ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜɪᴄʜɪʀᴏ (ᴀᴜ) ɢᴇɴᴍᴜɪ

Vacation Time

Everyone, I'll be going on a vacation to go see my grandmother so I hope you all understand, I'll try my best to figure out ideas for this upcoming Part 9, I am grateful that you all have been reading this story, I wasn't expecting this to get lots of view's, anyways I found some entertaining things I guess, anyway, here you go! Fun Facts about Japan!

Kongo Gumi is the oldest operating business in the world, established in 578. It specializes in the construction of temples and shrines. An estimated 126 million people live in Japan. Since 2011, Japan's population has been noticeably declining mostly due to low birth rates- some say it is due to expensive childcare and the difficulty of finding well-paying jobs.

Second, only to Hong Kong, the life expectancy in Japan is 84, which is 3 years higher than in the United Kingdom. With 5 million vending machines- Japan has the highest density in the world. Batteries, ramen, sake, umbrellas. flowers- you name it and the vending machines probably stock it.

If you check your zipper, chances are, it will say YKK on it, which stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Founded in Tokyo in 1934, it is estimated that 7 billion zippers are produced by this manufacturer each year. Why are melons in Japan so expensive? These precious fruits play a large role in the country's gift-giving culture- samurai would offer tangerines or melons to their shogun as a token of appreciation. Nowadays, farmers meticulously tend these fruits by hand, which adds to the allure. Crown melons are one of the most renowned varieties and can cost over $200 each.

The coffee known as Blue Mountain, grown in Jamaica's namesake region is highly sought after. Only grown on small family-run plantations, at elevations of over 7000 feet this gourmet coffee boasts mild flavors and lacks the bitterness found in most coffees.

Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, famous for its tuna auctions. In 2018 a portion of it moved to a new site in Toyosu where it reopened as Toyosu Market. Basashi is a popular regional Japanese dish, consisting of raw horsemeat slices with ginger and onions.

Entranceways of Japanese houses called genkan signal where you should take off your shoes with the help of its raised floors. The lower area indicates where you should remove your shoes and the raised upper area, often in a different type of flooring, is considered indoor living space.

Referred to as taikomochi and sometimes known as houkan- male geishas were jesters of sorts. It wasn't until 25 years after their glory days that women- then known as geiko- "arts child", outnumbered the working taikomochi. Geiko then transformed into a geisha "person of the arts" as we know it today. Peek into the world of geisha in Gion, the centuries-old entertainment district of Kyoto

Quite the opposite- slurping loudly in Japan is considered evidence of enjoying your meal. It is also said to add flavor to the noodles. Slurp away on this Get Your Guide Ramen tour in Tokyo that takes you to where the original Tsukemen was invented. Hailed as the solo dining capital of the world- Japan's shrinking population combined with an increase of single-person households has meant requesting a table for one is quite the norm.

Prefer to share some scrumptious food with good company? Our trusted partner Get Your Guide offers a yummy street food tour through the back alleys of Tokyo's Shibuya neighborhood.

Thank you for reading cya maybe next weekend! I might try to make the Hashira and everyone else go on a vacation together so watch out for that! It's also this Thursday so yeah. Let me give you all the links so it's not plagiarism. 

Links: https://www.roughguides.com/articles/facts-about-japan/