Is obesity a problem in Japan?

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Rabbityama

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!

soulguy85

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.

No, theyre food is a billion times healthier than here.

Christian K

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.

My brother lived there and he seemed to think the portion control/portion size helped keep Japanese thinner. No massive portions like we see in America restaurants.

red_fire_halo

nope, japan is one of the healthiest and thinnest countries in the world

Malice

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'.

Looking for the truth...

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.

Love Shepherd

Being overweight has become more of a problem for middle and high school girls. And the ones who are getting older. They eat a lot more Mcdonalds and other bad food and don't exercize enough.

nettyhead

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.

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.

yako46

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.

gossipgirl

i think that since we walk more and eat more health were not too fat.

sellatieeat

No. They awlk a lot everyday, so they aren't fat.

Jon H

Not yet but it will come....Maccas and KC are everywhere!!

daboogah

i think the more foreigners come into the picture, the more the stats get screwed cause they bring it up. Asians in general keep it on the slim. its all about volume of what they eat. Try order a large size drink in mcd's over there. its like a small over here in the US

MigukInUJB

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.

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