Buzz
1. No Janitors in Schools
Instead of having a dedicated janitor, Japanese schools require teachers and students to perform cleaning duties such as restroom cleaning, garbage disposal, and floor mopping. As part of their education, children are taught to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings. This teaches them respect and responsibility, fostering a clean and pleasant environment for everyone. Japanese believe these lessons instill a sense of respect for all things and a spirit of responsibility. Children not only work independently but also share and help each other.
2. Adopting Heirs
Adoption is common in countries like Europe, the US, Japan, etc. In Japan, 98% of adoptions occur when the adoptee is between 20 and 30 years old, mostly males. If a family business lacks a male heir or if the existing heir is incapable, they adopt a capable young man to take over. Hotel Jen Poro Koshi is a prime example, a Guinness World Record-holding family business spanning 1,300 years through 46 generations.
This tradition dates back centuries to Japan's inheritance laws for wealthy families. Wealth would typically pass to the eldest male heir. However, if a family lacks a biological son, the inheritance may pass to an adopted son. Families with only daughters adopt sons to continue the family line and manage family assets.
Today, adoption is often tied to marriage – or “omiai”. The adopted son typically marries a biological daughter in the family, becoming both an adopted son and a legal son-in-law (taking the wife’s surname – “mukoyoshi”). Japan's declining birth rate has led to many single-child families, and despite daughters being capable of managing family businesses, tradition dictates a male figurehead.
3. Napping During Work Hours
The sleeping habits of the Japanese are fascinating and culturally unique. Referred to in the article 'The Art of Not Sleeping in Japan' published in the CAM journal of Cambridge University, USA. If you've been caught napping during work hours and your boss noticed, you might have experienced this already. No Japanese manager minds this because they believe you've been working diligently, pushing yourself beyond limits and are simply too exhausted from dedication to your job.
According to Dr. Brigitte Steger, a senior lecturer specializing in Japanese culture research at Downing College, Cambridge, inemuri can be translated as 'sleeping while present'. Broadly speaking, inemuri refers to unintentional short naps in public places, on trains, or at the office. Dr. Steger describes the posture for sleeping as follows: You need to sit as if you are working or listening, but cannot resist the urge to sleep and end up nodding off. Your posture while sleeping should be as if you are ready to wake up and do something great.
Some managers pretend to sleep to listen to what their employees are saying while they think he's asleep. The Japanese use the term tanuki neiri for a fake short nap. Tanuki neiri is quite common during the twilight hours. Dr. Steger suggests that many people don't actually sleep inemuri while sitting on the train home. Sometimes they just use tanuki neiri to avoid staring at others, which is considered impolite in Japan.
4. Christmas Eve at KFC
Christmas is a Christian holiday. Christians in Japan, who make up only about 1% of the population, still celebrate Christmas, but instead of celebrating at home, they choose KFC to celebrate. People line up and wait until 2 a.m. to buy fried chicken, cakes, and wine,...To avoid waiting in line, you should pre-order a month in advance. This trend began in 1974 when tourists couldn't buy turkey for their Christmas Eve dinner and went to KFC to buy fried chicken instead of turkey as tradition.
'In Japan, eating chicken on Christmas has become a tradition,' KFC stores in Japan are always overloaded during the Christmas season, and people in this country who want to buy KFC's special combo on this day usually have to pre-order 1-2 weeks in advance, even a month. In 2017, KFC Japan reported revenue of over 6 billion yen in just 3 days from December 23 to 25.
According to statistics, about 3.6 million families in Japan eat KFC during the Christmas holiday. The long lines in front of KFC stores are also a familiar sight during the Christmas season in this country. However, few people know that behind the 'custom' of eating KFC on Christmas in Japan is a very clever marketing plan, helping this fast-food chain overcome the difficult early stages when first setting foot in the land of the rising sun.
5. Hikikomori Phenomenon
Hikikomori is the phenomenon of individuals confining themselves to a solitary room and refusing to participate in social life, including family. For longer than 6 months, they only have contact with immediate family members. Those affected by hikikomori are often adolescents, who are typically intelligent and come from affluent families.
Statistics show that there are about 700,000 to 1,000,000 people affected by this condition in Japan. Japan is grappling with an aging population and a significant shortage of labor force. Hikikomori poses a burden on the economy by not only reducing the much-needed workforce in Japan but also being unable to support themselves. When families no longer provide for them, they will have to rely on state support. Additionally, the previous notion that hikikomori mainly affects the younger generation is outdated.
In a recent survey by the Japanese government, older individuals (aged 40-64) with hikikomori tendencies outnumber the younger ones. They also live in isolation for longer periods, ranging from several years to several decades, especially after retirement. According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, this could become a “new social issue” in Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a plan at the end of 2016 to establish counseling centers and provide in-home support staff for hikikomori to address this issue. Although it is difficult to obtain accurate figures, it is estimated that there are at least 1 million hikikomori in Japan. And this is truly a frightening disease in Japanese society.
6. Money Boa
In many countries around the world, when you're satisfied with the service you receive, you might tip the service staff, but in Japan, no one expects to receive money boa because they always strive to provide the best service to satisfy customers, and that effort is included in the price of the product. Money boa (or tipping) for service staff at restaurants is a very normal and common practice in many countries worldwide. However, in Japan, if you leave a tip for the staff, they may feel offended. Perhaps for the Japanese, the notion of money is slightly different from many other places in the world. They view money as the result of labor, so if you add extra money beyond the listed price, they will feel offended because they feel they are not being fully compensated and therefore need extra money boa.
Therefore, Japanese service workers will not accept money boa from customers. According to them, satisfying customers is their duty and responsibility. Sometimes money is considered a disgrace because the Japanese believe that providing service should come from sincere intentions. If you want to show satisfaction with the service attitude and quality of the store, you can return to support or introduce more friends to enjoy it. But the Japanese are very polite and appreciate good values; they want to express their appreciation more but cannot give tips. And true to the sophisticated, subtle, and creative style of the Japanese, they leave small, beautifully crafted gifts on the table to thank and express their high appreciation, encouraging the service staff.
This is called Origami Tip, where paper folding artworks are as meticulous as folding the hearts of paper folders. Unlike the practicality of thanking with money, this is the beauty in the behavioral culture of the Japanese, full of sincerity and warmth.
7. Dental Cosmetic Surgery
Across the globe, everyone desires a set of teeth as straight as pearls, encouraged to wear braces to attain perfect teeth. However, in the past two years, there's been a reverse trend in Japan where they no longer fancy perfectly aligned teeth but opt for a crooked tooth because they believe it adds a more natural and appealing charm to their smile. To install one crooked tooth, you'll have to pay $400, but it's temporary; you can remove it if you don't like it.
Japan holds many fascinating phenomena yet to be fully explored. They adore beauty and seek different aesthetic needs. It's a universal truth that women love beautifying themselves. Depending on each country, the fairer sex has ways to become more attractive in the eyes of others. It could be through elaborate outfits or boldly, through methods like dental cosmetic surgery for crooked teeth or 'body sculpting'...For Japanese women, revealing a new crooked tooth when smiling is considered charming, and they strive to make their teeth look more misaligned. Crooked teeth are the most charming feature of Japanese women. Crooked teeth, known as Yaeba (a symbol of innocent youthfulness), are even sought after by many to be fitted by dental centers. This seems contrary to the Vietnamese belief. While Vietnamese people hold the belief that “teeth and hair make up one's character” – meaning a set of white, even, and beautiful teeth along with long, smooth black hair constitute a beautiful woman, a girl with crooked teeth steals the hearts of many Japanese men. Despite accompanying newer, somewhat peculiar trends in Japan such as skin bleaching, eyebrow tattooing, and botox injections, the trend of crooked teeth remains “hot” and healthy. Due to its aesthetic appeal, the percentage of Japanese people getting “fangs” attached is remarkably high, accounting for 21.3%.
8. 'Bike Culture'
Japan, being densely populated, faces constraints in constructing parking lots. Consequently, bicycles have become the primary mode of transportation. You are free to use bicycles to explore everywhere and park them outside shopping centers, train stations, or other areas. Although the law stipulates that “children under 12 are allowed to ride on sidewalks” and “only in very dangerous cases can bicycles be ridden on sidewalks,” hardly anyone in Japan adheres to this law completely, and many are unaware of its existence. Everyone endeavors to ride bicycles on sidewalks, which is actually the norm.
While moving on sidewalks, you can travel in either direction, but when you descend onto the road, you must travel towards the left side. Remember, travel on the left. In Japan, there are numerous intersections without traffic lights. In such situations, to cross the road, you must be vigilant. Since cars and motorcycles in Japan travel very fast, you need to observe much farther ahead if you want to ensure safety.
Furthermore, if you encounter a scenario where you want to ride a bicycle across a road where there are no traffic lights, and there's heavy traffic, here's a small tip for you. That is, get off your bike, turn the front wheel towards the direction you want to go, and wait. Surely, someone will yield the way for you. There are intersections without traffic lights where there's heavy traffic, and you're afraid to cross the road, so you get off your bike and wait. You should constantly look left and right, as if you really want to cross the road. I assure you that about 10 - 20 seconds later, someone will voluntarily stop for you to cross the road, then bow your head slightly to thank them.
9. Capsule Hotels
Capsule Hotels are a type of budget hotel that is thriving in Japan. These hotels are truly unique with a sleeping system shaped like a box and densely arranged together. When viewed from a distance, the stacked pods closely resemble beehives, so it's not hard to understand why the majority of tourists affectionately call them beehive-style hotels. With a floor area of just 2 square meters per room, the interior is fully equipped with amenities, furniture, and essential facilities such as flat-screen TVs, personal safes, shelves, and all necessary power outlets. These facilities are sufficient for one person, and the sleeping area is comfortable and cozy. The hotel has a unique design with sleeping pods stacked continuously. Each room is accessed by a separate door or curtain. Some hotels are exclusively for men, but there are also places with separate floors for men and women. Capsule hotels are a uniquely simple type of accommodation in Japan, where guests can rest in small box-like spaces.
Capsule Hotels are among the most unique forms of accommodation in Japan, often found around major train stations in large cities. The primary target audience usually consists of people looking for overnight stays on a limited budget. Capsule Hotels provide guests with a small room with the most essential amenities, and naturally, the prices are lower compared to regular hotels, ranging from 3000 yen to 4000 yen per night. Recently, there have also been some upscale Capsule Hotels appearing in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka with higher prices, but they come with higher-end services.
Other facilities in the hotel, such as laundry rooms, toilets, or bathrooms, are shared. Many Capsule Hotels have communal bathhouses where you can soak before going to bed. There are also restaurants, vending machines, laundry machines, Internet areas, lounges, entertainment rooms, game rooms, and especially manga libraries, a characteristic feature of Japan. The rules for renting a Capsule room may initially surprise you, but these rules are almost the same in every Capsule Hotel, with only slight differences from regular hotels. Many places even have instruction boards in English or staff who can speak English.
