Japan experiences about 1,000 earthquakes each year of a magnitude sufficient to be felt.
The costliest natural disaster on the planet was the Kobe Earthquake that hit in January 1995.
Japan has long been labeled a "smoker's paradise". According to WHO figures published in 2002 about 49% of the adult male population smokes in Japan compared to 28% in the US and the UK and 17% in Sweden.
More than 48 million households in Japan keep pets, according to a 2004 survey by the Japanese pet food manufacturers' association.
10 years ago Japan took more fish out of the sea (almost 10 million tons) than any other country. Now they catch almost half that, and have slipped to third place in the world ranking.
According to the Japanese National Police Agency, the largest Yakuza (Crime Syndicate) gang in Japan is the Yamaguchi-gumi, with more than 36,000 members, thats 43% of all Yakuza in Japan.
The total area of Japan is 378,000 square kilometers (145,945 square miles).
In terms of total population size, the Greater Tokyo area is the largest city in the world ('city" is here defined as a contiguous urban area, not the administratively/politically defined Tokyo).
Japan has the highest density of robots in the world.
There are approximately 800,00 industrial-use robots in operation around the world, and fully half of them in Japan. That's about 1 robot for every 310 people in Japan.
The longest river in Japan is the Shinano.
The biggest lake in Japan is Lake Biwa, situated in Shiga Prefecture, near Kyoto.
Japan is the world's third biggest spender on defense, spending US$45,600,000,000 in 2000. Japan spends more on defence than China, but less than Russia.
The tallest mountain in Japan is Mount Fuji at 3,776 metres (12,388 ft).
The most popular movie in Japan in 2002 was the anime "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki. (Original Japanese title "Sen to Chihiro no kamikushi").
The oldest festival in the world is reputed to be the Aoi Matsuri, held every May 15th or 16th in Kyoto.
The most-visited amusement park in the world is Tokyo Disneyland. Opened in 1983, more than 17 million people visit it each year.
The biggest statue of the Buddha in Japan is the "Daibutsu" (Big Buddha) at Todaiji Temple, Nara.
Another great contribution to world food by Japan is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), the flavor-enhancer used in Chinese cooking and in a lot of processed food.
The longest transportation tunnel in the world is the Seikan tunnel connecting the main island of Honshu to Hokkaido.
The fastest Rollercoaster in the world is the "Dodonpa" at Fujikyu Highland Park in Fujiyosida.
Japan has more active volcanoes than any other country in the world, with more than 10% of all the earth's volcanoes.
The Japanese Love Hotel industry is estimated to generate an annual 4 trillion yen in sales- four times the 2003 profit of Japan's richest company - Toyota Motor Corporation.
The oldest novel in the world was written in Japan over a thousand years ago. The Tale of Genji was written in the 11th Century by Murasaki Shikibu, a member of the Imperial Court.
In April 2002, Tamori (real name Kazuyoshi Morita) a Japanese comedian, entered the Guinness Book Of Records by hosting his TV show Waratte Iitomo (It's OK to Laugh) for the 5000th time.
The Japanese read more newspapers than any other people in the world.
The most common blood group in Japan is type A, with 38% of the population.
There are 5 million vending machines (jidohanbaiki) in Japan. That's one for every 25 people.
The Japanese send upwards of 35 BILLION New Year cards (nengajou) every year. That's approximately 30 cards for every man, woman, and child in Japan.
Christmas has different meanings in different countries. good day to eat fried chicken and strawberry short-cake.
The Japanese confiscated chess books during World War II, thinking they were military codes. Japan did not have an organized chess federation until 1968. Their first national chess tournament took place in 1969.
Assassins originated in Japan and they happened to smoke a lot of hash. That's how they inquired the name of 'hash-hashin.'
In Japan meat from the 'Fugu' or spiny puffer fish is considered a rare delacasy, however the liver and intestines contain a powerfull neurotoxin and the slightest contamination during preperation can be deadly. Restaraunts who serve fugu must have 'Fugu certified' chefs. In japan about one hundred people on average die annualy from fugu poisoning.
66% of Japan is covered in forest!
The last Royal Hawaiian flag to be defended during the U.S. led coup d'etat of 1893 was aboard a Japanese gunboat. The Japanese Imperial Navy gunboat Naniwa refused to strike the Royal Hawaiian flag from it's mast during it's anchorage in Honolulu Harbor.
Sarin, the nerve gas believed to have been used in the recent Tokyo subway attack, can be made by anyone with an undergraduate degree in chemistry using easily obtainable chemicals and a formula readily available on the Internet.
In Japan there's a place called O.
In an annual global survey of sexuality, Japan consistently ranks last in terms of the frequency of which people have sex.
