Japan, land of the rising sun has its own unique culture and traditions which are very interesting to the people of the world, purely because one cannot compare the society of Japan with any other country. The people of Japan are also extremely hardworking and dedicated. All that said and done, let’s take a look at 10 interesting facts that make Japan truly interesting.
#1- Japan doesn’t have Janitors-
Streets in Japan including Tokyo are very clean (surprising as Tokyo is megapolis!!!). But this begs the question. How does Japan achieve this with no Janitors? Simple. It all comes down to the mentality of the Japanese people. They rarely leave rubbish on the street and also volunteer (both young and old) to clean up the city simply because they want to live in clean city.
A prime example of this was the clean and shining state in which the Japanese Football team left their dressing after being knocked out of the FIFA world cup in Russia.
#2- Japan is dominantly Japanese-
Yes, around 98.5% of the population in Japan consists of the Japanese themselves. In today’s world where people from all over the world travel and settle all over, Japan is an exception to the rule. This is mainly due to the very strict visa rules. On the other hand this helps in protecting its unique cultures and traditions.
#3- Sleeping on the job-
yes, you heard me right friends. The Japanese are extremely hard working and usually work long hours. In Japan if an employee sleeps during the workday, it is a sign that he is tired of working hard.
#4- There are more elderly than young-
Approximately Japan consists of 25% citizens more than the age of 60. This is a rather sad fact as the current Japanese society doesn’t have time or money to raise a family. Interesting fact about this though is, that they sell more adult diapers than kids. Similarly the island of Okinawa has the longest lifespans (consists of the current 2 oldest humans at 117 and 116)
#5- Earthquakes are common-
It is estimated that Japan will have roughly around 1500 earthquakes a year. Now this number might vary, but this is an average. Luckily most of them are just tremors, but there are also a few that touch more than 8 on the richter scale that leads to a great deal of damage.
#6- In Japan one doesn’t shake hands to greet-
We are so used to shaking hands to greet our guests (Yes this has changed now thanks to Corona!!!). In India, the namaste is a very famous way of greeting your guests, similarly in Japan one bows down. This shows their welcoming and polite nature.
#7- The Japanese language still contains some untranslatable words-
“Komorebi” means “sunshine filtering through leaves”. Yes, it looks like there is no relation whatsoever and that is common with respect to quite a few words in the Japanese language. Additionally, the strongest curses are idiot and fool.
#8- Volcanoes and Japan go hand in hand-
The amount of volcanoes let alone active ones that can be found in Japan is crazy. There are a total of 110 active volcanoes!!! Out of these 47 of them are closely monitored due to the proximity of them erupting in the near future or they have just erupted. Crazy indeed!
#9- Japan has the deepest underwater postbox-
The island of Susami, famous for its fishing activities has the deepest underwater postbox. The postbox is located at 30 feet underwater and since 1999 has collected more than 32000 mails.
#10- Highway bang through the middle of a building-
Yup you read it right!!! The Hanshin expressway in Osaka passes right through a building. In reality though, the workers hardly notice this as the walls are soundproof.
