Travelling to a new country teaches you so much about cultural diversity! While a certain action or gesture might be considered rude or impolite in one country, the same could be appreciated in another. You learn about it as you interact and socialise with the locals there. And when I learned about how different things are in Japan through a friend, I knew I had to dig a little deeper.
That’s when I came across these 5 facts about Japan that sounded pretty unusual to me. And I thought it might be cool to share it with you guys too, so you can observe or ask about these facts the next time you’re in Japan! Read on to find out.
1. It is considered polite to slurp noodles.
Eating loudly is generally considered impolite in most parts of the world, but not here. In fact, people actually consider slurping noodles as a polite gesture. That’s because it is believed as a way of showing the cook that you like the food they’ve served. Slurping is also believed to enhance the flavours of the noodles.
2. It sees as many as 1500 earthquakes in a year.
Year after year, Japan faces more than 1500 earthquakes on an average. That’s like more than 4 earthquakes a day. But not all of them are strong ones, most of them are usually the smaller shakes. But each year, the country sees big earthquakes that go above 8 on the Richter scale.
3. Adult diapers are sold more than kid’s diapers.
Japan faces a huge issue of lack of childbirth. And the reason behind it is even more bizarre! The lifestyle in Japan is such that people there do not have the money or time for a family. This resulted in a situation where there are more adults than kids. And if that didn’t put things into perspective, it is also known that more adult diapers are sold than kid’s diapers in Japan.
4. You will ALWAYS find a vending machine in Japan.
The country has the most number of vending machines. One of the very first things you’ll notice when you visit Japan is how there is a vending machine literally everywhere. It seems like its a part of the modern Japanese culture!
5. The best thing to gift someone is fruits.
This age-old tradition hasn’t died in Japan, even though fruits are available at a much cheaper rate now. Earlier, it used to be expensive to buy fruits in Japan because very few fruits grew naturally there.
Are there any other facts about Japan that totally left you shook? Then do tell us about them in the comments below.
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