[wanderer_79]

As a Japanese, I will also mention that what you see out to eat in Japan is not exactly what we eat at home traditionally. I doubt many would know about all the multitude of traditional dishes that my mom regularly made at home that one would typically not go out to eat, such as hijiki salad (ひじきの煮物) or kinpira gobo (きんぴらごぼう). These and others are the types of dishes that remind me of home (and not tamago-sandos and ramen). My mom emphasized eating things of different colors, which came in the form of assortments of various types of vegetables.

Also, portion sizes in America are huge.

[evidencetamper]

This, plus yearly mandated healthchecks with huge pressure and shame on excessive weight.

[wanderer_79]

Are you speaking from experience? Because this sounds like the typical sensationalization of all things Japanese which permeates even this website. Compared to western culture, people in Japan may be more forward about commenting on your weight (as is also common in some other East Asian cultures), but I wouldn't call it "huge pressure and shame".

As to the health exam, you may get some consultation and recommendations if your measurements show you are overweight, but it doesn't turn into some draconian process shaming you into losing the weight. I'm Japanese and never heard about such thing.

[evidencetamper]

If you never heard about the weight maintenance company wide competitions (let's fitness!), the labor doctor telling you that it might be difficult for you to handle stressful management work with high blood pressure, the kids saying that they were laughed at because their dad is fat...

You're blessed.

[dartharva]

None of these are even remotely unique or attributable to Japan. You can find them anywhere in the developed world.

[wanderer_79]

I can't tell if you are speaking from experience or not. I tried googling about this company wide competition and cant find any hits about this, searched "lets fitness" in english and Japanese, cant find anything.

High blood pressure is a medical condition, and you are telling me that a suggestion from the doctor regarding stress levels at work is bad?

And kids, cmon. Kids will make fun of anything. I did some schooling in the US and I was made fun of purely for being of a particular race.

[evidencetamper]

Oh, I see. You're not actually Japanese.

[wanderer_79]

applause fantastic conclusion

[pezezin]

Is that true?

I live in Japan and maybe my company is different, because we don't get that pressure and shame. My health check reports show a warning sign in the weight/BMI area, and that's it. Plenty of chubby and overweight people in my office too, and nobody shames them.

[Tor3]

Ah yes, the food we eat at home (my wife is Japanese) is quite different from a lot of the food you get when you eat out. And we use way less salt at home, and there are no additives unlike the pre-made ramen kits bought in shops. Lots and lots of fresh vegetables and other fresh food.