Some Of The Most Fascinating Facts About Life In Japan

Japan is an incredible place. If you ever get a chance to visit the country, you should definitely take that opportunity. They have amazing food, fascinating creatures, monkeys in hot springs, and vending machines all over the place.

Keep reading to learn even more about this amazing country. Did you know that the Japanese government enforced some pretty strict rules during the Second World War, and those rules were still in place in 2015? More details ahead...

A Tough Bonsai

This bonsai tree in Japan is 400 years old and it even managed to survive the bombing of Hiroshima. That's one tough tree!

bonsai tree
Photo Credit: NazmulHossainRana / Reddit
Photo Credit: NazmulHossainRana / Reddit

Can you believe that people have been pruning and maintaining this tree for that long?

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Tokyo Is The Most Populated Megacity

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Tokyo may not be the biggest city by area in the world, but it is the most populated megacity in the world.

A young woman walks on the deserted street at downtown in Tokyo, Japan, on April 25, 2021.
Photo Credit: Yusuke Harada / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Yusuke Harada / NurPhoto via Getty Images
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There are currently about 38 million people living in the Greater Tokyo Area.

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People Live A Long Time There

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Japan has the second-highest life expectancy in the world. The average person in Japan lives to be 84 years old.

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Elderly Japanese woman Taeko Miyazaki poses under family pictures in her house in Kagamimachi
Photo Credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP via Getty Images
Photo Credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP via Getty Images
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Hong Kong has a higher average life expectancy, but only just slightly.

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A Lot Of Earthquakes

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People who live in Japan are pretty used to feeling the earth move under their feet. Japan experiences around 1,500 earthquakes per year.

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A general view of atmosphere during Washi Candle Garden - TOHOKU 2021- at the Tokyo Midtown complex on March 11,
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Photo Credit: Takashi Aoyama / Getty Images
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That's because it's situated close to four different tectonic plates.

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They Have The Deepest Underwater Mailbox

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Sure, it's a strange claim to fame, but it is absolutely true. The mailbox is located in Susami which is a small fishing village in Japan.

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It can be found 30 feet underwater and it has actually collected tens of thousands of pieces of mail over the last 20 years.

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There's A Highway That Goes Through A Building

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The Hanshin Expressway in Osaka, Japan, goes straight through the Gate Tower Building's fifth, sixth, and seventh floors.

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View of the Hanshin Expressway in Kobe, Japan, 20 April 2013
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Photo Credit: Peter Jaehnel / picture alliance via Getty Images
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Apparently, the cars don't bother the people who work in the building because the building is totally soundproof.

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A Very Long Coastline

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If you love the beach, Japan might just be the country for you. Japan has the sixth-largest coastline in the world.

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A woman walks along a pathway next to the shoreline on April 30, 2021 in Miyakojima, Japan
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Photo Credit: Carl Court / Getty Images
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They even have a longer coastline than Australia.

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So Many Pets

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Around 2003, there was a pet boom in Japan. Owning a pet became super popular in the country.

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A pet dog wearing a costume looks on at Ueno park in Tokyo on March 22, 2020.
Photo Credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP via Getty Images
Photo Credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP via Getty Images
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By 2009, there were more dogs and cats than children in the country.

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No Dancing After Midnight

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During WWII, the Japanese government noticed that nightclubs were actually a front for more nefarious activity, so they decided to take some drastic measures.

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An artist performs a dance on the beach to commemorate the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2021 in Iwaki,
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Photo Credit: David Mareuil / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Japan enforced a ban on dancing after midnight in public venues in 1948. The ban ended up lasting until 2015.

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Low Unemployment Rates

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One thing is for sure, there is no lack of work in Japan. In fact, many people complain that they work too much.

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Employees of FPT Software Co. are socially distanced
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Photo Credit: Maika Elan / Bloomberg via Getty Images.
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Japan has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world at 2.97%. Cambodia and Qatar have the lowest unemployment rates at 0.30% and 0.60% respectively.

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So Many Vending Machines

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Japan has been known as the land of vending machines.

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woman next to vending machines
Photo Credit: James Matsumoto / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
Photo Credit: James Matsumoto / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
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There are around 23 vending machines for every one person in Japan, and there are a lot of people in Japan.

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Always Slurp Your Noodles

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In most places around the world, slurping your food isn't the most polite thing to do. In Japan, however, slurping your noodles is a display of appreciation.

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A bowl of 'Shiromaru Motoaji' ramen at an Ippudo ramen restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
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Photo Credit: Noriko Hayashi / Bloomberg via Getty Images
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It's basically a compliment to the chef.

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Christmas Dinner Is KFC

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In Japan, there is a long tradition of eating KFC on Christmas.

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A man holding a Christmas meal box leaves a KFC restaurant on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan
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Photo Credit: Yuichi Yamazaki / Getty Images
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This is all due to a brilliant marketing campaign by KFC. They promoted their food as the ideal Christmas dinner. Now 3.6 million Japanese people eat KFC on Christmas.

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Square Watermelon

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Fruit is highly prized in Japan and people are always looking for new ways to make their fruit better.

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square watermelon
Photo Credit: People's Daily / Facebook
Photo Credit: People's Daily / Facebook
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They started growing watermelon in square boxes to create square watermelon.

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Crystal Cola

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Clear Coca-Cola is a thing in Japan. It's called Coca-Cola Clear and apparently, it tastes more like lemon since the caramel flavor was removed.

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Coca-Cola Clear
Photo Credit: thompower / Reddit
Photo Credit: thompower / Reddit
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Maybe Japanese people just like clear soda better than brown soda.