29 Things you have to about Japan

29 things that only exist inJapan

 Japan is known as the Land of the Rising Sun,but it could also be called the Land of singing toilets, or the country of the blue trafficlight. There are so many things that make it a wholeother world. Get ready to explore! 

1. Square watermelons. They were invented back in the '70s by a graphicdesigner to fit compactly in the fridge and be cut more easily. Japanese farmers grow them in special containersto get the shape. Since they’re pretty expensive, people don’tbuy them as food, but rather as a decorative item. 

2. Ramen noodles bath. The Yunessun Spa Resort in Hakone offers itsguests the pretty unique experience of splashing around in a vat of pork soup and ramen noodles. While this may sound crazy to many people,the Japanese believe that soaking in such a bath is good for the skin because a brothmade of pork is rich in collagen. 

3. Bizzare flavors of Kit-kat. Chili pepper, wasabi, sweet potato, grilledcorn, soybean, salt watermelon, mango, green tea – that's only a short list of the Kit-Katflavors you can try in Japan. Which one would you try? Let me know in the comments!

 4. Fake food. Specialists make this kind of food from plasticor wax, and it looks just as delicious as the real one. Many restaurants use fake food to displaytheir popular dishes in the windows and attract hungry clients. Usually, these replicas cost much more thanthe dishes they imitate. 

5. Rabbit island. Back in the '40s, scientists brought a numberof rabbits to Okunoshima Island to do some tests. However, later on, the animals were freedand started to multiply. Now the island is full of them and attractsa lot of tourists.

 6. Purikura machines. Taking photos in a booth is nothing new, butJapan added its own exciting twist to this experience. Their photo booths, called purikura, allowyou to edit photos right on the spot, adding different backgrounds, funny stickers, orwritings. Also, you can send the pictures to your cellphone.

 7. People pushers. Subways and train stations get really overcrowdedduring rush hour. That's why the station staff and part-timeworkers have to perform the routine procedure of pushing people inside trains to fit inas many passengers as possible before the doors close. 

8. Umbrella parking lot. Before going inside a building, you can “parkand lock” your umbrella just like you do with your bike. Now you can be sure no one will take it, andyou won’t make a puddle on the floor if your umbrella is wet. Many government buildings, offices, and hotelshave this sort of umbrella rack.

. 9. Millions of vending machines. Japan has more than 5 million of them! Mostly because they save time for people whowork late hours, which is a pretty common thing there. Besides, Japanese vending machines aren’tjust for snacks and soda. You can buy basically anything – from livelobsters to underwear - in these machines.

 10. Tokyo's biggest resident. In 2015, Godzilla was granted citizenshipin Tokyo's Shinjuku ward. The authorities presented a special certificatestating his new residency, and also made him a job offer – Godzilla became the tourismambassador. Later, they even installed a Godzilla head171-feet above ground at Toho, the movie studio that made the original movie back in 1954. 

11. Train delays make headlines. Punctuality is a really big thing there, andtrain stations do everything possible to avoid a delay. If a train is 5 minutes late, the railwaycompany might have to issue a delay certificate for railway workers and passengers who missedan important appointment. And if the delay is longer than an hour, thenthe railway company might give an official apology in newspapers. 

12. “Silent” Karaoke. This is a special microphone with a cone thatyou place over your mouth. It muffles most of the sounds when you sing. It was designed for people who don’t wantto wake up their neighbors, and those who feel shy about belting their favorite tunesin public. 

13. Polite slurping. While in many other countries slurping isconsidered rude, in Japan it’s a way to show your appreciation of the dish. If you don’t slurp when you eat noodles,then the chef will think that you don’t enjoy the food, or that it’s cold. 

14. Face napkins. When you eat a burger, it’s never prettybecause your mouth gets covered in ketchup or mustard. Owners of one fast-food restaurant found asolution to this by serving burgers together with special napkins. They cover the faces of guests who feel abit embarrassed about looking messy while eating. 

15. Water-saving sinks. They’re located right over the toilet tanks. The idea is simple: first you wash your handsover the sink, then it goes straight to the tank, and finally, you flush the toilet whenyou’ve done your business. So, you save water by using it twice.

 16. Strange mayoNo, Japanese mayo doesn’t have any special recipe or ingredient. But they don’t eat it with salads, meat,and sandwiches; in Japan, people usually use it as a topping for ice-cream or on pancakes. 

17. Naps at work. In Japanese culture, dozing off at the workplace– or inemuri – is considered a sign of being a hard-working person who’s very committedto their job. That’s why inemuri is so common, and noone thinks it’s a bad thing. Some people even fake it!

18. World’s shortest escalator. You can find it in the basement of More’sDepartment Store, which is located in the city of Kawasaki. The escalator has only 5 steps and is only33 inches tall. 

19. Canned food restaurant. Eating canned food may not sound like a delicioustreat for you. But there’s a whole chain of restaurantsall over the country where they serve only canned food. They’re pretty popular, since clients canchoose from 300 varieties of food from all across the world. 

20. Doll village. The village of Nagoro used to have a populationof 300 people, but less than 40 residents live there now. A local artist, Tsukimi Ayano, made over 300life-size dolls, most of which look like former residents; and they’re located in variousstates of action. For example, there’s a whole classroom ofthem in the village school that was closed a while ago.

 21. No 4’s. It’s common for Japanese culture to avoidthe number 4 because it’s considered to be very unlucky. That’s why some buildings don’t have a4th floor, stores don’t sell a set of cutlery for 4, and the number of guests to some eventcan’t be 4. 

22. Blue traffic light. They use a blue color instead of green fortraffic lights. The reason for that hides in their language:historically, there was only one word for both colors. When traffic lights first appeared in thecountry, they were as green as anywhere else. But that green color was still called blue. To make things right, the government decidedto use the bluest shade of green possible. 

23. Cleaning classes. Japanese kids learn how to clean in many schoolsbecause it’s a part of their education. They mop their classrooms and hallways, dodusting, and even clean the bathrooms. Teachers believe it’s a great way to raiseresponsible citizens. 

24. Footbath train. Take the Tsudoi tourist train to get the mostcomfortable sightseeing experience. This train has footbaths built of aromaticcypress wood and filled with warm spring water that can soothe the pain in your joints. So you can soak your feet and enjoy beautifulviews at the same time while traveling from Nagoya to Yunoyama Onsen. 

25. Futuristic toilets. Toilets in Japan are very high-tech. To use one, a person should know what allthose buttons are for. There’s a variety of functions, includingheating the seat, spraying warm water to clean the user up, and even playing music.

 26. Crazy ice-cream flavors. The Japanese love weird food combos. That's why finding an ice-cream flavored withhorse meat, cactus, charcoal, squid ink, garlic, or chicken wings won't be a problem here. 

27. Space-saving parking lots. Since Japan is a densely-populated country,they don’t like to waste space. That’s why their parking lots have a smartsystem. They’re designed like multi-level garages.

 28. Robot-run hotel. In a hotel in Nagasaki, robots are a big partof its staff. It’s called the Henn-na which translatesas “strange”. The human-like androids meet the guests, cleanthe rooms, carry luggage, make coffee, and even smile. However, real people work there too to rechargethe robots and supervise how they perform their duties. 

29. Café companion. Sitting alone in a café and enjoying yourcoffee and food is common for most people around the world. But in the Land of the rising sun, you’llget a huge plush Moomin to sit next to you in one of the cafes, so you don’t have toeat alone. Hey, if you learned something new today, thengive the video a like and share it with a friend! And here are some other videos I think you'llenjoy. Just click to the left or right, and stayon the Bright Side of life!