Many people may know Japan as the country that is home to samurai, ninja, manga, anime and sushi, but this nation actually has so much more that you may not know about. Here are just 10 of them:

Japan experiences more than 1,000 earthquakes every year

Because it sits on top of four major tectonic plates, Japan is prone to earthquakes, with an average of about 1,500 incidents each year.

Japan is an archipelago with almost 7,000 islands

Japan is made up of five big islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa) and more than 6,000 smaller ones, with only about 430 being inhabited.

The Japanese railway system is one of the best in the world when it comes to punctuality, with an average delay of only 18 seconds

The Japanese transportation network is one of the most punctual in the world. Whether it is a local train or a Shinkansen, delays are very rare, and the railway company issues an apology or provides a delay certificate to its passengers when this happens.

There are more than 5.5 million vending machines all over Japan

When in Japan, it is very common to see vending machines along the streets. These things sell a wide variety of products, including beverages, ice cream, cigarettes, food, magazines and even bouquets of flowers.

Japan grows and produces square watermelons

Invented by a local farmer in the 1980s, square watermelons are grown to save space and allow easier cutting of the fruit.

There is a spaghetti-flavoured ice cream sold in Japan

Japan is known for its love for the unusual and odd, and it has added spaghetti-flavored ice cream to its already long list of strange ice cream flavours.

Japan is home to a rabbit island

Rabbit Island, or Okunoshima, was a former covert military base during World War II. Today, it is a popular tourist destination because of its large population of free-roaming rabbits. It also has a park, golf course, and other recreational areas.

There is a building that has a highway passing through it

This building is the Gate Tower Building in Fukushima-ku in Osaka. It is an office building that consists of 16 floors.

KFC is a typical Christmas Eve feast for many Japanese

KFC’s “Kentucky for Christmas” ad campaign back in 1974 was so successful, demand for the fast-food chicken during the Christmas season among Japanese people has been high every year since. As early as October, families order their favourite Christmas Party Barrels, or line up at the more than 1,200 branches of the fast food chain in the days leading to Christmas Eve.

Japan has declared Godzilla to be an official citizen of the country

In April of 2015, fictional movie monster Godzilla was presented with a special residency certificate and was appointed a tourism ambassador by the Shinjuku City Office.