Find out more about hidden Japanese culture on your smartphone and learn their original meaning.

Mizasaru kikazaru iwazaru (見ざる, 聞かざる, 言わざる) are the three wise monkeys from Japan.
It is a wordplay and means “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

Negation is often gestured in Japan by crossing two fingers or for a syringe emphasis by crossing ones underarms.
On the other hand, affirmation is shown by forming a circle by using your thumb and index finger or your arms.

Dogeza （土下座）is a very official way to apologise.
The one asking for forgiveness is going down on his knees,
and placing ones arm in front on the floor, while bending over.
The extreme version would be the forehead touching the floor.

A kimono（着物）clearly shows Japanese origin.

Eto (干支）is Chinese based Japanese horoscope.
It features twelve animals and is decided by which year one is born.

A fugu （ふぐ）or blowfish is a Japanese delicatessen. It’s possible poisoning makes it a rare and exciting dish.

The cherry blossom is marking the annual event of the sakura festival （桜祭り）at the end of March beginning of April.

This is not just some random grass: susuki （ススキ）(pampas grass), which resembles the rice plant is a typical autumn
grass and in tight connection with tsukimi　（月見）, the moon viewing festival celebrated in September.

An erupting volcano could happen everywhere, but with the numerous volcanos in Japan,
it is highly possible that Japan accounts for this emoticon too.

Though this might look like an average wave, it clearly resembles the wave from famous Japanese ukiyo-e （浮世絵）painter named Hokkusai from the Edo period.

This New Years’ decoration called kadomatsu (門松), they are usually placed in pairs in front of the house.

There are still more and more information on Japanese emoticons in your smartphone in “Emoticons with a Japanese background – part 3”