14 Fun Facts About Japan and Its Culture

When our Japan Program Manager, Scott Ingram, first moved to Japan in 2004, every day was full of new and exciting discoveries.

“The 100-yen shops, similar to American dollar stores, had everything! The ramen shops, however, were really small. Whenever I wanted to try eating noodles, the best ramen spots were always packed, with barely enough seats inside. While wandering around the city, I often discovered the most amazing hidden temples.”

Japanese culture is rich with touching traditions that promote humility and respect, while also embracing contemporary styles and modern innovation. In such a society, many unique ideas have emerged and become global sensations.

1. What is Harajuku style?

Harajuku fashion is a mixture of bright and expressive clothing styles often found on the streets in the Harajuku district of Shibuya, Tokyo. It uses cartoon characters as motifs, and lots of plastic toys and accessories. The “kawaii” style is even more playful and modeled after cute anime characters.

Keep an eye out for the Harajuku style while crossing Shibuya Crossing, a well-known setting featured in movies like Lost in Translation and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Harajuku street style is popular in Tokyo, Japan.

Harajuku’s reputation as a fashion landmark earned it a feature in Vogue magazine’s street style series in 2023. The area is a photographer’s delight with memorable fashion choices at every turn. And it’s a great place to be inspired if you want to hang out and get a dose of creative energy.

2. What is Purikura, the Japanese photo booth?

Japan’s famous photo sticker booths called purikura have been a hot trend in the country for decades. This Japanese word is a shortened form of ‘Purinto Kurabu’ which derives from the English term ‘print club’.

In the booths, you can pose with your friends and then go into an edit bay to add filters, frames, text and other graphic effects. The images are then printed on sheets of sticky paper, so you have sticker photos of your memorable moment. It’s a perfect way to spend time with your friends and have a customized souvenir.

Plus, you’ll get an inside look at how some current trends started. Purikura is credited with playing a large role in encouraging phone makers to make reversible cameras. That helped lead to the selfie phenomenon. The purikura trend also prompted social media apps to add various photo filters and backgrounds.

3. What is the meaning of Buddha’s hand positions?

Religious artwork in Japan frequently features Buddha with hands in various positions called mudras, or symbolic gestures. One common mudra in Japan is an open hand with the index or middle finger bent to touch the thumb, as seen in the Great Buddha of Ushiku in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The Ushiku Buddha statue is one of the tallest statues in the world, and on clear days, you can see Mount Fuji from its observation deck. The mudra of the Ushiku Buddha symbolizes peace and the sharing of Buddhist teachings.

Another mudra depicts the palms turned upwards with the thumbs touching and the fingers bent to form two circles. This hand position symbolizes concentration with the circles representing solid faith.

A Japanese Buddha sculpture with a mudra representing firm faith.

In other countries there are mudras depicted in Buddhist sculptures, but the artworks often vary. Japanese statues might have a simpler design than the statues in Thailand, for example. And they may feature different mudras. So try to spot the differences if you travel to other countries with intricate Buddha sculptures.

4. Konnichiwa! How widespread is the Japanese language?

Japan is the only country where Japanese is the national language. Nearly 130 million people speak it as their native tongue. It’s uncertain how Japanese was invented since it predates written language.

Generally, the spoken word is easier to master than the written language, so it’s easy to learn how to say words like ‘konnichiwa’ for hello. The written language is much more challenging. It includes three alphabets: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.

Hiragana and Katakana are phonetic and the Kanji is logographic using Chinese characters. It can take years to learn the language, but it is certainly doable!

Sometimes, it’s not necessary to understand the message to get the reminder to pick up after your dog.

5. Gotta catch ’em all! When was Pokémon created?

The worldwide phenomenon of Pokémon began in Japan in 1996. Its creator Satoshi Tajiri was inspired by his childhood when he used to catch insects and trade them. His game centered on catching each Pokémon species in order to complete one’s Pokédex and train a team of up to six Pokémon at a time and have them engage in battles with other Pokémon masters.

The game took off, eventually leading to more than 1,000 Pokémon figures being created. One of the better known Pokémon is the adorable Pikachu. If you want to see where it all started and add your favorite to your Pokémon plushie collection, Japan is the place to be.

6. What is manga?

Believe it or not, today’s manga genre traces its history back to the 12th century. That’s when the art forms used in Japan’s modern-day comic books and graphic novels began to take shape. The word manga stemmed from the Japanese words for whimsical (“man”) and cultural pictures (“‘ga”). It successfully combined art and storytelling and incorporated themes of the nation’s rich cultural heritage.

Japanese manga combines ancient art forms with modern storytelling.

In the 20th century, manga took off as artists explored new themes, like science fiction and fantasy. Plus, animators began using manga books to create what’s known worldwide as anime. This form of animation has taken the world by storm, significantly contributing to the global popularity of Japanese culture.

Hello Kitty, the immensely popular kitty cartoon character created by the Japanese company Sanrio, is one of the most successful global marketing brands to date. Numerous animated series feature this cartoon character, and Sanrio shops across Japan sell a wide range of Hello Kitty-inspired food and merchandise.

By 2016 it was estimated that 60% of the world’s animated television shows were Japanese anime and cartoons. While you can see manga and anime across the globe, its presence is at a different level in Japan.

7. What is Studio Ghibli?

Speaking of anime, Studio Ghibli is among the most successful companies in the genre. It has created some of the highest grossing films in Japan, and five of its films have been nominated for Academy Awards. In 2003, the studio’s film Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Because of its success, you can definitely feel Ghibli energy throughout the country. A park and museum are dedicated to Ghibli films, and several stores sell memorabilia items like plushies of Jiji, the black cat from Kiki’s Delivery Service and Totoro keyrings from My Neighbor Totoro.

Plus, in Tokyo you can see things like the Ni-Tele Really Big Clock that was designed by the Ghibli team and looks like something you’d see a movie like Howl’s Moving Castle.

8. What is a sushi train?

Japanese trains during rush hour are not the only trains that people are boarding. Today, restaurants across Japan have embraced the concept of the sushi train.

In the 1950s the idea of conveyor belt sushi or kaitenzushi was born in Japan. In these restaurants sushi is delivered via conveyor belt, and it tends to be cheaper than higher end sushi restaurants.

Japanese sushi is popular meal option while you’re traveling in Tokyo.

In some restaurants various sushi dishes are placed on the belt, and you can grab what you want. Many also have the option to order what they want on a touchpad. Then the dish is sent down the conveyor train to the customer. Some of them on transported on quite literal, model trains!

These restaurants usually have self-served tea where you put powder in a cup and add water in a dispenser. At the end of the meal, you stack up your plates, and you’re charged by the number of plates and the types of plates. Plates are priced based on their color or pattern. It’s a fun way to get a healthy meal. Time to see how high you can get that stack.

If you find yourself hungry in Japan, rather than filling your stomach at a local KFC or McDonald’s, grab some sushi off a kaitenzushi.

9. What are some popular Japanese street foods?

The sushi is great but there also are a plethora of other options for foodies in Japan. You can stop by the local Konbini or Japanese convenience store and enjoy some ramen, also known as instant noodles.

But there’s truly nothing quite like piping hot treats, fresh off the grill and sold by street vendors across Japan. Here you’ll find many options that aren’t as mundane as your average hot dog.

Just a few of the popular choices include:

• Takoyaki – Wheat flour balls filled with chopped octopus, tempura, pickled ginger and green onion
• Kushiten – Skewered fish cakes
• Yakisoba – Wok-fried noodles
• Taiyaki – Fish-shaped cakes filled with various fillings such as sweet red bean, custard, chocolate, cheese, or sweet potato

Japanese street food like takoyaki is a real treat.

Once you’re done eating, grab a quick refreshment at one of the 4 million vending machines found in Japan. A Japanese vending machine offers both hot and cold beverages. You can buy things like soda, coffee, candy, and chips for as little as 100-150 Japanese yen.

10. Japanese umbrellas vs. parasols. What’s the difference?

While you’re on the streets, you may see many umbrellas in Japan. The simple umbrella has quite a history in Japan. Centuries ago the Japanese began putting oil on washi paper to repel rainwater. Eventually a bamboo handle was added and umbrella usage exploded.

In the Endo period from 1603 to 1868 umbrellas were mainstream and became more colorful. This design appeal led to the creation of parasols that weren’t waterproof but were decorative. These dainty umbrellas are now a decorative feature across the globe.

Tens of millions of umbrellas are used in Japan every year.

Still, the more practical use of umbrellas was not lost. In fact the widespread use of umbrellas in Japan has become an environmental concern. An estimated 120 million and 130 million umbrellas are consumed every year in Japan. People often grab them for pop-up storms and then leave them in the streets. This led to efforts to promote the use of rented umbrellas made from recycled materials.

11. What flying squirrels live in Japan?

Away from the cities, travelers in Japan can check out various endemic species. The country’s flying squirrels are among those that tend to get attention. Japan has both dwarf and giant flying squirrels. The dwarf flying squirrels can be found on Honshu and Kyushu islands. They’re only about 8 inches long and mainly can be seen gliding around at night.

Japanese dwarf flying squirrels are only about eight inches long.

The giant flying squirrels are much larger. Their bodies can be up to 20 inches long. They’re also nocturnal, but are easier to spot. For whatever reason, these squirrels seem to like to hang out in forested areas near Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. So if you see something above your head at night, it might not be a bat. It might be a flying squirrel gliding past you to a nearby shrine.

Tired of squirrels? The Amami rabbit is another of Japan’s endemic animals. This dark-furred, small-eared mammal can only be found on Amami Oshima and Tokuno islands and is considered an endangered species.

Don’t forget to visit Nara Park, home to over 1,400 curious and adorable deer.

12. Are Japanese urban legends scary?

That flying squirrel may not be scary, but there are other creatures afoot in Japan that are frightening – at least if you believe the urban legends. Horrible creatures are said to lurk in Japan in all kinds of places. This includes waterways where spirits called kappas are said to lure children and pull them under. To defeat kappas you can bow to greet them. When the kappa bows in return, the water that fills their saucer-shaped heads spills out, and they lose their powers.

Other frightening figures are said to lurk in bathrooms. This includes the male spirit Aka Manto and the schoolgirl Toire no Hanako-san. If you encounter one of them, you could meet your doom if you aren’t on your toes. For Aka Manto, you should turn down any offers of paper. For the schoolgirl, you should avoid the third stall of a bathroom on the third floor. In either case, running may be in order!

This isn’t to say all the legendary creatures in Japan are scary. One of the most famous legends is Momotarō or the peach boy. He is said to have been born from a giant peach, adopted by an elderly couple, and developed into a local hero.

13. Is Japan a constitutional monarchy?

The island nation of Japan operates under a modern constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government split into three branches: the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary.

Japan is comprised of four main islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—which are then divided into 47 prefectures in 8 regions. Honshu, the largest island, is home to the capital city, Tokyo, and the Tokyo Imperial Palace, the main residence of the Emperor of Japan.

The Emperor is the ceremonial head of state and has no governing powers. The Emperor and the imperial royal family of Japan perform various ceremonial duties, such as state functions and cultural events, and promote national unity and identity.

The current head of state, Emperor Naruhito, and his wife, Empress Masako, are highly respected by the Japanese people and play a significant role in Japan’s cultural and historical identity.

Majestic Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, exemplifies Japan’s feudal history and architectural ingenuity, distinct from the ceremonial role of the Emperor in the modern constitutional monarchy.

14. Are there World War II museums in Japan?

Japan has numerous World War II memorials and museums, many of which are significant landmarks commemorating the events and impacts of the war.

Some of the most notable memorials include:

1. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park: This park includes the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Memorial Cenotaph, and the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. It serves as a important reminder of the devastation caused by the atomic bomb.
2. Nagasaki Peace Park: Similar to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, this park commemorates the victims of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It features the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and several memorials dedicated to peace and reconciliation.
3. Okinawa Peace Memorial Park: Located in Okinawa, this park commemorates the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. It includes the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum and various monuments honoring those who died in the battle.
4. Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots: This museum in Kagoshima Prefecture honors the young kamikaze pilots who carried out suicide missions during the war. It houses letters addressed to family members and photographs of the pilots.
5. Okunoshima Island Poison Gas Museum: The island of Okunoshima is part of the Hiroshima Prefecture and is called ‘Usagi Shima’ or Rabbit Island due to the abundance of rabbits that roam the island. Okunoshima played a key role during the war, serving as the site of a secret chemical weapons factory.

These memorials and museums collectively contribute to the remembrance of World War II’s profound impact on Japan and the world. They offer educational insights and promote the global message of peace and reconciliation​.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, one of the few buildings left standing after the 1945 atomic bomb, stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and a call for peace.

These are just 14 facts about Japan and Japanese culture that you might encounter in this incredible country.

If you’re eager to explore more of Japanese cuisine and culture, your next adventure awaits in the Land of the Rising Sun. Be sure to check out our student programs in Japan.