Japan may seem a strange place. No other country in the world has experienced such a merger of traditions, technologies and circumstances. Today in Japan, the feudal traditions of samurai are strangely combined with advanced computer technologies. This is also the only country in which there are still living people who survived the atomic bombing.
Although Japan is one of the largest economies on the planet, it is extremely isolated, and its culture often misunderstand all other people on the planet. We give examples of some of the most strange aspects of Japanese culture.1. Hichcomories
Although the population of the Earth is growing in geometric progression, the Japanese slowly die out, because the nation is constantly aging. And this problem only aggravates the growing popularity of "Hikicomori".
Of course, in each society there is a small number of people who can be called "reasons". Most of these hermits are usually the elderly, with such mental illness, like depression and agoraphobia. But Japanese Hickcomori hermits are young. These are mostly dissatisfied with the life of teenagers and twenty-year-old young people who almost completely refuse to contact with society.
There are no accurate explanations explaining the increase in the number of Hikicomori. Among the possible causes of the doctors highlight the growth of the popularity of the Internet, intensive pressure on the psyche when studying and pressure from parents who want to "attach" their children in adulthood. Psychiatrists only recently began to help such people who are called a "missing million".
2. Crimes
Although the legends about Yakuza are quite widespread, the crime rate in Japan is unusually low. It is prohibited for possession of firearms, and even ordinary swords need to be registered in the police. Among all countries of the world, the level of killings are lower than in Japan, only in a tiny monaco.
In the country of the Rising Sun there is another curious nuance - if a person was in front of the court, he can be almost sure that he will go to prison. In fact, the number of indictments exceeds ninety-nine percent, since the career judges can suffer greatly if he justifies the accused. Moreover, in Japan, no one canceled the death penalty. Every year executed on average two or three prisoners.
Unlike most other countries concluded from death penalty, notify only a few hours before the execution. The seven are not at all informed until the sentence is pursued. Although in Japan there is a rich history of terrible and non-traditional methods of execution, today prisoners are usually hanging.
3. Food
The Japanese has a tendency to try new products and drinks, and tastes and flavors that like local residents often seem disgusting for people from the West. What is curious, the Chocolate Bar Kit Kat is extremely popular in Japan, since his name is surprisingly similar to the phrase "Kitto Katsu" (literally: you will definitely win), which is used as a wish of good luck.
Students often give these bars "for good luck" before the exam. Unlike the rest of the world, in which there is only Kit Kat from milk chocolate, in Japan there are dozens of exotic variations of its taste, such as fried corn, miso, Camembert cheese, baked potatoes and soy sauce.
4. Labor productivity
Although the Japanese are known for their hardworking, a stereotype of a drunk businessman pulling "Margarita" in the karaoke bar is not so far from the truth. "Alco-marathons" are often considered as the cornerstone of the Japanese business model; Corporate relations are produced by Gallons of Sake, and young employees are in vain trying to keep up with their experienced bosses.
However, a hangover at work here can be survived relatively easily. Japanese business culture fully admits the employee to lean at work. "Inemuri" is a quick sleep designed to "recharging" at work. This is considered as a sign that a person works in the sweat of the face "to the last".
5. Coodus
Nothing seems more tragic than death alone, but this happens in Japan all the time. One of the sad side effects of the aging nation (every fifth Japanese over sixty-five years old, and many and at all 80 - 90 years old) is that people tend to die at home, and alone. Sometimes no one will know about their death for months or even years. This phenomenon is known as "Codocusses", lonely death.
Thousands of such cases occur in Japan every year, especially among men who have few social connections. Sometimes the bodies remain unwanted so long that they are mummified. There are even companies that specialize in the cleaning of apartments of people who died lonely, because after them there are "Codocus spots" - traces of rotting bodies. It is believed that in twenty years every third Japanese will be elderly, and this does not promise anything good to stop lonely deaths.
6. Porn
Japan has always been a society with many prohibitions, and local hypocris has spread even to pornography. Although it is allowed to shoot even hardcore sexual acts, the genitals of participants must be blurred to adhere to moral obscons. This led to the appearance of the Japanese manufacturers of porn trend called "Bukukka" - showing stormy ejaculation as evidence that the actors really have sex.
It is curious that a huge number of Japanese young men reported that they are practically not interested in sexual relations. It is not surprising that in Japan there was such a concept as "Dansey's knuckle", or "herbivore men".
7. Patino
Patino is a kind of blend of pinball and a slot machine. This is a vertical machine that players control balls falling from above through a row of pins. If the balls are launched in the right place, a new portion of the balls appears. Despite the fact that gambling is technically illegal in Japan, the winner is given a token, which he can exchange in another place for cash.
Currently, Japan is trying to legalize Patinko, since the potential income from gambling in the country is estimated at $ 10 billion, which is almost twice as much as in Las Vegas.
8. Yaeba
Anyone who had to wear braces understands the importance of smooth teeth. In Japan, however, among young women there is a trend called "Yaeba" (literally "double teeth"). This beauty looks like a teeth flying on each other, and make it in dental offices by increasing the fangs of artificial teeth. It is all quite expensive.
9. Suicide
Although the murders in Japan are practically absent, the country has one of the highest suicide indicators in the world. In some cases, it is more than twice as much as in other developed countries. Although the attitude to this changes, suicide was perceived for a long time in Japanese culture as a noble act - it was a way to protect the honor and defend the reputation of the family.
One of the most striking suicide trends was the fact that people began mainly to rush under the train (most often suburban). This has become such a problem that railway companies usually impose damage to the members of the suicide family. In Japan, there is also a forest of Aokigahar, located near Mount Fuji, he is known as a favorite suicide place.
10. KFC.
A typical Japanese diet is quite useful. The daily use of such products, like rice, tofu and fresh vegetables, led to the fact that the Japanese became one of the most long-lived people on earth. But many Japanese today have weakness to familiar American cuisine, and especially to fried chickens.
In major cities full-fully KFC restaurants. Although only a small part of the Japanese are Christians, they accepted KFC as a christmas tradition. On December 24, each KFC in Japan is built up a kilometer. Many even book a table for a month or another before Christmas.