As a feat of engineering, fashion, and engineering, there’s no doubt about the fact that Japan is a little weird and wonderful. You can walk down the street and come face to face with cartoon characters, and you can even bathe in a bath of noodles if you want to. The people of Japan pride themselves on these little quirks, which is why these are the crazy things you’d only see in Japan.
Anyone for noodles?
Have you ever loved a food so much you wished you could just spend your day swimming around in a pool of it? Okay, so that’s a pretty niche thought, but it seems as though the people of Japan have worked upon this niche to create something you could only find in this country.
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, because this really is a jacuzzi full of ramen – and yes, there are noodles hanging down from the ceiling! While we’re not sure it’s one of the most hygienic ways to fill your stomach and enjoy your ramen, these people certainly seem to be enjoying themselves.
Ice and a slice
The people of Japan seem to think of everything because there really is a product for any eventuality you find yourself in. Although most grocery stores around the world offer ice in large bags and buckets, it seems as though the people of Japan are a little more particular when it comes to their ice.
Scattered across the country they have various units like this that offer tubs of ice, or even individually wrapped glasses of ice that are just waiting for you to pour your drink over. There’s even one in the middle that comes with a proper lid so you can take your ice on the go!
Going for a walk
Of course, the people of Japan are just like the rest of the world, and they seem to love their dogs. Japanese natives seem to go fluffy or go home, as fluff-ball dogs such as Atikas and Shiba Inus are extremely popular.
We don’t blame them, because these lil’ guys are adorable on every level, and we don’t even blame this owner for taking their love of dogs to the next level. While it’s not every day you see a giant dog walking a smaller dog, we can now rest easy knowing that this level of fluffiness has graced our existence. Only in Japan.
Public transport pandamonium
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know that the public transport is extremely efficient – but it’s also extremely busy. Hordes and hordes of people make their way onto trains in this country every single day, and this is made even worse when pandas come to play.
Although most people think that pandas simply hang around eating bamboo all day, it seems as though the pandas in Japan want to see the world and see beyond the trees. Just like Carrie Bradshaw, they want to make the most of city life, and zooming around on public transport is the only way to do that.
Eyes on the road
Mario Kart is pretty awesome, right? The video game franchise was actually created by Japanese designers, and there’s no doubt about the fact that most people associate the characters and the karts with the country itself. Because of this, a new and exciting opportunity has opened up for tourists and locals alike who love to get competitive and race around the weird and wonderful Mario Kart tracks.
Yes, you can now dress up as your favorite characters and ride around some of the major Japanese cities yourself and become the real-life Super Mario Brothers. Just remember to leave your banana skins at home. Otherwise, you won’t be allowed to play…
The only way is up
Considering the world is made up of giant oceans and other huge bodies of water, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are countless bridges across the globe. Of course, there are so many different types of bridges, it would be impossible to name them all. However, what we do know is that we have never seen anything like this Japanese bridge.
Although it may seem as though Photoshop has been involved here, the Eshima Ohashi Bridge is totally real. The gradient ranges from 5.1% to 6.1% at its most steepest part and those who live nearby say that the photos make it look much steeper than it is in real life.
Feeling a little square
One of the main reasons why Japan is so popular as a tourist destination is because it doesn’t play by the rules. Sure, they could keep their round fruit round, but why would they want to follow the crowd? The people of Japan love to do things differently, and that’s clear to see from their square fruit.
These bizarre products are normally given as gifts, which means that they are not only square, but they are also tied in bows and ribbons to make them pop even more. The fruit modifications don’t end there, though. Farmers also grow their fruits in other shapes and do so by allowing them to grow in molds.
The ultimate invention
Japan is often considered one of the most impressive countries in the world due to its innovation and its technological advancement. As the home of Nissan, the people of Japan have been able to try out some rather weird and wonderful inventions before the rest of the world – and we have a feeling that this one is going to catch on.
That’s because Nissan has actually created self-parking slippers to make your life even more comfortable! This invention works on the basis that if you move your slippers out of the way and realize that you don’t want to leave them in the middle of the room, they should be able to go back and park themselves in their designated spot.
They’re lovin’ it
If you’re the kind of person that loves to travel the world but gets a little scared of trying new foods, then we don’t blame you. Thankfully, we rarely have to look too hard to find the tell-tale glow of the golden arches, and it’s safe to say that ol’ Ronald McDonald always has our backs.
Although there are countless full-sized McDonald’s around Japan, we can’t help but think that this one is the cutest. We don’t think they’d be able to whip up every single item on the menu in this little booth, but we’d be pretty happy with just a cool McFlurry on a warm summer’s day.
Thank you very much
The people of Japan are often considered some of the most stylish people in the world, and this is largely because they aren’t afraid to experiment with their own sense of fashion. This can often result in some rather risque outfits – and although we totally couldn’t pull them off, it just seems to work for them.
It’s not fair, right? Well, it seems as though these men have all come together after realizing that they all share a very similar sense of fashion. With their giant quiffs, their leather jackets, and their all-black clothing, there’s no doubt about the fact that these men probably also practice their lip curl when they hang out.
Strutting their stuff
Is this just another unrealistic expectation within the fashion world, or is this a cool and unique way to get people interested in style and substance? Well, it seems as though it’s the latter. Although many catwalks and fashion shows across the globe are deemed to be extremely exclusive and often elitist, it seems as though the people of Japan want to make the fashion world as accessible as possible.
After all, we need a laugh every now and then, and what better way to make people laugh than sending a cartoon character down the runway? We’d love to see these characters strut their stuff on the runway.
Away from Kansas
When you think of upside-down houses, there’s a high chance that you immediately think of The Wizard of Oz. But what if we told you that Japan was also a long, long way away from Kansas? This crazy building is actually a restaurant, but you’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to stick your shoes to the ceiling or drop all of your food on your new outfit.
The whole thing is pretty weird, but that hasn’t stopped oodles of tourists from making their way to this place every single year and getting into the topsy turvy groove of things.
Predator and the prey
It’s no secret that people just love to dress their pets up in adorable outfits. It’s something that puts a huge smile on everyone’s faces, and of course, you can’t dress your pet up without taking a photo of them at the same time. That’s just the way that things go.
What’s so cute about this kitty is the fact that this cat has become both predator and prey at the same time. While those in Japan love to eat sushi, cats also can’t get enough of the fishy goodness. So, which personality is the overriding personality for this cat? Is it the predator? Or the prey?
The changing world
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know that the whole place is extremely quirky. It seems as though the people who live here are constantly looking for ways to break everyday fashion trends with their own weird and wonderful creations, and you probably don’t need to look twice at this photo to see that.
After all, it’s not every day you see grown men walking the streets with fluffy backpacks in the shape of adorable animals – but we’re totally here for it. In fact, we’re not quite sure which one we love more. The penguin, the bear, or the monkey? It’s a tough choice.
Doing it for the ‘Gram
Japan is full of famous faces who have made it big in their own country, but it’s fair to say that some of these celebrities may be considered strange to the rest of the world. Don’t believe us? Well, just look at this woman. In order to maintain her fame and rack up the likes on Instagram, she decided to do something that she had never seen anyone do before.
Just because she wanted to, she smashed her head into a bag of water that just happened to have a few goldfish floating around in it. We know that people often go the extra mile to do it for the ‘Gram, but this does seem a little extreme.
Keeping dry
Although there’s no doubt about the fact that inventors in Japan have come up with some crazy inventions over the years, some of them are also pretty genius. After all, there’s nothing worse than realizing you have to walk to work in the rain in the morning.
The hair you spent ages on immediately becomes flat, your makeup slides down your face, and the outfit you perfectly put together gets soaked and stays damp for the rest of the day. It’s the worst way to start your morning, but it seems as though these genius minds have come up with a solution. Sure, you wouldn’t be able to walk with your co-worker to work, but who wants to have human interaction anyway?
Anything goes
A trip to Japan really is like no other, and if someone asked us to explain what this place was really like, there just wouldn’t be enough words on the planet. It’s eccentric, it’s weird, it’s wild, and it’s totally awesome at the same time. Yes, anything goes in Japan, and this person is the perfect example of that.
When they woke up that morning, they realized that they didn’t want to head to the grocery store in normal clothes. They instead decided to dust off their space suit and wear it to grab some potatoes and some rice instead. However, the umbrella is a little confusing, considering they are wearing a helmet.
Going up
Japan is home to over 126 million people, which means that busy cities are pretty packed. You can’t walk down the street without stepping on at least four peoples’ feet, and that’s before you get to the whole parking situation. Because much of the larger cities are full of houses and skyscrapers, that doesn’t leave a lot of space for parking lots.
Although there are underground parking lots to contend with, the people of Japan have also decided to go up in their estimations, too. These vertical parking spaces allow twice the number of cars to park securely in the same place, thanks to some pretty cool engineering.
Can I help you?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ll know that robots are becoming more and more common in our everyday lives. Of course, if you’ve watched I, Robot you might think that this is a bad idea – but the change has already started.
The people of Japan have embraced the robot lifestyle more than others across the globe, and so much so that they now have a hotel that is completely run by the machines! Amazingly, these aren’t just any ol’ human robots. The Robot Hotel also features a dinosaur receptionist who will make sure that you get up to your room safely. You just have to watch out for those teeth.
Keeping it safe
If you’re the kind of person that loves to hop on your bicycle and ride around your neighborhood, you might want to hold onto your helmets for this one. That’s because the people of Japan have come up with a genius solution to their bike problem. Before their new system came into play, bicycles littered the pavements, and bicycle racks were completely full.
To move these eco-friendly traveling devices out of the way, they created an underground bicycle parking system. All you have to do is take your bike to one of the runways scattered around the country and then pay for the service. A runway will then take your bicycle underground and store it until you need it again.
Innovative solutions
It seems as though the people of Japan have always been on top of the innovative ladder, but it’s safe to say that they haven’t always stood on the top rung. Before smartphones became attached to our hands and cell phone cameras took photos that were almost as good as seeing the real thing, panorama photos were just a thing that many people dreamed of.
After all, what’s better than seeing a beautiful landscape in all of its glory without some of it being cut off? Because this woman really wanted to get her flowers into her shot, she created her own form of a panoramic photograph. To be honest; it’s pretty clever…
Suffering in silence
Although we like to think that we’re as tough as old boots, that goes completely out of the window when we start to get the sniffles. Before too long we’re sinking into the couch with ten boxes of tissues around us, and dreaming of the good days when we could actually breathe through both of our nostrils.
Of course, this means that you can’t go about your normal routine, and it seems as though the people of Japan don’t like to take days off. We can only imagine that’s why they created this invention, so they could suffer in silence while still ticking things off their to-do lists.
Breakfast is served
How do you like your eggs in the morning? Eggs are a fan favorite across the world, and no matter where you go on this planet, you’ll come across those that love to fry, scramble, poach, or hard-boil their eggs. While the egg may be one of the most versatile foods that we have in our repertoire, it’s fair to say that things can get pretty messy when you’re preparing these eggs.
You have to crack it, you have to peel it, and sometimes you even have to separate it. Yet, it seems as though the people of Japan just aren’t about that life, as they now have a hard-boiled egg sausage to do the hard work for them. All you have to cut it and eat it…
On the go
You know what they say; when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know that a huge portion of the population chooses to ditch their cars in favor of scooters or motorcycles instead. While these are normally pretty average bikes, there’s no doubt about the fact that some rather strange ones have been spotted on the streets as well.
Take this one, for example. At first glance, it seems as though this is just a rather large motorcycle. Yet, when you take a closer look, you realize that it’s actually a commode. We’re not sure how this would logistically work, but we see the appeal.
Feeling a little blue
For as long as we can remember, we’ve always been taught that red means “stop” and green means “go,” but it seems as though things are a little different in Japan. After all, these guys don’t follow the rules. If you’ve ever been to Japan yourself, you’ll know that many of the traffic light around this country don’t feature this signature color signal.
Instead, their green light is more of a blue color, and it can be pretty confusing. What’s even more confusing is that ancient Japanese language only included four colors into its repertoire. Because of this, Japanese people had to use the word “blue” when they wanted to describe something as “green.”
Feeling happy
One of the things we love about Japan is that everyone seems so happy all of the time. It’s enough to put a smile on the most miserable of people, and it’s easy to see why everyone is living their life on top. One look around your Japanese surroundings, and you’ll see all kinds of cool and quirky additions that take away from the monotony of life.
Just look at these little bears! While the construction workers could have just left the pieces of metal bare along the side of the street, they decided to jazz things up a little bit. And what other way to jazz things up than to add some pink bears into the mix?
Nice headgear
The more you look at this photo, the more confused you will become. When you were younger, there’s a high chance that you used to love heading to the local diner to sneak in some delicious food before going home to your mom’s healthy dinner. It seems as though the school kids in Japan also love to do this, but of course, they do things a little differently.
All of these kids made their way to the diner with a rather interesting hat on their heads. To make things even stranger, there’s a giant cat in the corner with exactly the same headgear! Can anyone make sense of what is going on here?
Fun for all the family
America is known for some pretty wild eating challenges, and most of them are pretty impossible. However, if you head to Japan, it seems as though there’s at least one eating challenge that you’d be able to complete. We can never have enough fries, and these guys are obviously on the same length.
That’s probably why they decided to order the biggest plate of fries that this restaurant could offer. While the lack of sauce is making us a little uncomfortable, it’s nice to see that the people of Japan have headed over to give them some moral support. It looks like fun for all the family.
Saying hello
Japanese people are notoriously polite, and it seems as though you can’t walk past them without noticing a smile on their face or a bow to their body. The ojigi bow can be traced back to the ancient Samurai who used to live and fight in the country, but it’s still enacted as a sign of respect, a welcome greeting, or a goodbye.
However, it seems as though Japanese people aren’t the only ones who make sure that they remember their ojigi. Did you know that Japanese trucks also do it? Okay, so we know it’s not actually bowing, but it’s still pretty cool…
Keeping warm
Let’s be honest; the weather in Japan just can’t be tamed. The north of the country is extremely cold and mountainous, and the southern regions are hot, sticky, and almost tropical. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you’re prepared for these extreme climates.
This man seems to have got his preparations for the winter nailed – and we’d love to buy one of these ourselves. After all, it looks pretty snug and comfortable. Instead of freezing his fingers at work, he can instead zip himself up in his walking sleeping bag and keep warm instead. He won’t be able to type, but who cares when you’re toasty?
Hello Kitty
If you didn’t already know, the people of Japan absolutely love Hello Kitty. This adorable cat and her pink bow have taken over the country for decades, and it seems as though she won’t be going away anytime soon. If you ever head to Japan, you’ll be able to see this obsession for yourself.
If you know where to look, you will be able to find any form of Hello Kitty merchandise you could dream of. So, have you always wanted a Hello Kitty bidet? If you make your way to this country, you can find oodles of them. They’re even super modern and can be controlled by the push of a few buttons.
All about fresh air
Japan is a country that’s made up of giant cities and large towns, and this can often make it difficult for adults and children alike to get some fresh air. Because of this, there are many schools in this country that have done something a little different in terms of their recess time.
Instead of keeping the kids under roofs and in small, enclosed spaces, they have the chance to run wild on top of the school instead! Yes, the whole roof has been transformed into a playground, which means that there is absolutely standing in between them and the sky.
Life underground
Tokyo is by far one of the most popular destinations in Japan, and there’s no doubt about the fact that oodles of people live here – but even more travel here every single year. Because much of the space in this city is covered in skyscrapers and large buildings, this has forced their agriculture to be pushed down the pecking order.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t trying to bring it back up to the top. Due to the fact that there is no space for rice fields on terra firma, agricultural wizards have burrowed beneath the ground to create underground rice fields. How cool is that?!
Falling asleep
The people of Japan are known internationally as some of the most hard-working people in the world, so we don’t blame this lady for wanting to catch a few Z’s on the way home from work. It’s a tiring business, after all. If you’ve ever fallen asleep on public transport, you’ll know that it’s not easy.
Not only do you have other people’s shoulders to avoid as you slump down, but you also need to make sure that you don’t dribble on your best work shirt, and that you don’t wake yourself up by jolting in the process. Well, many Japanese trains now come complete with these genius suction hats, to keep you upright as you fall asleep.
Love is love
Have you ever seen a life-size doll before? Well, it’s safe to say that they are becoming more and more popular, especially in Japan! Many of these dolls are designed and created in this country, and it seems as though men and women in this country love to have these lifelike people by their side.
That’s definitely the case for these two men, who have taken their two lady dolls out for a picnic in the park. While they can’t quite eat the food provided, they can take their shoes off to get comfortable, and they can even wear gloves because Japan can get pretty cold sometimes.
A small space
With such a small place but so many people to contend with, there’s no doubt about the fact that the people of Japan have come up with some pretty nifty solutions. If you ever head to this country and make your way to one of the big cities, why not give one of the pod hotels a go?
These hotels do exactly what they say on the tin, and give tourists the chance to stay in tiny little pods that seem to have everything you could need in one space. To make things even weirder, you have countless strangers sleeping on top of you and next to you throughout the night.
Getting comfortable
As previously mentioned, those who live in Japan are known for working long hours in exhausting jobs. While it pays off in the end, that does mean that any spare time they have is normally spent catching up on their sleep or trying not to fall asleep.
Although we can only assume that most of the people on this subway train tried to keep their eyes open throughout the whole journey, almost all of them failed. In fact, the dude on the floor just decided to get comfortable and lay on the floor to catch his few winks. We don’t blame him, though, because those chairs are pretty hard.
Going for a swim
If you needed any more evidence that the people who live in Japan are a little strange, we present to you this rather niche spa! This giant tub is full to the brim with coffee, and stands alongside other pools that are full of green tea, sake, and even one that’s full of fish.
While we love coffee as much as the next guy, we can’t help but wonder what a coffee bath would be like. Can you drink the water? Is it hygienic? Why does it exist in the first place? Apparently, this place is pretty popular, so it seems as though we’re the only ones who think it’s a little strange.
What a hoot
It seems as though Japanese businesses are in constant competition with each other to provide tourists and locals alike with something new and exciting, and we can’t help but wonder that this cafe may have already won. While there are numerous cat and dog cafes across the globe, have you ever come across an owl cafe before?
Well, this place does exist and can be found in Japan. Although this owl doesn’t look too happy to have a phone thrust in its face, it must be pretty cool to be a celebrity. After all, everyone wants to take pictures with the owls here.
The perfect umbrella
Whoever invented the umbrella really does need a pat on the back, because that thing has saved us from being totally drenched on numerous occasions. But have you ever seen the most perfect umbrella of all time? Yes, we’re talking about the umbrella shoes.
There’s nothing worse than turning up to work with wet shoes and feet, so one Japanese designer decided to create these umbrella shoes to make sure that never happened again. Sure, we’re not sure they’ll be winning any fashion awards, but we don’t care about fashion when we can have dry shoes for the rest of the day.
