Do you believe or not? Japanese superstitions

We are not sure about their roots, but they are part of an old tradition and have been believed for a long time. Surely they come from old wisdom and experiences.

This is one of the most common superstitions in Japan.
Since it is very rare that tea stalks get mixed in tea, people started to believe it is a sign of good luck.
This is called "Chabashira" (tea pole).
Poles are essential in supporting house buildings, so it is believed that it is good luck to see a pole standing firm.

Teru teru bouzu is a paper doll which Japanese children make to pray for fine weather. They usually hang it by the window like the picture above, but it is commonly believed that it will be rain if they are hung upside down.
So when children wish for rain, they sometimes will hang them upside down on purpose.

I think no one knows the reason we do this, but surely many people still believe it and hide/throw their baby teeth. When I was a kid, my parents threw my teeth without any doubt.

When I was small, I always hid my thumb when I saw a funeral car.
This superstition is said to have been created by older people to stop kids from being rude and point their fingers at funeral cars.

There is no scientific basis and I do not know where it comes from, or whether it is true, but there are certain food combinations that Japanese people avoid and believe give bad stomachaches.

The most common bad combination is unagi (eel) and umeboshi (pickled plum). Japanese people avoid eating them together. There is a hypothesis that the reason why this is a bad combination is that unagi is seen to represent an expensive Japanese meal, while umeboshi represents a poor meal and so they fight each other.