Is obesity a problem in Japan?

Question

Just Wondering

Answer 1

Many Japanese (especially females) pay close attention to their weight. They take great pride in being a healthy and (mostly) thin nation. America's notoriety for being an obese nation has definitely made its way to Japan.

When I was in Japan, I stayed with a host family, and my host father brought out the newspaper one day and said, "Do you know about New York City?" I was nervous, because he was very urgent, so I thought something bad had happened, so I asked what happened. He then showed me the headline and said "New York people are FAT!" It made me laugh (but also a bit embarassed) that America's obesity problem made the front page of the news!

Answer 2

At the moment, it is not a problem. BUT, the child obesity issue is beginning to become somewhat problematic. Mainly, it is because of the Japanese snacking habits, sugar content, and the influx of Western fast food chains.

Japan is considered to be one of the healthiest, if not the healthiest country in the world. But that is only in the area of diet. Their cooking style does not require a large amount of oil, and other "bad" things that permeate the western diet. But western influences have been becoming stronger and stronger in recent years.

When i first came to Japan, I don't remember seeing even one fat kid. Now, there are several and the parents don't even see it as a problem, they think it is healthy because they are eating well.

Japan is generally about 10-15 years behind the west in terms of social evolution. I would guess that childhood obesity WILL be a problem here within the next 8-10 years or so.

Answer 3

Obesity isn't something that's obvious in Japan.
Diet generally accounts for slim waistlines, and when added to the naturally small frame that most Japanese possess - most people appear quite slender.

However, despite being slim, very few Japanese people past their middle 20s have anything resembling 'muscle-tone'. Most Japanese adults don't exercise on a regular basis. If they want to lose weight, that's generally achieved via diet, rather than activity.
Still, problems with weight in Japan still would tend towards a lack of eating, rather than obesity - despite the recent increase in 'obese children'.

Answer 4

No it isn't.
However, the Japanese diet has been changing quite a bit over the past 5~10 years. There is a lot more junk food available. I think people eat out at restaurants more often too. The traditional Japanese family eating miso soup with tofu and seaweed with rice and fish is fading away. The Japanese people have been the healthiest, longest living, people on the earth for a long time, but I'm afraid Western influence will bring that to an end.

Answer 5

no, nowhere near what it is in the United States. That said, however, there are more and more overweight kids in Japan, mostly due to a change in diet and a lifestyle planted in front of the TV. I think you'll be hard pressed to find many overweight folks in their late teens and 20s, but if you look at elementary school kids, their proportion is much higher and growing. I wouldnt call it obesity, though -- just overweight.

Answer 6

No, meals industries have been continuously there, and stay there. however the predicament of time right this moment in people's lives are inflicting the load problems in united statesa.. The lesser the time to coach a fulfilling meal the extra energy they have, for this reason in direct co-relation to time and guidance of meals generates extra weight problems. think of approximately it, there are eating places and quickly ingredients around the globe, how come u . s . a . is the only united states of america it is heavier by skill of 40% than it replaced into 10 years in the past. different international locations don't have existence interior the quickly lane as much as we do right here in united statesa..

Answer 7

No. I think mainly because people walk more throughout the day. Here in the States, we drive to everywhere. However, in Japan, people take train/bus to commute. So, more walking. Also, people eat much less portion. I am from there, so when I go home, I actually lose weight while staying.

Answer 8

It's getting to be more of a problem all across Asia as people eat a more 'Westernized diet'.

Traditional Asian diets (whether Korean, Japanese, etc.) tend to be very healthful, since the staple foods are mostly rice and vegetables. Fruits are usually for dessert and although meat is still eaten, it's eaten in smaller quantities overall. Fewer chemicals are used as well (the bread I bought in Korea lasted longer than the American brands I bought on post, although, American made bread usually has preservatives and Korean made bread usually doesn't-I imagine Japan is similar in this respect).

Unfortunately for many Asians, body fat will cause health problems at lower levels, due to their genetics (although they can still be healthy at lower body fat levels than non-Asians). They also tend to eat quite a few eggs in Asian countries, so cholesterol levels are becoming a problem, too.

I admit, I loved how exercising and eating Asian (mostly Korean) food helped me stay healthy in Korea. I lost a bit of weight over there and I have to work harder to keep it off now that I'm back in the US.

Answer 9

I've read where it is in fact starting to become a problem since the expansion of fast food chains like McDonald's, KFC, Taco Bell, etc.

Answer 10

no...im from japan and i ate the healthiest foods there...lol it was rather shocking when i came to u.s. because obesity was a big problem. BTW, usually in japan, when you go to clothes stores, they only sell one-size clothes.