Random Japan

20 crazy facts about North Korea
Preston Phro
There are many fascinating countries around the world–in fact, we’d wager that there aren’t any truly boring places. But one of the most bizarrely “can’t look away from the train wreck” places in the world is North Korea. Now, there’s a lot of information (and misinformation) out there about the country, and sometimes it can be hard to separate the fact from fiction. Still, we like to try, right?

So, you can imagine how excited we were when we found a series of twenty photos and facts about North Korea have been making the Internet rounds! But we wanted to know more! Click below to see the 20 facts and some of the background information we dug up.

STATS
4
Length, in meters, of a giant squid caught in a fishing net set up for buri off the coast of Niigata

42.8
Percent of fires in the aftermath of the March 11 quake that were the direct result of tsunami, according to the Japan Association for Fire Science and Engineering

SCUMBAGS ’R’ US
Just when you thought TEPCO couldn’t get any slimier, the utility is demanding that its employees’ families return the compensation they received to evacuate their homes following the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.

An elementary school teacher in Yokohama was arrested for selling children’s books from the school library in an online auction.

Officials at Sanrio were forced to admit that some of the merchandise at their flagship store in Ginza was labeled as made in Japan when in fact it came from China.

Headline of the Week: “Head of NPO Promoting Motherhood Arrested for Beating his Wife” (via Japan Today)

The Dentist Was Checking

More Than Teeth

The Composer

That Wasn't

Denial Is His Life

He Loves denial

Who owns Mt Fuji? The answer will probably surprise (and confuse) you

By Preston Phro ARTS & CULTURE FEB. 08, 2014
Japan is known across the world mostly for its varied and fascinating culture – from literature to music to amusing illustrations, there’s plenty to love about the country. But when it comes to physical symbols, there’s one thing that towers, literally, above all else: Mt Fuji.

Though the mountain was only recently added to the World Heritage List, it has been a symbol of Japan for centuries, a social and cultural landmark. So if you were asked who owned the mountain, you’d probably assume it was a national park or some other piece of government land.

But you’d be wrong.

So, let’s get this out of the way: Mt Fuji – or at least its peak – is privately owned land.