Japan Fun Facts

• The Japanese name for Japan is "Nihon" or "Nippon" which means "sun origin"
• Japan is the world leader in robots
• It was customary in ancient Japan for women to blacken their teeth with dye as white teeth were considered ugly. This practice persisted until the late 1800's.  The American style smile (big, wide, and white) would have been seen as "exposing too much bone.
• More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains, including more than 200 volcanoes
• Ancient warriors of Japan were known as Samurai. They were very skilled fighters and swordsmen. Their main weapon was the Katana, a sharp sword with a slight curve to it.
• On average there are about 1,500 earthquakes a year in Japan 
• In Japan it is not uncommon to eat rice at every meal, including breakfast
• Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%.
• There is almost no immigration in Japan. The population is 98% ethnic Japanese.
• Japanese people live an average of 4 years longer than Americans.
• 23% of the Japanese population is over the age of 65.
•  The current ruler is Shinzo Abe.