[Brad from Georgia]

The "facts" are never as interesting as ones you just make up.

1. In 1945, the entire population of Japan was seventeen people, total.
2. Japan is the only nation in the world where the sun rises in the west and also sets in the west.
3. "West Side Story" is based on an ancient Japanese fable about some frogs and a motorcycle.
4. Furniture can be "japanned." You put it on a table and whack it repeatedly with a katana.
5. To the Japanese, Japan is called "Nippon," from the way Japanese mothers told their sons, "Nip on down to the grocery and buy us some rice."
6. Japan is spelled the same backward or forwards: Japan and japaN. See?
7. Whenever the Japanese find themselves growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in their souls; whenever they find themselves involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral they meet; and especially whenever their hypos get such an upper hand of them, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent them from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, they account it high time to get to sea as soon as they can. Well, that, or order a pizza.