Apart from the obvious – education, innovation, work ethic, quirky sights and fashion/ social trends for me it’s most definitely their culture.

I have never come across people that are so humble, respectful, self-disciplined, kind and patient in all aspects of their daily lives. It’s one of the only few countries I know where police is redundant.

In most countries where you’ll expect to be ignored by at least 2–3 people before someone is kind enough to help a lost soul, Japan is a country where people will walk up to you and ask if you are OK/ need any help and make sure you are fine before they take off (no matter how busy they are).

I have had restaurants in small towns cook something off the menu for me so that I don’t have to eat packaged breads and protein bars as lunch which I don’t mind (me being a vegetarian).

I’d chose this tiny country in a heartbeat over some of other popular ones!

What are some out of ordinary things to do in Japan?
I can list a few things, but they are quite depressing and shows how far Japan is descended into introverted and loneliness insanity.

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Enjo-kosai

Known as rent a schoolgirl, is a type of sugar daddy platonic relationship for hire. Originating in the late 1990s, young underaged Japanese school girls in need of quick cash began to sell themselves to much older clients. Even though a majority of these encounters rarely involves sexual intercourse, there have been instances where sex was involved, including by force. It is part of Japan’s disturbing appetite for young innocent girls which has been a fetish for years. More importantly, Japanese school girls took advantage of the ever-increasing problem of loneliness with the male population.

Rent a Boyfriend

It is not just Japanese men employing the services of fake girlfriends. Lonely Japanese women, many of whom have failed in their love lives or had none at all, will turn to the rent a boyfriend agency. There they will select their fantasy boyfriend who will happily accompany them to dinner and flirt with them. Of course none of this is for free. It might cost a woman thousands of dollars for one evening out with these artificial boy toys.

Rent a Family (this is not a joke)

By far the most bizarre and disturbing practices in Japan is to rent a fake family. This practice actually started in the early 1990s. A rental family service (レンタル家族) or professional stand-in service provides clients with actor(s) who portray friends, family members, or coworkers for social events such as weddings, or to provide platonic companionship. The price range goes anywhere from over $500 a month to 1K to 2K a month. Demand for this service has increased due to the plummeting birth rate and lack of family or friend connections in Japanese society today.

Solo Weddings

As I mentioned before, fewer and fewer Japanese men and women are getting married. They are either too busy, or don’t want to commit to any relationship at all. Once again there were those who decided to capitalize on this trend. Solo weddings where the answer. The clientele consists largely of Japanese women who decided they would have a wedding without the groom. These women pay for the ceremony, attendees, a wedding cake, ring and wedding dress. She could even get a marriage license stating she is married to herself. This trend took off around the early 2010s. It is also extremely expensive.

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Japan offers a wide range of unique and extraordinary experiences for visitors. Here are some out-of-the-ordinary activities you can consider:

Stay in a traditional ryokan: Experience traditional Japanese hospitality by staying in a ryokan, a traditional inn. Enjoy sleeping on a futon, bathing in an onsen (hot spring), and savoring kaiseki (multi-course) meals.
Attend a tea ceremony: Participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, where you can learn about the art of preparing and serving matcha (powdered green tea). It’s a serene and meditative experience.
Visit unique themed cafes: Japan is famous for its themed cafes, where you can have coffee or tea while interacting with various animals or immersing yourself in different themes. Examples include cat cafes, owl cafes, maid cafes, and even robot cafes.
Explore quirky neighborhoods: Visit offbeat neighborhoods like Harajuku in Tokyo, known for its vibrant fashion and youth culture, or Nakazaki-cho in Osaka, a bohemian district with retro cafes, antique shops, and street art.
Take part in a cosplay event: Attend a cosplay event or festival where enthusiasts dress up as their favorite characters from anime, manga, or video games. You can even try cosplaying yourself or witness extravagant costume displays.
Visit unusual museums: Japan has a wide array of unique and niche museums. For instance, there’s the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama, dedicated to the history of instant noodles, or the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo, known for its futuristic robot-themed performances.
Try unconventional cuisine: Expand your culinary horizons by sampling unusual Japanese dishes. Examples include fugu (pufferfish), basashi (horse meat), natto (fermented soybeans), or even the famous “ninja-style” dining experience.
Stay in a capsule hotel: For a compact and unconventional accommodation experience, try staying in a capsule hotel. These hotels offer small, pod-like sleeping spaces, perfect for budget travelers or those seeking a unique stay.
Attend a traditional festival: Japan is renowned for its vibrant and traditional festivals known as “matsuri.” These festivals feature processions, music, dance, and fireworks. Each region has its own unique festivals throughout the year.
Visit lesser-known destinations: Explore Japan beyond the popular tourist spots. Consider visiting places like Naoshima Island, known for its contemporary art installations, or the historic village of Shirakawa-go with its traditional thatched-roof houses.
Remember to research and plan in advance, as some activities may require reservations or have limited availability. Enjoy discovering the extraordinary side of Japan!

What are the strange things about Japan?
People in Japan are not by nature extremely polite they are polite by ritual.

Once you spot the rituals you realize they’re only rituals I’m not saying they’re all rude or even as bad as the airport security in Frankfurt but If it’s not explicitly written down somewhere; its not rude to do it. So if you are sitting in sauna trying sweat and someone decides to open the door they usually give it a full swing and even hold it open if they get distracted talking someone, for sauna goers this is the #1 unspoken rule of etiquette. Inside you wont find it uncommon for some middle aged sweaty man start shaking his head or swiping sweat off his face and flinging the sweat onto other people. That’s not even an unspoken rule, you just don’t do that, you don’t fling sweat on other people.

Japanese people believe that they have herbavoric intestinal lining which uniquely inhibits their digestion of meat.

This of course is untrue but I often bring this subject up to see how well spread this idea is. So far, I have not met anyone who didn’t believe it.

It’s not uncommon to hear about a group a school girls tricking a schoolmate they dislike up into a nearby mountain to throw stones at them.

It sounds too bizarre and terrible to be true but there are a lot of mountainsides with a lot of stories; this one is an oddly common one. This is an extreme example of bullying which is a huge problem in Japan. Some have died as was the case in Kure recently near where I live. Teens who commit murder are not tried as adults and can escape judicial punishment. No wonder they’re able to report such low crime rates.

Japanese Children are rude little fucks.

If you have to deal with them at a young age be prepared to have your genitals slapped, fondled and your butt-hole poked endlessly. Sexual harassment is a past-time for younger generations and they especially like to see how ‘the foreigner’ sizes up. Also beware of the old drunk men, its not uncommon to receive a butt-hole poke from them either.

It’s OK to be openly racist.

If you ask a group of local mothers how they feel about Chinese people be prepared for an honest answer. You can opperate a business that excludes non-japanese, refuse to hire a certain color of persons or refuse to rent a room to a Korean family. Of course, you can sue but no one does and those that did have found justice but that does not lead to any action towards something like *justice for all* only for the person who sued. So every person who finds injustice cannot simply point it out or call their local newspaper you’ll have to hire a lawyer and they’re aware that you probably won’t.

Social Acceptance of the sexualization of young teens and children.

You didn’t think it could get much stranger but it just did. 13 is a favorite age for anime and video games to start sexualizing the shit out of barely post-pubescent girls. I don’t really care to elaborate much further other than its everywhere and generally accepted.

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Maturity is considered to be “un-cool”

This applies more so to Junior High age but further so into adulthood as well. Males who were gifted were larger genitals as well as females who were gifted with larger breasts than what is considered normal are humiliated and bullied at school. A lot of this will carry over into adulthood. Especially for the Woman, who will do everything possible to hide the size of their breasts. Such as wearing baggy clothing to create a smaller appearance and hunching their shoulders over. The stigma is: Large breasted woman are “stupid”. It’s quite sad and I am friends few people who now suffer with posture related problems due to this.

Since you asked what was “strange” I decided to skip the more endearing oddities and really weird you out.

Japan is a country that is rich in culture, tradition, and history. As with any country there are a few quirks and interesting facts that make it unique, and Japan is certainly no exception. Here are just a few weird facts about Japan.

One of the weirdest things about Japan is the country’s fascination with vending machines. You can find vending machines that sell everything from hot coffee to live crabs; there’s even a vending machine that sells canned bread.

Another interesting fact is that there is an island off the coast of Japan called Aoshima, which is full of feral cats. There are more cats than people on the island, which has made it a popular tourist destination for cat lovers.

Speaking of animals, the Japanese macaque or snow monkey is known for its love of hot springs. These monkeys will often bathe in the hot springs to keep warm during the winter months.

Japan is also home to some of the quirkiest game shows on television. From obstacle course games to bizarre quiz shows, the Japanese know how to keep things interesting.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning the Japanese love of all things cute or “kawaii”. From Hello Kitty to Pikachu, the Japanese have a soft spot for adorable characters and merchandise. This obsession with cuteness can be seen everywhere in Japanese culture, from fashion to food to everyday items.