Fitness

Health is important but every day people are getting fatter and more unhealthy.

More and more families in Japan are too busy. Either both parents work, or it's a one-parent home. Either way, no one's able to spend all afternoon shopping and cooking proper meals. And it wouldn't matter anyway, because the kids come home later and later because of school clubs and after-school activities like tutoring and English classes. And the primary bread-winner has to stay at work later and later as jobs become more and more demanding.

I see Japan slowly starting to look like America. Japanese are getting fatter and more unhealthy. Why is this? Are they not exercising, or are they eating more unhealthy food? Maybe it's a combination of the two.

The Japanese are famously healthy. Japan is one of the healthiest nations in the world, boasting one of the highest life expectancy rates and lowest obesity rates. This is because the Japanese eat very healthy food, lots of vegetables, and small amounts of fat. They also walk alot. They walk to the train, they walk to work, they walk to school, and they walk to the store. All that walking it great exercise. For further distances, they take bikes. I'm always impressed with mothers who ride bikes with three kids: one in front, one in the back, and a baby on her back. Biking, walking, climbing stairs in their homes and apartments; the world is their gym.

But that's changing. I know the number of people driving cars in Japan goes up every year. If you add scooters, then you have alot of people not walking. Recently we've seen the introduction of the very popular power-assist bicycle. Lately many of my students are brought to and from their classes here by car, even if they only live a few blocks away. How American! After the parking lot near our school was turned into an apartment building, I saw many of those students arriving on foot. So maybe losing the parking lot was a good thing.

A few years ago, futsal became popular and I knew many students who played it. Athletics in general are popular, if you you have time. But with the struggling economy workers don't have enough time to work-out or play sports. Students also spend most of their free time seated in tutoring schools.

And the one-two punch is that American fast-food is gaining popularity. It's easier to find a hamburger than a salad.

I hope

Irish Festival in Omotesando

Whatever you were planning to do 

this Sunday,

 March 17, 2013, from 1-4, forget about it. 

The only thing worth doing at that time will be 

the big Saint Patrick's Day parade in Omotesando, Tokyo.

What?

St. Patrick's Day is the annual celebration of Ireland and Irish/Celtic culture and it's one of the liveliest, most colorful street festivals you'll see anywhere in the world. The day is celebrated pretty much anywhere you have alot of Irish immigrants (or descendants). It's what happens when thousands of Irish leave their homeland, and get homesick. And here in Japan, we have several thousand of 'em (not counting their descendants, like me), and there have been Irish in Japan for over 300 years.

It starts at 2pm this Sunday on Omotesando street (one station from Shibuya), starting from Omotesando Hills. It should finish around 4. But you'll want to get to the station no later than 1:30 because it'll take time to make your way through the crowds. Oh, and wear green (or orange...if you don't know why, wear green).

This is not to be missed.

Why?
You'll see Omotesando adorned with Irish flags and thick with around 50,000 good-spirited revelers waiting for a parade of 1,500 participants with bagpipers, dancers, animals, costumes, and all manner of musicians, performers and costumes.

The festival is completely family-friendly, and you it's said that on this day every year, "everyone is Irish." 

So it's really your cultural duty to attend, as a temporary Irishman/woman.

Afterwards, friends and family retire to one of Tokyo's 300 Irish pubs (most of which are family-friendly) for a pint of Guinness and a bite. And if you like beer, but not Guinness, I'll wager you've never tried it on tap.

While in Japan, it's good to take in as much of the local culture as you can. But this is entirely too much fun to pass up. It's brief, free and unforgettable.

And if Omotesando is too far for you, there are celebrations in other areas of Japan, too including, Chiba, Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka.

For more information:
Irish Network Japan