Japanese people dish on things foreigners told them that they’d never realized before about their home country.
countries
What could be hard about taking a pee in Poland? Where are you likely to see camel racing with robotic jockeys? Answers to these and more below!
Amerika. Itaria. Kanada. The majority of countries are known in Japan by names that sound vaguely similar to their native monikers. So why on earth do the Japanese call the UK ‘Igirisu‘?
You know how in English you can take pretty much any noun and make it a verb—derivation for the cunning linguists out there—by adding to to the front? For example, how the search engine Google has become to google, as in, “Why the hell are you asking me? Go google it, you twit!”
Well, you can do the same thing in Japanese by adding –ru or a handful of other suffixes to the end of a word, and some Japanese net users recently had some fun with this by turning country names into some very non-PC verbs.
Have a look at our geopolitical dictionary and see how your country fared.
In 2013, a grand total of 10,363,904 foreign tourists visited Japan! That number surpasses the goal of the Visit Japan Campaign, which began in 2003 with a goal to increase the number of overseas visitors to 10 million.
The Japanese language version of popular travel planning and information website TripAdvisor was quite excited by this news, and recently produced their own visual graphic detailing some fun facts about foreign tourists in the Land of the Rising Sun during 2013. Can you guess which country most of the visitors came from, or which country had the highest percentage jump in visitors? How about the most popular tourist destinations for foreigners traveling in Japan? Find out all that and more after the jump.
Google operates hundreds of domain names for different regions around the world, from Australia (google.com.au) to Zimbabwe (google.co.zw). And searching for the same keyword throws up different results depending on which country Google thinks you’re in.
So what happens when you search “Japan” in different countries’ Google Image Search? To find out, a curious Japanese netizen did exactly that. The image results reveal a little bit about how each country sees Japan – some just might surprise you!
MOST POPULAR
Now
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Yoshina invites you to give the gift of beef bowls this Mother’s Day
Which Gundam is the favorite for fans in different countries? Gundam election announces results
Gadgets before flowers – Japanese moms reveal what they really want for Mother’s Day
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Believe it or not, this isn’t a Tokyo vending machine – It’s a secret door to deliciousness
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Weekly
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain- Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
- Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Monthly
- Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]- Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list- Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Which Gundam is the favorite for fans in different countries? Gundam election announces results
Gadgets before flowers – Japanese moms reveal what they really want for Mother’s Day
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Believe it or not, this isn’t a Tokyo vending machine – It’s a secret door to deliciousness
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Japan’s 160-year-old Great Wisteria of Tochigi is now in full bloom, ready for visitors【Photos】
A robot joins the team at a fast-food restaurant, but in an unlikely city in northern Japan
Fading Tokyo – Horikiri Station, the Arakawa River, and Kinpachi-sensei[Walking course]
Demon pants and dog butts coming soon to Japanese mouths
Japanese convenience store’s newest rice ball filling: Nothing at all, and why we’re OK with that
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
The one and only master of train station packing-tape calligraphy shares his story and inspiration
Top 10 Japanese companies over 800 years old
-
