets.

80. In Japan, the third way was successful, which we have been looking for for a long time and will never find. Here is a unique organization of society: on the one hand, a completely Western legal state, on the other, a distinctive culture that lives not only by traditions, but is constantly evolving. I don't understand why no one in Russia studies the Japanese experience.

Japan has always been famous for being one step ahead of the rest of the world in terms of technology. unfavorable geographical position and unusual natural conditions The Lands of the Rising Sun have made the Japanese an incredibly resourceful and efficient nation.

But sometimes their creativity and technological advances go too far, resulting in things that Westerners find strange and shocking. If you're planning to visit this amazing country, be sure to check out these 25 Crazy Curiosities that can only be found in Japan!

1. Artificial fangs.

Japanese women literally go crazy with pointed teeth, which in the Land of the Rising Sun are called “yabea”. Local women are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on beauty treatments to attach these mini fangs to their teeth.

2. Toilet slippers.

The Japanese are famous for their strict hygiene and sanitation habits, so it's no wonder they have toilet slippers that are used to minimize contact between an unclean bathroom floor and a clean floor in the rest of the house.

3. Unusual parking.

Over 126 million people live in Japan. Naturally, saving space has become one of the main concerns for local residents, and parking spaces are no exception. If you come to the mall, you will surely stumble upon these unusual places for parking lots.

Judging by the ingredients, Japanese mayonnaise is no different from ordinary mayonnaise, but it is its use that makes the Japanese strange. While the rest of the world usually uses mayonnaise on sandwiches and salads, the Japanese use traditional Kewpie mayonnaise on… ice cream, chips and even pancakes.

5. Super umbrella.

When it joins the downpour strong wind, an ordinary umbrella is useless. The Japanese solved this problem with their usual ingenuity.

6. Girls in elevators.

In Western countries, lifters are practically extinct. You won't find them in department stores and hotels - it's cheaper that way. But in Japan, this amazing service is still available.

7. Microwave puppy.

A super umbrella can protect you from the rain, but what will you do if it suddenly gets cold? Forget blankets! Japan came up with this wonderful puppy that will keep you warm. Just put it in the microwave and voila!

8. Sleep in the office.

If in the Western world falling asleep in the office is considered unacceptable behavior, for which you can get reprimanded or worse, then Japanese business culture allows office workers who work so hard, the so-called "inemuri" - dozing in the workplace. Some employees even imitate inemuri to make their bosses think they are working very hard.

9. Japanese whiskey.

Have you ever heard of Japanese whiskey? It's definitely worth a try. It is available almost everywhere and is rapidly gaining momentum due to its quality. Suntory's Hibiki has recently received several awards as "the best whiskey in the world".

10. Subway chin rest.

The Japanese work very hard, so it is not surprising that sometimes they fall asleep right on the subway. Some sleepy workaholics use this special device to support their heads.

11. Unusual additions to ice cream.

Japanese perverse taste is well known to everyone, but still some things amaze even those who have seen a lot. For example, would you like to try ice cream with horse meat, cactus, coal or octopus?

12. Ear examination device.

So, imagine that one day you realized that you urgently need to look into your own ears. The Japanese invention shown in the photo above will make your dream come true. Thanks to a special device, you can find out for sure where the largest lumps of sulfur are hiding in the auditory canals. Forward for ear treasures!

13. Vending machines.

At first glance, most Japanese machines do not differ much from those that can be seen in Europe or the United States. However, it is worth noting their ubiquity and strange content. After all, you can buy everything in Japanese vending machines - from cult objects near the ancient temples on Mount Fuji to fresh eggs, pancakes and batteries. And umbrellas and even worn underwear.

14. Mops kids.

Yes, you read everything correctly. Mops kids. Just let your little one clean the house while he crawls on the floor. This jumpsuit with a "built-in" mop is another crazy Japanese invention.

15. Endless bubbles.

So many people love to pop air bubbles on wrapping paper for fragile items. The Japanese raised this popular entertainment to new level and came up with ... endless bubbles that are constantly filled with air and which can be popped all the time!

16. The shortest escalator in the world.

It is located in the basement of the More's department store in the Japanese city of Kawasaki. He has only five steps, and the height is 83 cm. Who said that the laziest are the Americans?

17. Creepy forest for suicides.

For many, the forest is a place where it is pleasant to take a walk, watch the birds or relax with friends by the fire. But in Japan, even here it was not without oddities. The Japanese forest Aokigahara is officially called the "forest of suicides". It is located at the foot of Mount Fuji. The trees in this forest grow so densely that they block the wind, which makes it eerily quiet. That is why it has become a popular place for suicides. According to statistics, about 100 people die here every year.

18. Unusual tastes Kit Kat.

You've heard of the Kit Kat chocolate bar, haven't you? And you probably already understood that the Japanese love strange tastes and aromas. Well, they made it to Kit Kat. How do you like Kit Kat with baked potato flavor and soy sauce? Or maybe you want to try Wasabi-flavoured Kit Kat? By the way, these, God forgive me, chocolates are very popular in Japan.

19. Pillows for single men.

For those Japanese who do not have a wife or girlfriend, local companies make pillows like this. Well, at least this artificial girlfriend will never argue with you.

20. Pillows for single women.

Naturally, single women were not forgotten either.

21. Braille on beer cans.

When buying a can of beer in Japan, you can find such strange symbols on it. This is an inscription in Braille for the blind, who also deserve the joy of a cool beer. Here is such a touching and obligatory care for the visually impaired in Japan.

22. Bicycles, bicycles and more bicycles.

Due to overpopulation and lack of space, bicycles have long become one of the most convenient means of transportation in Japan. So such spectacles are not uncommon in the country, especially at railway stations, shopping centers and other crowded places.

23. Japanese toilets.

More precisely, "Japanese supertoilets". These are toilet seats with a water supply function that will wash ... buttocks and genitals. And although the Japanese have long been accustomed to such ... ahem ... care, such a load in the ass sometimes scares foreigners.

24. Island of gas masks.

To the southeast of Honshu is the island of Miyakejima with an active volcano Oyama. Since its last eruption in 2005, a constant leak of poisonous gas has begun, which is why all the inhabitants of the island are forced to wear gas masks ... all the time! If a sharp rise in sulfur content is noticed in the air, alarms are triggered.

25. capsule hotels.

This is probably the craziest invention of the Japanese in history, which was picked up by the whole world. Such "hotels" first appeared in Tokyo in 1979 and have since successfully served hundreds of thousands of customers - from busy businessmen to drunkards who are afraid to return home late at night.

In the Russian press, notes often appear with stories about the perversions of the Japanese. Some of them are true, some are highly embellished, and some are not true at all. How really?

Most likely, there is, and the truth, everything and for every taste. But of course it's illegal. And this is not considered the norm, it's just that the Japanese are more relaxed about this. Just like homosexuality. It does not legalize same-sex marriage, although some areas have passed laws, such as allowing you to rent an apartment together or visit a partner in the hospital. And there is absolutely no persecution of gays. There are a lot of them on TV, they have their own programs, which they host, their problems are discussed. The percentage of the homophobic population in Japan is very low.

The same tolerant attitude towards transsexuals and those who have changed gender. The reason for this attitude is perhaps in Buddhism. Because it does not prohibit sexuality in general, homosexuality in particular. Unlike Christianity and Islam. It was considered normal for the samurai to have a wife, a mistress, and a young lover friend.

I think that in other countries there are no less perverts than in Japan, they are simply hidden more, for the same reasons - taboo. I can think of a comparison with Holland, where soft drugs are legalized, but that doesn't mean that there are no drug addicts in other countries, many more than in Holland.

Japanese less crime on sexual grounds. There are many divorces, but they probably have more marriages of convenience. Often men marry for status and to advance in career ladder, because in some companies it is believed that if a person does not have a family, he cannot hold a high leadership position.

The most shocking thing for me so far: this is what is considered normal when a wife and children live in one city, and her husband works in another, and they practically do not see each other. This often happens when, after getting married or buying a house, a man is transferred to another department - to another city, he has nowhere to go, most often it is impossible to refuse. And a woman does not want to leave either because of the school of her children, or because of the established social circle, or because the house has already been taken on a mortgage, and more often for all reasons together. So they live separately for years.

As for the love of anime and young girls- They just popularize it. Such people (more often, of course, men, but there are girls among them) are called otaku. This word has a somewhat disparaging connotation ... There are otaku different types: some love anime and girl groups(the most popular AKV 48 - there are 129 girls in it, who, not all at once, of course, but in a huge crowd perform on stage and star in videos) - they are somehow socialized ... go to concerts, communicate with each other, even get to know each other interest girls.

And others are completely anti-social: they are addicted to manga or anime, talk to themselves and real girls they are not interested at all, they are not good enough for them, they prefer virtual ones. There are such otaku (the first type) in other countries! Somehow they showed a story about two young Germans who specially came to Japan for a concert of those same AKV 48. They differed from their Japanese counterparts only in appearance. In other countries there are simply no such groups, there is no such popularization of this whole "Lolita phenomenon". This is from a number of taboos. And here they treat it condescendingly calmly.

Again, a maid cafe with girls in anime clothes... The Japanese have two definitions of attractiveness: kawaii and bijin. Kawaii is cute, pretty. A girl with protruding ears, crooked teeth and crooked legs can be kawaii and insanely popular. And bijin is such an impregnable, cold beauty ... models, for example. Kawaii also has a touch of accessibility, childish immediacy. The average Japanese is shy and indecisive... In general, I heard the opinion that a Japanese is confident and decisive only if he is very rich - then he will easily approach any beauty. And the rest prefer more affordable and easy kawaii...

In Japan, love hotels, hostesses and host bars are everywhere... Host bars are establishments where women pay host boys for communication. I don't know if there are similar bars in other countries.

Especially for the Green Elephant - Irina Sato, Tokyo, Japan.

They sleep at meetings, call the interlocutor in the third person and put on special slippers when they go to the toilet. How else do Japanese customs differ from ours?

They use the barker

It is better not to go out on the shopping streets of Japan without earplugs. The owners of local shops and cafes are still very actively using cheap advertising power - barkers. Pretty girls and boys, standing at the entrance to the establishment, shout loudly and almost continuously: “Irrashyaimashe! Gorankudasaimaseeee!" which can be translated as "Welcome! Come visit us!" Unaccustomed to endure it is quite difficult, and foreigners, on the contrary, often scare away.

They don't understand what sin is

There is a culture of shame in Japan, but in religions (both in Shinto, the traditional Japanese religion, and in Buddhism), as such, the concept of sin does not exist. Of course, bad deeds are condemned, but only because of the fear of losing face, of being dishonored. In particular, foreigners from Christian countries are extremely surprised by the attitude of the Japanese towards suicide as a way of salvation, and not as a fall into sin, which is customary in Orthodoxy or Catholicism. By the way, Japan has the highest suicide rate among developed countries.

They use special toilet slippers

In hotels and homes, the Japanese use separate plastic or rubber slippers for the toilet and bath. They usually stand at the entrance to the bathroom. When you go out, flip-flops should be removed and left in the same place. This strange tradition two purposes: firstly, the Japanese believe that it is more hygienic, and secondly, it is immediately clear that the toilet is occupied. This rule often confuses foreigners, who, of course, always forget to change their shoes.

By the way, visiting outdoor toilets is also often surprising. They look unusual in appearance, and inside they are equipped according to the first word of technology. For example, here you can turn on the music so that others certainly can’t hear what you are doing there. There is also a special button to call the security service in case the client becomes ill.

They sleep at work

Falling asleep during a meeting with colleagues or right at your workplace will not be considered embarrassing. Some Japanese practice inemuri, which can literally be translated as "to be present during sleep." The descendants of the samurai understand that for effective work a person needs sleep, and therefore they are not ashamed to devote half an hour or an hour of working time to a nap. At the same time, considering several important rules: you need to sleep directly at the table, head down on your hands or table top; if you fell asleep during the meeting, but you were addressed, you should wake up and answer; if you are new to the company and you are expected to be actively involved in the work process, then inemuri will be perceived as bad form.

They refer to each other in the third person

Don't be surprised if a Japanese asks you, "How's Vasily-san's family?" It is not customary to pronounce personal pronouns here, although in the local language there are 15 variants of the word “I” alone. Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun are used to addressing each other in the third person: by last name (in official communication) with the addition of politeness suffixes (-san, -sama) or by name (among friends) also with suffixes (-kun, -chan).

They consider tipping an insult

In Japan, tips are seen as an insult, a sign that the waiter is not doing his job and therefore needs a monetary incentive.

They decorate trucks

On the roads of Japan, you can see extravagant-looking trucks that look like Philip Kirkorov on the stage of the Kremlin Palace. They are always bright, often chrome-plated, with neon lighting and bright patterns throughout the body. Such trucks are called "decotor", they appeared after the release of the cult Japanese TV series "Trucker" in the 1970s. Drivers of such trucks organize meetings and exhibitions of their multi-ton friends.

An Epson employee says

There is a stereotype that it is good to work in Japan. This stereotype comes from our compatriots who work by invitation in foreign companies, where the Japanese try to adapt to the level and style of foreigners. Meanwhile, in the Land of the Rising Sun itself, the traditional working system is arranged in a very peculiar way, and it is rather difficult to exist in it. That is why there are not so many foreigners building a career in classic Japanese companies. Epson's Marina Matsumoto talks about what it's like to be the average office worker in Japan.

Dress code

Of course, the conditions depend on the specific company, but in principle the dress code in Japan is much stricter than in Russia. Failure to comply with its rules has serious consequences for the employee, up to instant dismissal.

In a traditional Japanese company, a mandatory black suit is worn regardless of the weather, even if it is +40 outside. The Japanese endure both heat and cold calmly, as they go through a very harsh school of hardening the body in childhood. Recently, a new law has been passed that allows short-sleeve shirts to be worn to work. This is due to the forced energy savings, in which even in extreme heat, air conditioners are not always used in offices.

In some companies, women are not allowed to wear fitted suits - they must be absolutely straight. The skirt must cover the knees.

Women's accessories are also prohibited. I have a big serious company, it is known internationally. But I work where mostly Japanese people work. At the workplace, I was allowed to wear only a cross - under my clothes so that it was not visible - and a wedding ring.

Makeup should be invisible. Japanese women love to make up brightly, blush their cheeks strongly, almost all of them have false eyelashes. But at work, a woman should be as less attractive to men as possible.

In some places, women are only required to wear short hair not covering the ears. Hair color is always black. If by nature you, for example, are blonde, you will have to dye your hair.

Men, in addition to long hair, cannot wear a beard and mustache. It's an unspoken rule that everyone knows. The stable image of the Yakuza (this is a traditional form of organized crime in Japan) interferes.

Subordination

When I got a job, I signed a bunch of documents, where I assured that I would not discuss anything with clients and colleagues other than work: neither the weather, nor nature. I don't have the right to share my "personal data" at work - who is my husband, how I'm doing... At home, I don't have the right to talk about my work. I do not have a secret job, but it is accepted and specified in my contract.

Only work at work

On workplace they take only what is needed for work: for me, these are documents and a pen. I can’t take my bag, wallet and phone, it remains at the checkpoint.

There is a favorite proverb in Russia: if you've done your job, walk boldly. In the workplace in Russia, the main thing is that you fulfill the plan for today. In Japan, "plans for today" are of no interest to anyone. You came to work and you have to work on it.

How the Japanese slow down the workflow

In Russia, we all know that wages depend on the results of your work. If you work hard, you get nothing. You work well - you get bonuses and promotions. You've done everything - you can leave early or ask for an additional task to earn more.

In Japan, they pay by the clock. Almost all Japanese take overtime. But often this results in the fact that they stretch one task that can be done in two hours - for a week. The deadlines set by the company also do not always correspond to the level of complexity of the work. The Japanese will poke around for hours, we think they work like sleepy flies, and they think they do the job "thoroughly". They incredibly slow down the workflow, so it’s hard for us to work with them.

And this, by the way, is one of the main reasons why their economy was not in the best condition. With this system of payment by the hour, they have trapped themselves. Indeed, in fact, the work is not designed for quality, but for the number of hours spent in the office.

Long lengthy conversations

We all know that brevity is the sister of talent, but in Japan, brevity is the narrow-mindedness of the mind. The Japanese cannot speak briefly and to the point. They launch into long and lengthy explanations that are aimed at making even a narrow-minded person understand what they are talking about. Meetings can last an incredible number of hours. The Japanese believe that if they talk about the same thing for a long time and in excessive detail, then they respect the interlocutor.

Society stratification

It takes a lot of work and organization to grow rice. Therefore, historically, Japan has developed a system with a very narrow specialization of labor and a rigid stratification of society. Everyone has their own duties and their place in the life and production process.

Japanese communities have always been well organized. For example, a samurai never cooked his own food, he could easily die of hunger if the peasantry had not rescued him.

Due to this mentality, it is very difficult for any Japanese to accept independent decision, which is not inherent in his status. They cannot take on an elementary responsibility, at least somehow beyond the scope of their ordinary, habitual affairs. To put a comma or not to put it is a problem for half a day. The preparation of elementary documents is a series of endless, very slow consultations. Moreover, the necessity of such consultations is striking. If an employee nevertheless takes the liberty of making a decision not based on status, then everyone in the hierarchical chain associated with him will receive a reprimand. This is Eastern despotism in action: "I - small man, I am a simple peasant, and I have to do only the work assigned to me.

Again, everything is understandable: Japan is a small country with a large overpopulation, it needs rigid frameworks and rules. To survive in Japan, you need to clearly know: my border is here, and this is the border of another person, I must respect it. Nobody goes beyond their limits. If a Japanese man marries them, then literally get lost.

Russia has a huge territory, expanse, open spaces. We are not bound. We are free. A Russian person can do anything. And the Swiss, and the reaper, and the igretz on the pipe - this is primarily about us, Russians!

Same as everyone

Interestingly, in Japan you don't have to show your difference or superiority in mind. You can't show your uniqueness, specialness. This is not welcome. All must be the same. Since childhood, uniqueness has been burned out with a red-hot iron, so Japan will not give the world either Einstein or Mendeleev.

famous Japanese technology- myth. As a rule, these are ideas that are not created by the Japanese. What they are good at is deftly picking up and improving in time. And we, on the contrary, can ingeniously create and forget ...

To survive in Japanese society, you must be like everyone else. In Russia, the opposite is true: if you are the same as everyone else, you will get lost. New ideas are constantly needed to master and fill a large space.

Career

It takes a long time to build a career in a classic Japanese company. Career growth depends on age, not merit. A young specialist, even a very talented one, will occupy an insignificant position, work hard and for low wages, because he has just arrived. Because of this organization of the workflow, it is increasingly difficult for Japanese companies to compete in the international market. Yes, there is the concept of "Japanese quality", but this no longer saves them, because business is conducted in too Japanese a way.

Salary

The official salary in Japan is high. But with the deduction of all taxes, which amount to almost 30%, they receive an average of a thousand dollars in their hands. Young people get even less. At 60, the salary is already a very decent amount.

Vacation and weekends

There are no holidays in Japan. Weekends are Saturday or Sunday. And, depending on the company, you are entitled to a few extra days off per year. Let's say it's 10 days, but you can't take them all at once, but you need to break them up. It happens that you need to take one day off a week and go somewhere on business. In my company, I have to give a month's notice of this so that everyone can cooperate and replace me. In some companies, these terms are even longer. It is problematic to leave work for an unexpected incident.

If you get sick on Monday and think not to go to work, then you will not be understood. Everyone goes to work with a temperature.

Holidays can become days off, the day of remembrance of the dead - Obon, in mid-August. But young specialist there is no such possibility, it will work for the first two years without extra days off.

On New Year given 1-3 days. If they fall on Saturday-Sunday, then no one, as in Russia, will transfer them to Monday-Tuesday.

There is also a "golden week" in May, when there are several state and religious holidays in a row. My husband worked all days, I had 3 days off.

Working day

Standard working day from 9 am to 7 pm. But the main thing you should keep in mind: if it is indicated that the working day is from nine, then you cannot come right to this time. Even if you arrive at 8:45 - it is considered that you are late. You need to come to work at least half an hour in advance, some come in an hour. It is believed that a person needs time to tune in to the working mood, to prepare for work.

The end of the official working day does not mean that you can go home. It is not customary to leave before your boss. If he is late at the office for two hours, then you are late, and this will not be considered overtime. Your personal circumstances are your personal problems, which, as I already mentioned, according to the contract I signed, are not discussed with colleagues.

Informal communication

In Japan, there is the concept of "nomikai" - "to drink together", reminiscent of a Russian corporate party. Somewhere "nomikai" takes place every day, in my company - twice a week. Of course, you can refuse, but they will look askance at you. Why drink? Because in Japan positive attitude to alcohol. Shinto involves offerings to certain gods in the form of alcohol. Japanese doctors believe that drinking alcohol daily is beneficial. Nobody talks about doses.

The Japanese do not know how to drink and, as a rule, get very drunk. The booze itself will cost you nothing, either the boss or the company always pays for it.

Now, to further encourage going to bars with colleagues, workers are even being paid for nomikai. This is the part Japanese culture- work together and drink together. It turns out that almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, you spend only with your work colleagues.

In addition to "nomikai", you need to drink with customers, with partners, with officials with whom the company is connected.

Yes, in Russia there is something similar, but it is incomparable with the Japanese alcohol scale. And then, in Russia, the attitude towards alcohol is much more negative.

Now you can imagine the whole picture. The Japanese leaves the house at 7 am. At work, he exists within the rigid framework of his status. After the end of the official working day, he takes extra hours because he has to feed his family. He then goes out drinking with colleagues and returns home at 2 am, most likely drunk. He works on Saturdays. He sees his family only on Sundays. And until the evening, he can either sleep or drink all day off, because he is under terrible stress from such a cruel regime.

In Japan, there is a special concept: "death by processing." This is a very common case when people die at their desks or, unable to withstand the load, commit suicide. For Japan, this is par for the course, an event to which there is little to no response. People will even resent if someone's suicide interfered with their work. Everyone thinks: "Why didn't you do it in a quiet, inconspicuous place, because of you I won't come to work on time!"

It must be understood that the Japanese did not sit and come up with these rules for themselves. Everything has evolved over the centuries due to the geographical and historical uniqueness of Japan. Probably everyone will agree that they had good reasons for such a mobilization of society, a constant readiness for something. A small territory, a lot of people, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis - at any moment everything can collapse. Therefore, the Japanese from childhood learn to work in a group, learn to survive on their piece of land. In essence, all Japanese education is not based on teaching a person something, developing him, but teaching him to be a real Japanese, to be competitive precisely in Japanese society. Not everyone can bear such a life, because it is really hard.