# Every Japanese Ig Nobel Prize winner (1992–2025)

The Ig Nobel Prizes honour research that "makes people laugh, and then think", and Japan wins almost every year. From the chemicals behind foot odour to Tamagotchi, Bowlingual, karaoke, slippery banana skins and zebra-striped cows: all the Japanese winning studies up to 2025, in order.

- 14 votes · 31 items
- Jan 23, 2026 · retro_nara
- https://even.best/en/l/5283/every-japanese-ig-nobel-prize-winner-1992-2025

## Top 31

1. **2014, Physics: How slippery banana skins are** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Physics, 2014.
2. **1992, Medicine: Identifying the chemicals behind foot odour** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1992.
3. **1997, Biology: How gum flavours change brain waves** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Biology, 1997.
4. **1999, Chemistry: S-Check, a spray to detect infidelity** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 1999.
5. **2008, Cognitive science: Slime moulds that solve puzzles** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Cognitive science, 2008.
6. **2011, Chemistry: A wasabi fire alarm** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2011.
7. **2013, Medicine: Opera and heart-transplanted mice** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine, 2013.
8. **2018, Medical education: Self-colonoscopy in a sitting position** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Medical education, 2018.
9. **2023, Nutrition: Electrified chopsticks and straws that change taste** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Nutrition, 2023.
10. **2009, Biology: Cutting kitchen waste with panda-dung bacteria** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Ig Nobel Prize for Biology, 2009.
11. **1995, Psychology: Pigeons trained to tell Picasso from Monet** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Psychology, 1995.
12. **1996, Biodiversity: Fossils of tiny "mini-species"** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Biodiversity, 1996.
13. **1997, Economics: Tamagotchi** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Economics, 1997.
14. **2002, Peace: Bowlingual, a dog-to-human translator** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Peace, 2002.
15. **2003, Chemistry: The statue that pigeons avoid** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2003.
16. **2004, Peace: Inventing karaoke** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Peace, 2004.
17. **2005, Biology: Cataloguing the smells of stressed frogs** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Biology, 2005.
18. **2005, Nutrition: 34 years photographing every meal** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Nutrition, 2005.
19. **2007, Chemistry: Vanillin from cow dung** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2007.
20. **2010, Transport planning: Using slime moulds to design railway networks** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Transport planning, 2010.
21. **2012, Acoustics: SpeechJammer** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Acoustics, 2012.
22. **2015, Medicine: Kissing reduces allergic reactions** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine, 2015.
23. **2016, Perception: Looking at things through your legs** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Perception, 2016.
24. **2019, Chemistry: How much saliva a five-year-old produces in a day** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2019.
25. **2020, Acoustics: An alligator's voice on helium** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Acoustics, 2020.
26. **2021, Kinetics: Why pedestrians sometimes collide** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Kinetics, 2021.
27. **2022, Engineering: How many fingers we use to turn a knob** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Engineering, 2022.
28. **2024, Physiology: Breathing through the anus** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Physiology, 2024.
29. **2025, Biology: Painting zebra stripes on cows to keep flies away** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ig Nobel Prize for Biology, 2025.
30. **2013, Chemistry: Why onions make us cry** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Ig Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2013.
31. **2017, Biology: Insects with reversed genitalia** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Ig Nobel Prize for Biology, 2017.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.