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Trivia Questions Digest

Interesting facts about Japan

Sixteen facts about Japan's land, language, inventions and history, each with a line of explanation and the source we checked it against.

By Eren ŞimşirUpdated How we write questions

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Facts
16
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Named for every fact
Country
Japan
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Class, quiz night or travel

16 facts about Japan

  1. Japan has 14,125 islands. A 2023 recount using digital maps roughly doubled the earlier official figure of 6,852. Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan
  2. Four main islands hold almost all of Japan's people. They are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Honshu alone has about four-fifths of the population. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. Greater Tokyo is the most populous metropolitan area in the world. The UN puts it at about 37 million people, more than live in most countries. Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects
  4. About three-quarters of Japan is mountainous. That leaves limited flat land, so farms, cities and roads crowd onto the coastal plains. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  5. Mount Fuji last erupted in 1707. At 3,776 meters, Fuji is Japan's highest mountain and is still classed as an active volcano. Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
  6. Japan sits where four tectonic plates meet. The Pacific, Philippine Sea, Eurasian and North American plates make it one of the most earthquake-prone countries. Source: US Geological Survey
  7. The first bullet train ran in 1964. The Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka opened nine days before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Source: Central Japan Railway Company
  8. Instant noodles were invented in Japan in 1958. Momofuku Ando created Chicken Ramen, the first instant noodle, and later Cup Noodles in 1971. Source: Nissin Foods
  9. The word emoji is Japanese. It joins e (picture) and moji (character). Shigetaka Kurita designed an early, influential set in 1999; the likeness to "emotion" is a coincidence. Source: Museum of Modern Art, New York
  10. Japanese uses three writing systems at once. Kanji are characters from Chinese; hiragana and katakana are syllable alphabets. A single sentence often uses all three. Source: Japan Foundation
  11. Kongō Gumi, a temple builder, was founded in 578. It is often cited as one of the oldest companies in the world. It is now part of a larger construction group. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  12. Japan's imperial family is traditionally called the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy. Emperor Naruhito, who acceded in 2019, is counted as the 126th emperor. Source: Imperial Household Agency
  13. Tokyo has hosted the Summer Olympics twice. In 1964, and in 2021 for the Games still officially called Tokyo 2020 after a one-year delay. Source: International Olympic Committee
  14. Cars in Japan drive on the left. Japan is one of about 75 countries and territories where traffic keeps left, like the UK and Australia. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  15. Japanese people have one of the world's longest life expectancies. Life expectancy at birth is around 84 years, among the highest of any country. Source: World Health Organization
  16. Cherry blossom season is forecast like the weather. Forecasters track the "cherry blossom front" as it moves north from Okinawa in January to Hokkaido in May. Source: Japan National Tourism Organization

A country of islands and mountains

Japan is far more islands than most people picture. A 2023 government recount found 14,125, though almost everyone lives on the four largest: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. About three-quarters of the land is mountainous, which is why so many people live packed into coastal plains, and why Tokyo's metropolitan area is the most populous in the world.

Old traditions, modern firsts

Many facts about Japan sit side by side with something very old: a temple-building company founded in 578, an imperial line said to be the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, and three writing systems used in the same sentence. The same country gave the world the bullet train, instant noodles and the emoji. The list below mixes both.

Using these facts

For a trivia round, turn a fact into a number question: how many islands does Japan have, or in what year did the first bullet train run? For more facts about places, animals and science, see the full fun facts list, and test your map knowledge on the Asia map quiz.

Questions people ask

How many islands does Japan have?

14,125, according to a 2023 recount by Japan's Geospatial Information Authority, which used more detailed digital maps than the old count of 6,852.

What are the four main islands of Japan?

Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Honshu is the largest and home to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

What are three interesting facts about Japan?

Japan has more than 14,000 islands, its first bullet train ran in 1964, and a temple-building company there, Kongō Gumi, was founded in the year 578.

More country facts

Sources