I have spent almost 3 months in Japan now, and never in my life have I felt so healthy.
This has numerous reasons, which I’ll sum up and break down in this article.
Before I do, first a brief bit of context:
I have taken my health seriously for 5+ years now, by working out and choosing a diet consciously.
My view was health to build muscle and become fit. Working out 4 times per week, and eating any protein I can get my hands on. All whilst eating 3000+ calories every day to make sure I gain muscle and weight.
Big heavy meals, full of protein and carbohydrates.
And I felt good. I thought I was doing amazing.
Then I came to Japan.
And for people that move to new countries often, you’ll that it’s hard to maintain your diet the same as it is back home.
My diet automatically adapted to the Japanese one.
And wow. To say it is good is an understatement.
After 2 weeks I already felt it. I had more energy, I felt healthier, and I had ZERO after-dinner dips.
I believe this is because of 2 main reasons:
- No heavy meals. There is a principle here to only eat until you are 80% full. No more than that.
- But most importantly: no processed carbs. The difference it makes for me is CRAZY.
Only now I noticed how many processed carbohydrates I ate. Pasta, bread, everything. Every carbohydrate that is not purely natural and is produced by the food industry.
They barely eat those here. And cutting those completely from my diet here, made me realize that it’s exactly what always makes me feel so heavy and slow after eating.
It seems to take energy instead of giving energy.
Instead, the Japanese eat healthy protein rich natural foods. And when they eat carbs, it’s rice. Which is unprocessed.
I’m no diet expert, but I definitely feel a difference in how good and healthy I feel. And I also see it, my muscles have never looked so toned, and I have lost excess fat.
But their diet is not the only thing making me feel so healthy. It’s also their customs.
Not only because they stay active until an old age (working in restaurants at 80+), but also the way they take care of the mind.
Their religion places great emphasis on this. 50% Buddhism, and 50% Shinto, which is an ancient Japanese religion.
I don’t know close to enough about it yet to explain, all I can tell you is that the Japanese seem to live very purposefully. When I see them at local temples, and when visiting local Onsens (spa), I notice they seem to take the time to actually relax, more than in other countries I have visited.
Onsens are a great example. They are spa’s located all over Japan, and cost about €3-€4 to enter. It is common here to go to a spa daily.
Ice baths, sauna, and mountain water rich in minerals, which they believe have healing properties.
I don’t know if it is because of their religion, but the Japanese seem to know a lot about health and place great emphasis on it. They seem to know what every ingredient does to the body, and they seem to know how to take care of their mind.
A kind of deep knowledge that seems common here, but is unheard of in the west.
No wonder this is the country where people live longest, with women reaching an AVERAGE age of 87. That is a ridiculously high average.
I even saw it in the Onsen (spa). Every man there, even the ones 80+ years old, had toned muscles and seemed fit. Absolutely no one here is buffed with huge muscles, but almost everyone seems fit.
There are undoubtedly way more reasons for that, and this is just my experience after spending 3 months here.
And even though I have put great effort in learning about Japanese culture, I still feel I have only scratched the surface, and I doubt that this is a very accurate representation of Japan.
It’s just the honest experience of an uninformed Dutch guy, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Kees closed.