It is well known that Japan is famous for its ancient traditions and unique cultural code – both in the past and in the present. We present to your attention a selection of unusual facts and phenomena from today - from slippers and bidet with the functionality of a space shuttle to unusual dental traditions.
Love Hotels
Both in ancient times and in modern times, the Japanese are very loyal to the variety of sexual practices. Take hotels of various subjects with a guarantee of privacy and complete anonymity: their services can be used by couples and people who do not want to make their relationship public.
It is easy to recognize such a hotel - the rooms here consist of two rooms: one for sleeping, the other for entertainment. In addition, they are marked with appropriate symbols. Such an institution is usually located at railway or metro stations or in industrial areas with inexpensive rent.
There are hotels for fans of role-playing games, BDSM, swingers and other practices. According to statistics, every year from 3 to 5% of the country's population resort to their services.
Especially for couples in love in Japan, thematic hotels are provided, and their number is growing every year. Residents are promised full respect for privacy and anonymity.
Sleep at work
In Tokyo or some Sapporo it's called inemuri – napping while working. And for employees working in harmful and dangerous industries, noon sleep is not only a right - an obligation! Of course, there are also those who abuse this opportunity – they are fought within the framework of labor dispute commissions.
Maid Cafe
The inhabitants of this country love good service. Probably, therefore, there were institutions where waitresses are dressed up like maids, although there is no question of a hotel at the hotel. I want to and that's it.
Ramen noodle soup
It is well known that the inhabitants of the islands eat everything with chopsticks. Liquid food is no exception - traditional wheat noodles are consumed in the same way, with the help of sticks. And only inexperienced and weak-willed white gaijins are allowed to resort to the help of a spoon and fork.
Doubling of teeth
The Japanese owe the unusual fashion for tooth modification to mythology - once, and kawaya fashion - two. The point is to have sharp fangs that stand out beyond the radius of the jaw. Local young fashionistas and fashionistas are sure that such a grin allows you to look longer like a child or teenager - that is, to protect and prolong the young image. Therefore, hundreds of Japanese go to the operation to change the shape of the jaw through the use of special veneers - this is in ordinary cases (the price of the question is four hundred bucks). In complex cases, we are talking about surgical intervention and the cost of several thousand.
Rent a half for sleep
The rental market has achieved incredible success in the country. You can rent literally everything - even a partner in a bed! In the literal sense: the Japanese pay good money for the opportunity to sleep not alone. Close contacts are excluded, all that is allowed is to lie nearby. However, you can hug and caress your fellow lodger in every possible way. For a fee - the cost of a minute of hugs is estimated at 10-15 dollars.
Denigration of the face
European women strive to emphasize the whiteness of the skin, and Japanese, on the contrary, - its darkness. A popular trend is to tone the face in the darkest possible shades.
Canning bars
In the menu of such institutions - stew, sardines in their own juice, all sorts of overseas eggplant caviar and similar goodies. Served directly in the package - canned containers.
The network "Mr. Canso" became popular in the early noughties - since 2002 more than 40 thematic institutions have opened in the country. The menu includes more than three hundred varieties of canned food of various types - from fish, meat, vegetables and fruits. The visitor has the opportunity to walk along the shelves and choose what attracted him. Next, you should make a payment at the checkout, get a can opener and eat the contents at the table.
Capsule Hotels
Japan is a densely populated country, the size of apartments and private households here is small. Conscientious citizens strive to reduce the space occupied by their person and are happy to settle in high-rise apartment buildings.
But the highest perfection on the way to saving living space is capsule hotels. Built on the principle of honeycombs, such abodes on average are cells measuring two by one and a half meters: this space is enough for a comfortable overnight stay. The entrance is closed by a glass or blind door, below there is a TV, a pair of outlets, air conditioning and... All. In Japan, they appeared 42 years ago, and in Russia - only in 2013 in the Moscow "Sheremetyevo".
Hashima Ghost Island
Ghost towns are an American feature. But there is something to boast in this regard and the Japanese: a dozen kilometers from Nagasaki there is Hashima - a whole island, once the most densely populated place on the planet, and now completely depopulated.
Coal has been mined here in the interests of the Navy since 1901. By the beginning of World War II, interest in solid fuels had declined, but it was still used by the boilers of some older ships and ships. By the mid-60s, coal ran out – and the population was taken out. The last inhabitants left the place in 1978, and Hashima turned into a tourist attraction.
Vending machines
The number of food and beverage vending machines is approaching 40 million in Japan. They are everywhere, and the range of options offered for purchase is very large. The reason is in diligence and service zeal: workers with white or blue collar simply do not have time to cook at home. That's where the machine comes in.
Children like to give each other an enema
It's not about perverted sexual practices: the game of canto is to make your fingers with a gun and with all the foolishness to put an unsuspecting classmate or girlfriend with a butt on the resulting combination.
According to statistics from the National Health Department, at least 400 teenagers suffer finger injuries each year while playing it. Another hundred and a half complain of pain in the anus and the surrounding area.
Slippers for toilet
Coping the needs of the body for locals is an extremely responsible process, and the bathroom is a zone separate from the entire apartment. The laconism of the Japanese dwelling does not apply to the toilet room: there is multi-position lighting, high-tech robotic bidet and toilets, even special slippers. Hygienic traditions require that not a single bacterium from there was not in the living quarters. Therefore, entering the room of reflection, the Japanese wear special slippers. And at the exit - they shoot.
Hide your thumb in your fist
Like any people with a rich history, culture and traditions, the Japanese are very superstitious. Our crossed fingers and the European "goat" are replaced by a clenched fist with a thumb hidden inside: according to the belief, in this way a person protects his ancestors from premature death.
Rabbit Island
The inland Sea of Japan boasts the islet of Okunoshima – or the island of rabbits. According to legend, in 1970, six students of a Tokyo school released four pairs of rabbits on this empty and secluded island. For 50 years of continuous reproduction, eared ones flooded this piece of land, turning it into an excellent tourist site. It is open to the public, but with a caveat: it is impossible here with cats, dogs and other animals that can harm the indigenous people.
