25 Facts about Japan you Might Not Know!

Soccer Camp and Japan!

My son had an amazing week at his British Soccer Camp!  One of the ways they divide the kids up into teams is by a country.  Justin was on the “Japan” team!  This meant that all his homework assignments that week were about Japan.  One of his assignments was to find 5 Facts about Japan and bring them to camp the next day.  My son and his friend have a  competition every year to see who can bring the most facts.  Last year, his friend brought 105 facts and Justin only brought 100.  This year, not to be outdone, Justin brought 500 facts about Japan!  Yes, 500!

Here are our favorite ones:

1. In Japan there are more pets than children. 
2. In Korea and Japan, there is a cat café where you can go to drink coffee and hangout with cats for hours. 
3. In Japan, KFC is a typical feast of Christmas Eve. 
4. Godzilla is an official citizen of Japan. 
5. Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world with 83.7 years. 
6. In Japan, tipping a server is considered rude.
7. Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%. 
8. Many Japanese companies have morning exercise sessions for their workers. 
9. Animated Japanese films and television shows (i.e., anime) account for 60% of the world’s animation. 
10. It’s considered inappropriate to blow your nose in public. 
11. In Japan, snowmen are made of two large snowballs, not three.
12. The red circle in the middle of the flag represents the sun. 
13.  Many couples in Japan celebrate Christmas like Valentine’s Day.  It is definitely more of a “lovers” holiday in Japan. 
14. When you use the restroom in someone’s home you may need to put on designated bathroom slippers so as not to contaminate the rest of the home.
15. Japanese families often use the same water for bathing. 
16. It is considered rude to say “no” to someone directly in Japan. 
17. Tearing off a gift wrapping is considered impolite in Japan. 
18. Squid is the most popular pizza topping. 
19. It takes 1–2 hours for a pizza to be delivered. 
20. Milk costs 230 yen per liter (equivalent to about $9 per gallon) 
21. There are twice as many people who are aged 65 or older than the number of children under the age of 15. 
22. Japan’s birth rate is so low that adult diapers are sold more than baby diapers. 
23. In Japan, 90% of all cell phones are now waterproof, because people even use them in the shower. 
24. In Japan, teachers and students come together to clean the classrooms and cafeteria 
25. Square watermelons are grown by Japanese farmers for easier stack and store. 

Which fact is your favorite?  I actually was very impressed with my son’s list and I learned a lot about Japan! 

Another one of his homework assignments was to make his Country’s Flag.  They could compete in the smallest, most creative, biggest and tastiest.  So, we made this fun Japanese Flag cake!

Have your kids done any fun “homework” this summer?  Let us know in the comments below!