14 facts about life in Japan that generate many doubts and questions for foreigners

On the Internet there is a huge amount of facts and fun facts about Japan, and most of them no longer surprise anyone. Everyone knows about Japanese punctuality, their workaholics, their islands with animals and their square watermelons. But there are still things that can surprise even the biggest admirer of Japanese culture. For example, what is the idea behind an “unemployment room”? Is there a store that sells a single book? Why and where do the Japanese disappear? You will find the answers to these and other equally interesting questions in this article.

O awesome.club found 14 unusual facts about Japan and its people. We believe that after this post you will see the “land of the rising sun” with different eyes.

For the Japanese, there is nothing more terrible than losing the respect of society. Failing a test, being fired from work, divorce, debts: these and other vital failures often lead to an attempt to rid oneself and one’s family of social disapproval. Some commit suicide, and others simply disappear forever from the lives of their loved ones, never looking back.

Every year, from 80,000 to 100,000 people disappear in the country. In general, neither the state nor the family look for the missing, thinking that they committed suicide. By the way, the issue of “missing citizens” is a taboo in the country, and people are not used to talking about it.

There are two paths for those who have decided to disappear. The first is to go to the Sanya area, a poor neighborhood in Tokyo. To preserve the city’s reputation against rogues and the mafia, the district has been removed from all maps. Living there is very difficult due to the local conditions and hard work. The second way is to stay in your hometown, change jobs, and do your best not to see your family and friends.

Another type of escape popular among young Japanese people is the phenomenon otakuwhen a person escapes “into himself”, leading a parallel life as the hero of his favorite anime.

Some, having decided to become otaku, disguise themselves as the chosen character and can spend a lot of time in their alternate reality. Others develop this role at home, armed with various anime items related to their favorite characters, and lead solitary lives. There are still those who prefer to spend time in nightclubs in the Akihabara district, where different items are sold for those who consider themselves otaku.

Love cannot be bought, but it is possible to hire a professional actor who will become whatever the client wants. You can even rent a baby for a few days; there are agencies that “rent” them. One of them is Family Romance, created over 8 years ago by Ishii Yuichi.

The agency’s main purpose is to help people cope with loss or loneliness. But requests of the most different types are received. For example, playing the role of a boyfriend who has cheated or apologizing for a businessman who has made a mistake. There was even a case when the agency received an order to organize a full-fledged wedding, with the participation of 50 actors. It cost the client about 18 million dollars.

There is a dark side to this work: the actors are mostly lonely people, who fear reaching a point where they can lose themselves in their roles. Nobody knows who they really are, they aren’t allowed to talk about themselves, and people are only attracted to the characters they’ve created.

No, it’s not a movie image. Circle of fire, where similar walls were built to protect the inhabitants from the Kaiju (monsters) that emerged from a crevice in the ocean floor. It’s modern Japan.

After the great earthquake that occurred in 2011 in eastern Japan and caused the accident of the “Fukushima-1” nuclear power plant, the country’s government began to protect coastal cities.
They decided that the best alternative would be to build walls 12 meters high which, in the event of a tsunami, would take the biggest hit and, if not able to prevent a possible catastrophe, at least give people more time to evacuate.

Initially, the local population supported the creation of the walls, but after a while their opinions were divided. Some feel uncomfortable as the walls are set too high and block the view of the sea. Furthermore, many people in the city feel trapped. For others, however, the wall is a guarantee that the disaster of 2011 will not happen again.

Are you one of those people who don’t feel comfortable apologizing, but have to do it anyway? In Japan, for such cases there are special agencies that can do this on your behalf. In addition, the “apology specialists” of these companies are excellent psychologists, who have a lot of experience and may be able to get the contractor out of some difficult situations.

Prices vary depending on the type of apology and the agency itself. On average, an apology to be made in person costs about $240, and an apology by phone or email drops to $96. Some agencies charge hourly rates (an average of $33 per hour).

Others, on the other hand, prefer not to publicly distribute their price and do so over the phone. In general, there are unusual and quite different options in these agencies, such as categories for apologies to people who are especially sensitive or extremely temperamental.

Often, employees who are no longer useful or do not fit in with company policy or standards are let go. In Japan, the rules for dismissals in large companies are very different and even inconvenient. For example, early retirement at Sony means that the employee will receive an allowance equivalent to 54 salaries.

Companies that do not want to pay these exorbitant amounts to fire an employee have found a way out: transferring workers to some so-called “unemployment rooms”, where they are assigned the most boring tasks. They spend all day studying special literature, watch video clips for several hours in a row, etc. And at the end of the day, they must submit a report on the “work” they did.

Sony sees nothing wrong with these “unemployment rooms”. But there are people who criticize these methods, arguing that the main purpose of these places is to make employees feel forgotten, useless and simply quit.

Japan is a country where the problem of loneliness is quite critical. Therefore, many seek and find a way out: frequenting establishments where this feeling is attenuated, even for a short time. For example, places like Soineya (which literally means “the accompanied sleep store”) and the like, where you can just sleep next to a beautiful girl. No intimacy, just sleeping and cuddling.

Usually, these establishments charge admission (about 27 dollars) and everything has a fixed price. So 20 minutes of sleep will cost the customer an additional $27 and an hour about $54. It is possible to choose some extra services for an additional fee. For example, sleeping in each other’s arms, stroking the girl’s head, looking into each other’s eyes or putting their heads on each other’s shoulders, etc. Each service has its own price.

Another way to face loneliness in Japan is the kyabakuras, nightclubs where you can chat and enjoy a drink in the pleasant company of a beautiful woman. For money, of course. Budget establishments charge $27 for 40 or 60 minutes. The more refined ones, between 45 and 137 dollars for 45 or 90 minutes.

It is often said that the women who work at a kyabakura are the modern version of geisha: kyaba-joor owner, and her task is to entertain the customer with conversation and drink. In the traditional practice of kyabakurawomen do not provide any intimate services, so customers can even be kicked out of the place, even if they just try to hug the interlocutor.

These nightclubs are popular among business people and are also used as rewards for employees of a company. But, of course, the main customers of this type of place are single men and those who do not get enough love and attention from their family.

Moomin Bakery & Cafe is a cozy spot in Tokyo that has been dubbed the “anti-loneliness cafe” chain. All visitors who go there alone sit at a table with a huge plush doll, which keeps the person company so they can eat something or have a coffee.🇧🇷

The idea quickly attracted the Japanese and many tourists, so at Moomin Bakery & Cafe there are usually long queues and you have to wait for a table. Those who don’t want to wait can always buy something from the cafe’s bakery.

The microhouses (or kyosho jutaku) became popular in Japan in the 1990s when house prices began to rise sharply. Unlike residential complexes, they do not take up much space and perfectly fit into small areas that are not suitable for anything else.

Often, the “pieces” of land that designers have to work on barely cover the space of a parking lot for one car. And sometimes they have to adapt to asymmetric platforms. These homes generally cost less and are in demand.

Seeing the size of the land, there is a feeling that there is not enough space for anything. But the designers have repeatedly proved the opposite: despite its size, it is much more cozy to live in this type of house than in the narrow apartments of conventional complexes.

Sample Lab is a store in Japan where you can be the first to test samples of a specific product, from sauces and alcoholic beverages to cosmetics and much more.

To be a member of the “Consumer’s Club” you must be over 16 years old, speak Japanese and pay an annual fee of around US$9. In addition, patrons must pay $3 for each visit to the store. This is done to weed out all the “free sample lovers” and make sure the club really is made up of people interested in a particular product.

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