Last Updated on November 13, 2020
3. Active and healthy lifestyle
Combining a healthy diet with an active lifestyle and a regular workout plan can do wonders for your health. Walking and biking daily to move around the city is something that Japanese people do a lot – and it is helping them stay in good shape. The health benefits of walking are pretty well-known: it burns calories, lower blood sugar, improves heart health, gives more energy, improves the overall mood, and it can even help people deal with joint pain. That’s the main reason why doctors all over the world recommend this activity as a fundamental part of any active lifestyle to people of all ages and fitness levels. Besides walking a lot during old age, Japanese seniors also try to stay engaged in a hobby. Gardening, for example, is very popular. This kind of mindset adds purpose to life after retirement (culturally, the professional career is very important for Japanese people), which is extremely positive for both their physical and mental health. In Japanese culture, this concept is known as ikigai (the term can be translated to something like “reason for being”), meaning it is crucial to live longer and feel better in the later stages of life.
2. Hygiene
The outstanding hygiene habits of the Japanese people is key to their longevity. Kids are taught from a very young age to keep their personal space properly clean and disinfected and be extra careful when in a public space – it is not uncommon to see kids cleaning the classroom at the end of the school day. These sorts of practices end up having a huge influence throughout their lives. As we all should be aware by now, good personal hygiene, which includes proper respiratory hygiene practices, is essential to prevent infections and keep our organism safe from dangerous viruses and bacteria. That’s exactly why Japanese people wash their hands regularly and start wearing a mask as soon as they suspect they might be sick – a safety measure that’s very common in Asian countries. These small actions prevent viruses like the flu (Influenza) from spreading rapidly and reaching the most vulnerable part of the population, the elderly.
