There is so much to love about Japan -the fascinating culture, the beautiful landmarks, the delicious food, and so much more. With so many interesting facts about Japan, visiting is, through and through, an experience for which there is no equivalent anywhere else in the world.
If you are interested in learning about Japan or vacationing here, below are 15 fascinating facts about Japan you probably don’t know!
Mind-blowing Facts About Japan
Highest Number of Vending Machines in the World
The first in the list of interesting facts about Japan is that the country boasts the highest number of vending machines in the world. There are about 5 million of them! Approximately one vending machine for every 24 people.
You can buy pretty much anything from the vending machines, including underwear, magazines, condoms, and even ramen.
Themed Cafés are a Thing
Japan has many themed cafés, and this is definitely one of the weirdest things about Japan.
I visited a maid café known as Maidreamin. Here, women wear maid costumes and serve customers. They also do a little performance that includes singing and dancing, almost seemed like a performance for kids. However, it is very much for adults. This was something I had never experienced before, and I have to say, although it was a fun experience, also very strange.
There are also animal cafés in Japan where you have a drink while watching and even petting animals. Cuddle cafés in Japan are also a thing! Here you can pay to snuggle.
Japan Has Square Watermelons
This is probably one of the most fun facts about Japan. Did you know that some farmers in Japan grow square watermelons!? Originally, square watermelons were invented to fit perfectly in the fridge. But, since the invention of the square watermelon, other watermelon shapes have been introduced, including pyramids, hearts, and more. What shape of watermelon would you like to buy?
Second-Highest Life Expectancy in the World
There are many interesting facts about Japan, but one of the best is the country’s life expectancy. Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, second only to Hong Kong. The country has a life expectancy of 84 years! This is why there are more seniors than kids. Japanese typically practice a healthy lifestyle, which explains the high life expectancy.
Fun fact: there are more adult diapers sold than baby diapers!
Amazing Toilets
Japanese toilets are remarkable. I truly love them. They can interact with the user and do almost everything, even sing! These toilets function with smart technology, and with a press of a button, they can, warm up the seat, spray (different options to select from), and flush.
They have a Suicide Forest
Probably one of the craziest facts about Japan is the suicide forest known as Aokigahara. This forest is considered the perfect place to die. People go in there to take their last breath. Some estimates mention that about 100 people die here every year. Crazy, right?
Japan is Very Clean
If you’re used to cities being a dirty experience, like the streets of New York or Paris, then you’re in for a surprise when you come to Japan. Sanitary living is a massive deal in Japan, and extends to every facet of life. Even schools make cleaning part of their education.
Tokyo is often called the cleanest city in the world. And it is not uncommon to see people in Japan doing things to maintain a baseline level of health and hygiene.
An interesting fact about Japanese culture is that they have been wearing medical masks long before COVID-19.
Also, there are almost no waste bins in the streets. Meaning that people have the disciple of saving their trash to separate it adequately at home. How is this for amazing facts about Japan!
Animation Madness
Anime is HUGE in Japan. I mean, the country has more than 400 anime studios, that’s 87% of the world’s anime studios! It is said that more than 300 animations air each season throughout the entire year. But it doesn’t stop there, anime is literally everywhere. And, there are endless genres to choose from.
Japan Is a Technology and Innovation Leader
Japan is at the forefront of technological innovation. From extensive work at improving vehicles, to the cutting edge virtual experiences being crafted at places like Nintendo and Sony. Japan is one of the world’s nexuses of technology and innovation.
In Tokyo, you can go to technological expos and see some absolutely incredible technology that you can’t see anywhere else.
Original Geisha Were Men
You may already know Geisha as one of the interesting facts about Japanese culture. However, what you may not know is that the first Geisha were actually men and not women.
Geishas have been entertaining people since the 18th century. They are known for their white makeup, elaborate hairstyle, and fascinating Japanese performances.
Sumos Compete To Make Babies Cry
There are many facts about Japan to talk about, but sumos making babies cry is perhaps one of the weirdest! Every April, Japanese parents bring their infants to the Sensoji temple (located in Asakusa, Tokyo) for a promise of good health and long life. The sumo wrestlers bring the babies on stage and try to get them to cry by yelling or making scary faces. It is said that babies who cry can chase off demons nearby.
They Have a Penis Festival
The Kanamara Matsuri festival happens every first Sunday in April. It is a festival at the Japanese city of Kawasaki to celebrate the penis and fertility. During this festival, the food, and decorations take the shape of a penis, or things related to reproduction. How is this for one of the unique facts about Japanese culture?
They Eat KFC for Christmas Dinner
Apparently, it has become a tradition for around 4 million people in Japan to celebrate Christmas with a KFC dinner. This is definitely one unique thing about Japan.
However, less than 2% of Japan is Christian, so Christmas is not a big event here.
Japanese Language
Japans language is a language isolate. This is on the list of interesting facts about Japan because it means that, as far as we know, there are no languages that shared an ancestor with it. Although, there are some proposals for potential linguistic connections between Japanese and other languages, such as the controversial Altaic language family.
Japan is one of the few languages with concurrent writing systems: Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana. Kanji is the primary writing system, which adopts Chinese characters as a means of writing the general vocabulary of the language.
Hiragana is a syllabary which contains a symbol for every sound in the language. This is used for teaching children kanji before they’re able to read them. As well as to mark various grammatical aspects of the sentence.
Lastly, katakana is used for writing loanwords, or words that Japanese directly draws from other languages.
A Culture of Excellence
The last interesting fact about Japanese culture in this list is, being great at what you do. Everything from technology to even the art of food preparation or house organization are treated as things to be excellent at. And though this puts a lot of pressure on the Japanese people, it also means that you can expect many things to be of an extremely high standard.
There’s nowhere in the world like Japan. There are so many interesting aspects that make this country so unique. I hope you have enjoyed this list of weird and interesting facts about Japan. How many of these facts did you already know? And which ones surprised you? Let me know below!
If you are planning a trip to Japan, be sure to read Essential Travel Tips to Plan a Trip to Japan.
