Did You Know?

10 Fascinating Facts About Japan

November 29, 2017
Two bullet trains are stopped at a train station platform. Passengers stand nearby, waiting to board. Overhead cables and station roofing are visible.
Thanks to Anita, a past guest at AdventureWomen who recently traveled to Japan, we’ve assembled some great Japanese trivia we bet YOU don’t know about this fascinating destination.
Here are 10 fun facts about Japan!
1. Japan is made up of 6,852 islands.
Satellite imagery of Japan
2. In Japan, there is a country wide, day in celebration of Japanese culture. It is held annually on November 3rd, which promotes Japan’s culture, the arts, and academic endeavors.
Japanese woman on Culture Day visiting the Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine in Kyoto (photo credit: Anita Ruthling Klaussen)

3. Throughout Japan, the ground is spotless: no cigarette butts or litter is visible, from railroad tracks to sidewalks.

4. Japan’s famed Bullet Train, in existence since 1964, has never veered from the precise time of arrival or departure by more than 36 seconds a day.
Bullet Train (photo credit: Anita Ruthling Klaussen)
5. You’ll be happy to discover that all the toilet seats are warm and clean everywhere you go in Japan: in the shops, parks, and train stations. There are no paper towels (therefore no litter). Japanese women pull out an attractive washcloth from their handbags to wipe their hands.
6. Japan is the oldest nation in the world that has never been invaded by a foreign power.
7. More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains and Japan hosts more than 200 volcanoes.
View of Mt. Yatsugatake, Nagano, Japan
8. There is great emphasis on manners in Japan. There are no exams in Japanese schools until the 4th grade, but instead a lot of teaching of manners.
9. Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%.
 10. And finally, if you encounter a raised floor in some part of a Japanese building, it indicates that you must remove your shoes there.
If any of these 10 facts interest you, then we hope you’ll come join us on our next adventure to Japan during the Cherry Blossom season in March, 2018.