Things invented in Japan include: MSG, cup noodles (instant noodles), karaoke (KTV), K-line charts, Yagi antennas, etc.

1. MSG

MSG was discovered and patented by the Japanese Ajinomoto Company in 1909. Pure MSG appears as a white crystalline powder. When MSG dissolves in water (or saliva), it quickly ionizes into free sodium ions and glutamate ions (glutamate ions are the anions of glutamic acid, a natural amino acid).

2. Cup noodles (instant noodles)

Cup noodles were invented by Taiwanese-Japanese Momofuku Ando in 1958. After Momofuku Ando invented instant noodles, he founded Nissin Food Co., Ltd. to sell "Chicken Ramen" (called Nissin E-men in Hong Kong and Nissin Ancestral Chicken Ramen in Mainland China). The initial price was 35 yen. But imitations soon appeared, leading to price-cutting competition.

3. Karaoke (KTV)

Karaoke means no-person band. It is an entertainment singing activity originating from Japan. It usually plays pre-recorded videos on video tapes. On other storage media, the music accompaniment without the vocals of the lead singer is simultaneously played on the TV screen with the lyrics prompted by the beat, and then the participants sing while holding the microphone while looking at the lyrics. Since Daisuke Inoue invented the earliest music accompaniment tape in 1971, it has become one of the most popular forms of public leisure and entertainment today.

4. K-line chart

K-line chart originated from rice market trading during the Tokugawa Shogunate era in Japan in the 18th century, and was used to calculate the daily rise and fall of rice prices. Because of its unique marking method, people introduced it into the analysis of stock market price trends. After more than 300 years of development, it has been widely used in securities markets such as stocks, futures, foreign exchange, and options.

5. Yagi antenna

The Yagi antenna is a directional antenna designed in 1928 by Japanese antenna experts Shuji Yagi and Taro Uda. Because of its advantages of high gain, strong directivity and simple structure, it is widely used in radio direction finding and long-distance radio communications.