Facts about the Japanese. Interesting and unusual facts about Japan and the Japanese

Japan is an amazing land of the rising sun, whose culture is amazing. Do you want to know all the most interesting things about her? Then read the article.

General information about Japan

Japan is an island nation located in Pacific Ocean and related to East Asia. The country ranks among the first in terms of population, and its density is quite high. Japan is a developed country and even a true great economic power with a significant and one of the highest GDP levels in the world. Other indicators that make the state a leader in world rankings also deserve attention: the standard and life expectancy, as well as infant mortality.

You will not believe!

So, 10 interesting facts about Japan:

In Japan, comics use more cellulose raw materials to make comics than to produce them. toilet paper. And the residents of the country are so fond of bright pictures with images famous heroes that they also decorate toilet paper.
It is difficult to find overweight people in this country. This is probably due to culinary traditions and adherence to rules healthy eating. But there is also back side of this medal: Japan ranks first in the world in the number of diseases associated with nutritional disorders. According to statistics, approximately every third or fourth Japanese woman suffers from anorexia, and a third of the entire population is underweight.
A fairly well-known personality in Japan is Hosono Masabumi. This is the only Japanese person who managed to survive the tragedy that occurred with the passengers of the legendary Titanic. But his fame is very doubtful: his compatriots were not at all happy miraculous salvation, but, on the contrary, they accused Hosono of cowardice and believed that he should die with the rest of the unfortunates.
People in Japan love and enjoy drinking Pepsi. Moreover, if in other countries they limit themselves to a few flavors of this drink, the Japanese have gone further and developed many flavor shades. For example, the most unusual ones are baobab, salted watermelon, frosty cucumber, milk and strawberries, French chestnut, Caribbean fruits, yogurt, mint. In general, the Japanese have very strange taste preferences and eating habits.
In Japan it is very complex and incomprehensible address system, as you will see if you start writing a letter to a resident of this country. Thus, only the largest and main streets have names, and the houses are numbered in a chaotic order. The address consists of several parts, namely the names of the prefecture, locality, and municipal area. By the way, sometimes even the Japanese themselves cannot find the right address and use modern systems navigation.
Many famous subcultures are present and developed in Japan, such as gyaru, decora, anime, lolita, bosozoku, ko gal, ganguro, kigurumi, manba and many others. If you walk around the city, you will be surprised at the diversity and color. There are a variety of personalities on the streets: brightly painted, strangely dressed, seemingly overdosed on self-tanning, and many others. But the hikikomori movement is considered especially popular. This concept means solitude and total social isolation. In other words, young people deliberately deprive themselves of any contact with society and literally lock themselves in own apartments(by the way, almost all of them live at the expense of their parents).
Confusion with the words "yes" and "no". Many people believe that the word “no” does not exist in Japan, since the polite and trouble-free Japanese simply do not say it. But actually it is not. Denial can even be expressed in a few words or phrases, depending on the situation. But the notorious “yes” in our understanding really does not exist in this country, because the positive answer “hai” translates roughly as “I understand you.”
On Christmas Eve in Japan, it is customary to eat food purchased from the fast food chain KFC. It is not clear what this is connected with, but several assumptions can be made. First, the Japanese simply do not have time to prepare holiday dishes due to their busy work. Second, hamburgers, fries and cheeseburgers are considered delicacies by residents of a country where fish and rice are the staple foods.
Surely any tourist has more than once been struck by the deliberate clubfoot of the inhabitants of Japan, especially female representatives. It can be assumed that the main cause of the problem is incorrect and inappropriate shoes: the most popular in the country are the so-called flip-flops, as well as sandals with flat soles. Such patterns are likely to cause flat feet. But Japanese women have their own opinion on this matter. They do not consider clubfoot a deviation, but, on the contrary, are proud of it, believing that this position of the feet is cute and romantic. Girls are sure that, with club feet, they look innocent, young and feminine. By the way, this gait even has a name - uchimata (this word also means a certain throw in Judo).
Japan does not have its own army. But this does not mean at all that the country, in the event of an attack, will not be able to repel the attack. As such, armed forces There are some in the state, but according to the law they are intended exclusively for self-defense, so they are mobilized only in emergency cases.

And a bit more interesting information about such an unusual and multifaceted Japan:

This country remains the only one that retains the status of an empire. And power is inherited, so the current emperor is a direct descendant of the founder of the state.
To date, Japan is the only state against which the most dangerous nuclear weapon. This day went down in history and influenced its course.
There are more pets than children in Japan. But couples who have sons or daughters love them very much and pamper them.
The Japanese are real workaholics. In addition, on weekdays they look more than modest. But at night and on weekends, residents of the country allow themselves liberties, as evidenced by the huge number of “sex shops”, which are in the public domain.
Service at Japanese McDonald's is considered the slowest in the world.
In Japan, dolphins are killed and eaten in large numbers every year. But during the investigation it was found that these meats are often sea creatures passed off as whale and sold at a higher price.
In the northern regions of the state, the sidewalks are heated, so there simply cannot be ice there.
On the streets of Japan you can see baskets with umbrellas, so if it suddenly starts to rain, passers-by will not get wet.
The age of consent in the country is 13 years. This means that voluntary sexual intercourse from this period is not considered criminal or illegal.
In Japan, there is a concept called "karoshi" (or "karoshi"), which means death resulting from overwork. And for this reason, many people die in the country every year (remember that the indigenous population is characterized by pathological workaholism).
The Japanese subway has “women’s” cars, in which the fair sex can feel as comfortable as possible (many men often confuse Japanese women with intentional tactile contacts).

Surely Japan surprises you even more now!

Find out why the Japanese wash in the same bathtub and what is the most dirty word in their language

Japan is, without exaggeration, a unique country. Nanotechnology here is surprisingly combined with ancient traditions; some customs operate on a par with laws. We decided to collect 30 of the most interesting facts about Japan and share them with you.

The Japanese have great respect for those who can speak at least two phrases in their language. They believe that it is impossible to learn it.
The strongest curse words in Japanese are “fool” and “idiot”.
In Japanese, "fool" is "baka" (literally stupid person). And a foreigner is like a “gaijin” (literally, a stranger). "Baka-gaijin" in Japanese colloquial means American.
The Japanese talk about food all the time, and when they eat, they discuss how much they like the food. Having dinner without saying oishii (delicious) several times is very impolite.
In Japan they eat dolphins. They are used to make soup, cook kushiyaki (Japanese kebab), and even eat them raw. Dolphin has quite tasty meat, with a distinct taste, and is completely different from fish.
Probably, proper nutrition can explain the fact that here you very rarely see an overweight Japanese woman.
Japan has the slowest McDonald's in the world.
Tipping is strictly not accepted in Japan. It is believed that as long as the client pays the prescribed price for the service, he remains on an equal footing with the seller.
People in Japan are very honest. If you lost your wallet on the subway, there is a 90% chance that it will be returned to the lost and found office.

There is no looting during earthquakes in Japan. Why - see point 9.
Japanese police are the most honest in the world; they do not take bribes. Except that sometimes for minor violations you can talk them out of letting them go by pretending to be a “baka”.
If you are caught for something serious, they have the right to keep you in a pre-trial detention center for 30 days without allowing a lawyer.
Tokyo is the safest metropolis in the world. Tokyo is so safe that children as young as six can use public transport on their own.
Japan has a specific attitude towards pornography. Previously, almost every Japanese hotel had a strawberry channel.
Every grocery store has a hentai shelf on the press rack. Large bookstores have entire floors dedicated to pornography.
The age of consent in Japan is 13 years old. This means that from a certain age, consensual sex is not considered rape.
Tokyo's Shinjuku-Ni-Cheme district has the largest concentration of gay bars in the world.
The Japanese and alcohol are poorly compatible concepts. Most of them even after one stack strong alcohol They start to turn terribly red. But there are exceptions - any Ukrainian will be drunk.
The Japanese are very shy, not used to expressing their feelings. For many, it is a real feat to say: “I love you.”

A third of weddings in the country are the result of matchmaking and viewing parties organized by parents.
In Japanese families, it is an absolutely normal situation when a brother and sister don’t talk at all, don’t even know their numbers mobile phones each other.
The Japanese are very clean people, but no matter how many members there are in the family, everyone takes a bath without changing the water. True, before this everyone takes a shower.
The Japanese almost never invite guests home. The invitation to “come by sometime” in most cases should be taken solely as a polite turn of phrase.
The Japanese are crazy workaholics. They can easily work 15-18 hours a day without a lunch break.
Arriving to work on time is considered bad manners in Japan. You need to be there at least half an hour earlier.
There is even a word in Japanese called "karoshi", which literally translates to "death from overwork". On average, ten thousand people die every year with this diagnosis.
The Japanese have very low pensions. The maximum social benefit for poor old people is about $300. Every Japanese person is expected to take care of their own old age.
In the northern cities of Japan, all sidewalks are heated, so there is never ice here.
In Japan, you can see vases with umbrellas on the streets. If it starts to rain, you can take any, and then, when the rain stops, put it in the nearest vase.
You won't see trash cans on Japanese streets. The Japanese take all the garbage home, and then sort it into four types: glass, burnt, recyclable and non-burnt waste.

20 interesting facts about the Japanese and their way of life:

11. The Japan Subway has women-only cars. They are added in the mornings so that no one harasses them during rush hour. Because overly loving male representatives often take advantage of the crowd in the carriages and pester girls.

12. Japan is a small country, but there are many big things here. It is home to the world's most expensive amusement park, Disney Sea, and four of the ten tallest roller coasters. Tokyo has the most developed subway system in the world, the largest railway hub and the largest mixed pedestrian intersection.

13. In all northern cities of Japan, where snow falls in winter, sidewalks and streets are heated. There is no ice, and there is no need to remove snow.

14. There are no garbage cans or landfills in the country. All garbage is recycled. All waste must be sorted. So, there is a container for paper, glass, organic waste, for plastic bottles and a separate one for paper labels from these bottles.

15. In Japan, fish and meat are cheap, but fruits are very expensive.
One apple costs two dollars, a bunch of bananas costs five. The most expensive fruit is melon, the price of which can reach up to two hundred dollars.

16. In Japan you can eat while slurping loudly. In this country this behavior is not uncivilized. Thus, the Japanese show that they like the dish. On the contrary, if you don’t do this, for example, when visiting, the host will think that the dish is not to your taste and may be offended.

17. The Japanese love to eat and are knowledgeable about food. When traveling abroad, in addition to visiting local attractions, it is also important for a Japanese to eat something and then discuss it.

18. All toilets are equipped with a heated seat and big amount buttons They can make the sound of running water to mask the natural sounds of what is happening in the toilet.

19. In Japan, a third of weddings still take place as a result of matchmaking and viewing parties organized by parents.

20. Tipping is strictly not accepted in Japan. It is believed that as long as the client pays the prescribed 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 or product provided to him.

Japan is a small country, but there are many big and interesting things here. It is home to the world's most expensive amusement park, Disney Sea, and four of the ten tallest roller coasters. Tokyo has the most developed subway system in the world, the largest railway hub and the largest mixed pedestrian intersection.

80 interesting little known facts about Japan

1. In Japan, girls show affection and give gifts on Valentine's Day. I won’t tell you what this tradition is connected with, but today it fulfills an important social function: Allows girls to say “yes” without waiting for a Japanese man to work up 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 costs five. The most expensive fruit, melon, a variety like our “torpedo”, will cost two hundred dollars in Tokyo.

3. In Japan, pornography is sold absolutely everywhere. In every konbini (grocery store), there is always a separate shelf with hentai on the press counter. In small bookstores, hentai makes up a third of the total assortment; in large bookstores, 2-3 floors are devoted to pornography.

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

5. The two most popular subgenres of hentai are violence and underage sex.

6. Wrapped in a cover, hentai can be easily read on the subway.

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

8. At the same time, Japan has one of the lowest rape rates in the world. Five times less than in Russia. It seemed important to me to note this, after everything I said above.

9. Majority Japanese characters consist of 2-4 syllables, but there are surprising exceptions. For example, the character 砉 is read as “hanetokawatogahanareruoto”, that’s thirteen syllables! Describes the sound made when flesh is separated from bone.

10. Another interesting fact about Japan: the issue of honor still plays a central role in Japan, even in politics. The last Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, resigned after failing to fulfill his campaign promise (sic!). Two of his predecessors too.

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

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 distinguished themselves.

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 take place as a result of matchmaking and bridesmaids organized by parents お見合い (omiai).

15. In all northern cities of Japan, where snow falls in winter, sidewalks and streets are heated. There is no ice, and there is no need to remove snow. Very comfortably!

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

17. In Japanese there is a word 過労死 (Karoshi), meaning “death from overwork.” On average, ten thousand people die every year with this diagnosis. Studio Ghibli director Yoshifumi Kondo, the author of my favorite The Whisper of the Heart, died with this diagnosis.

18. Japan has one of the most liberal tobacco laws. Smoking is allowed everywhere except on railway platforms and airports.

19. Japan is the last country in the world to formally retain the title of Empire.

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

21. Japan turned 2725 this year.

22. Japanese people constantly talk about food, and when they eat, they discuss how they like the treat. Having dinner without saying “oishii” (delicious) several times is very impolite.

23. In general, the Japanese love repetition. When girls do this, it is considered kawaii.

24. The Japanese language simultaneously uses three types of writing: Hiragana (a syllabary system for writing Japanese words), Katakana (a syllabary system for writing borrowed words) and Kanji (hieroglyphic writing). It's crazy, yes.

25. An interesting fact about Japan is that there are almost no guest workers in the country. This is achieved by a simple law: the minimum salary at which it is allowed to hire a foreign worker in Japan exceeds the average salary of a Japanese worker. Thus, the path to the country remains open for highly paid specialists, and unskilled migrant labor does not dump the wages of local residents. Solomon's solution.

26. More than half railways private in Japan. 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 is a national holiday and is celebrated every April 29th.

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

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

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

31. In Japanese, months do not have names; instead, they are designated 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 attraction was 恋 (koi), literally meaning “an irresistible attraction to something unattainable.”

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

35. In Japan they eat dolphins. They are used to make soup, cook kushiyaki (Japanese kebab), and even eat them raw. Dolphin has quite tasty meat, with a distinct taste and is completely different from 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 “ya” means nothing other than “I”, and in Japanese 私 (watashi, ya) also means “private, personal”; 貴方 (anata, you) - “my master.” It is polite to use “anat” only when meeting for the first time; 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 children as young as six can use public transport on their own. This is fantastic indeed.

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

39. The ninth article of the Japanese constitution prohibits the country from having its own army and participating 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 trash cans in Japan because all garbage is recycled. Waste is divided into four types: glass, incinerable, recyclable and non-incinerable waste. Each type of waste is removed on a certain day and can be thrown away only on strictly designated dates. For violating the procedure there is a large fine, in my house it is one hundred thousand yen (about a thousand dollars).

42. There are also no trash bins on the streets, only special bins for collecting bottles. A good example of what is clean where people don’t shit.

43. Japan has very low pensions. The maximum social benefit for poor old people is 30,000 yen, which is about three hundred dollars. Mandatory pension insurance Also, no, it is assumed that every Japanese person must take care of his old age.

44. Godzilla (Gojira in Japanese) is not an accidental name. This is a portmonteau of the words “Gorilla” and “Kujira” (whale). One can only guess how they crossed so that they got a reptile.

45. Transport in Japan is very expensive; the cheapest metro ticket costs 140 yen (50 rubles).

46. In Japan, men are always served first. In a restaurant, the 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. It is impossible to find city cars even in cramped Tokyo, but there are a lot of jeeps.

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

49. In Japan, everyone 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 prescribed price for the service, he remains on an equal footing with the seller. If the buyer tries to leave extra money, he thereby depreciates the service/product provided to him, reducing equal exchange to a handout.

51. During the year of living in Japan, I never encountered any manifestations of racism against myself. I think this is very cool.

52. Japan best country in the world.

53. On Japanese MTV there is a 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 years old.

55. Japan is three times the size of England. The area of Japan is 374,744 km², England is 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 “irregular” and “different” are expressed by the same word 違う (chigau).

58. In Japan, things have taken root that twenty years ago seemed like the future, but today leave a strange retro-futuristic impression. Automatic doors in taxis, vending machines that sell everything from fruit, to soups, to used underpants. Fantastic shaped trains and funny fashion. This is all very cool.

59. The Japanese word 御来光 (goraiko) describes the sunrise seen from Mount Fuji. Japanese has a lot of meaningful words.

60. Hitler admired the integrity of the Japanese nation and called them “honorary Aryans.” In apartheid-era South Africa, the Japanese were the only ones who were not disenfranchised, as they were considered “honorary whites.”

61. Japanese phones have a built-in national emergency notification system. When some kind of cataclysm occurs, all phones go off loud. sound signal(even if the sound was turned off) and a message appears explaining what happened and how to behave.

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 looted in Japan.

63. The Japanese speak almost no English, but use a fantastic number of Anglicisms. Alex Case tried to make a list, counted over 5,000 words and got tired of continuing (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) However, the Japanese pronunciation of them is so distorted that you can not hope to understand them, or that they will understand you if you pronounce the word with an original accent.

64. Few people know that the words “cotton wool”, “pollock” and “ivashi” are borrowed from Japanese. I think everyone knows about “tsunami” and “typhoon”.

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” “wu people; to the people,” it was inherited from Alexander II.

66. In Japan there is the death penalty. Last year, eight criminals were executed in Japan. The last two executions were attended by the Japanese Minister of Justice.

67. An interesting fact is that Japan has the lowest murder rate and the lowest violent crime rate per 100 thousand population of all countries analyzed. It has the highest average life expectancy in the world.

68. Tokyo is home to one of the largest gay districts in the world, Shinjuku-Ni-Chome. It has the largest concentration of gay bars in the world.

69. Japanese and Chinese characters are one and 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 personalized hanko stamp. 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 the presence of the giver. They thank him for it, and then put it 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. Thus, in all French bakeries, Japanese inscriptions are duplicated in French. An Italian gelateria will have ice cream labeled in Italian, and a Spanish restaurant will have a menu in Spanish. However, there will be nothing in English. 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 a history of more than a thousand years. For example, the Hoshi Ryokan Hotel has been continuously operating since 718. It has been run by the same family for 46 generations (sic!).

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

77. Two thirds of Japan is covered with forests. Japan prohibits commercial logging of its own forests, but it consumes 40% of all the wood that is mined in tropical forests.

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

79. When the conductor enters the next carriage of a high-speed train, he must take off his headdress and bow, and only then begins to check the tickets.

80. In Japan, the third way has been successful, which we have been looking for for a long time and cannot find. There is a unique organization of society here: on the one hand, completely Western constitutional state, on the other hand, an original culture that lives not only by traditions, but is constantly evolving. I don’t understand why no one in Russia studies the Japanese experience.

Other Interesting Facts about Japan in this section.

The Japanese archipelago has 6,852 islands, 430 of which are uninhabited. The four main islands you probably know are 北海道 (Hokkaido:), 本州 (Honshu:), 四国 (Shikoku) and 九州 (Kyu:shu:). The largest of them is Honshu, where the Japanese capital Tokyo and other large cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, etc. are located. Okinawa, the largest island of the Ryukyu archipelago, located in the East China Sea, deserves special attention. This island is popular among amateur tourists beach holiday. Due to the fact that it is located in the south, the climate there is very favorable and warm weather stays all year round, even in winter the average daytime temperature is 20 degrees Celsius.

Fact2. Nature of Japan. Sakura is the national symbol of Japan

Although this is not an official symbol, the Japanese really love sakura. Admiring sakura - hanami - is very popular not only among residents of the country, but also among foreigners. Thousands of tourists strive to visit Japan in March-April to catch the flowering. Due to the popularity of this flower, it can be seen everywhere in Japan. It is depicted on dishes, stationery, clothing, even on a Japanese visa. In addition, during the cherry blossom season, various cafes and restaurants launch limited-time sakura-flavored dishes, desserts and sweets.

Fact3. Japan security. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world

The crime rate is so low that there isn't much work left for the police. On average, there are only two gun crimes per year in Japan. And if in many countries there are areas that need to be avoided, then in Japan you will feel safe anywhere at any time of the day.

Fact4. Sports in Japan. The most popular sport in Japan is baseball.

Baseball came to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period (in 1872) from America and quickly gained the interest of sports clubs and universities. Now it is the most popular sport among both amateurs and professionals. Professional sports consists of two leagues - Central and Pacific, and tickets to their games are very difficult to get.

Fact5. Earthquake in Japan.About 1,500 earthquakes occur in Japan every year

Despite the low crime rate, Japan cannot be called the safest country in every sense. Frequent earthquakes, with which the Japanese have long become accustomed, frighten foreigners who are not accustomed to such phenomena. Seismic and volcanic activity is due to the geographical location of Japan: it is located at the junction of tectonic areas of the Earth. But, fortunately, history has very few earthquakes as strong as the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, and the Japanese practically do not pay attention to tremors with a magnitude of less than 5. In the absence of serious consequences, the rhythm of life of the Japanese resumes at its usual pace in a matter of minutes.

Fact6. Traveling around Japan. Japanese transport is one of the most punctual in the world

This is true. The average delay for Japanese trains is 18 seconds, despite the extensive rail network. The train delay may be caused by abnormal natural phenomena(for example, earthquakes or snowfalls) or accidents when a person falls on the rails. In this case, passengers are given a special sheet confirming the delay of transport, which can be presented at work or at school, since they are very strict about being late, then this will be a valid reason.

Fact7. Population of Japan. There are more pensioners than children in Japan

Japan has a very low birth rate and low death rate, so nationwide sales of adult diapers are higher than those for children. In addition, there is also the highest life expectancy - for Last year counted more than 60 thousand Japanese over 100 years old. As for young people, they are always busy and have practically no time for their family. A very large percentage of young people are not in relationships, so residents are seriously concerned about the demographic situation in the country.

Fact8. Cities of Japan. In Japan, almost all streets have no names.

At one time, this system made life much more difficult for taxi drivers; each knew only his own area, and the passenger had to change several cars if the trip was from one area to another. Now, with the active use of maps and navigators, everything has become much simpler, and moving around the city no longer causes such difficulties. So, a Japanese address looks something like this: the name of the prefecture, city, district, sub-district, block, microdistrict and then the building number.

Fact9. Capital of Japan.Tokyo is the largest city in the world by population

Together with Yokohama and other suburbs, Tokyo's population is more than 34 million people. But the Japanese took care of rational use territory, and developed infrastructure makes it possible not to feel that the city is so overpopulated.

Fact10. Japanese food. The main food in Japan is rice

Rice is the most important part Japanese diet, it is served not only as a side dish or component of sushi, but is also used in the preparation of many different dishes. Even traditional Japanese sweets are made from rice. If in Russia bread is the king of everything, then in Japan it is rice instead, they even eat it for breakfast.

What interesting facts about Japan do you know?

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