9 Japanese traditions that are far beyond our comprehension

Japan is a unique country with old traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. This country is able to be modern without losing its individuality. Sometimes we even want to think that the Japanese are from another planet or from the future. Their approach to ordinary things makes us feel amazed.

We want to share 15 reasons to be a little jealous of the Japanese people.

9 PHOTOS

1. Aesthetics are really important to Japanese people.

This train station was designed to allow people to get off the train and enjoy the scenery.

2. Japanese has several levels of politeness.

There are 4 levels of respect in Japanese: respectful, conversational, humble, and polite. There are special rules that imply that you must choose the correct type of speech. Basically, the young person should use polite speech to address the older person. This rule also applies to siblings. Almost every conversation starts with “sumimasen” (sorry), so the person apologizes for wasting their time in advance.

3. Adoption of adult males is a common practice in Japan.

Adopting adult males is a tradition dating back to the 13th century. In Japanese society, the family plays an important role. Typically, sons run their families and family businesses. But what can these families who have only daughters do? Adult male adoption allows families to expand their family tree and create new heirs who can inherit the family business. For example, Osamu Suzuki, chairman of the Suzuki Motor Corporation, is the fourth adopted heir to the corporation.

4. Lifetime employment is common in Japan.

In large companies and government agencies, a lifelong employment contract is concluded with the employee. A person can perform his duties if he is healthy enough to do his job. After university, a Japanese person applies for a job and works for the same company until retirement. One of the most important facts is that the employee is closely associated with his company and understands that his personal well-being depends on the success of their company.

5. Admitting your mistakes is really important.

Bushido is a collective term for many codes of honor and ideals that define the samurai lifestyle. Admitting your mistakes plays a crucial role in the life of the Japanese. There have been cases in history when Japanese politicians resigned from their posts because they could not fulfill their campaign promises. Thus, Yukio Hatoyama left office after 8 months as prime minister.

6. Physical punishment of children is prohibited by law.

This year, the Japanese government passed a law prohibiting any corporal punishment of underage children. By the way, this rule applies to both parents and social workers.

7. You can organize a Pokemon wedding in Japan.

Japan knows all about unusual holidays. For example, they often host weddings based on famous video games or anime. Recently, the Pokémon theme with a huge Pikachus and an official stylized marriage certificate has become really popular. Incidentally, the wedding planning company has officially merged with The Pokémon.

8. Japan has the largest number of centenarians.

Japan has the highest life expectancy with an average of 84 years. Today in Japan there are over 30,000 people over the age of 100. There are several reasons for this. First, healthcare has improved a lot over the past 60 years. Secondly, the great well-being of citizens also plays an important role. Thirdly, the Japanese began to pay more attention to the elderly: in Japan, various gerontological centers have appeared that study various aspects of human aging and methods of dealing with them.

9. Hospitality.

A Reddit user posted this photo and wrote, “The kind man insisted on buying an omelet for my elderly father when we were in the Tokyo market. Can someone tell me why? " People in the comments said it was okay in Japan: “He saw your father, knew he was a foreigner traveling there and wanted to give him what he thought he would like and a good memory of the trip.