Interesting Facts About Japan You Probably Don’t Know

Eating Raw Horse Meat Is Perfectly Normal in Japan

In Japan, raw horse meat, also called basashi, is considered a delicacy and is served in many restaurants. Eating raw horse meat is not a recent fad popularized by a celebrity or an innovative chef, though — it’s been practiced by the Japanese for many decades now.

1500 Earthquakes Hit Japan Every Year

Though Japan is a very beautiful country, it is also quite deadly, not because of its crime rate (it’s actually one of the safest countries in the world), but primarily because it’s one of the world’s most earthquake-prone areas. It experiences 1,500 earthquakes every year. Thankfully, most of these quakes are just tremors. Japan is no stranger to devastating earthquakes. It has experienced several catastrophic quakes in the past that has led to the destruction of billions of dollars worth of properties and the death of thousands of people.

Japan Is Home to the World’s Craziest Vending Machines

The Japanese people love vending machines. In fact, there are around 5.52 million of them scattered throughout the country. Over the years, these machines have greatly evolved from being practically convenient to extremely bizarre.

Slurping When Eating Soups or Noodles Is Perfectly Normal in Japan

In the Western world, people are expected to eat their food without making any unnecessary noises. Creating sounds like slurping when eating soups or noodles is considered inappropriate and rude. However, in Japanese society, it is the complete opposite. Slurping is perfectly normal and acceptable, even when done in public. In fact, slurping is highly encouraged.

Baseball Is Very Popular in Japan

Sumo might be the national sport of Japan, but baseball is the most loved and most popular. Known as Yakyu in Japanese, baseball was introduced to Japan by an American teacher named Horace Wilson. In 1873, under the supervision of Mr. Wilson, the first baseball game in Japanese history was played at the Tokyo University, back then it was known as Kaisei Gakko. Since then, yakyu has become Japan’s most loved team sport.

Japan Has a Very High Suicide Rate

Japan is a wealthy nation with a very interesting history and colorful culture. It’s a visually stunning country that is home to the most innovative, highly disciplined, hard-working, successful people around. However, one dark aspect of Japanese society that many people from the West don’t know is that it has a very high suicide rate. More than 30,000 Japanese men and women off themselves every year. With this rate, it is estimated that 24.4 out of 100,000 Japanese citizens are likely to kill themselves. Suicide has become a major issue in Japan. In fact, it has become one of the primary causes of death in women aged 15 – 34 and men aged 20 – 44.

Many Streets in Japan Don’t Have Names

Many streets in Japan don’t have names. So how do the Japanese locate certain areas if their streets are nameless? Well, they use a peculiar kind of addressing system that uses block numbers instead of street names. Blocks in Japan are given unique numbers, and these numbers serve as the address. The spaces between these blocks, the streets, are left unnamed. So typically, people in Japan say, “I live in Block 2” or “I work in Block 13” instead of saying “I’m on Crocodile St.” or “My house is at Banana Ave.”

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