What Are Some Interesting Facts About Japan?

What are some interesting facts about Japan? We hear about them in the news often, but how much do we really know about this country? Acquainting yourself with information about different lands helps to broaden your horizons.

• The government of Japan is parliamentary with a constitutional monarchy.
• The capital is Tokyo.
• As of July 2009, it was estimated that 127,078,679 people were living in Japan.
• Rice, vegetables, fruit, fish, pork, and sugar beets are Japan's main agricultural products.
• The currency is called the Yen.
• Approximately 99% of the people living in Japan are literate.
• Around 4% of the population is unemployed.
• The life expectancy for a female is just under 86 years.
• The life expectancy for a male is just under 79 years.
• Acid rain is a major issue in Japan.
• Just under 88 million people use the Internet in this country.
• Japan is the largest consumer of the Amazon Rainforest's timber.
• Over 70% of the land of Japan is mountainous.
• The Ring of Fire houses the islands of Japan.
• There are over 1500 earthquakes in Japan every year.
• Throughout much of the history of Japan, they did not allow foreigners in. As a result, about 98.5% of the population is purely Japanese.
• Most of the remaining people are Korean, although there are some Filipinos, Chinese, and Brazilians living there.
• Many of the students in Japan are required to learn English.
• Japanese people are not incredibly religious at all.
• Before the Meiji Restoration in 1873, Christians were heavily persecuted.
• As a result, although Christianity has the most followers of any religion in the world, only about 1% of the population of Japan is Christian.
• Religion really only comes into play at birth, marriage, and funerals.
• The two major religious are Buddhism and Shinto.
• People often visit temples on New Year's Day.
• Many people in Japan like to eat raw horse meat.
• Interestingly, Japanese do have celebrations on Christmas.
• The tallest mountain in the world, Mount Fuji, is located in Japan.
• Japan has four different systems of writing.
• The national sport of Japan is Sumo wrestling.
• The Japanese have a custom regarding bathrooms. When you go into a bathroom in someone's house, you are supposed to put on bathroom slippers. Doing so prevents you from contaminating the rest of the house.
• Vending machines here sell cigarettes, beer, and coffee.
• Japan hunts a large number of whales, and they are doing them harm.
• Tokyo has 24 records of people being killed or severely injuring themselves while during the traditional Japanese bow.
• They have problems with people inbreeding dogs. Consequently, Japan has one of the highest rates of genetic defects for dogs in the world.
• Japan, along with Sweden, Vietnam, China, Denmark, and Norway, is one of the most atheistic countries in the world.
• Japan is an archipelago.
• There are four main islands to Japan, but approximately 4000 smaller islands.
• The Japanese Alps are another major mountain chain in the country.
• The Japanese have a lot of appreciation for natural beauty, at least partially because that is what the Shinto religion teaches.
• People first came to Japan about 30,000 years ago.
• Europeans arrived in Japan in 1543.

There are plenty of more interesting facts about Japan out there. Find a topic you are interested in and explore that specific discipline.