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!
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Foreign tourists in Japan eat far more rice than previously thought, according to new data
Kyoto receives more foreign tourists than ever before, but fewer visitors say they’ll return
JR releases prediction of peak Shinkansen crowdedness for Japan’s Obon travel season
Starbucks Japan unveils exclusive new Frappuccinos limited to three regional areas
Life-size Legendary Pokémon Mega Rayquaza digitally greeting travelers at Tokyo train station [Vid]
Maximum entry fee for sento public baths in Tokyo increases slightly for adults next month
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Japan has a maid hotel you can stay in, and it’s now taking reservation applications
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Weekly
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New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China
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Giant Evangelion Spear of Longinus to be installed at Japanese train station with Eva art trains
Face lettuce appears in Japan, with the face of Death Note’s Light Yagami, but why?
Kodama Shinkansen trains on popular Japan route get a whole new look this winter
Starbucks Japan adds a new summer Frappuccino to the menu, but is it as refreshing as it looks?
Monthly
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]- New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
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Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad- Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
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Maximum entry fee for sento public baths in Tokyo increases slightly for adults next month
Starbucks Japan releases new “Afterword” collection that gives coffee waste a second life
Japan has a maid hotel you can stay in, and it’s now taking reservation applications
McDonald’s Japan goes viral for Samurai Mac burger hack
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Pokémon Card Stores requiring facial recognition scans for entry in Japan in latest anti-scalper move
Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours
Tokyo Pokémon Center announces reopening after months-long closure following stabbing death
Official Final Fantasy beers are going on sale in Tokyo this month, giant Aetheryte appearing too
Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
Pikachu and Ditto Pokémon desserts at Baskin-Robbins Japan look AND feel like their inspirations
Family Mart’s new Famima flagship in Tokyo has a hidden gem that most visitors miss
Pokémon’s cozy city builder game inspires Cozy (Corner) cakes in Japan! [Photos]
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