Japan



All the things you wanted to know about Japan, but were afraid to ask. Naturally, these tropes and topics pop up frequently in Japanese media.


 * Imperial Japan
 * Japanese Political System
 * Kaiju Defense Force (Japan Self-Defense Force)
 * Katanas of the Rising Sun (Imperial Japanese Armed Forces)
 * 108
 * The 47 Ronin
 * Baka
 * Body Sushi
 * Bicep-Polishing Gesture
 * Bishonen Jump Syndrome
 * Big Fancy House
 * The Thing That Goes Doink
 * Boke and Tsukkomi Routine
 * Flipping the Table
 * Boys Love Notes
 * Buddhism
 * Butterfly of Death and Rebirth
 * Christmas Cake
 * Christianity In Japan
 * Christmas in Japan
 * Class Is in Room X-01
 * Compensated Dating
 * Cram School
 * Doujinshi
 * Ear Cleaning
 * Eyelid-Pull Taunt (known as akanbe in Japan)
 * Every Japanese Sword Is a Katana
 * The Four Gods
 * Fundoshi
 * Geisha
 * Goldfish Scooping Game
 * Ghost Lights
 * Hachiko (purebred Akita dog representing loyalty)
 * Hachimaki (headband)
 * Hair Color in Japan
 * Hattori Hanzo
 * Henohenomoheji (the face made of hiragana)
 * Hikikomori a.k.a. the Shut In.
 * Host Club
 * Idiots Cannot Catch Colds
 * Idol Singer
 * Inside Shoes
 * Instant Fanclub
 * Ishikawa Goemon
 * Japanese Architecture
 * Japanese Holidays
 * Japanese Invasion
 * Japanese Language
 * Alternate Character Reading
 * Four Is Death
 * Gender and Japanese Language
 * Gratuitous English in Japan
 * Green Is Blue
 * Japanese Honorifics
 * Oba-san
 * Onee-Sama
 * Japanese Pronouns
 * Pronoun Trouble
 * Japanese Sibling Terminology
 * Japanese Stock Phrases
 * Kansai Regional Accent
 * Keigo
 * One, Two, Three, Four, Go
 * Seven Is Nana
 * Tohoku Regional Accent
 * Japanese Media
 * Japanese Ranguage
 * Japanese School Club
 * Japanese Vampire
 * Jidai Geki
 * Joshikousei
 * Kabuki Sounds
 * Kappa
 * Karaoke Box
 * Kawaisa
 * Kendo
 * Kigo
 * Kimodameshi
 * Kimono
 * Kimono Is Traditional
 * Kimono Fanservice
 * Kotatsu
 * Kotobagari
 * Kyu and Dan Ranks
 * Lolicon
 * Love Hotels
 * Mahjong
 * The Makioka Sisters
 * Maneki Neko
 * Manga Demographics
 * Miko
 * Miyamoto Musashi
 * Mukokuseki
 * No Koreans in Japan
 * Nuns Are Mikos
 * Odango Hair
 * Oda Nobunaga (a Japanese warlord)
 * Onmyodo
 * Orochi
 * Out of the Country
 * Paper Talisman
 * Personality Blood Types
 * Personal Seals
 * Pettanko
 * Phenotype Stereotype
 * Pillars of Moral Character
 * Pose of Supplication
 * Public Domain Artifact (of note, the three imperial regalia show up often)
 * Red Armband of Leadership
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni
 * Red String of Fate
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship
 * Ryokan Inn
 * Sacred First Kiss
 * Sailor Fuku
 * Salaryman
 * Sanada Yukimura
 * Sarashi
 * Sarutobi Sasuke
 * Sasaki Kojiro
 * School Festival
 * Second Sino-Japanese War
 * Sempai-Kohai
 * Seppuku
 * Shinigami
 * Shinto
 * Shiritori
 * The Shinsengumi
 * Shotacon
 * Shrines and Temples
 * Sneezing
 * Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl
 * Subcultures in Japan
 * Takarazuka
 * Tanabata
 * Teru Teru Bozu
 * This Is Unforgivable!
 * Thousand Origami Cranes
 * Tokugawa Ieyasu (another warlord, the ultimate unifier of Japan)
 * Tokyo University (Japan's most famous own version of an Ivy League School)
 * Toyotomi Hideyoshi (yet another warlord)
 * Transfer Student Uniforms
 * Tanuki
 * Uesugi Kenshin (and yet another famous warlord)
 * "V" Sign
 * Weddings in Japan
 * Yagyu Jubei
 * Yamato Nadeshiko
 * Yaoi Fangirl (demographically more numerous in Japan than in most other places)
 * Youkai
 * Kappa
 * Kitsune
 * Yonkoma
 * Zettai Ryouiki
 * Zigzag Paper Tassel