16 facts about Japan that prove the existence of a parallel universe

Because of the strong earthquake that occurred in Japan in 2011, the Earth started to spin 1.8 microseconds faster. So if the hours of the day haven’t been enough for you, now you know who to blame. Seriously speaking, Japan is so unique that not only can it make the rotation speed of the planet change, but it can be considered a separate universe unto itself. And we found 16 proofs of that.

O awesome.club never ceases to be surprised by the peculiarities of Japanese culture. Immerse yourself in your reality with us and discover, among other things, why at traffic lights in the Land of the Rising Sun the blue light is lit instead of the green one.

The Japanese in general are very reserved and shy, so the traditional marriage proposal is done indirectly. For example, a man might ask a woman: “Will you cook miso soup every day for me?” Another alternative is to ask the beloved woman if she is willing to wash the man’s clothes or if they will lie together in the same grave (in the latter case, the man wants to find out if her love is so strong that it will outlast their lives). .

This tradition is gradually becoming obsolete. Only the very shy Japanese resort to this unromantic way of expressing their feelings. More frank and fervent confessions that propose marriage are now expected.

Before the wedding, the groom must ask the bride’s parents for permission to marry. On this issue, the Japanese are very conservative.

In Japan, not everyone can rent an apartment, or even a capsule room in a hotel. Some have to live for years in an internet caféwhere the space is so small that it is not even possible to fully stretch.

In addition to internet access, cybercafés sometimes have shower stalls and free drinks. Their prices ($12-$22 a day) are lower than capsule hotels ($18-$36), making them popular with low-income workers.

Do you remember the legend of the Roman Emperor Caligula, who appointed his horse a senator? The Japanese aren’t crazy, but at the Kishi train station in Wakayama prefecture, a cat occupies an important position.

The first purring boss was Tama. The cat received visits from passengers and a salary in the form of food. As a local celebrity, he even starred in a documentary. After Tama’s death, thousands of people came to pay their respects, and she too she was immortalized in a nearby Shinto shrine as the goddess of the place.

In 2015, the position was occupied by his successor: the cat Nitama.

And at a station in the city of Ajigasawa a dog works. Wasao (known as busa kawaiifrom Japanese for “ugly-cute”) held the post of stationmaster in 2011. The Japanese adore him and, like Tama, a movie was made about him.

Thanks to the animals the flow of tourists has increased considerably in these cities: every year, around 120,000 people come to see the dog.

The water in the canals of the streets of Japan is very clean, it does not throw garbage and the waste water does not reach. In terms of quality, it’s even better than tap water, and there are fish swimming in it. The groundwater that feeds these channels can be used to cool drinks and prepare food. This system is called kabata. In Shiga Prefecture, the canals have different heights: at the bottom, dishes are washed and fish are fed scraps of food. And if you leave a dirty dish in the water for 3 hours, you won’t even have to bother washing it: the carp will eat every last crumb.

These canals are also a tourist attraction in Japan. The paid tours that take place in Shiga provide sufficient funds for the maintenance and cleaning of the canals.

At any time of year, high school students wear pleated miniskirts with white or, less often, dark blue and black tights. In anime, girls wear very short skirts, but in most schools a length of 15 cm above the knee is considered optimal.

some fashionistas they wear, in combination with the miniskirt, loose socks, which make the ankles appear wider. And sometimes school girls break the rules and shorten their skirts, folding or sewing the hem.

Some students must wear shorts under their skirts. In many Japanese schools, there are no separate locker rooms for men and women, so girls wear their sports uniform directly under their school uniform.

Many have heard of cafes where you can spend time in the company of cats. But what happens if you don’t share the universal love for these animals? Of course, go to a cafe with goats. Or one with rabbits. Or with owls.

In Japan, there are many cafes with different animals and birds. One of them, the owl cafe Fukuro no Mise, is located in Tokyo. The place is so popular that people line up an hour before it opens. Calling it “cafe” is not quite correct: there is no food, only a drink is offered. Including time with the birds, the tour costs about $17.

As for owls, there are very strict rules: you can only touch the bird’s back or head. In addition, all visitors must pass a mandatory instruction before approaching the birds.

Hadaka Matsuri is an annual festival attended by over 9,000 people. In it, people compete with a minimal amount of clothing: a fundoshi — a traditional loincloth, sometimes complemented with a happi (traditional Japanese cotton coat) and, in some cases, even without clothes at all.

The festival has religious roots, and nudity, according to belief, should prevent misfortune🇧🇷 After swimming in freezing water, all the men try to pick up wooden twigs and willow branches, which a Shinto priest throws to the crowd. It is believed that getting one attracts a lot of luck, and it is the search for them that motivates the Japanese to participate in this event. The festival rarely goes without broken noses and bruises.

In 2011, a strong earthquake in Japan caused a 10-meter tsunami, which caused an accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The level of radioactive contamination in the nuclear plant was so great that it became impossible to access its interior and remove the pieces of molten fuel rods. Five robots were sent to the plant, but could not return: as soon as they approached the reactors, their electrical circuits broke down.

You won’t see a Japanese man taking a different path because he’s crossed paths with a black cat. In Japan, there is a belief that this pet brings happiness. It is especially good to have a black cat for a single woman: it is believed that she will have many suitors.

In Japan, much attention is paid to the care of blind and visually impaired people. In some cities there are yellow tactile strips that help people with vision problems find their way around. And on the beer cans there are inscriptions made in relief: in the Braille reading system. But these inscriptions can hardly be useful for foreigners with visual impairments, as they represent the Japanese reading system.

According to data from 2009, in Japan there are more than 21 thousand companies with more than 200 years. And the oldest company in the world, which existed for more than 14 centuries, was “Kongo Gumi”.

This construction company was founded in 578. It specialized in building Buddhist temples and erected many famous buildings, including Osaka Castle.

The company survived many wars and other difficult periods and was able to continue working thanks to its flexibility. During World War II, he devoted himself to making coffins, and then went back to his main activity, using earthquake-resistant concrete structures instead of wood.

Only in 2006, due to bankruptcy, it was absorbed by another company.

The law prohibiting dancing after midnight in nightclubs, bars and many other public places was adopted in 1948. In the post-war years, nightclubs were often places of entertainment for adults. The situation changed a long time ago, but the ban has not been lifted. Only in 2015 was the law revised and allowed to dance in nightclubs and bars with sufficient light 24 hours a day.

The Japanese have a lot of weird TV shows, and this is just one of them. In it, the participants bite different inanimate objects to find out if they are chocolate or not. Candies are so similar to real furniture, accessories or shoes that it’s impossible to tell them apart.

So was Japanese pop culture star Minami Minegishi before shaving her head.

Traditionally, to admit their guilt, some Japanese people shave their heads. This can be done by ordinary people as well as well-known politicians or stars. And sometimes women also shave their hair out of remorse.

In 2013, pop star Minami Minegishi, a member of Japanese group AKV48, shaved her head as an excuse for spending the night with her boyfriend. The contract the girl signed with AKV48 stipulated that its members should not date, thus breaking the image of an innocent girl. The young woman said she didn’t want to leave the group and showed his remorse by shaving his head as in tradition🇧🇷

This custom, like many others, is gradually being passed over, and shaving your head as a way of apologizing is less and less used. Also, in Japan there are at least 20 ways to ask for forgiveness.

The Japanese have many words that do not exist in other languages, but for centuries used the same word for green and for blue: “ao”. At approximately the end of the first millennium, to refer to green, the word “midori”…