你不知道的十大日本"習俗"(下)

n Has a Very High Suicide Rate

5.日本自殺率很高

Japan is a wealthy nation with a very interesting history and colorful culture. It's a visually stunning country that is home to the most innovative, highly disciplined, hard-working, successful people around. However, one dark aspect of Japanese society that many people from the West don't know is that it has a very high suicide rate. More than 30,000 Japanese men and women off themselves every year. With this rate, it is estimated that 24.4 out of 100,000 Japanese citizens are likely to kill themselves. Suicide has become a major issue in Japan. In fact, it has become one of the primary causes of death in women aged 15 – 34 and men aged 20 – 44.

日本是個很富有的國家，歷史饒有趣味，文化豐富多彩。那裏彙集了最具創新意識、高度自律、工作努力的成功人士。但大多西方人不知道，在這光鮮的成就背後隱藏着日本的高自殺率。每年，日本有超過3,000男女選擇自殺。按這個比率算來，100,000個日本人中，估計就有24.4人有自殺傾向。自殺已成爲日本一大社會問題，是造成15-34年齡段的女性和20-44年齡段的男性死亡的主要原因。

Why does a wealthy, highly advanced nation like Japan have a very high suicide rate? Apparently, Japan also faces unemployment problems. Failure to secure jobs is one of the primary causes of Japan's high suicide rate. The sad news is that many of those who commit suicide due to job problems are young adults. Many of them are actually fresh graduates. Aside from job issues, other primary factors leading to the high suicide rate in Japan are depression and financial hardship.

爲什麼一個像日本這樣富有而先進的國家有這麼高的自殺率呢？顯然，失業問題難辭其咎。高自殺率的一個主要原因就是得不到穩定工作，而且因就業問題而自殺的大多爲年輕人，而這些年輕人中很大一部分還都是應屆生。除了就業問題，導致高自殺率的另一個原因是經濟不景氣和財政困難。

lies in Japan Use the Same Water for Bathing

4.日本家庭共用一個浴缸泡澡

For the Japanese, taking a bath is not only about cleansing the body. It's also an effective way to relax the mind, the body, and the spirit. This is the reason why most Japanese take hot baths during the evening and go to hot springs or onsens regularly. Unlike in the Western world, Japanese families use the same water for bathing, and no they don't take baths simultaneously. The father goes first, followed by the mother, and then the children.

對於日本人而言，洗澡並不只是單純的洗淨身體，而是一種放空思緒、舒展身體和緩解精神的有效方式，這也是爲什麼大多日本人晚上都喜歡泡澡而且定期還會去泡溫泉的原因。跟西方不同，日本一大家子只用一池水泡澡，當然不可能是同時泡，一般都是爸爸先泡，然後是媽媽，最後是孩子。

Almost all Japanese homes have bathtubs. However, they only use them for soaking and not for cleansing. In general, the Japanese clean, scrub, and soap their bodies outside the bathtubs with the use of a wash bowl. After they have cleaned and rinsed themselves thoroughly, they'll then enter the tub, soak their bodies, and enjoy the relaxation that the hot bath water brings. Since the cleansing is done outside the bathtubs, the hot water remains clean and clear, fit to be used by other family members. One interesting aspect of Japan's unique way of bathing is that house guests are given the honor of using the hot bath water first.

日本幾乎每個家庭都有浴缸。但是，日本人並不用浴缸洗澡，而只用它泡澡。一般來講，日本人會先在浴缸外的洗臉池裏洗一洗、搓一搓、打打肥皂，等到渾身都洗乾淨之後，再躺進浴缸泡一泡，享受熱水帶來的舒緩。因爲進浴缸前已經洗淨了身體，所以泡完澡後熱水仍然是乾淨的，其他家庭成員還可以繼續泡。有趣的是，如果家裏來客人了，日本人會讓客人第一個泡澡，然後自己再泡。

Streets in Japan Don't Have Names

3.日本的很多街道都沒名字

Yes, you read that right. Many streets in Japan don't have names. So how do the Japanese locate certain areas if their streets are nameless? Well, they use a peculiar kind of addressing system that uses block numbers instead of street names. Blocks in Japan are given unique numbers, and these numbers serve as the address. The spaces between these blocks, the streets, are left unnamed. So typically, people in Japan say, "I live in Block 2" or "I work in Block 13" instead of saying "I'm on Crocodile St." or "My house is at Banana Ave."

是的，你沒看錯，日本很多街道真的都沒名字，就這麼任性！可是既然沒名字，那日本人怎麼描述自己的地理位置呢？其實，日本採用的是一種很特殊的編址系統，雖然街道沒有名字，但是街區都有相應的編號。每個街區都由一個特定的數字表示，用以標示地址。於是，處於街區之間的道路就變成了"無名氏"。所以，在日本，人們都說"我家住1號街區"或者"我家住13街區"，而不是"我家在鱷魚街"或是"我家在香蕉大街"。

Many people from Western countries might find this addressing system quite inefficient and confusing but actually it's not. In fact, it's very easy to use and helps people locate certain areas very quickly. For instance, if the restaurant you're looking for in Tokyo City is located at Block 20, then all you need to do is get a map and look for the area that has the number 20 on it and voila, you just found your destination. Also, block numbers are easier to remember and spot on a map compared to street names.

很多西方人可能覺得這樣編址效率很低、還難找，實則不然。事實上，這種方法在生活中很方便，可以幫助人們迅速定位。比如說，如果你在東京市想找位於第20街區的一個飯店，那你只要拿着地圖找到標着20號的那個地方就可以了。而且，比起街道名稱，街區名稱更易在地圖上標示，還方便記憶，一舉多得。

Adult Adoption Is Common in Japan

2.日本有成人收養制度

Typically, couples from Western countries adopt babies or young children for a variety of reasons such as infertility and companionship. However, in Japan, it's quite different. It's common for many Japanese families, especially the wealthy ones, to adopt fully grown men. Why is this so? There are two reasons why male adult adoption is normal and quite popular in Japan. First, adult men are adopted for the sake of carrying on the family's name. Japan, like many countries around the world, is a patriarchal society, and family names or surnames are passed through male children. Couples who only have female children are likely to consider adopting adult males just so their family names don't disappear. Second, adult men are adopted for the sake of a family's business. This reason is quite common in many wealthy Japanese families who own large companies.

西方夫婦也會收養嬰兒或幼兒做養子，不過通常都是因爲不孕不育或需要陪伴。但是在日本，情況卻大有不同。日本家庭，尤其是比較富裕的家庭，收養的對象很多都是成年的男子。這是爲什麼呢？其一，收養成年男子是爲了延續家族的姓氏。跟世界很多國家一樣，日本也是一個父權社會，一個家族的姓氏通常是靠男性傳承的。所以，那些只生了女孩的家庭爲了延續自己的姓氏，一般都會考慮收養一個成年男子。其二，收養成年男子也是發展家族企業的一條途徑。很多擁有大型企業的日本家庭都會收養成年男子，讓其以繼承人的身份來掌舵企業，使企業發展的更好。

Fully grown men are adopted so that they can inherit the family's business and run it. Even if a certain family has male candidates for inheritance, if the father sees that his inheritors are unsuitable for running his business, then he might consider taking in one of his highly competent executives.

有些家族即使是有男性繼承者，但如果父親覺得這個繼承者沒能力掌管好企業，也會考慮收養一個具有商業天賦、能力更強的"新兒子"，以避免由於子孫的不肖而帶來家業的衰敗。

n Is the Land of Kinky Sex

1.日本是怪癖性愛之都

When it comes to sex, the Japanese are very open-minded. Some behaviors or acts that are considered taboo in the Western world are accepted and practiced by many Japanese people. One perfect example of this is hentai mangas and animes which depict intercourse between humans, monsters, and even tentacles. Hentai can be easily bought in bookstores and convenience stores throughout the country.

日本人在性方面很開放。一些西方人認爲是禁忌的行爲，在日本卻能爲人所接受，還付諸實踐。最好的例子可能就是變態和亂倫題材的漫畫和動漫了，這些作品往往描述的都是人與人、人與獸、甚至人與幻想生物/器官"觸手"的性交。在日本，像這種這種變態題材的作品很輕易就能從書店和便利店買到。

翻譯:毛志遙 來源:前十網