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One of my hobbies is
to use Googles search suggestion feature to see what questions others might have about Japan,
and answer them here. So here are more random questions about Japan!
Why do Japanese use san on the ends of names?
Its just the most common name suffix used in Japanese, slightly formal-sounding. There are a
whole bunch of them, like -chan (for cute persons younger than you, usually female), kun (for
males younger than you), or sensei (for teachers or anyone in a high position of respect).
Why does Japan have an aging population?
All countries experience falling birthrates as they industrialize, and since 1960 Japans birthrate
has gone from 4 per female to around 1.4. The aging is more pronounced in Japan due to their
trademark longevity and lack of immigration inflows.
Why do Japanese yell bonsai [sic]?
Its banzai (), which literally means 10,000 years, short for May His Majesty the
Emperor Live for 10,000 years and is Japans version of God Save the King. A bonsai (),
lit. grown on a tray, is a miniature tree, a totally unrelated word.
Why do Japanese wear face masks?
Japanese wear surgical masks for several reasons, including to keep out germs and pollen but
also as polite way to indicate to others to keep their distance to avoid catching a cold. Aflac
founder John Amos visited the Osaka Expo in 1970 and, seeing these masks and how healthconscious the Japanese were, decided to enter the Japanese insurance market, one of the smarted
business decisions of the 20th century.
Why do Japanese type www on the Internet?
Its Japanese netspeak for laughter, since warau is Japanese for to laugh and Japanese net users
are too lazy to type that out.
Why do Japanese throw salt?
Salt is considered a purifying agent, and sumo wrestlers throw salt in front of them to purify
the dohyo mound before they wrestle. When you come home from a Japanese funeral, you have
to sprinkle salt all over your body before entering your house to keep evil spirits from following
you inside.
Why do Japanese make the peace sign in photos?
There are several theories, but the best is that this popular 1972 ad for Konica cameras got it
started.