Ever wondered exactly what the Japanese like? What are your passions? What do they do so much? It's a very extensive subject, and there are thousands of different things and tastes to discuss. In this article we separate 15 Japanese passions, which describe the country and the Japanese.
Karaoke
Japan is clearly seen as the country of karaoke, it is rare for a Japanese who has not gone to karaoke together with friends. This is one of the main Japanese passions spread throughout the world.
There are thousands of Karaoke Box spread all over Japan, apart from some bars or places that offer the possibility to sing with friends anywhere. Instead of going to bars, why don't we go to Karaoke?
Read too: Karaoke - Origin, curiosities and popularity
Pachinko (パチンコ)
A game of chance similar to Pinball. Unlike Brazilian games of chance, players buy marbles to play in the machine, with the intention of winning more marbles and exchanging them for prizes such as stuffed animals. It looks like a kid's game, not to mention the thousands of different machines that exist.
But the police are always on the lookout, as some usually take their marbles to another location and exchange them for money. This market earns up to 400 million dollars every year, and is quite popular among middle-aged men.
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Travel
Although it doesn't look like it, the Japanese love to travel. You can notice the thousands of tourist attractions spread within the country itself, any city you go to will find something unique and interesting.
Not to mention the enormous ease of getting around the country by train. The Japanese also travel abroad a lot, every year more than 15 million Japanese travel abroad, with the main destinations being USA, China and Korea.
Read too: The 50 most popular tourist attractions in Japan
masks
Some Japanese are obsessed with cleanliness and worms, making it very common to see people wearing masks on the streets. Many times the intention is to avoid passing diseases to other people, this is very commendable. The Japanese really seem to be passionate about masks.
Read too: Discover 10 Famous Japanese Masks
Gossip
Anyone who thinks the Japanese are silent is wrong. In addition to group gossip. Japan has a huge gossip media. Thousands of magazines and newspapers are released every week telling the lives of thousands of idols and famous people in Japan.
It's even worse than the gossip in the tabloids in America and Europe. Even the Japanese alphabet uses kanji for 3 women to represent noise, showing that women talk too much… 女三人寄れば姦しい
Read too: Weird ideograms that use the kanji for woman [女]
Small things
Just like the Japanese, they like small things. Small cars, small portions of food, electronics, small bars, small houses, etc. Some may think it's due to lack of space, but it's not quite the case.
Read too: Are Japanese houses really small?
Fish
In Japan people consume an average of 70 kg of fish per year. The global average consumption is just 13 kg. This is not due to the lack of meat, as it is not difficult to find meat in the market.
Fish has become something fundamental in Japanese culture, almost all recipes have fish or seafood.
Read too: 130 Types of Sushi – Urumaki, Hossomaki, Nigiri
Aesthetics and appearance
The Japanese care a lot about the aesthetics and appearance of things. This is noticed in Japanese arts such as Ikebana, Bonsai, Japanese gardens, calligraphy, and tea ceremony are all linked to aesthetics.
Apart from that, we also noticed how things in Japan look flashy, even the food is beautiful and organized. The Japanese really love to cook!
We also recommend reading:
- Ikebana – The Japanese art of flower arranging
- Bonsai - The Japanese Art of Miniature Trees
- Japanese Garden – Guide to the traditional gardens of Japan
Education and Length
It even sounds strange, but the Japanese like to talk; sorry, thank you, welcome on thousands of occasions. Any shop you enter will hear Irasshaimase several times and loudly.
Any bump, entry somewhere, or going to do something, you'll hear, I'm sorry. Let's not even talk about the arigato.
We recommend reading: Domo Arigato – 72 Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese
Do not waste – Mottainai
Everyone knows that Japan is a clean country, with strict garbage collection. But they also have a feeling of regret when they end up wasting something, called Mottainai (もったいない).
The Japanese avoid wasting food and resources as much as possible. One of the ways to avoid waste is that most industrialized products are packaged and unit. Very common to buy cookie bags with several cookies inside a package.
Read too: Waste Separation, Collection and Recycling Guide in Japan
drink and smoke
Sake, the Japanese drink, usually has a low % of Alcohol. This does not stop the country from having a large number of drunks, some salaried men leave the service and go straight to drink, and some do it daily. Despite the high rate of drinking in Japan, accidents rarely happen. Other than that, smoking is common in Japan, about 25% of the population smokes.
Read too: Facts about smoking cigarettes or tobacco in Japan
Manga
Manga are very popular in Japan. There is no age to like Manga, they are popular with young and old, men and women.
There's Manga on every topic imaginable - sports, romance, animals, gambling, business, history, fantasy and crime. People are not shy about reading manga, you can find people reading it on trains and buses, even erotic manga.
Team
While some strive to grow and stand out, as the saying goes: Every man for himself, in Japan teamwork is valued.
There is even a saying that goes: The nail that sticks up is hammered down. Showing that in Japan those who want to stand out on their own are chipped. If one wants to do well in Japan, one has to learn to live within the society.
Job
Here's another stereotype about Japan that is generally true. Do many really think that the Japanese are obliged to work 12 hours a day? No, they themselves like to work, and they love to work overtime.
In Japan they consider it impolite to leave before the boss, and when the boss wants to work some more, they proudly help.
Read too: Arubaito – Part-time job in Japan
onsen
Onsen are hot spring baths, popular throughout the country. There are thousands of natural and non-natural places that offer baths in thermal waters, often public with many people. They are not ashamed to get naked with each other.
Read too: Onsen - Natural Hot Springs of Japan
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