Strange Japanese beliefs & urban myths

[chickie]

Eating peanuts will make your nose bleed.

OK, I must admit - I had believed eating too many peanuts will make my nose bleed til I read this thread!

• You won't be able to be present at your parents' death if you clip your nails at night.

I heard that this is kind of a play on words.
clipping your nails at night = 夜爪を切る
- 夜 has the same pronunciation as 世(world, life)
- 爪 sounds like つめる(to shorten)
So, it leads to this superstition, clipping your nail at night can make your life shorter!

I know these beliefs are just beliefs, but I can't help acting on these supersitions just to avoid bad luck

[Kirie_Maiden]

Yeah. God knows what they are based on. Some of them may be true. I think http://www.snopes.com is a good site to find out if Urban Legends and superstitions are true, because it seems that these beliefs aren't only held in Japan but they are world wide superstitions.

[Norwegiandude]

How about the one that if you eat too much chocolate you get a nose bleed?
My host mother worried alot in the beginning when I was eating japanese chocolate..

[Dutch Baka]

How about these nose bleeds when you are looking at J-rockers.... ?

[Norwegiandude]

Or when you see someone really hot/pretty and have nose bleeds?
My host grandma told me that if I saw a maiko/geisha I would have a nosebleed....

[Kirie_Maiden]

It seems to be a common thing that looking at hot people will give you a nose bleed. I've seen it in TV shows, anime, manga, music videos. It happens all the time. Not sure about real life though. Is that one just in Japan???

[kombizz]

I heard the following superstitions:
Going to bed naked will give you a headache.
Drinking sweet mineral water will keep you sexual organ healtier.
Leaving a toilet's open while you sleep will make you a restless !
Eating dried bread will make your earache.
Leaving a bottle of water outside your home will keep cats away.