Superstitions and Curiosities of Japan

Every culture has its own very unique set of superstitions, and with its rich mythology, Japan is no exception. Here are some Japanese superstitions that will certainly surprise you, and maybe even scare you a little!

Don’t whistle at night!

They say that if you whistle at night, snakes will come out. There are two reasons for this nocturnal whistle “ban”: the first is a bit supernatural and lies in the fear that you might attract some monster with your whistle. The second reason is based on reality as it is said that in ancient Japan, human traffickers, thieves and other criminals used whistles to communicate with each other at night. A careless whistle in the dark can cause an unwanted visit from a monster or someone who wants to harm you, so be careful!

Once is night time, don’t cut your nails!

Undoubtedly one of the most curious superstitions, this one states that “when you cut your nails at night, you will not be able to attend the death of your parents”, since you will die before them. This is because in Japanese, the expression “cutting one’s nails at night” sounds similar to “shortening one’s life”, and they both read “yozume”.
Another more practical explanation is that in ancient Japan people used knives to cut their nails. You could cause a fatal accident on a dark night by cutting your nails!

Japanese spider is “friend in the morning, enemy at night “

This superstition states that seeing a spider in the morning brings good luck, while seeing it at night brings bad luck. This is believed because there is a theory that the spider’s morning visit symbolizes a guest during the day, while at night it symbolizes a thief or thug.

If you sneeze it’s because someone is talking bad about you.

This is a very famous and common superstition in Japan. It is said that if you sneeze once, you are being praised; two sneezes it is said that someone is speaking ill of you; three sneezes means that you will fall in love (or that someone is thinking of you)

The numbers 9 and 4 bring bad luck

In Japanese, the pronunciation of “9” is “ku” which means “bitterness” and the pronunciation of “4” as “shi” which is associated with “death”. So even now, 9 and 4 can be avoided in hospital room number, nursing home room number, car number, bank teller window, etc. 4 and 9 are often pronounced “yon” and “kyuu” respectively.

Sleep with your pillow facing north

This belief has its roots in Buddhist funeral practices, in which the deceased is laid to rest with their head facing north. Doing it while you sleep is said to shorten your life.

When there is thunder, hide your navel!

This superstition has to do with the Japanese deity of thunder, Raijin. He is the one who causes the thunder in a storm and is said to have a particular passion for the navel of children: if one is exposed, he might descend and take you with him to his kingdom.

Take care that your comb does not break!

Just like breaking a mirror is supposed to bring bad luck in Western cultures, Japan has a similar superstition, but swaps the mirror for a comb and its teeth. This belief stems from myths about the deity Izanagi no Mikoto , who used his comb to discover a deception and to help him escape his pursuers, he threw it to the ground where it turned into bamboo shoots. So take care of your comb, it could be a lifesaver!

What did you think of these Japanese superstitions? In your country is there a very strange superstition? Tell us in the comments!