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Japan’s 10 Strangest Qualifications
By arzhou | September 28, 2007
Order of the Octopus… Dead Body Diploma? Wow Japan really has a lot of interesting qualifications. Not your typical university degree or poly diploma. These qualifications will allow you to show off your mastery over well… octopus. But errr who cares?
10. Mount Fuji Master
As the Japanese proverb says, “He who climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool.” Perhaps there should be an extension to cover those who sit all three levels of the Mount Fuji Kentei? Whether or not any of the questions involve the vending machines at the top of the mountain is unknown.
9. Comic Certification
I suppose it is inevitable that there is a manga-based examination. This one by ebook Japan offers three levels of certification in the way of Japanese comics from beginner to master otaku. If the subject matter is too broad, they offer separate qualifications for specific comic book series from Princess Princess to Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro.
8. Dead Body Diploma
The Japan Stone Industry Association have got together to offer the aspiring graveyard caretaker the chance to show they know the best way to keep their plots from pushing up dasies. For a mere 30,000 yen you too can sit the test.
7. Kobe Knowledge
Many towns and other major tourist areas seem to have such a test, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, often sponsored by the local government. These qualifications do require a formal test with fees of just 1,500 yen for the Kobe one, but once it is obtained it may actually be useful if pursuing a tourism-related job in the area.
6. Order of the Octopus
Just down the road from Kobe is Akashi, famous for its tako, or octopus (which, by the way, are cruelly castrated to provide snack food for the residents of Osaka, just down another road from Kobe) so it seems only natural that there are people wishing to be experts on these sea creatures. Here you can demonstrate your knowledge of the multi-testicled beasts (hence the aforementioned takoyaki octopus balls) with questions such what is their favourite shellfish.
5. Timetable Test
The perfect qualification for trainspotters or insomniacs. Just memorise the contents of all railway, ferry and aeroplane timetables, and you’ll pass easily. Zzzz.
4. NAMAHAGE Professor Trial
I think the official English title is entertaining enough so I need not come up with an alliterative alternative. The Namahage is a traditional New Year festival from the the Oga Peninsula in the north of Japan, where the young men of the village dress up as fierce demons and invade houses, scaring all the children they can find, so presumably sitting the test will improve your chances of being a demon. Whether or not the exam rates the scariness or otherwise of the sitters is not documented.
3. Underpants University
Gunze, the maker of fine underpants and other garments for men’s nether regions presents a free and short shorts exam (currently being advertised at a railway stations I frequent) for you to sit and prove you know your thongs from your codpieces.
2. Idiot Initiation
Test how much of an idiot you are. This can be done either from a handy DAM Station karaoke machine (don’t ask why!) or from your mobile phone, for the rather high fee of 945 yen. Perhaps parting with all that cash is in itself some indication of how much of a fool you are? There is an introductory idiocy test available for free online.
1. Batchelor of Brassiere Science
What could be finer than a breast examination? Wacoal, a major manufacturer of ladies lingergie, celebrated bra day on the 12th of February by releasing a small but pert(inent) test of one’s knowledge of these garments.
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Topics: Interesting News |
September 28th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
I’m interested in Number 1. Where do I sign up?
September 29th, 2007 at 5:19 am
erm… u dun really eat octopus BALLS in takoyaki… It’s just short strips of octopus in flour balls that are grilled…
September 29th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I know heh, go tell that to the person who thought of this top 10 :p