We grow up believing in one or two superstitions as kids, perhaps still carrying them until this very moment. Every country has their own sets of superstitious beliefs. Some are out of the question and some are just… unexplainable. Japan is not an exception to these things because they have their own set which is mostly related to their culture and tradition.
1. Do not step on the cloth border of tatami mats. These mats have family emblem engraved on it. Stepping on the border is believed to be stepping on the parents’ head.
2. Do not place your pillow in the northern direction because doing so would cause death at an early age and it’s also the position of a deceased person in a funeral.
3. Seeing a spider in the morning means good luck. Seeing a spider at night means bad luck and you have to kill it.
4. Do not whistle at night. It is believed as an act of calling snakes and other evil creatures.
5. Predict the weather using your shoe. If the shoe lands on it’s sole, it will have a good day and if it lands upside down, it will rain.
6. Japanese buddhists believe that inanimate objects have spirit.
7. Cutting your nails at night entails bad luck. It also means that you will never make it to your parent’s funeral if they die.
8. Hide your thumb when you see a funeral car. The Japanese term for thumb is oyayubi which means “parent-finger” It is believed that when you don’t hide your thumb when a funeral car passes by, your parents will die at a young age.
9. In a photo of three people, the one in the middle will mostly die.
And the funniest of all…
10. If you lie down just right after eating then you will be a cow.
These things were called superstitious for many reasons. But Japan has a high regard for their country’s superstitions and take these things in a more serious note.
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