Health and Wealth Japanese Features Soceity and Customs

Some Secrets of Japanese Longevity

Japanese life expectancy has been known highest in the world: 86.05 years for women and 79.29 for men (according to the survey released in 2009). Since diets and exercises are reported to play an important role in maintaining good health, Japanese people must have some secrets in their diets and exercises.

Japanese eating practices have a very unique characteristic. They not only eat Sushi and Sashimi (English: raw fish), which are typical examples of healthy Japanese dishes, but they also eat food on special occasions. For example., they eat BBQ eels on specified days in summer because they believe that the affluent nutriment (e.g., Vitamin A and Bs) of eels helps them to combat the summer heat. Vegetables, such as pumpkins, are also eaten on special days in winter. Japanese people follow these eating traditions to take in important nutrients in accordance with seasonal changes.

Morning exercise may contribute to Japanese longevity. In summer, people get together somewhere (e.g., in the nearby park or on the street) and do so-called radio exercises called Rajio Taisou. Children are expected to participate in this morning exercise as early as 6 am. Their participation brings them a stamp on their stamp card (one stamp per participation) and eventually some rewards around the end of summer vacation (i.e., August 31st). This radio exercise is pretty common at workplaces as well. You could see, if you are lucky, workers do exercises together to the tune of radio before they actually start their work.