Seldomly Asked Questions
Dec 13, 11:38 am
Ever have a burning but completely obscure questions about Japan that you wanted answered but never found out about. The JAPAN SAQ is an amazing resource of some truly bizarre facts about Japan. Like “What do Japanese People wear underneath their Kimonos?” “How do the JR and Subway workers get home at night after the last train has left?” and “What’s the origin or purpose of the curtains hanging at the top of the doorway from many Japanese restaurants and sometimes shops?”
One of my favourite answers is this:
I read an article that said there is a Japanese society that sues every comic company that brings comic characters with four fingers to Japan, unless high amounts of money are being paid. The article said that four fingers once was the sign for stupid butcher’s apprentices or something like that and that it is still very rude to show someone four fingers. It also said that Disney pays millions per year, to make sure Mickey Mouse doesn’t need a fifth finger. Is that true? I think it’s strange but after reading your site I don’t think it’s impossible.
A. It is true that there are very four-fingered cartoon characters in Japan. There are two reasons. The first is that Yakuza often cut off their little fingers, so four-fingered characters would look like gangsters. The other is that there is a caste of people in Japan called Burakumin who have traditionally been discriminated against. They were the Japanese equivalent of the India’s untouchables and often performed undesirable jobs like butchery of animals and leather work. Holding up four fingers is a way to indicate Burakumin, because the four fingers look like a four legged animal. This is probably the group that Max is referring to in his question. As far as I can tell however, the Disney story is a myth, but it is true that when the British children’s program Bob the Builder came to Japan, he was given a fifth finger because they did not want him to look like a Yakuza.
There’s even a story about it on the BBC. The more you know about a culture, the easier it is to get around while you’re immersed in it. In fact, if you read up on some of these factoids, you’ll find out things that many Japanese don’t know.
Dec 13, 11:38 am | Digg this!
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