It will be almost a year since I moved to the land of the rising Sun, (Japan) with my husband, I am always curious about the culture, thinking, habits and vision of the people. I have seen and met people and have observed them. I find it very fascinating what makes people who they are and how they live. There are many things I would like to share about Japan. I will start with their health and what are the things that keep them so fit. Japanese people are considered fittest in the World and they live longer than the rest of the world, and I cannot agree more with it. There are some thing s I started to believe once I saw with my eyes

• Age is just a number: In Japan, the elderly people are even more active than the youngsters and by the elderly I mean who is around 80s. You will most probably be wrong when guessing their age. When I started going out and exploring I was so surprised to see elderly people are so active here. I feel so motivated at the gym when I see people around 70 and 80 pulling heavyweight, building muscles, doing deadlifts, split, power stretching and trying out all the weight machines. Not just the gym, you will find such people swimming, playing tennis, running, and I also saw many elderly couples running restaurants all by themselves. One will handle the cooking part and others will handle customers. They say if you stop, you die. They do not want to spend their lives in the bed and they are actually determined for it to not happen. Elderly people sometimes live all by themselves, doing all the chores. I am blessed to be in touch with some people who are even voluntarily supporting special people(handicapped people). I have a friend who is around 70, when I go out with her, walking all day round I am all exhausted but she stays active till the end of the day. Except for elderly people, you will find many people of all ages running around roads no matter what time you go out. Whenever I go out, I cross at least 4-5 people running.

• Japanese people eat a variety of food in a small portion. It will have salad, fruits, miso, tofu, fish, vegetables, steamed beans, pickles, fruit, rice, seaweed, fried stuff, dessert, and green tea or otcha (barley tea). You will be happy to know that even if you eat out in a decent Japanese restaurant, it is kept sure that you eat healthy, nutritious yet tasty. There are of course different cuisines every day but side dishes are almost similar in each one. Even when you go to a Japanese burger chain in Japan, you will be given lots of salad and leaves.

• Disciplined and Punctual: Most of the Japanese people I know plan ahead and follow it religiously. They are hardworking and determined. There may be exceptions, but most people keep a journal, write everything and have a daily schedule. That way they do not waste much time and follow what they plan. They will not just write work, they will also write if they have a plan to meet a friend or sit below the sakura tree and have tea. I think that plays a very important role in one’s life. It means they are not just thinking but also acting upon it. They are organized about everything and they like to do one time at a time with focus which unknowingly avoids stress.

Of course, there are other factors, more favorable living conditions such as very low pollution, close to nature, better facilities and a low population.

Thank you for reading, I hope you find it interesting, I will keep updating this topic as I spend more time here.

Lots of Love

Yogu