i am half japanese and live here in japan, ive been getting rejected from every apartment besides one. the room number is #404 and its a funeral home in the neighborhood. is there any superstitions about this in japan? ive spent time in china and even hotel rooms (404) was skipped i wanted to know if it was similarity in japan.
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It’s definitely a thing, but less so than in the rest of Asia. Most people wouldn’t think twice about it.
Four paired with two or nine is unlucky, and giving 4 of anything as a gift is bad luck. 4 and 2 can be read as ‘shi ni (死に)’ going to die, and 9 and 4 can be read as ‘kyu shi (急死)’ sudden death. What do you mean, it’s a funeral home? The apartment is in the same building as one?
It’s also a thing here but not as common as China. Most people don’t care.
Yes, it is.
4 =Death from what I’ve been told. Some elevators have no 4th floor. It’s the same as 13. Just superstition. If the place is really nice and you’re not superstitious then talk them down. 🙂
My birthday is April 4th, my 62 year old mother-in-law was born on April 4th as well but her mother wrote April 5th on her documents due to the superstition.
Definitely a thing in Japan. But, if you don’t believe in supernatural superstitious stuff, you can use it to your advantage.
If you can’t get any apartment besides #404, you could consider that a blessing.
I was once offered an amazing deal on an apartment because the previous tenant died there. I don’t believe in ghosts and I’m not freaked out simply if someone died in a particular room. Unfortunately, my Japanese partner flatly refused to go there.
If i was in your situation, probably I would put a “Not found” sticker under the number lol
I live between Hong Kong and Tokyo, the number 4 can sound like death in Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese. I’ve noticed the aversion of the number 4 in HK and most of China is massive. In HK they skip the 4th floor, the 4th apartment block etc. I have seen some aversion in Japan, however nothing compared to China levels.
I believe 9 is also .. when I got my scooter plates the ‘ number plate was ‘ 994’. … I took it, don’t care, some Japanese guys were sitting and waiting for the next plate
Unlucky number four is one of the first things you learn when you start studying Japanese, as an explanation for why there are two different words for “four” when you learn numbers lol
>The unluckiness of the number four is one such example, as the Japanese word for “four” 四 romaji: shi is a homophone for “death” kanji: 死. The same is true for Chinese, hanzi: 死 pinyin: sǐ, is also homophonous to “death.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_superstitions
What do engineers do about 404 errors?
Older people care about numbers, same as they check the calendar for “good days” (大安) and “bad days” (仏滅) for everything from weddings to moving house. Younger people generally give zero shits.
It’s just superstition, same sort of BS as not walking under a ladder, throwing salt over your shoulder, or believing in any form of sky fairy.
So if you like the apartment and you’ve been accepted for it, take it and think nothing more about it.
Yeah, it is but it’s just superstition and rest is how you interpret.
It’s 4合わせ, and 幸せ.
I own a car, and my car registration number unintentionally includes 404 but I’ve interpreted it as しあわせ。
Anyway, numbers are just numbers. If you like the room, take it, and if you don’t like it then you should not.
I own a property with that number. Tons of people interested.
Don’t listen to the people who have just learnt basic Japanese associating 4 with “死”. There’s that association in some circles – but tell me how you’re gonna avoid a basic number? 🙂
Many mansion buildings have 4th floors, many of them have more than 4 units. They have to call them something. Whether it’s 404 or 414, it’s gonna be something. People live in them.
Whenever I go to a ball game in Japan, I wear my number 44 jersey. The number four is my favorite number.
Apartment 404 not found
Have you tried jiko bukken (apartments where someone have recently died), often by natural causes. You could maybe find more matches.
I live in an Obake apartment and have done for the last 5 years. Every year during Obon I move to another home where the previous occupant died. I am not really bothered how they died as I get the apartment with a 50% discount for a full year. This year I moved into building 4! Just moved in yesterday in fact. No ghost sightings yet. Am enjoying the newest apartment though, heated flooring, large bathroom and by Japanese standards a big balcony with a view of the sea.
You should put a picture on your door of Internet explorer failing to load a web page
Afaik the number 4 (四 sì) sounds sounds like **死 (sǐ; to die)** – it’s therefore considered an unlucky number in chinese numerology. The japanese 4 (Shi) has the same connotation, which is why it’s sometimes spelled as “Yon”, when counting things, such as people for example.
I’m half Japanese living here in the Kansai region. Personally, I don’t give a damn about it because 4 is a lucky number to me, and I don’t say “shikai” for the 4th floor, or “shiban” for #4. I don’t associate the number with “death”.
There is a superstition in Japan that the number 4 is unlucky, because it sounds like the word “shi” which means “death”. So, many people avoid using the number 4 in their homes or businesses. This is why you may have been rejected from apartments with the number 4 in the address.
4 in cantonese also mean fortunate. So it doesn’t always mean a bad thing in China like what others say. But japanese ghosts are stronger and might come out from your bathtub. Just hire a witch, monk, or fengsui expert to help you. Take the place If you can live in a place for free.