If you want to eat noodles, follow the rules, they give you a gift, follow the rules for accepting the gift, if you come to visit, follow a million more rules so as not to offend the owner.

This complex interweaving of social norms and traditions may seem strange to those who are new to Japan, so if you are going there, be sure to read following rules.

1. Avoid the number "four" at all costs.

In Japan, the number four is avoided by absolutely everyone because it sounds like “death.” In the same vein as the number 13 in Western culture, the number 4 in Japan is extremely lucky because it constantly rests. It’s not even customary for four people to gather together.

Japanese buildings do not have a fourth floor, but skyscrapers have all the floors from 40 to 49 added to them. The number 49 is especially unlucky, since it sounds like “death pain”.

This is called "tetraphobia", and almost everyone in East and Southeast Asia suffers from this phobia.

2. Blowing your nose in public is strictly prohibited. This is considered a gross violation of the rules of etiquette.

Blowing your nose in public is really unpleasant for others. Instead, the Japanese tend to sniff around until they find a secluded spot. The Japanese also do not tolerate handkerchiefs.

3. Tipping is considered an insult.

Tipping is considered a gross violation of the rules of conduct and is even viewed as humiliation in Japanese society. Europeans and Americans who leave tips are often surprised when waiters run after them to return the money.

If you liked the service, do not leave money, but give a gift.

4. Don't eat while walking.

Although many of you eat on the go, in Japan this is considered a violation of etiquette. Many also consider eating in a public place or in transport a gross violation.

There are of course exceptions. You can safely eat ice cream.

5. Specially trained people will push you into the subway car.

“Pushers” wear special uniforms, white gloves and hats, but they don’t offer their hands; they literally push people into crowded subway cars during rush hour.

6. People can sleep in transport with their head on your shoulder.

If someone nearby falls asleep and their head rests on your shoulder, this is normal. The Japanese work a lot and have a long commute from home to work and back, so they all sleep constantly. You should just accept it.

7. There are special toilet slippers for bathrooms.

It is quite normal to wear slippers when entering a Japanese home, traditional restaurant, or temple. If there are slippers at the entrance to any room, you are required to change your shoes.

But to visit the toilet, the Japanese use special toilet slippers, which are kept in the bathroom or placed in front of the door. You are required to wear them when visiting this premises.

8. You should always bring a gift to the recipient.

In Japan, it is an honor to be invited into someone's home, and if this happens, you are required to bring a gift. The gift should also have very elaborate packaging with lots of ribbons and bows. And do not forget that the owner may refuse to accept your gift several times, but you must insist and he will accept it 5-6 times.

9. When visiting, you cannot pour drinks into your own glass.

You must pour a glass for the hosts, and they for you, and before drinking you must say “Kanpai.”

10. You must slurp and smack your food.

By slurping and smacking your lips, you express pleasure from eating food, which is praise for the hostess. On the other hand, Japanese soup and noodles are typically served hot enough to burn your tongue, and slurping helps cool the food.

But don't even think about burping...

11. Japan is the only country where capsule hotels pay off and are quite popular.

What do urban legends say?

One day, a man entered a multi-story building without a 13th floor, on Friday the 13th, and used the elevator to go up to the twelfth floor. On the way to the 14th floor, the elevator began to behave strangely, and suddenly it stopped as if it had stopped on the floor.

Then the door opened and the man was never heard from again. Some say that he found himself in another dimension, others claim that the gates of hell opened for him.

In addition to this story, there are several more rumors and speculations regarding the absence of a 13th floor in the buildings. Some buildings have a 13th floor, but it is either empty or the passage to it is closed.

You can get to such floors only through the elevator, by typing the elevator buttons in a certain way. The 13th floor is used by the owners of such buildings for satanic rituals and meetings of the secret satanic order.

From the Templars

In 1307, on October 13th, it ceased to exist Order of the Knights Templar. By the way, it was Friday. By order of Philip the Fair (and with the tacit consent of Pope Clement V), members of the order were arrested, and all their property was confiscated.

The Holy Inquisition took charge of the defendants, and a year later they were all burned at the stake. However, some of the sectarians survived and declared the greedy French king and the bad dad with her enemies, and also began to spread creepy tales about Friday the 13th.

Bible version

Perhaps this superstition arose because of the Last Supper - the last meal of Jesus with the 12 apostles: in the company of 13 people, someone was destined to die.

But it is more appropriate to recall a more ancient story about a feast in Valhalla (Scandinavia), to which twelve gods were invited.

Loki, the spirit of quarrel and discord, appeared uninvited, and the guests became thirteen, after which Balder, the favorite of the gods, was killed. Therefore, in many countries of the world they avoid numbering houses, floors, apartments or hotel rooms with this number, replacing it, for example, with 12A.

The fact that this superstition is meaningless is proven even by such a simple fact: for the Chinese and Japanese, 4 is considered an unlucky number, because phonetically this word sounds like “death”.

And “nine” in Japanese resembles the word “pain”. In these countries, the number four is ignored, avoiding its appearance in license plates of cars, apartments, and streets. And in Japan, hospitals usually do not have the 4th and 9th floors.

Why don't many hotels have room No. 420?

Have you ever noticed that in many hotels around the world, after room 419, there is immediately room 421? Or another option: in place of room number 420 is room 419+1?

What do you think is the reason for this? It turns out that the number 420 is associated with marijuana, and therefore with a danger to the guests’ peace of mind. It is said that in hotel rooms under this particular number, drug-related troubles occur much more often.

First in Australia, and then in other parts of the world, weed lovers began to celebrate “their holiday” on April 20 (that is, 4/20 in accordance with the American tradition of writing dates), at exactly 4:20 in the afternoon.

Drug addicts have gotten into the habit of stealing 420 signs from the doors of hotel rooms for souvenirs or renting rooms under these numbers in order to smoke marijuana there.

To avoid these problems, as well as to protect people from the harmful effects of drugs, hotel owners are trying to get rid of rooms 420, whatever they think of.

Japan is an amazing country with great history and rich culture. For more than 200 years, since 1639, it remained

13 incredible facts about Japan

Japan is an amazing country with a great history and rich culture. For more than 200 years, since 1639, it remained completely isolated from the outside world. The originality of the Land of the Rising Sun still surprises and fascinates us. I present to your attention 13 interesting facts about Japan that are hard to believe.

1. Capsule hotels

One of the options for Japanese hotels, which consists of small sleeping cells located one above the other. The capsule space is enough to sleep, watch TV or read a book. A night in such a hotel costs approximately $30.

2. Christmas dinner at KFC

Celebrating Christmas with dinner at KFC is a tradition that is becoming increasingly popular in Japan. Entire lines line up for a festive bucket of hot wings, salad and cake.

3. Some Japanese women deliberately crook their teeth

In Japan there is a trend called “Yaeba”, which means “double tooth”. Japanese women pay hundreds of dollars to dentists to change their completely straight and even teeth. They all want elongated and protruding fangs.

4. In Japan, the number 4 is considered unlucky.

Hotels and hospitals in Japan rarely have 4th floors. The number four is avoided by absolutely everyone, as it is consonant with the word “death.”

5. It’s impossible to be on the island of Miyakejima without a gas mask

Volcano Oyama, located in the center of the island, spews poisonous gas (sulfur dioxide), so residents simply cannot do without a gas mask.

6. Sleeping at work

Sleeping at the Inemuri workplace is a sign of seriousness about work, which is why Japanese companies encourage tired employees to take a nap for half an hour.

7. This year, 32,000 Japanese people turned 100 years old.

8. The Japanese refuse sex

The Japanese (45% of women and 25% of men) no longer want to date, get married, or even just have sex, because everyone is obsessed only with their career.

9. Police catch criminals using paintballs

The trace of paint left after a shot on the clothing or vehicle of a criminal helps to quickly apprehend the attacker.

10. Ban on dancing in clubs after midnight

The law banning dancing after midnight was passed back in 1948 to prevent the spread of prostitution.

11. Japan is the birthplace of the oldest business in the world

The oldest business in the world is the Japanese hotel Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan, which has been operating since 705.

12. Students clean their own classrooms

In Japan, students clean classrooms.

13. More than 70% of the entire territory of Japan is mountains

The country has many active volcanoes, as it is located on the Pacific Volcanic Ring of Fire.

Numerology, despite its name, is not a science; rather, it is alchemy using numbers. The mathematical concept of numbers, by definition, does not contain anything other than the category of quantity, while numerology assumes that numbers have certain esoteric properties.

In Russia, we often follow traditions when we consider the number “7” to be lucky, and “13” to be a number that should be avoided in every possible way so as not to “jinx it.” At a reflexive level, we already spit over our left shoulder three times, knock on wood three times and, following the saying “God loves trinities,” drink for three under the shadow of the three branches of government, crowned with the Russian tricolor. But what God doesn’t like is the “number of the beast” 666, which was recently remembered on the occasion of the introduction of INN (individual taxpayer numbers) into the lives of Russians.

Indeed, a person endows numbers with properties that, by mathematical standards, are not inherent in numbers. Some numbers become “special” due to the natural order of things. Thus, the number “1” is associated with the following concepts: primacy, uniqueness, universality, chance. Nature itself predetermined the division of the year into 12 months and the duration of the week into 7 days: the lunar year (i.e., the “month”) lasts about 30 days (more precisely, 29.5306 days), which for the 4 stages of the moon are divided into periods of 7 days, and 365 days a year (more precisely - 365.2422 days) are divided into 4 seasons, each approximately 91 days, which fit 3 full lunar years. As a result, 4 seasons of 3 months each give a 12-month calendar with 7-day weeks. The de jure creation of the world by the Christian god in seven days seems to be a de facto recognition of solar mechanics. On the other hand, the ratio of days and months in a year do not form integer proportions, which indicates a more complex structure of the world than in a clock mechanism with gears.

However, human nature knows no limits to what is reasonable. Mysticism, religion, astrology, pseudoscience have contributed to the understanding of numbers as a special form of matter. “What is the wisest thing? - Number!" - said the Pythagoreans in the west in the 5th century. In the east, wisdom, as a product of the activity of outstanding minds, was no less honored, and it, together with the magic of numbers, entered the flesh and blood of the cultures of the eastern peoples. China and Japan are proof of this.

The simplest manifestation of numerology is in vocabulary, in the formation of stable phrases with numerals. At the same time, introduced meanings are assigned to numerals, determined either by individual philosophical and religious interpretations of these numbers, or by the properties of the hieroglyphs with which the numbers are written. There are a lot of similar words in Japanese. They provide at the subconscious level such associative connections that, according to rationally thinking people, cannot exist in nature itself.

The number “2” (ni) is obviously associated with a number of philosophical concepts meaning duality. So, nigeron is “dualism”. This is based on Chinese yin and yang, as well as the complementary concepts associated with it: big-small, male-female, light-dark, etc. Among the political terms is Japan's bicameral parliamentary system, ninsei - the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors.

The hieroglyph for the number “3” (san) matches the reading of another hieroglyph for “birth”, so “3” is considered a “good” number. The number “3” is found in many words and concepts: sanze – “three worlds” (past, present, future); Sansei - three great Teachers or Teachings (Buddha - Buddhism, Confucius - Confucianism, Lao Tzu - Taoism); sanshu-no-jingi - three symbols of power of Imperial Japan (octagonal mirror, magic sword, jasper pendants); sambo – “three treasures” (images of Buddha, Buddhist sutras, property of the Buddhist monastic community); sansai - “three forces”, existence (heaven, earth, man); sankagen – triad; sansedai-tokyo - “three generations living under one roof”; sangun - “three armies”, great army (land, sea, air forces); santoseiji - “policy of three heads”, triumvirate; Sankei “3 types” – three most beautiful places in the Japanese Empire, etc.

In Japan, “4” is considered a “bad” number, since the character for this number is read like the character for “death” - si. In a number of words, the hieroglyph “4” is read not as si, but as yon, so as not to anger the gods and not bring disaster upon oneself and others. Maybe marking time in the negotiations on the South Kuril Islands is due to the fact that there is something lifeless hidden in the Japanese term yonto (“four islands”)? “9” is also considered a “bad” number, since the Japanese associate its reading – ku – with another hieroglyph meaning “torment, difficulties.” In Japanese hotels and hospitals there are no rooms with the number 49, since the word associated with this number, shiku, means “deadly torment”, “deadly agony”. During wedding ceremonies, uttering words containing these si and ku is prohibited, just as in our country it is indecent to speak ill of a deceased person at a funeral. On the other hand, the Russian call “bitter!” at a Japanese wedding, it would probably look like a fly in the ointment on the honeymoon.

The number “5” (go) is associated with a whole range of Eastern religious and philosophical concepts: godai - the five great principles in Buddhism (earth, water, fire, wind, sky), gogyo - the five moving principles (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), goaku - five sins (murder, theft, treason, perjury, alcoholism-drug addiction), gojo - five basic virtues (philanthropy, justice, courtesy, wisdom, loyalty), gojo - five passions (pleasure, joy, passion, anger , grief), gorin - five relationships between people (between father and son, master and servant, husband and wife, brothers, friends), godaishu - five continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, America, Oceania), godaiyo - five oceans, gokoku – five grains (rice, wheat, millet, hemp, beans), gosekku – five festivals (January 7 – nana-kusa “seven herbs”, 3.3 – jomi-no-sekku “girls festival”, 5.5 – tango-no- sekku “boys festival”, 7.7 – tanabata “star festival”, 9.9 – choyo-no-sekku “chrysanthemum festival”), gokyo - five Chinese classical works, etc. The five great principles of godai are also expressed in temple buildings - in five-tiered pagodas goju-no-to. In the game of Go, you need to place 5 dominoes in a row to win. In Japanese abacus, soroban does not have 10 dominoes in a row, but 5. If we add more purely human ones to the list - five fingers of goshi, five parts of the body of gotai (head, neck, chest, arms, legs), five internal organs of gozo (lungs, heart, spleen, liver, kidneys) and the five sense organs of the Gokan, then the number “5” can rightfully be called the “number of man.”

The number “7” (city, nana) in Japan, as in Russia, is also a “good” number. “Seven” are known happy gods” Shichifukujin: the god of health Daikokuten (with a bag), the god of trade Ebisu (with fish), the god of wealth Bishamonten, the goddess of health and wisdom Benzaiten, the high-browed god of health and longevity Fukurokuju, the god of longevity Jurojin and the pot-bellied god of pleasure Hotei. According to one of the Japanese versions, the Russian nesting doll is the “daughter” of doll images of these gods, which themselves are a variant of the toy in the form of 12 nested eggs, which came to Russia in the 1880s from the Japanese port city of Hakodate, open to foreigners. The number “7” is found in many phrases: nanafushigi - seven wonders (of light), shitidogaran - seven buildings in Buddhist temples, haru-no-nanakusa - seven spring herbs, aki-no-nanakusa - seven autumn herbs, shitinan - seven (natural) disasters, etc.

The hieroglyph for the number “8” resembles a road leading to heaven. And isn't this a symbol of the Eightfold Path in Buddhism? The number “8” was even included in one of the ancient names of Japan - Yashimakuni, i.e. "land of eight islands" The hieroglyph for the number “10” is shaped like a cross, so it is included in words meaning: road crossing, crossfire, Red Cross or crossword. Obviously, in the Russian language there are no such associative connections due to the graphics of letters. However, the acrobatic figure from the Kama Sutra is inextricably linked with the image of the number “69” in both Europe and Asia.

Buddhism made a significant contribution to the creation of the world cult of numbers, in which, based on the laws associated with a number of numbers from 3 to 12, various number combinations are formed. In this series: “3” – triad, 4 truths of the states of nirvana, 5 scandhas, 6 senses, “7” – one step to the eightfold path, “9” – one step to the perfection of a bodhisattva, 10 perfections of a bodhisattva, “11” – one step to decimal full cycle. Buddha's omniscience can be represented by the arrangement of three rows: the first - from 3 to 12; the second, after multiplying the first row by 3, from 9 to 36; the third, after multiplying the second row by 3, is from 27 to 108 (in particular, there are 108 seeds in Buddhist rosaries). According to Buddhist canons, the deceased are remembered after 7, 14, 35 and 49 days, and not after 3, 6, 9, 20 and 40 days, as is customary among Christians. And during the Shinto marriage ceremony, according to the principle of sansankudo “3 and 3 - 9 times,” the bride and groom drink rice wine - sake - in three sips in three sips, and not as much as the soul requests.

Japanese poetry is also written according to number sequences. So, poems in the form of a tank are a poetic miniature of 31 syllables, following in the ratio 5-7-5-7-7. Haiku verses correspond to the truncated number series 5-7-5. Here the count is kept by the number of syllables - letters of the Japanese alphabet. It is obvious that versification in the Russian language is based on slightly different principles - the principles of rhythm and rhyme, and only letter-readers are capable of counting the number of letters, words or lines in “Eugene Onegin”.

Numbers also act as imprecise categories of “few,” “many,” “several,” or “various.” In the saying “get lost in three pines,” the number “3” means “a small amount.” On the other hand, in the “go all fours” idiom, the number “4” means “anywhere.” In Russia, the number “7” also has the meaning of “several” or “many”, which is reflected in the sayings: measure seven times - cut one, seven do not expect one, seven troubles - one answer, seven nannies have a child without an eye, an onion from seven ailments, etc. In Japan, numbers can also carry a similar burden. For example, Nissan “2-3” – several; shiho “4 sides”, happo “8 sides” (four cardinal directions, plus diagonal) or shiho-happo – all directions (i.e. “anywhere”); gobugobu “5 ​​parts and 5 parts” – equally; Shitinan-hakku “7 troubles, 8 torments” – all kinds of misfortunes (compare with the idiom seven sweats); nanatsudogu “7 accessories” - everything you need for life; nana-korobi ya-oki “Fell 7 times, got up 8 times” - fight to the end; juchu-hakku “8, 9 out of 10” – almost certainly; junin-toiro “10 people, 10 wishes” – as many people, so many opinions; shihyakushibyo “404 diseases” – all kinds of diseases; jaticusa “8000 herbs” – all herbs, etc. etc.

Birthdays are not left out either. In Russia they are usually celebrated annually, with special emphasis on dates ending in zeros and fives. In Japan, every year on November 15, the Shinto holiday Shichi-go-san (“7-5-3” are “good” numbers!) is celebrated for boys who turn 3 or 5 years old this year, and for girls who turn 3 or 5 this year. 5 or 7 years. Also in January, those who turn 20 this year celebrate “coming of age.” However, it is not traditional to celebrate birthdays separately. There is a national holiday - the Birthday of the Emperor of Japan (for the current Emperor Akihito - December 23). It is possible that the Japanese do not celebrate their own birthdays due to the traditionally negative attitude in Japan towards the manifestation of any individualism, while the Birthday of the deity - the Emperor of Japan - acts as a day of national unity. But even in Japan, as a tribute to the older generation, special ages are distinguished with special names: 60 years (kanreki “return of the calendar” - the name from the 60-year Chinese cycle), 70 years (koki), 77 years (kiju “joyful longevity” ), 80 years (sanju “longevity under the umbrella”), 81 years (hanju), 88 years (beiju “rice longevity”), 90 years (sotsuju “final longevity”), 99 years (hakuju “white longevity”), 108 years (saju), etc.

In Russia, the cult of numbers is not practiced. And it’s not even customary to count anything special or outstanding. I remember only “the three components of Marxism”, “26 Baku commissars” or the spiritual table number of the “era of stagnation” - 3.62 (state price of vodka). But no one would think of talking about three, five or seven great poets, writers or musicians of Russia, thereby canonizing them and contrasting them with the rest. Moreover, not all wonderful people in Russia were on good terms with the Orthodox Church. Some Japanese, studying the Russian language and Russian culture, are engaged, in particular, in researching the poetic heritage of A. Blok. But it seems that no one in Japan studies the phenomenon of art song and the work of such songwriters as, for example, B. Okudzhava, A. Galich, V. Vysotsky or Yu. Vizbor. Is it because A. Blok has already been “counted” and labeled a “classic”, but there are no bards yet?

However, this approach also has positive sides. If we recognize the significance of this or that event, then this presupposes that it is impossible not to know and impossible not to remember. Maybe numerology is the psycho-emotional “glue” that cements important concepts, facilitating their memorization and subsequently preventing the memory from getting rid of the “sad wisdom” of knowledge in parts?