The customs of the Japanese

Email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

---

50. Late-night dancing is illegal in Japan

49. Japan has more than 50,000 people that are over 100 years’ old

48. Japan has only 2 gun-related homicides a year

47. The world’s oldest company operated in Japan from 578 AD to 2006

46. Japan consists of over 6,800 islands

45. The average delay of a Japanese train is just 18 seconds

44. Square watermelons are grown in Japan

43. There are more pets than children in Japan

42. More adult diapers are sold in Japan than diapers for babies

41. 98% of all adoptions are of male men

 40. There are over 5 million vending machines in the country

39. In Japan, sleeping on the job is acceptable

38. There’s a highway that goes through a building in Japan

37. For the Japanese, black cats bring good luck

36. More paper is used for comics than for toilet paper in the country

35. Japanese Haiku poetry, which consists only of three lines, is the shortest in the world

34. 70% of Japan’s surface is covered in mountains, with over 200 volcanoes

33. Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%

32. There are approximately 1,500 earthquakes yearly in Japan

31. Rice is eaten in every meal in Japan

 30. Japanese people live an average of four years longer than Americans

29. ‘Karaoke’ means ‘empty orchestra’ in Japanese

28. Raised floors help indicate where to take off your shoes

27. There are almost 130 voice-acting schools in Japan, due to anime’s success

26. There are coffee shops in Japan where you can play with kittens

25. Japan has produced 18 Nobel Prize winners

24. The Japanese population is 98% Japanese; there are almost no immigrants

23. Japan’s unemployment rate is less than 4%

22. Going to KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan

21. In Japan, it is rude to say “no” directly

 20. In Japan, flower arranging is a form of art

19. For the Japanese, it is impolite to tear a gift’s wrapping

18. Snowmen in Japan are made of two snowballs, not three

17. Japanese people carry around a small towel to wipe their sweat off

16. Most homes have extra shoes for guests

15. Drinking or eating while walking is considered to be rude

14. Bus drivers turn the vehicle off at red lights to reduce pollution

13. At Japanese train stations, there are staff workers whose job is to help shove passengers inside the train, as they are so crowded

12. If you are sick in Japan, you should wear a mask to prevent spreading your disease.

11. The most popular pizza topping is squid

 10. There are lactation bars where you can get fresh human breast milk

9. The Japanese police have paint balls to shoot at fleeing vehicles so as to identify them easily

8. There’s a sacred shrine in Japan that is rebuilt every 20 years

7. ‘Yaeba’, crooked teeth, is considered attractive; so much so that girls go to the dentist to get their teeth un-straightened

6. In 1949, India sent the Tokyo zoo two elephants to cheer the spirits of the defeated Japanese empire

5. Every year in Japan men compete to get the title of “fastest shirt ironer”

4. The Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji is a traditional suicide spot.

3. The ‘ganguro’ Japanese fashion (literally ‘black face’) consists of dying your skin as dark as possible

2. In Japan you can find the world’s shortest escalator, it only has 5 steps

1. Slurping when eating noodles is polite and indicates that the food is delicious