Breaking Down Japan's Food Culture | TIME

comparing outcomes in various cultures is challenging.

I'm sure that the culture of food and employment taking health into account play a role in low obesity rates among the Japanese.

surely the accessibility afforded by walking and even some of their unique social pressures also play a role.

none the less, one hypothesis does feel worthy to consider: achieving health naturally is preferable to relying on a medical subscription, if within reach ...

Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. The Japanese cuisine's core feature is simplicity. For them, the simpler, the better. Japanese meals have very small portions, but more of them-five in a typical meal. In Japan, you are taught from a very early age to only eat until you feel you are 80% full. It was only when Imperial Japan was creating an army to attack other parts of Asia that a new food culture began to be invented, quite consciously, to produce healthier soldiers. In 2008, the Japanese government noticed that obesity was slightly rising and introduced the "Metabo Law," which was designed to reduce the negative consequences of a large waistline.