Ranking reveals Japanese impressions of which prefectures seem to boast residents with the best personalities.
Personality
Keepin’ it neat and tidy…
Our nails may reveal a lot about us, and so may our middle and index fingers, but so do the length of our pinkies (apparently).
Japan attracts all kinds of people from all over the world. Some come to work, others come to play, and thanks to its relatively low crime levels, high standard of living and abundance of delicious food, Japan is a very easy place to call home for a while. Plus, isn’t Japan where all those anime, video games and ninjas come from? It’s got to be worth a visit!
But today, instead of talking about the myriad things Japan has to offer visitors, we’re going to have a bit of fun by taking a closer look at some of the visitors themselves. You might not encounter each of these five types of people if you’re staying in Japan for just a couple of weeks, but if you’re here for work or an extended sojourn, then you’re bound to meet at least a couple of them along the way…
Foreigners living in Japan, our own editor included, often give Japanese TV a hard time. For many, it’s either too weird, too predictable or too obnoxious. If it really is so bad though, surely shows like Iron Chef and Ninja Warrior (Sasuke) would never have been introduced in the US? Nor would America have created the show I Survived a Japanese Game Show. So if foreign stations are taking cues from the Japanese TV shows, the originals must have some merit, right?
One Reddit user finally asked the big question, “Japanese television. Is it really so terrible?” As you’d expect, the responses poured in, both in favor of and adamantly against it. One user proclaimed that Japan only has three kinds of programs, “Shows about celebrities. Shows about food. Shows about celebrities eating food.” But like TV in any country, there are actually a lot of different kinds of shows, so it’s probably worth a moment to take a walk through some of the programming options.
Playing sports brings out a different side of us. This is especially so in sports that require cooperation within a team in order to go up against an opposing rival. It’s easy to put on a front at normal times when you’re composed and in your comfort zone, but it’s a battlefield out on the courts. That’s probably why some people say that you can tell a person’s personality by the way he/she plays on a team.
Here’s a personality analysis derived from the play styles of the characters from a certain popular basketball manga and anime series. Which type of athlete are you? Read on to find out!
If you or someone you know were described as a cabbage roll, how would you react? What if someone called you a hyena or said you were especially “creamy”?
There are apparently 10 distinct categories into which men fall in Japan, with women knowing exactly the type they’d like to get to know better or avoid altogether. Join us after the jump to find out whether you’re a Soy Milk, Bacon Asparagus, Creamy, or Cabbage kind of guy, or to learn how to apply these unusual tags to the men you meet in Japan.
It seems like the Japanese are not the only ones crazy about personality tests. According to this one introduced by Weekly Pass, a Korean blog powered by Naver, the roles in a circus can unveil your hidden weakness!
First, imagine you’re a member of the circus. If you could choose between an entertaining clown, a beast tamer, a tightrope walker and a popular magician, which role do you imagine yourself taking on?
Have you decided? Now, read on to find out what your Achilles heel might be!
Sometimes words just aren’t enough to convey what you have to say.
People tend to use emoji in both normal and unorthodox ways, and the emoji you use actually says a lot about you.
Enter Emojinalysis, a Tumblr blog that tells you what’s wrong with your life based on your recently used emoji.
When you’re a little unsure about your love interest, what or who do you turn to for advice? Most of us have read one of those horoscope love readings at least once in our lifetime. In Japan, many people believe that a person’s blood type has influence on their personality traits. This may sound slightly silly, but blood type is a factor some Japanese consider when choosing a date.
Recently, however, a new personality prediction trend has been getting popular among girls in Japan. It seems that the way a girl styles her fringe (or bangs) gives away hints about her relationship personality! Guys, you might want to pay more attention to your love interest’s hairstyle from now on!
In a number of East Asian countries, but perhaps most strongly in Japan, it is believed that one’s blood type, or ketsuekigata (血液型), determines a lot about one’s character and how we relate to others and the world around us. Although comparatively few Westerners who have never donated blood or had the misfortune of being seriously ill know their blood type, it is rare to meet a Japanese person who does not know theirs, and it’s considered perfectly normal for people to try to guess someone’s blood type when first getting to know them or working together closely.
It’s easy for non-Japanese to forget the character traits that blood types supposedly denote, however, so here’s a handy image – which is currently doing the rounds online in Japan and being suitably nodded at and chuckled over – to save on your computer or smartphone for the next time someone says, “Oh, that’s typical A-gata behaviour!” when you fold up your napkin or straighten a crooked picture frame.
Just spending a few minutes on the train, it is possible to gain quite an insight into the type of people who use public transport; whether it be the guy crashed out after a heavy night of drinking with his pals, the student listening to his music player on full blast, or the person completely immersed in their favourite book, the types of behavior are varied to say the least.
The inside of the train carriage is a rather peculiar environment in that, on the one hand, it is a public space in which one must abide at least to some degree by the rules of proper public conduct. However, it also provides us with our own private space in which to shut off everything around us and relax while travelling.
By observing the way in which people spend their time on the train, however, we can learn a lot about an individual’s personality, claims Tsugumi Tachibana, a Japanese counselor in love relations. From a romance perspective, Tachibana analyzes in-depth the correlation between public behavior and personality traits. Her findings can be found below and might just help us learn a little more about that one special person on the train or bus that you’ve been admiring from afar.












Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Ghibli’s No Face continues to demonstrate his generous character growth by dispensing soy sauce
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
A Japanese toast sandwich remix: The toasted rice rice ball[SoraKitchen]
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Japanese high school closes its cafeteria, replaces it with a 7-Eleven convenience store
Lawson opens a new mini supermarket, and the lucky bags can essentially stock your kitchen
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
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
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】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
A Japanese toast sandwich remix: The toasted rice rice ball[SoraKitchen]
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Japanese high school closes its cafeteria, replaces it with a 7-Eleven convenience store
Lawson opens a new mini supermarket, and the lucky bags can essentially stock your kitchen
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
With hot sweaty Shibuya summer on the way, free sodium tablets to be given out in downtown Tokyo
American college student missing in Kyoto, last seen by family one week ago
Japan Post’s mail carriers are getting some cool upgrades, but packages might be a little late
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Body of missing foreign tourist in Japan found floating off coast of town he was last seen in
Video of man spraying liquid on conveyor belt sushi leads to arrest in Japan
Studio Ghibli adds new range of neckties to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Starbucks Japan has a mesh bag so cute it’s a sell-out hit
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever muscat-flavoured chilled cup drink