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Some quirky facts about Japan

By: Dave Foreman

Located in the Pacific Ocean lies an island country famous for it’s robotic research, arcades, karaoke and for bringing us Godzilla. This is of course, Japan (or Nippon as it is known to natives), whose culture is heavily influenced by it’s neighbouring countries, providing a unique culture amongst the Asian continent. This article takes a look at 5 oddities of Japan...

1. The Grave of Jesus Christ

According to Japanese myth, Jesus Christ came to Japan, when he was 21 during the reign of the 11th emperor, Suinin. It is alleged that Jesus Christ studied Japanese language, literature and theology, before returning to Judea where his teachings were thought to be too radical and was condemned to death. However, Jesus’ brother, Isurkiri took his place enabling Jesus to flee with his disciples. After travelling Siberia, Jesus is said to have returned to Herai, married a Japanese woman and raised 3 daughters, lived to 106.

The 'Takenouchi' document attempts to confirm this story but has been heavily criticised and alleged to have been written around World War II.

2. The Fascination With Frogs

In Japan, green frogs are a symbol of good luck and are often kept as pets. In animated movies and comic books, green frogs are usually depicted as heroes.

Pictures or dolls of frogs are considered as charms, ensuring safety when travelling. The most famous and popular frog charms are made in Nagoya, called tobekaeru.

3. Maneki Neko

Literally meaning 'Beckoning Cat', the Maneki Neko is a sculpture which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. These sculptures are found with a raised paw; the right paw raised indicating the owner sells a product thus attracting money, a left paw raised indicating the owner is offering a service.

One of the most popular stories about the origins of the Maneki Neko is the story the feudal Lord taking shelter under a tree during a storm. The cat beckoned the lord into the temple, when moments later, lightning struck the tree the lord was standing under, thus saving the Lord’s life. After the cat had died, a Maneki Neko was made in his honour.

4. Karaoke

The first karaoke machine was invented by Daisuke Inoue who describes his invention as nothing more than taking a car stereo, a coin box and a small amp to make the karaoke. Inoue leased these machines out, initially to restaurants and hotel rooms in the 1970s. Inoue never patented his invention yet is recognised by Time magazine as one of the 20th Century’s most influential Asians.

Karaoke is one of the main social activities in Japan, appealing to everyone, especially businessmen. There are over 100,000 karaoke bars or boxes, often open 24 hours a day, costing around $11-12 per person, per hour and may include all you can eat or drink deals. These bars are spread all around the country, consisting of several private rooms, each one containing thousands of digitally stored songs at the touch of a button.

Nowadays, the karaoke phenomenon has trickled into our living rooms and local bars. Video games such as Sony’s Singstar and Konami’s Karaoke Revolution offer consumers karaoke at home, where players can sing along to on-screen guidance with scores based on pitch, rhythm and timing.

5. Brain Wall a.k.a. Human Tetris

And finally...Brain Wall, a feature in the Japanese game show ‘Tunnels Minasan no Okage desita’, known simply as ‘Human Tetris’ to non-Japanese speakers.

The aim of this unusual Japanese show has contestants jumping through shapes in an approaching wall, wearing nothing more than a hard hat and spandex. The poorly apparelled contestants must fit through the openings in the oncoming wall or face getting pushed into the pool of water if they fail to assume the correct stance, thus receiving no points and a red face.

Located in the Pacific Ocean lies an island country famous for it’s robotic research, arcades, karaoke and for bringing us Godzilla. This is of course, Japan (or Nippon as it is known to natives), whose culture is heavily influenced by it’s neighbouring countries, providing a unique culture amongst the Asian continent. This article takes a look at 5 oddities of Japan...

1. The Grave of Jesus Christ

According to Japanese myth, Jesus Christ came to Japan, when he was 21 during the reign of the 11th emperor, Suinin. It is alleged that Jesus Christ studied Japanese language, literature and theology, before returning to Judea where his teachings were thought to be too radical and was condemned to death. However, Jesus’ brother, Isurkiri took his place enabling Jesus to flee with his disciples. After travelling Siberia, Jesus is said to have returned to Herai, married a Japanese woman and raised 3 daughters, lived to 106.

The 'Takenouchi' document attempts to confirm this story but has been heavily criticised and alleged to have been written around World War II.

2. The Fascination With Frogs

In Japan, green frogs are a symbol of good luck and are often kept as pets. In animated movies and comic books, green frogs are usually depicted as heroes.

Pictures or dolls of frogs are considered as charms, ensuring safety when travelling. The most famous and popular frog charms are made in Nagoya, called tobekaeru.

3. Maneki Neko

Literally meaning 'Beckoning Cat', the Maneki Neko is a sculpture which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. These sculptures are found with a raised paw; the right paw raised indicating the owner sells a product thus attracting money, a left paw raised indicating the owner is offering a service.

One of the most popular stories about the origins of the Maneki Neko is the story the feudal Lord taking shelter under a tree during a storm. The cat beckoned the lord into the temple, when moments later, lightning struck the tree the lord was standing under, thus saving the Lord’s life. After the cat had died, a Maneki Neko was made in his honour.

4. Karaoke

The first karaoke machine was invented by Daisuke Inoue who describes his invention as nothing more than taking a car stereo, a coin box and a small amp to make the karaoke. Inoue leased these machines out, initially to restaurants and hotel rooms in the 1970s. Inoue never patented his invention yet is recognised by Time magazine as one of the 20th Century’s most influential Asians.

Karaoke is one of the main social activities in Japan, appealing to everyone, especially businessmen. There are over 100,000 karaoke bars or boxes, often open 24 hours a day, costing around $11-12 per person, per hour and may include all you can eat or drink deals. These bars are spread all around the country, consisting of several private rooms, each one containing thousands of digitally stored songs at the touch of a button.

Nowadays, the karaoke phenomenon has trickled into our living rooms and local bars. Video games such as Sony’s Singstar and Konami’s Karaoke Revolution offer consumers karaoke at home, where players can sing along to on-screen guidance with scores based on pitch, rhythm and timing.

5. Brain Wall a.k.a. Human Tetris

And finally...Brain Wall, a feature in the Japanese game show ‘Tunnels Minasan no Okage desita’, known simply as ‘Human Tetris’ to non-Japanese speakers.

The aim of this unusual Japanese show has contestants jumping through shapes in an approaching wall, wearing nothing more than a hard hat and spandex. The poorly apparelled contestants must fit through the openings in the oncoming wall or face getting pushed into the pool of water if they fail to assume the correct stance, thus receiving no points and a red face.

Article Source: http://www.travelarticlesexpress.com

Dave Foreman is a writer who spent several years living and working in Japan. If you want to read more about Japan and Japanese culture try Behind the Japanese Mask , a site on the Webooks network, which provide free online publishing of books from the Oxford based publisher How To Books.

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