8 Unique Aspects of Japan You Likely Didn’t Know About

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Being different results in being mocked or insulted. What people fail to realize is being different is just another way of saying you’re unique. Coming up are eight things the Japanese culture has done for several years, and most people would raise a few questions, myself included.

Man Praying in front of a shrine

To start off, praying at shrines for the different religions all around Japan is fairly common knowledge, and if you didn’t know that, now you do. What you likely don’t know is that clapping is a part of praying at shrines.

When someone approaches a shrine, they follow a set order of actions before they begin to even pray. First, you bow, offer some small change, bow again twice this time, ring the bell to announce your presence to the gods, then clap twice all before praying. It’s such a roundabout way to pray, but it definitely has reasons for why this would all happen.

Uwabaki Slippers

I would say to take off your shoes as you enjoy the rest of this blog, but if this is being read by someone of Japanese background, I apologize. In Japanese culture, it is impolite to walk inside a house with shoes on. Rather, they have specially designed slippers called Uwabaki for people at the entrance of buildings.

I Hope you don’t mind being with others in baths when you go to the public bathhouses in Japan. It is not unusual for multiple people to be in the same bath. Of course, men and women are separated, but it still results in you and strangers or maybe even your neighbour bathing with you in one of these bathhouses. Some of these baths are natural hot springs, resulting in therapeutic qualities known as Onsen baths.

Arcade machines from Japan

Do you enjoy manga, a type of comic, and video games? If you visit Japan, you’ll feel right at home. Many Japanese people are very attached to manga and video games to the point you can’t avoid seeing them anywhere. Many manga stores exist, and you will likely find around ten people just flipping through the stories there. Nintendo and Sega being in Japan, it’s no wonder why many people are video game fanboys either.

Here's to hoping you don’t leave anything up to chance, otherwise you might have been arrested in Japan. Gambling is illegal in Japan and has actually resulted in a few lawsuits on companies from other parts of the world that allow the game to be played in Japan. This has caused companies to completely rework systems to disable gambling mechanics. But like anything illegal, people will still try to do it as abandoned shrines become game houses for betting on horse racing.

Whenever you go to eat at a Japanese restaurant, you might want to know this part. You’ll want to leave your chopsticks on the side. When people leave offerings for their deceased, it is natural that they leave a food bowl with chopsticks on top pointing out. Doing this in a restaurant may seem a little weird and some might find it offensive if you do it multiple times.

If you hate working, don’t plan to stay in Japan for long. It’s very normal for people to work 60-hour weeks. They would pack early in the morning to catch trains and would not return home until 10 pm. It becomes slightly worse when people are lead to karōshi – death by overworking.

Here’s hoping that you’ve learnt something about Japanese culture and if you plan to visit Japan now, I hope you’ll remember some of these things I have taught you.

Graham Curry - is a writer who’s aspiring to becoming a graphic novelist. Graham will prioritize writing about Japanese topics on the blog as he has plenty of knowledge of Japanese media and culture. In his spare time, Graham plays video games as a way to inspire his stories that he writes. These are not fan-fictions but completely different stories aimed in a similar universe.

The Video Games of Japan You Never Knew About

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Have you ever walked past the video game shelf in a store, only to see a sequel to a game you’ve never heard about? Well, that isn’t uncommon because Japanese game companies will not always release games to other parts of the world. Sometimes it’s due to translation issues or maybe those of us not from Japan would not understand the context. One thing for certain though is many of these games are likely to never be brought to us, so allow me to show you some of these games.

If you asked about Nintendo, a lot of people would know the company you’re talking about.  If you go deeper and ask what their favorite game is, you’ll hear common responses of Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, and various games in the Kirby series. You’ll also hear some talk about Earthbound, and you might wonder about it.

Title screen of Mother 3

Earthbound, or ’Mother’ from Japan, is a game series that has very few games in its line up and only recently had two games released here in the west. The core aspect of the game is your typical Role-Playing Game (RPG) where you take control of a character and go through their story. What made it unique was the lack of fantasy and the increase of realistic elements like using a baseball bat or frying pan. Mother 3 is one of the most desired games by fans of the series but has never been officially released. Instead, fans have created fan translations of the game that are not owned by the company. It really shows people will do anything for Mother.

Manga is like a comic from Japan, and with it comes amazing stories about different characters. Stories like One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Death Note, and many more. Now what if they were combined into one single game?

Jump Ultimate Stars is a 2D fighting game that combines over 40 different manga from all across Japan. This game combines various manga panels from their stories to create backgrounds for the players to fight on. It was a great experience for players as it allowed anyone to play as their favorite character like Batman or Superman. This game has quite the competitive scene for tournaments to be in place much like the Super Smash Bros. series that is released worldwide. With that covered, let’s JUMP to the next game.

Fire Emblem: The binding Blade cover art

So, how many animated sword fighters are existing in the world? We keep making more and more of them, and for what reason? New games from the Fire Emblem series? Half of those games never even made it out of Japan. Games like Mystery of the Emblem and The Binding Blade have a presence in the American region, yet the games were never brought over. As a fun fact, the Fire Emblem series has the most characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a game like Jump Ultimate Stars that combines several game series into a fighting game, even more than Mario characters who have had a larger series released in America.

The idea of the game is you are given the role of tactician from a trusted friend and asked to lead your troops in a strategic turn-based battle. Over time, your units will grow and it’s up to you to decide how they grow as characters and units. The more you care for your units, the better they will perform and the strategies they will allow you to use. These games always have a place in my heart, with a burning mark to my heart.

Many other games and series are also locked to Japan, but these are some of the ones a lot of people heard about. The reason why they are locked is honestly a good question, but it mostly comes down to money or translation issues. It’s a real shame when a good game is held back from the world to see.

Graham Curry - is a writer who’s aspiring to becoming a graphic novelist. Graham will prioritize writing about Japanese topics on the blog as he has plenty of knowledge of Japanese media and culture. In his spare time, Graham plays video games as a way to inspire his stories that he writes. These are not fan-fictions but completely different stories aimed in a similar universe.

How Different are Japanese Gods Compared to Other Gods?

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Every country has their own religions and beliefs that they follow. Some people follow completely devoted while others could care less if they existed or not. Japan is no different with having their own set of gods their people follow and worship. The real question is if they are truly different from other mythologies or just a rip-off of other gods.

Izanami on the left and Izanagi on the right

The first two Japanese gods to have existed were known as Izanagi and Izanami. These two could be seen as counterparts to Adam and Eve or Zeus and Hera as being creators of the human race.

While giving birth to the god of fire called Kagutsuchi, Izanami was burnt to death. Stricken with grief, Izanagi went to the land of the dead in hopes of bringing her back. However, by the time he had found her, she had changed into a rotting and decaying corpse. Terrorfied, Izanagi fled in fear and sealed off the entrance to the land of the dead. She had become the goddess of the dead and took 1,000 lives each day in rage. In response to this, Izanagi created 1,500 lives each day. This gives an explanation to life and death for Japanese culture. Unlike other gods that created life, they are one of the few couples that end apart and angry at each other.

Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu are the god of the moon and goddess of the sun. They are husband and wife, but also siblings. Tsukuyomi is a proud yet very violent deity. The god of food, Uki Mochi, had declared a feast and while Amaterasu was invited, she could not attend. She had sent Tsukuyomi in her stead. When he arrived, he was horrified with how Uki Mochi had prepared the food, pulling it out of her mouth. He was so horrified by their actions that he killed the her on the spot. When Amaterasu heard of his deed, she labeled her husband as evil and unworthy to return to the heaven. This leads to Tsukuyomi forever chasing Amaterasu across the night sky, yet never reaching her.

Hou Yi, the god of the sun, and Chang’e, the goddess of the moon, of China have a very different story. Chang’e’s story goes along the lines of her stealing the elixir of immortality from her husband. There are many reasons why, whether to protect it from a thief or out of her own greed. Either way, after drinking it, she ascends to the moon and becomes the moon goddess. Her husband, Hou Yi, was deemed the sun god due to his great feat as an archer; he shot down nine of the ten suns to save humanity. Even after she stole the elixir, he still loved her.

Susanoo defeating the eight headed dragon.

Susanno, the third child born from Izanagi and brother to Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, is the god of seas and storms. He was too wild of a god to remain orderly in heaven, and thus became a heroic figure instead. Before leaving, he waved goodbye to his sister whom he normally quarreled with. This led to a contest that Amaterasu won and had enraged Susanoo into a rampage, destroying her fields and throwing the corpse of a horse at her room, killing her handmaiden. She fled in grief, taking the sun with her and placing the world in darkness. His first act after being banished was aiding an elderly couple in slaying an eight headed dragon that was eating their daughters. The dragon yielded a sword, and he gifted it to his sister in hopes to make amends. Once done, he became the guardian of Yomi, the land of the dead.

Norse god Njord is nothing like the deeds of Susanoo, likely due to him being the god of wind and water rather than storms. He’s seen as a much calmer god, and it remains a mystery to who gave birth to him. He’s known for one thing especially, surviving Ragnarök, the end and rebirth of the world.

The great thing about gods and mythologies is each country can have their own, and their own reasons to believe them. Even if they are the same type of gods, that doesn’t mean they are the exact same in any full way.

Graham Curry - is a writer who’s aspiring to becoming a graphic novelist. Graham will prioritize writing about Japanese topics on the blog as he has plenty of knowledge of Japanese media and culture. In his spare time, Graham plays video games as a way to inspire his stories that he writes. These are not fan-fictions but completely different stories aimed in a similar universe.