Interesting Facts about Japan

Japan is an island country located in East Asia and is one of the smallest countries in the Asian subcontinent. Japan may be known for its delectable sushi and blossom trees, but there is a lot more to this beautiful and culturally-rich country, than just the flora and food. Situated in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea and Russia, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. Though the country comprises of thousands of islands, there are four major islands, namely Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, which comprise of 90 percent of the land area. Dotted with volcanoes, Japan lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiencing a great deal of earthquakes. The country is known to be one of the regions inhabited by human civilization since first century AD. Apart from this, Japan is one of the strongest economies in the world and a world leader in the fields of technology and machinery. To know some more interesting and fun facts about Japan, read on.

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Fast Facts

Continent: Asia

Area: 377,944 km²

Capital: Tokyo

Population: 126,659,683

Currency: Yen

Official Languages: Japanese

Calling Code: +81

Type Of Government: Constitutional monarchy and unitary parliamentary democracy

Interesting & Fun Facts About Japan

The official name of Japan is Nihon or Nippon - Land of the Rising Sun.
Raw horse meat is a very popular delicacy in Japan.
Tokyo, is the largest city of Japan. It is also rated as the 2nd most expensive city to live in the world.
The main religions of Japan are Shinto and Buddhism.
In Japan, the head of the state is the Emperor, while the chief of the government is the Prime Minister.
Japan boasts the longest reigning monarchy in the world.
Japan is the only country in the world that has had atomic weapons used against it.
It was the United States of America that imposed parliamentary constitution, land reform and stringent free labor union laws in Japan.
Japan is an aging country. 23% of the Japanese population is over the age of 65.
The literacy rate in Japan is almost 100%.
There are four different writing systems in Japan: romaji, katakana, hiragana, and kanji.
Japan constitutes of more than 3000 islands and more than 70 percent of the country comprises of mountains and hills
The highest mountain in Japan is Mt. Fuji, which is an active volcano.
Around 10 percent of world’s active volcanoes are located in Japan.
Japan experiences around 3 mild earthquakes every day, with an average of around 1500 each year.
The Japanese Samurai were considered the best warriors in the world. None of the warriors were as agile, swift and adept with the swords as the Samurais.
Did you know that there is very little immigration in Japan. The current population comprises of 98% Japanese people.
One of the most famous Japanese delicacies is ‘Sushi’. It is a dish made of rice and fish, wrapped in sea weed. Traditionally, sushi is dipped in Japanese soy sauce (shoyu), before eating.
Tsukiji Market in Tokyo is the world’s largest fish market and the majority of fish in the world go through here.
The shortest Haiku poem in the world, which is only a three-line poem, was written in Japan.
Whale meat is commonly found in fish markets of Japan, although it is illegal.
Japan is the largest automobile producer in the world.
Japan is the world’s largest consumer of Amazon rainforest timber.
Japan imports about 85% of Jamaica’s total coffee production.
Japan’s national anthem is called ‘Kimigayo’, which means "The Emperor's Reign".
The popular fortune cookies that we get after every Oriental meal, dates back to the 19th century and originated in Kyoto, Japan.
In Japanese, karaoke means “empty orchestra.”
The life expectancy in Japan is one of the highest in the world.
The famous art of paper folding, known as ‘origami’, hails from Japan only.
In Japan, it is considered impolite and inappropriate to blow your nose in public.
The traditional dress of Japan, worn by both men and women, is known as ’Kimono’.
The history of Japan dates back to 660 BC. The country was never colonized by other countries and hence, instead of an independence day, the Japanese, celebrate National Foundation Day, which is celebrated on February 11th.
Japanese eat with chopsticks called ‘Hashi’.
Japanese enjoy slurping while eating; it symbolizes that the food is delicious.
Rice is the staple diet of Japanese, with tea served with practically all the meals.
Sumo wrestlers eat a stew called Chankonabe to fatten up. Many restaurants in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo serve this stew.
Many Japanese companies have morning exercise sessions for their workers.
Many couples in Japan celebrate Christmas like Valentine's Day.
In ancient Japan women used to blacken their teeth with dye as white teeth were considered ugly. This practice persisted until the late 1800s.

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