10 Interesting Facts about Japan

My favorite country is Japan and so I thought to share with you guys some interesting facts about the country I found.

1. It is considered polite to slurp noodles.

2. In Japan, there is an island full of rabbits called Ōkunoshima. They were brought there during World War II to test the effects of poison gas.

3. Japan has a ‘suicide forest’. Called ‘the perfect place to die’, the Aokigahara forest has the unfortunate distinction of the world’s second most popular place to take one’s life. (The first is the Golden Gate Bridge)

4. Many hot springs and public bathhouses in Japan ban customers with tattoos from entering because they see it as a possible affiliation with gangs.

5. Sometimes the trains in Japan are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside.

6. If you commit suicide in Japan by jumping in front of a train, the family of the deceased will be charged a disruption fee.

7. It’s considered inappropriate to blow your nose in public.

8. The first “cuddle cafes” opened in Tokyo in 2014. Called Soine-ya (literally “sleep-together shop”), they allow male customers to sleep next to a woman for a fee. Sexual requests are not allowed, but the menu includes “staring at each other for a minute” or “stroking the girl’s hair for three minutes” for 1,000 yen each.

9. Japan has the highest density of vending machines worldwide, with approximately 5 million machines, or 1 machine for every 23 people. You can buy everything from live lobsters and bread in a can, to underwear and Buddhist amulets from a vending machine.

10. There are more than 20 ways to apologize in Japanese.