This is a video about cool and not so cool facts about Japan by graphic designer Kenichi Tanaka. It received a lot of attention by Japanese and foreign media and got translated in many languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese. Tanaka says: “I created this information graphic motion piece as my final thesis project. My objective is to make Japanese people think about what is happening in their own country, and that some aspects of Japanese culture are not that normal. The English narration offers a point of view on Japan that isn’t usually considered by Japanese people, and therefore conveys a ‘foreign’ perspective. I hope audiences will learn about some of the weird aspects of Japanese culture.”

This is a fascinating story of a 10 year old girl who just passed the national sake expert test without ever drinking the alcohol. She could distinguish the different types of sake just by its looks and scents. This makes me wonder about my own Sake knowledge. May be she would be a nice Sake instructor..