The Things Japan Is Known For

What is Japan known for? That’s a hard question to answer! I suspect if you ask ten people you’ll get ten different answers. Anyway, here’s a list of some of the things Japan is known for. I’ve tried to do a mix of culture, nature, history, landmarks, tradition and straight up tourist attractions.

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Skytree is one of the most famous landmarks in Tokyo. The towering tower standing 634 meters tall TK was completed in 2012. Since then tens of millions of locals and tourists have visited the impressive structure. Tokyo Skytree took four years to build and cost over ¥65 billion ($600 million). Its main function is to broadcast radio and TV signals to the Kanto region but it’s most famous for its observation deck. From there you get a unique view of one of the greatest cities in the world. You can see Tokyo Skytree from all over Tokyo and it has become an integral part of the Tokyo skyline and it’s something Japan is known for.

Sumo Wrestling

I haven’t done a survey of this, but I suspect that sumo wrestling is one of the top 3 things Japan is known for all around the world. Don’t you agree? It’s the only country in the world where the sport is practiced professionally and sumo wrestling dates back over 2, 000 years. Standing on the outside sumo wrestling seems like a weird sport. Let me just give you a few quick facts. There are 660 registered sumo wrestlers in the world and they are all being trained by former sumo wrestlers. All the sumo wrestlers have to have a “ring name” called shikona, but they’re not allowed to choose the name themselves. The name is often given to them by their trainers. They are not allowed to drive cars and they are required to grow their hair long so they can style it into something called chonmage, which is the traditional “sumo man bun”. Whenever they’re in public they have to wear the chonmage and a traditional Japanese dress. It’s very easy to identify a sumo wrestler even if he’s not wrestling! We all know that sumo wrestlers weigh a lot but did you know they heaviest sumo wrestler who’s ever competed, weighed a whopping 600 pounds (272 kg)? His name is Yamamotoyama Ryūta LINK and he retired in 2011. There are only SIX major sumo tournaments (Honbasho) each year so every tournament is a big happening and gets a lot of media coverage. Out of the six events three are held in Tokyo, all in Ryōgoku Sumo Hall LINK which has a capacity of 11, 098. So if you want to experience a sumo tournament while you visit Tokyo, you have to go in either January, May or December. The months are the same year after year. Each tournament lasts for 15 days.

Karaoke in Japan

You are the dancing queen. Young and sweet. Only seventeen! Aah, karaoke! Japan is definitely famous for its karaoke craze. There are numerous karaoke bars and karaoke rooms spread all over Japan. After Daisuke Inoue LINK invented the karaoke machine back in the 1970’s Japan never looked back. Karaoke is a $10 billion a year industry in Japan and it’s considered to be one of Japan’s favorite pastimes. Some claim that nearly 80% of Japan’s 350, 000 bars and nightclubs have karaoke. This results in over 16 million Japanese people singing karaoke every day! In addition to the 280, 000 bars and nightclubs that have karaoke, there are also 140, 000 “karaoke rooms” in Japan, where you and your crew can rent a room for the evening. It’s easy to do, you usually have to order one drink per person and rent it for a minimum of one hour. Why is karaoke so popular in Japan? There’s not an exact answer to this, but I’ve done some research, and people list a plethora of different possible reasons. Japanese walls are some thin that you can’t sing at home without annoying the neighbors, so to get an outlet for your singing needs you go karaokeing! It’s a cheap way to hang out with your friends and drink. For about ¥1, 500 yen you can hang out for four hours at an all you can drink (nomihodai) karaoke. Karaoke releases stress! Many people in Japan are stressed out and supposedly murdering some oldies relieves that stress. Karaoke is a good dating scene.

Samurais

Admit it, you too love samurais. One of the coolest warrior types in the world. The age of the samurai was 1185-1868, so how come Japan is still known for them today? The samurais had a special position in the old Japanese society. They were part of the ruling military class which eventually evolved into the highest ranking social caste back in the Edo period LINK which ended in 1868. Many still today admire the samurai culture and lifestyle and the samurai history has a special place in Japanese history. You can find samurai castles and historical samurai residents all over Japan. There are numerous museums dedicated to honoring the samurai traditions and you even have samurai-themed amusement parks. Today, more than 150 years after the end of the samurai era, Japan is still famous for its samurais. And I suspect Japan will be known for samurais 150 years from now. Shinkansen (bullet train) Shinkansen is the name of the network in which the Japanese bullet trains run. They have an operating speed of 150-200 mph (240-320 km/h) and they are the lifeblood of the Japanese transportation system. The Shinkansen network saw the day of light back in 1964 and today the network is huge and currently consists of 1, 717. 8 miles (2, 764. 6 km) of lines. The most impressive thing with Shinkansen is its safety record and its punctuality.

Onsens (Hot Springs)

An onsen is a hot water spring. There are thousands of natural hot water springs spread across Japan because it’s a volcanically active country. Not only is it a great feeling to soak in a natural hot spring, but it’s also environmentally friendly and energy neutral due to its geothermally heating. So why is Japan known for hot springs? You really don’t have anything like it anywhere else in the world. Yes, you have hot springs in many countries (shoutout to Iceland, the US, and Australia!) but they aren’t utilized in the same way and by the same numbers as in Japan. The onsen bathing started in the 8th century, so the onsen culture is ingrained in Japanese society. The onsens culture in Japan is unique. While many Westerns prefer not to show off their naked bodies to friends and strangers, in Japan, you have something called “naked friendship” (hadaka no tsukiai).

I know it sounds a bit weird, but stay with me. The thinking is as soon as you strip off your clothes to remove the shield you usually wear, you can relax and really get to know one another - on a deeper level. I’m not sure I’m buying it! But I can attest to it being very relaxing. You have both outdoor and indoor onsens and many of the hot springs are accompanied by a traditional Japanese inn called ryokan. Some of these serve as a “spa hotel” and you should really consider spending a night in a ryokan with an onsen if you’re in Japan. It’s a genuine yet luxurious feeling. But before you go ahead and book LINK your onsen hotel, make sure you read up on the onsen etiquette and rules. It varies from onsen to onsen so spend a couple of minutes researching if your onsen allows tattoos and mixed-sex bathing. Tattoos are somewhat of a taboo in Japan which has resulted in many onsens not allowing them. This has to do with tattoos being associated with crime and yakuza.

Kyoto

Japan is definitely known for its old capital; Kyoto. In many ways, Kyoto is the polar opposite of the current capital; Tokyo. Whereas Tokyo is seen as a hyper-modern and high-paced city, Kyoto is more traditonal and more relaxed. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1, 000 years before it lost its reign to Tokyo in 1868, which marks the end of the Edo era. With its long history, the Kyoto area has 17 sites in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Two of the most famous ones are Ryōan-ji Temple with its stone zen garden and Kinkaku-ji Temple called also Golden Pavilion. Both sites are worth the visit. 15. 57 million foreign and Japanese visitors spent at least one night in Kyoto in 2017, so there’s no doubt Kyoto is both a famous and popular city. That’s why it has made the list of the top 15 things Japan is known for. It’s only natural to transition from Kyoto to geishas. Although not the capital of Japan, Kyoto is definitely the geisha capital of Japan. But first, let us clarify a few words. Geisha, geiko, and maiko.

Geisha and Geiko

In the past “geisha” used to refer only to the geisha from the Tokyo area while geiko referred to geisha from the Kyoto area. Nowadays geisha is the general term for all geisha. Maiko Maiko is an apprentice of the geisha and you have to be a maiko for about five years before you can go on the become a real geisha. To the untrained eye, the geishas and maikos look identical, so for the sake of simplicity I’ll from now and refer to both geishas and maikos as geishas. So what exactly is a geisha? In kanji geisha spells being gei and meaning “art” and being sha and meaning “person”. The literal translation is quite simply “art person”. A better translation is something like “artist” or “woman of art”. What does this artist do? Geisahs can do a wide variety of different arts like playing traditional instruments, dancing and performing tea ceremonies. To attend a private tea ceremony performed by a geisha in a chashitsu (tea room) is crazy expensive and can cost as much as $2, 000 per person. It’s very exclusive and you have to get invited by a member of the tea house to attend. Maikos (the geishas in the making) sometimes perform at dinners for small groups and that’s usually a lot cheaper. You can get away with paying from $100 and upwards. If you’re in Kyoto and “bump into” a geisha it is allowed to take pictures of her. From what I can gather it’s not considered rude. But the geishas are usually in a hurry so I wouldn’t bother her and ask her to pose for a picture with you. Personally, when I’ve seen geishas (which are mystical cretures to me) I’ve just savored the moment and not treated them like tourists attractions.

Japan Is Famous for Its Low Crime Rate

Even though you’re in Tokyo, the city with the most Michelin stars in the world, you feel like McDonald’s. You go to the closest McDonald’s restaurant, put your purse and your MacBook Pro and on the table and head to the counter to place your order. You wait there for a couple of minutes, receive your food and head back to your table to eat. This sounds ludicrous, right? Well, that’s how you do it in Japan! It’s not at all uncommon to see people leaving their valuables at the table while they go to the restroom or to the counter to place an order. It is considered safe because petty theft is almost non-existent in Japan. I’ve many times thought that Japan must be a thief's paradise because Japanese people seem som naive when it comes to crime. But who can blame them? Why worry about something that doesn’t exist? And frankly, the low crime rate and the safe environment one of my favorite things about with Japan! Petty theft and pickpocketing are as mentioned, almost non-existent.

But what about more serious crimes? The most serious of them all Homicide. Out of 230 countries in the rapport, Japan clocked in at 219th place. This means that only 11 countries and territories have a lower homicide rate per 100, 000 inhabitants than Japan. Those 11 countries and territories are: Niue, Nauru, Monaco, Lichtenstein, San Marino, Holy See, Andorra, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Saint Helena, and Macau. As you can see, not the biggest countries! In fact, they have a combined population of under 1 million. Where Macau alone has 650, 000. My conclusion is that Japan beats every sizable country in the world when it comes to having a low homicide rate.