they have managed to steer so far away from the rest of the world in many areas that we

simply don’t understand why or how some of these things even exist, but they do. So

join us as we count 10 bizarre things that only exist in Japan.

Hizamakura Lap Pillow Many men and women alike in Japan get lonely

sometimes. Sometimes they would like to enjoy the embrace of the opposite sex, but without

all the hassles that come with socializing and meeting people. So, the Hizamakura Lap

Pillow was invented. It’s essentially a comfortable pillow in the shape of a woman’s

lap, but there are also versions that are body pillows in the shape of a woman and a

man. They first gained popularity in 2004 and have become quite popular, you can even

pick them up at Japanese international airports at their duty free shops. If you don’t feel

like travelling, you can also pick them up on amazon.jp.

Kanamara Matsuri The Kanamara Matsuri, otherwise known as the

“Penis Festival” is a yearly gathering of Japanese men and women, and more recently,

many tourists, to celebrate the “steel phallus”. Legend has it, that the celebration dates

back to the 1600s when there was a sharp toothed demon who fell in love with a beautiful lady.

Unfortunately for the demon, the lady did not reciprocate its’ affection and instead

married a man. Out of revenge, the demon possessed the woman’s vagina and when the couple were

consummating their marriage, the demon bit off the man’s penis. The same happened when

the woman re-married. Having had enough of the demon’s shenanigans, the villagers made

a penis out of steel so the next time the demon went to bite off the penis that was

about to enter the woman, its’ teeth broke off. And that my friend, is the story behind

Kanamara Matsuri. In simpler terms though, everything at the festival revolves around

the penis. There’s no better place to pick up some penis themed souvenirs.

Love Hotels So this one doesn’t entirely exist just

in Japan, but it’s certainly most common there and originates from a hotel in Osaka

which was built in 1968. The idea is that the hotels exist primarily for couples who

seek privacy for their sexual activities. It’s all very discreet, interaction with

staff is minimized, even paying for the room might be handled by a machine, or a person

behind frosted glass. The rooms will often be furnished in unusual ways, resembling dungeons

or other fantasy genres. Condoms, BDSM gear and other sexual apparatus will be placed

in the rooms, and can be purchased and used in the same way you might take food from the

minibar in the room. One usually doesn’t stay the night, you just go in for a few hours

to “handle your business”, but it is possible to stay overnight if you go after 10pm.

Face Slimmer Japan comes out with plenty of inventions

that makes us scratch our heads, but this one is even stranger. This creepy looking

face slimmer launched in Japan by a large cosmetic company called Glim. Apparently wearing

this on your face will solve your sagging face problems. Simply having it in your mouth

isn’t enough though, you need to exercise your face muscles to make it work. I don’t

know about you guys but in my opinion this product looks like it was designed for a very

different purpose.

Banishment Rooms Japan, like many other countries has labour

laws which prevent employers from firing people without reason, or paying benefits packages.

Many companies in Japan have therefore decided to torture their employees until they quit

just to get away from the agony. Employers have what are called “Banishment rooms”

so basically employees are sent to do completely useless tasks or are incredibly boring, over

and over again until they snap and quit. This kind of behaviour would probably not go down

well in many other countries. Double tooth fashion trend

I for one have somewhat crooked teeth, I’d like to have that fixed someday. What if I

told you that many Japanese are intentionally making their teeth crooked? Well it’s true.

The dental procedure, which consists of the upper canines being capped either temporarily

or permanently, costs $250 to $600 per tooth. The result is this, snaggle teeth that many

teens spend years and a lot of money to get rid of in the US, but it is a huge deal in

Japan. Suicide Forest

There are certain places in the world where suicides are more common than other places.

Bridges are a good examples, certain railway or metro stations may also be the same. However,

few places are as notorious for suicides as Aokigahara forest, at the base of Mount Fuji

in Japan. It is the second most popular place in the world for suicides, just after San

Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. More than 50 people took their lives in 2010 alone.

Tourists and locals passing through the forest will often notice corpses that have been rotting

there for days or weeks. This has made the forest one of Japan’s most haunted places,

and rightly so as it’s damn creepy!

Japan’s Vending Machines Vending machine around the world are fairly

similar. You go and spend $4 on a bottle of water or $5 for a small bag of chocolate.

Well, it’s slightly different in Japan. Vending machines first appeared in Japan in

the 1950s and since then Japan has become one of, if not the biggest market in the world

for vending machines. Primarily, because they place some damn weird stuff in their vending

machines. Like Buddhist amulets, or flowers, or manga comics, or PC glasses for kids, or

used panties, or straight out pornography, or umbrellas, or second hand mobile phones.

I think you get the idea, if you want something there’s probably a vending machine in Japan

that sells it. Capsule Hotels

While Japan offers many unique experiences for travellers, capsule hotels may be one

of the most unique of them all. Imagine, instead of having to go to a hotel, check in, drop

your bag in a room way larger than you need, filled with equipment you don’t plan on

using, you could just buy a small box with enough room to sleep and possibly a TV. The

significant reduction in size and lack of human interaction means you can get yourself

a capsule for as low as $30 for a night in some places. Some of them are men only, while

others have different floors for men and women.

Island of Gas Masks In 2000, the island on Miyakejima in Japan

had some serious volcanic activity which caused poisonous gas to literally leak from the earth,

and made 3,600 residents evacuate the area. Some island residents decided they didn’t

want to leave, so they moved back to the island as soon as the evacuation order was lifted.

If they were to survive the uninhabitable air conditions, they would need to get themselves

some gas masks, so they did. Around 2,800 people chose to return to the island from

Tokyo and still live there today, understandably the government does regular health checks

of the citizens, and certain areas are still off limits, but tourism has not been affected

and you can buy disposable gas masks at ferry stations and local stores.

Thank you for watching as always, let me know if you liked this video or if you thought

it was bizarre like the things on the list. See you next time!