I FOUND SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT JAPAN.

PLEASE READ THEM AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

QUESTIONS:

- WHICH FACT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING TO YOU?

- WHICH FACT WAS TOTALLY NEW TO YOU?
- CHOOSE ONE FACT AND WRITE YOUR OPINION ABOUT IT! /MINUMUM 6 SENTENCES/
- WHICH FACT FROM BELOW DID YOU SEE IN JAPAN?
- ARE THERE REALLY LOT OF VENDING MACHINES IN JAPAN?
- HOW MANY JAPANESE ISLANDS DID YOU VISIT?
- TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES REGARDING THE JAPANESE FOOD. WHICH SPECIAL MEALS DID YOU
TRY?

1. THERE ARE MORE SENIORS THAN KIDS

A pretty sad fact about Japan because it’s actually a big problem
and there’s a lack of childbirth. The people don’t have time or
money to have a family in today’s Japanese Society. And this has
led to the situation where there are more seniors than children.

And did you know that they actually sell more adult diapers than
kid’s diapers? I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s one of the
more bizarre facts about Japan!

The Japanese islands of Okinawa have one of the world’s longest

lifespans, and currently, the oldest humans in the world are two
Japanese people at 117 and 116 years old.

Lifespan: élettartam
2. HAS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LOWEST
CRIME RATES
Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, so if you worry
about crime, you should probably look into moving here. The most
common crimes here includes stealing a bicycle or umbrellas left
outside the convenience store.

At the metro and trains, you can see locals who take a nap while
having their phone in their hand or clearly visible.

It’s also not uncommon to see people walking around with their
backpacks and bags open. Another thing, people don’t even lock
their homes all the time or their bicycles! That’s how safe it is in
Japan.

Look into: itt – fontolóra vesz

Convenience store: kisbolt

3. MOST VENDING MACHINES IN THE
WORLD
One of the things you will notice when traveling to Japan is the
huge amount of vending machines. They’re literally everywhere,
around every corner, and it’s almost like they’re part of the
modern Japanese culture, but also a good and convenient way for
the companies to sell beverages and make money without paying
staff.

In the big cities, you can find both hot and cold coffee in the
vending machines along with various other types of drinks,
including water on a bottle. A lot of restaurants have started to
implement vending machines as well, to let people order food.
There are also plenty of vending machines selling snacks and
food directly in the cities.

Vending machine: árúsító automata

Literraly: a szó szoros értelemben

4. JAPAN CONSISTS OF 6852 ISLANDS
You might know that Japan is an island nation, but did you know
that there are more than 6800 islands in Japan? The four biggest
islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which
together makes up about 97% of the total land area.

And don’t forget about the paradise islands of Okinawa with its
beautiful beaches and tropical climate.

5. TO CLEAN IS A PART OF THE

EDUCATION IN MANY SCHOOLS
Law and Order is a big thing in Japan (I’m not talking about the
TV-series), and it’s important to learn this already as a child.
That’s why a lot of Japanese schools are making their students
clean toilets, classrooms and the school area.

This also saves money because the schools won’t need as many
cleaners.

Imagine if this was the case in your country? I can only speak for
Swedish schools, but it would be an outcry, to say the least.
That’s why I think this is one of the more interesting facts about
Japan!

6. JAPAN HAS A PENIS FESTIVAL

The festival is known as Kanamara Matsuri, which means
something like “the festival for the phallus of steal”.

The festival is celebrated in the Japanese city of Kawasaki on the

first Sunday in April. In short, just about everything, including
candy, vegetables and decorations have the shape of the male
reproductive organ or other things related to fertility.

7. MORE THAN 1500 EARTHQUAKES A

YEAR
The number will vary from year to year, but in general, there will
be more than 1500 earthquakes in Japan. Luckily, most of them
are smaller shakes, but each year there are bigger earthquakes
as well that reaches more than 8 on the Richter scale.

8. TO TAKE A POWER NAP AT WORK GETS

MORE AND MORE COMMON
Japanese people are working more than any other country in the
world and the working days are long. Since a couple of years
back, some employers are letting their employees take a power
nap at work, to recharge and get more energy. It’s pretty
interesting, and overall I would say that power naps are very
common in Japan, and you will constantly see people taking
power naps on trains.

9. FRUIT IS ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS

Although fruit, in general, is getting cheaper to buy in Japan, the
tradition from the past lives on. Back in the days, it was really
expensive to buy fruits because only a handful of fruits grow
naturally in Japan.

It’s still expensive compared to many other countries, and it’s still
regarded as a great gift when meeting someone special.

10. MORE THAN 3000 MCDONALD’S

RESTAURANTS
Only the USA has more Mcdonald’s restaurants in the world than
Japan. Despite that, it’s very rare to see obese people when
walking around the cities.

11. TO SLURP UP THE NOODLES IS

CONSIDERED POLITE
If you go to a noodle restaurant in Japan, (which you should) don’t
be afraid to slurp up the noodles. On the contrary, this is
considered polite.

According to Japanese customary, it’s polite to slurp up the

noodles since it shows the cook that you appreciate the food and
at the same time, it enhances the flavors.
12. MANY JAPANESE EAT READY-MADE
BREAKFAST OR DINNER FROM A
SUPERMARKET
Family Mart, 7 Eleven and Lawson are the big chains running
convenience stores in Japan. All of them is selling ready-made
foods that can be heated in the store. You can also buy noodles
and prepare them with hot water in the store, or buy ready-made
sushi rolls, sandwiches and other kinds of meals.

To eat breakfast or lunch/dinner at a supermarket isn’t considered

weird. Fact is that most people don’t have time to cook a full meal
at home before they go to work, and that’s why it’s so convenient
to buy a hot or cold coffee in the morning along with a sandwich
or onigiri.

This is a Family Mart. There are also bigger supermarkets with seating.
13. THERE ARE CAFES WHERE YOU CAN
PAY TO CUDDLE
But there is nothing sexual about it. The reason that these cafes
exist is because a lot of inhabitants are single and loneliness is a
big problem in Japan due to too much work. That’s why there is
demand for cuddling and intimacy, and at these cafes, you can
come and get a hug or just lie down in someone’s lap, or spend
time together with another human being.

Yet another one of those interesting and bizarre facts about

Japan, which isn’t something weird at all there. With that said, not
every Japanese man or woman visit cuddle cafes. It’s still a
minority we’re talking about.

14. IT’S FORBIDDEN TO BATHE IN HOT

SPRINGS AND ONSEN WITH TATTOOS
Tattoos are something that’s considered ugly in Japan, and not
only in terms of look, but it’s also associated with gangs and
crime. If you were to enter an Onsen with tattoos it would be
considered very rude, and the water would be considered dirty.

Luckily, nowadays many places offer guests to cover their tattoos

with a skin-colored band-aid.

If you can cover them, you’ll be allowed to take a bath. However,

not all onsen are this strict because things are slowly changing
since the tourism organization of Japan is trying to make it easier
for foreigners to explore the country.

15. IN JAPAN, YOU BOW INSTEAD OF

SHAKING HANDS
For international guests and business persons, you will probably
shake hands because Japanese people always want to be polite
and welcome their guests with their own culture. But if you want to
show the same politeness and cultural awareness, you should
bow instead of shaking hands.

According to tradition, the lower you bow, the more respect you
show towards the other person. Bowing is also something you do
a lot in Japan, and below you can watch a full video on how to
make a perfect bow, and when to use the different kinds of bows.

10 X QUICK FACTS ABOUT JAPAN

Want to know even more Japan facts? Here below you have 10
quick facts about Japan!

1. More than 2 billion manga magazines and books are being

sold each year
2. Literacy by Japanese youth is almost 100%, which is among
the highest in the world
3. they eat more than 17 million ton fish per year, more than
any other country
4. Suicide is a big problem in the Japanese society
5. They’re cultivating square melons because it’s easier to
store them
6. There are cafes where the staff is dressed up as French
Maids
7. Capsule hotels are available in most bigger cities
8. Tokyo is the biggest city in the world
9. When you go to the bathroom or toilet, you’re supposed to
wear special slippers
10. Sometimes the trains are so packed that a train
attendant need to shove the passengers inside to close the
door.