July 20, 2025 • 31 mins
This episode explores how culture shapes our well-being—spotlighting Japan, Germany, and the U.S. to uncover rituals and habits that lead to healthier lives. From Japan’s deeply ingrained school rituals and collective health mindset, to Germany’s national embrace of rest, balance, and natural remedies, we contrast these with America's more medicalized, individualist approach.
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Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2279605
Big shoutout to Allison Gray for generously granting us permission to feature her song, "Off My Mind" (from Ep 05).
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I gotta get you out of my system.
I gotta get you off of my mind.
But how do I move on when noone compares?
They only keep me occupied.
I gotta break these chains thatbind me.
I try to shake them off sodesperately but you pull them
(00:24):
tighter, string me along.
It's sad, but I'm so gone.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Japan is known as one of the healthiest countries in
the world.
It's one of the blue zones,basically A location where
people tend to live longer than100 years old, or there's a
concentrated population ofpeople who live Especially
Okinawa right.
Yeah so Okinawa is one of them.
So I thought today we couldtalk about health and wellness
(00:50):
in general for differentcountries.
So should we start with Japanfirst?
Yeah, what do you guys think?
What's?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
the secret.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
What's the secret?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Well for sure, people in Japan drink green tea almost
every day, right, that's true,it's like a lifestyle, almost
everybody.
I don't know if that's a secretor not, but that's one thing
pretty much everyone does.
In Japan Also, kids in thesummertime, instead of having
water in their water bottles,they have cold barley tea,
(01:20):
almost like guaranteed.
It's not very common to havelike water in the water bottles
for kids.
In the summertime they havebarley tea yeah, you know which
is decaffeinated especially forkids.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I feel like culturally it's embedded as part
of you know, your daily life.
As an example especially Ithink we talked about it in
episodes a while back about thekids at school, how there's
always a checkup, for this waswhen we were in elementary
school.
I don't know how it is insecondary schools, but routinely
(01:53):
they would check how long ournails were.
Do you remember this?
No At all.
Okay, I don't remember.
Or make sure you havehandkerchief and a pocket tissue
in your pocket.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Like hygiene wise, they always checked as well.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Right.
Wearing a mask to school isnormal, like if you're sick, you
don't want to make other peoplesick.
If you're coughing, it's a maskon.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, you always had it on hand.
Like to school, kids always hada mask, like a personal mask
washable, reusable, right.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
And then every day at school.
You know, after lunch all thekids cleaned the entire school.
So each group were assigned toclean different things in the
classroom or outside ofclassroom, like office toilets,
all that.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, the kids were the janitors.
There was no janitor in schoolbecause the kids participated in
cleaning every day.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
So I feel like, since we're young like we're, we're
constantly surrounded by this.
I mean, it's not something thatyou think about per se, but
it's just like part of your life.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, and do you remember like starting
kindergarten?
Kids are taught how to gardenat a young age and then they
talk about I remember tomatoes,for example, and you grow it,
you would watch it, and thentalk about it, journals,
basically like every day, whathappens, how it grows and all
this stuff and then even whenyou go into elementary that was
very common, like each grade, Ithink right would do a project
(03:15):
where they would garden likesome sort of vegetable or plant
and they would sometimes use itin the school cafeteria right
Lunch.
Yeah, that's a lifestyle overthere.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah, the food is freshly made like lunch every
single day in the morning by thecooks, and kids do grow some of
these vegetables and such thatare used in the lunch.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, they're so healthy and yummy.
Yeah, and even in children'sbook they talk about like
they'll have like suggestions inthe front or the back of the
book that's like, oh, make sureyou turn the light on when you
read, or just little reminders,you know.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I remember making a poster during elementary school
about brushing teeth too.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, like health and there's always signs that kids
make in schools that'll saysomething about health related
things.
Do you remember, like even howto eat bread?
Like make sure you don't take ahuge bite into the bread.
Like no, you take.
Remember, like, even how to eatbread?
Like make sure you don't take ahuge bite into the bread.
Like no, you take bits off withyour hand and eat it not like
shove it in your mouth you don'tremember
that no, I just remember that,because it was like posters that
(04:16):
kids would make and then youknow, they would put it in
schools.
Yeah, but when you explain itlike this, this sounds so
extreme, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
yeah, it's even in workplace too.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
They really enforce people to take the stairs and
not the elevator.
They'll exercise before or atwork.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Right, I think hygiene is also big.
Like you said, culturally, youdon't wear outside shoes indoors
.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Oh yeah, same with school, even at school, that's
true, you have to switch it toindoor shoes, and then we also
had gym shoes that are separatefrom indoor shoes.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
That's true.
The kids had to carry all thetime weekly, right?
It'll stay at school for a weekand then you bring it back, and
then you wash them and then youbring it back on Monday again.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yep, and we had to wash it ourselves outside.
What else?
Obviously the food itself also,I think, less highly processed
food.
Obviously the food itself also,I think, less highly processed
food.
People like to eat fish more sothan any other protein, or tofu
even.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Well, it is so good though, because it's the whole
country is an island, you know,so everything's so fresh when it
comes to seafood, so it is sodelicious, I feel.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Even like side dishes every meal.
Encouraged anyway to havedifferent types of vegetables,
even snacks.
They're not sugary dessertseven yeah yeah not too sweet
yeah made with rice, or yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
And public transportation is very, very
common in japan, so people arealways walking or biking to the
public transportation or just ingeneral, they're taking their
bikes or walking to the publictransportation or just in
general they're taking theirbikes or walking to wherever
destination they're going.
Like that is very, very common.
My kids tell me you're soextreme, and I'm like no, this
is normal, like how I grew up.
(05:56):
I guess it's not normal in theU?
S though, but it is very normalover there.
You know, people are veryconscious of health and dining
and all of that.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Sumi.
What do you think?
Yeah, you guys very much, saidit all.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Anything that at work that you thought they would
enforce?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Didn't we talk about how people nap at work?
Or didn't you say somethingabout how there are places where
you can nap?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yeah, in certain places.
Well, where I used to work at,they would encourage you to take
small naps, like power napsafter lunchtime, right, I think,
like for about 10 or 20 minutes.
So yeah, it's very normal tosee someone sleeping, like
putting their head down on theirdesk and just sleeping.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Right At a workplace, right.
What about medicine wise?
Speaker 4 (06:42):
What about it?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I feel like pharmacists.
They don't give out so muchLike.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
it's always in smaller dosage it's like herbal
medicine is the way they like todo it in Japan.
What is that word?
That's really Kampo, yes, kampo.
Herbal medicine method is, like, always more encouraged over
there, isn't?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
kampo more like Eastern method, like more
chinese yeah, I think it camefrom right I think it started,
but it's commonly practiced injapan.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Now japan is like known so much more for it.
But yeah, I think it started inchina, the idea.
But I mean, I think we sharevery similar cultures, obviously
, but I know it's a huge thingin j.
I mean even my nail techactually.
She was telling me oh, my momhas cancer, but I heard that
this amazing medicine, herbalmedicine, all natural, that
(07:32):
could potentially help and curecancer.
And she's like and at thispoint I want to like try
anything.
So she was saying it's like aproduct from Japan and it's from
a certain type of seaweed inOkinawa.
They like dry it and make itinto a powder I don't know what
else they do it to it, butapparently it has this
miraculous power.
She was trying to obtain that,I remember.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
I remember Okasan used to rub aloe.
Yeah, oh yeah, On us wheneverfor bug bites.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Yeah, and I remember one time specifically, when we
were staying at her aunt's placeand I got a huge mosquito bite.
It was so massive and she justgrabbed a plant of aloe and then
rubbed it on it and then,literally, it was like it seemed
like an hour later or so it wasgone, like completely gone.
I'm like, oh my gosh, it's gone.
(08:21):
I just remember being soshocked because it was massive.
It just like got so big.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I feel like in Japan people don't take any
supplements.
It's not part of vitamins andall that Actually it's becoming
more popular.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, it's becoming more popular these days, oh
really.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
It's probably because there's so much more processed
food that's available.
Maybe I mean considering, youknow there's a lot of
international folks living inJapan too, and variety of foods
that are available probablynowadays versus it probably
wasn't as much.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
One thing I just remembered if you go to, like
train stations, you know theyencourage you to take the stairs
, and what they would do is soyou, you know they encourage you
to take the stairs and whatthey would do is so you have an
elevator or you can go up thestairs, and if you choose the
stairs, they will say how manycalories you have burned by, you
know, climbing up those.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, Really Like average calories, yeah, you burn
some somewhat calories.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
That's interesting.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
That's a good incentive Because it kind of
depends on the person.
But that's an average calorie.
Wow, that's interesting.
When I tell my friends in theUS it just sounds so extreme
over there.
You know what I mean.
But it's like a common thingover there.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
It's normal.
I know in the past we alsotalked about 中体操, which is
basically in the summer.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
I don't know if it's to this day kids do this in
school, but during the summerdays, apparently, they don't I
heard they don't anymore oh wow,that's what I heard.
Well, you should tell me ifit's true or not.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
I heard it, yeah that's true After you have the
baby.
Yeah, you tell us, but we usedto wake up early.
I think it started at sixo'clock in the morning this
during summer break yeah, yeah,every single day.
We had to wear this like alittle card around our neck.
We had to get it stamped everysingle day to prove that we were
there.
There was always parentalfigure there.
It wasn't a teacher.
Um, we would meet in nearbypark and we do this
(10:11):
choreographed exercise exercise.
Yeah, probably like 10-15minutes or something.
So even in the summer we didn'tsleep in.
We got up early enough to makeit to this thing.
Yeah, I feel like it's justpart of culture.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Yeah, I mean because it was so normal.
It didn't seem like a drag tome, you know, like it wasn't
like I got to get it, it waslike okay, that's what you do,
like you wake up and you do itLike first thing it was what
time do you?
I think we had to meet beforeseven, right at the park.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, I think it was like it started from six, so we
woke up like around fivesomething no, I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I think I think it was before seven, like right
before seven.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I don't feel like it was six, I feel like it was six,
two, but you know that comes onevery single morning still in
japan on the radio and I thinkit's six, I thought but, but
anyway.
It's like nationwide it goesthrough radio and it's like a
music that you follow.
Everybody knows in Japan ifyou've grown up there.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
At the pool too public pools when they mandate
you to take a break every hourfor like what 10 minutes or
something and before you getback in they play this song so
you can stretch and exercise andthen you get back in, and I
used to hate that time when Iwas a kid where I had to take a
break because it's mandatory.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Some workplaces actually play this music and
they make you exercise beforeyou start working.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, that's a good idea.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
One of the companies that I used to work at.
They did that yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
I was like, oh my gosh, yeah, and if we translate
that song like it's literally,we call it radio exercise is
what it's called, but yeah, butyou know, what's not common in
japan is for people to go to thegym and work out at the gym yes
there are people that go to thegym and, yes, there are people
that sign up to become members,but not very common, which is
very interesting.
People are not interested ingetting buff over there.
In that sense, they are veryhealth that sign up to become
members but not very commonwhich is very interesting.
People are not interested ingetting buff over there.
In that sense they are veryhealth conscious.
(12:05):
But I've never worked out in agym before, yeah yeah, I mean
that's so common over there, formost people don't go to the gym
or has never been to the gym inJapan.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah it's such a Western thing, I think, is that
common in Germany, in Japan?
Yeah, it's such a Western thing, I think Is that common in
Germany.
Yeah, people do go to gym.
But I feel like you have tomake up somewhere to try to stay
healthy and I feel like ifyou're not growing up in a
culture that you know you dothese things, it's habitual
almost.
You have to make it upsomewhere to stay healthy and I
(12:37):
feel like going to the gym isthe Western solution, somewhere
to stay healthy and I feel likegoing to the gym is the Western
solution.
Perhaps you know, like, forexample, in the US, like you
can't walk everywhere unless youlive in the city.
Like you said, publictransportation that's also
difficult if you don't live inthe city and so there's no
opportunity perhaps to walk asmuch.
You have to go to the gym tomake up for all those exercises
(13:00):
that you didn't do or youcouldn't do.
But I feel like also in Japan,more people are going to the
gyms.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Maybe my husband has been going to the gym for over a
year now.
Yeah, well, because he wasabout to hit three digits.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
In kilograms In kilograms In pounds.
In weight.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, because you should hit three digits in
pounds.
But if you want to lose weightquick, I mean, that's a quick
solution.
Rather, maybe it's not likeconsistent, habitual things that
you do, it's just like okay,I've gained weight, I need to
lose weight, let's hit the gym.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Or I need to build more muscles, or I mean there
are, and then there are peoplethat are, you see, in the U?
S, for example.
That are the ones that are intofitness, are really into
fitness, you know, and theywatch what they eat.
Yeah, huge gap, I feel.
People that are fit, are superfit and they are very dedicated
and they eat well and all thatstuff too.
But it's funny because I'venoticed even ones that are super
(13:59):
fit in the US and super healthconscious, they feed their kids
the complete opposite of whatthey want to eat, though you
know what the kids want to eat,which is so bizarre to me.
Oh, because kids won't eathealthier food.
I don't know if it's becausethey won't or if it's because
that's the norm here, you know.
Just, I see that a lot and Ithink that's so strange, like
you are such a healthy person,you don't want to feed your kids
(14:22):
healthy food too.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, you know.
But you know, I feel like alsosome kids are just are not used
to eating these things and maybethey won't eat.
Yeah, again, that's just normal, yeah.
And even kids meals.
They're more catered to kids.
They refuse to eat healthierfood, maybe because that's not
part of the kids meals a lot oftimes.
(14:44):
I think, sumi, you mentionedthis, but people in the us are
big on therapy therapy as inlike mental for mental, like
counseling, yeah I guess this islike to maintain mental meant
to be mentally healthy.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
But you know, even like if, even if you don't need
a therapist in your life, it's agood thing for you to.
I think you know, go see atherapist just so you can like
keep aligning yourself mentallyhealthy.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
I think these days maybe the health is it's not
changing, but it's it's alsotalking about not just physical
health but mental health.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
For sure that's so important too, yeah, although I
think they do kind of go hand inhand too in my opinion but for
sure you need to have strongmental health to be able to
maintain everything else in life, I guess.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I think Japan is way behind when it comes to taking
care of mental health.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yeah, I mean, suicide rate is so high in Japan,
unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
And why do you think that is?
Why is the suicide rate high?
Why Do you?
Speaker 3 (15:45):
feel like people are feeling pressured and then also
to talk about your mentalillness is not like kind of
frowned upon over there or seena certain way A?
Speaker 4 (15:55):
little bit.
I think it's hard for people inJapan to say, okay, I'm
stressed, I need some rest, or,you know, I need a break,
because it's kind of thoughtlike the more you work, the
better, kind of mindset.
Or you're more respected, yeah,and if you say, okay, I can't
do this anymore, then you'reconsidered maybe weak or, yeah,
(16:20):
not very useful I mean even aschildren, I think academically
they are very stressed overthere in japan yeah, you are
expected to do well, so that's alot too, I think it's very
common to go to.
Is it cram school, like afterschool like?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
yeah, yeah.
Tutoring on top of schooling,or not tutoring.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
It's very common for kids to kids in japan to go to
those to keep up with schoolyeah come on.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
We have come on here in the us, but really um, but
it's not very common mm-hmm.
It's almost like every kid inJapan goes to like after school.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
I guess in Japan.
Yeah, you don't talk about howto keep your mental health in
check, or maybe people talkabout it.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I think more people in Japan, in my opinion, live to
work, whereas US it's more likeyou work to live.
And oh, speaking of medicine,and all that we talked about
earlier in Japan, how they tryto do more herbal method, and
all that we talked about earlierin Japan, how they try to do
more herbal method in the US, Ifeel that it's the complete
opposite, where I've gone to thedoctors many times and they
(17:32):
really push medicine on you,even when you tell them I don't
need that medicine, like Iremember, for example and I
remember because it's narcoticswhen I went to get my wisdom
teeth pulled, the doctor waslike, ok, I'm going to prescribe
you Percocet because you'regoing to need it for the pain.
And I was like, oh, no, no, no,no, I don't, I don't want
Percocet.
Don't, don't prescribe Percocetto me.
(17:53):
And he's like, oh no, I'm goingto write it because you're going
to need it.
And I'm like'll have it in caseyou need it.
And he still wrote it, theprescription.
Of course I don't have to fillit.
But you know I was like, oh,that's just crazy, but that
(18:14):
happens all the time, where Ialways tell them I don't need it
, I don't need that yeah.
So in general, I feel like theyreally push medicine on you,
even if you say I'm good, andtying it to a weight loss.
Ozympic is super popular in theU?
S right now, where it's, youknow, injection to lose weight.
But, a lot of people say, well,it's for my blood pressure or
(18:36):
whatever.
But also weight loss forreasons you know but, I, just I.
That thought scares me toinject anything like that, and
you don't know the long termeffects and you know I don't.
It's just so unnatural, it'sjust crazy to me.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Mm, hmm, yeah, you're trying to fix the problem.
I guess the quickest, the mostconvenient way to do it perhaps.
But you know, I feel like a lotof people struggle with weight.
But I also don't blame it onthe people necessarily Because,
like in Japan, you grew up withall these things already.
(19:11):
You know, you already have thishealthy, conscious living.
But you know, you only knowwhat you know and I feel like if
you grow up eating certainfoods or processed food, it's
difficult to get away from that.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And especially in Western diet.
Of course it's so hard to likeif you grew up a certain way and
what's normal to you is normalyou know, and it's just crazy
for me that I'm considered socrazy and extreme here when it's
so normal.
You know how it was for us,because the kids always tell me
(19:44):
Mama, you're so extreme withhealth and da, da, da.
And I'm like no, I'm not, I'mnot.
It's normal maybe here in theUS to do the complete opposite,
but that's not normal in Japanor a lot of other countries, to
be honest.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Yeah, what about Germany, germany?
I feel like the first thingthat you notice here is that
people take work-life balancevery seriously.
So, like I said, grocery storesclose on Sundays, so that's
like a resting day for people.
A lot of people walk on Sundays.
It's also a quiet day, so youcan't really like you're not
(20:19):
supposed to be, like throwing,recycling away or vacuuming, for
that matter, and I think that'sgreat, because we were just
talking.
How you know, people dooverwork in Japan, and there's
actually a term that's used,which is death from, you know,
overwork, karoshi.
I think people do a very goodjob here.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Balancing that, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
And also there seem to be more vacation days here,
even kids I think, what Inoticed is that, um, the kids in
the us and germany have almostabout the same amount of break,
vacation days, but I think inthe us there's longer summer uh
days that are off versus inGermany, germany is like a month
(21:07):
, I think in the US two months,two to two and a half something
like that Right Three months.
Yeah, so that gets allocatedthroughout the year.
So especially in Bavaria,though, because it's a Christian
state, there are more Christianholidays Celebrated.
Yeah, and there are more publicholidays here in our state than
(21:28):
any other state, so that meansthat you know kids are off
longer here.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Do they have shorter days of school?
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah, kids do actually.
So our son goes to all dayschool, which means that he's
there until 4.30 every day,except on Fridays.
It's almost like a half a day.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
And wait.
What time does he go in?
What time does school startSchool?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
starts at 10, after 8 at his school and then he's
done at 4.30.
Okay, but here if you go to astate school then usually some
kids are done by, I think,before lunch or some days after
lunch.
So early, that is so early, butthey get more homework.
(22:11):
The work-life balance peopletake very seriously, and health
resorts there are tons of them.
It includes like thermal baths,mud treatments, physical
therapy, dietary counselingwhich I think people in the US
also do like exercises, rest.
Those are big here.
They also have like familyhotels that are big in Germany
(22:35):
where if you have smaller kidsyou can still take a break if
you take them there, becauseit's designed for parents to
kind of relax.
So the children are usuallybabysat or they go into some
program or activities, so theyspend time separately.
So there are a lot of them andI think that people also love
sauna here, more so than theaverage, you mean.
(22:58):
More so than average.
You have to go in completelynaked, though, however.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Not even a towel.
Not even a towel.
Even a towel.
No, is that normal?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
I don't know.
In germany, yes, even at thepool, saunas are big.
A lot of people go to pool togo to sauna oh.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
So do they get in the pool at all, or they just
actually are there to just sauna?
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I don't really know to be honest, but I think people
tend to do, but they have itusually what are the benefits?
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I think it's good blood circulation or something
right yeah?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
and I think you sweat a lot getting toxin out of you.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I believe yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
I think so, and there's also like hot and cold
water treatments.
They also have that in somehotels.
Germans see wellness as not asan indulgence, but they see it
as more preventative.
Like I said before, a lot ofpeople walk on Sundays.
Tomomi, one time you said whyare people not overweight?
(23:56):
Because a lot of people drinkbeer, because people walk a lot.
People also bike a lot here,even to work.
So you see a lot of people onbicycle.
But in general it's abike-friendly city, so there are
bike lanes usually.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I mean where you live or in general, everywhere, In
general that's nice, so they'redesigned specifically for people
to bike.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I mean, it's not everywhere, but it's pretty good
.
There's a lane specifically forpeople on bikes or scooters and
for medicine.
Here I feel like it's similarto japan.
You have to speak to apharmacist a lot of times even
for, like you know, painkillerslike ibuprofen or paracetamol.
(24:40):
Like you have to ask even, yeah, over the counter stuff, right,
yeah, that you can buy in theus, you cannot buy it here.
That is so interesting, it'swhole foods.
So doctors are tend to be moreconservative and prescribing
antibiotics.
Sometimes you have to kind ofask them if you could have it.
Some doctors will say no, youdon't need it.
A lot of times like this is theopposite of, I think, how the
(25:00):
US is, and generally theapproach is more natural and
homeopathic, maybe sort of likeJapan.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Yeah, speaking of when you were talking about,
like the pool and stuff, and howit's common in Germany to have
sauna somewhere too.
It just reminded me that inJapan, public pools they always
have an area where you have torinse your body off hygiene.
You have to like immerse yourbody or you go through showers
oh my gosh, I hated those.
I know those are so cold, butyou have to go through that to
(25:28):
kind of cleanse yourself beforeentering the pool.
Same here, okay.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Except it's shower you have to take a shower.
It's usually designed so thatyou go into the locker room and
then you go through the shower.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, so you cleanse your body before you go in and
also they have, like the eyecleaning fountains at the pool.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
And I don't see that.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I don't see that in the us I've never seen that in
the us, where you can clean youreyes.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
I always have my eyes closed for those that defeats
the point.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
I think they even had it for um our school right,
like even the eye cleaningfountains, because we had uh
yeah pool classes too for pe,our school had pool, so if you
were to catch a cold, in.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
Germany like, if you're a child, what would your
mom make you Like what's like atypical?
Speaker 2 (26:15):
meal for the kids.
Yeah, I think big thing is tea.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, I was going to say I didn't know that Germans
drank tea.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
There are like different types.
Depending on the sickness theyhave different types of tea.
So I think tea is big and Idon't really know per se.
But yeah, I know that peopleare big on teas, mm-hmm.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
I would guess like for the US it's like chicken
noodle soup, right, it's like atypical yeah, or is that?
Speaker 3 (26:44):
yeah?
Speaker 4 (26:46):
mm-hmm, they do have some japan will be like porridge
rice porridge, which is not myfavorite yeah that might be.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
People are also big on opening the windows here, so
even if it's winter for aircirculation purposes, a lot of
people open the windows becauseyou guys don't have like central
air or anything usually right,it's not very common, no, Not
very common Nowadays.
You start to see them Notcentral, but one of those space
(27:16):
units per room.
That's a big thing.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
You know how I go to the clinic now, because I'm
pregnant.
Now I go once every two weeks,but it's mandatory to wear a
mask for you.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
What does that when you go in because you're
pregnant?
Speaker 4 (27:35):
or no?
No, for that's just the generalrule for the clinic what about
regular like anywhere hospitals?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
do you have to wear a mask?
Speaker 4 (27:43):
I feel like some still require you to wear a mask
, especially after after thepandemic, but not all hospitals.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
I wonder why they make you wear it at the clinic.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
They don't want you to get sick and pass it on to
the baby.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Right, they don't want any sick people to come and
pass it on to other pregnantwomen or babies.
Even if you go to thesupermarket, they will still
have those sanitizers.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Well, I know that in japan the mindset is very much
like I gotta take care of othershealth like I gotta be
conscious of other people'shealth.
So it's always been thatapproach where, like, if you're
sick you have to wear a mask,even before covid like this is
like how we grew up is like ifyou are coughing you have to
wear a mask so you don't give itto somebody.
(28:30):
Um, yeah, that's always beenthe approach in japan.
It's like, oh you, you gottacare for others around you their
health, not just yours.
Here, it's more my health overyours.
So well, that sucks for you.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
You know that kind of thing the COVID is interesting
because I think every countryreacted differently, but
certainly I'm very sure thatJapanese people were on top of
it as far as just you know beingcollaborative, because it's
just how people race there.
Respect for others, likewearing masks, is nothing,
because that's not a foreignthing.
(29:08):
Germany there were differenttypes of masks that eventually
people had to wear oh yeah, likeyou said, certain ones were
enforced or something, rightyeah?
Like medical masks at somepoint were accepted or something
, yeah, at some point.
Yeah, yeah, I know thateverybody was scraping to try to
figure out what.
You know how to keep ourselvesnot get it, but I'm sure in
(29:32):
japan people are very good aboutit yeah, everyone's so used to
it yeah so do.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
A lot of people in germany have therapists like do
they go and see a therapist?
Is that a common thing?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I think it's not an unusual thing, but I don't know
how common it is either.
I believe that a lot of theexpats they go to a therapist.
I know that, but I'm not quitesure if the locals do that.
In the next few months, we'dlove to hear from you.
We want to gather yourquestions and ideas for future
(30:06):
episodes.
In fact, in one of our upcomingshows we're doing something
special.
We want you to help kick offthe conversation.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Whether you've been with us for a while or this is
your very first episode, we'resure you've got some questions
or maybe even thoughts on pastepisodes that you'd like to
share.
It doesn't have to be anythingdeep, it can be a one-liner.
You may be wondering how do Ireach out?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
It's easy Just scroll down to the episode description
and click on the first phraseSend us a text.
It might be in color orunderlined, depending on the
platform you're using.
Click on it and it open up amessenger where you can send us
your text.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Don't worry, we get them anonymously, unless you
choose to sign your name at theend, and if you'd like a shout
out, just let us know who youare when you send your message.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
We can't wait to hear from you, and thanks in advance
for taking the time to reachout.
We appreciate each and everyone of you for listening to the
sister vibes.
I gotta get you out of my system.
I gotta get you off of my mind.
But how do I move on when noone compares?
They only keep me occupied.
I gotta break these chains thatbind me.
I try to shake them off sodesperately but you pull them
(00:24):
tighter, string me along.
It's sad, but I'm so gone.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Japan is known as one of the healthiest countries in
the world.
It's one of the blue zones,basically A location where
people tend to live longer than100 years old, or there's a
concentrated population ofpeople who live Especially
Okinawa right.
Yeah so Okinawa is one of them.
So I thought today we couldtalk about health and wellness
(00:50):
in general for differentcountries.
So should we start with Japanfirst?
Yeah, what do you guys think?
What's?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
the secret.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
What's the secret?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Well for sure, people in Japan drink green tea almost
every day, right, that's true,it's like a lifestyle, almost
everybody.
I don't know if that's a secretor not, but that's one thing
pretty much everyone does.
In Japan Also, kids in thesummertime, instead of having
water in their water bottles,they have cold barley tea,
(01:20):
almost like guaranteed.
It's not very common to havelike water in the water bottles
for kids.
In the summertime they havebarley tea yeah, you know which
is decaffeinated especially forkids.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I feel like culturally it's embedded as part
of you know, your daily life.
As an example especially Ithink we talked about it in
episodes a while back about thekids at school, how there's
always a checkup, for this waswhen we were in elementary
school.
I don't know how it is insecondary schools, but routinely
(01:53):
they would check how long ournails were.
Do you remember this?
No At all.
Okay, I don't remember.
Or make sure you havehandkerchief and a pocket tissue
in your pocket.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Like hygiene wise, they always checked as well.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Right.
Wearing a mask to school isnormal, like if you're sick, you
don't want to make other peoplesick.
If you're coughing, it's a maskon.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, you always had it on hand.
Like to school, kids always hada mask, like a personal mask
washable, reusable, right.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
And then every day at school.
You know, after lunch all thekids cleaned the entire school.
So each group were assigned toclean different things in the
classroom or outside ofclassroom, like office toilets,
all that.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, the kids were the janitors.
There was no janitor in schoolbecause the kids participated in
cleaning every day.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
So I feel like, since we're young like we're, we're
constantly surrounded by this.
I mean, it's not something thatyou think about per se, but
it's just like part of your life.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, and do you remember like starting
kindergarten?
Kids are taught how to gardenat a young age and then they
talk about I remember tomatoes,for example, and you grow it,
you would watch it, and thentalk about it, journals,
basically like every day, whathappens, how it grows and all
this stuff and then even whenyou go into elementary that was
very common, like each grade, Ithink right would do a project
(03:15):
where they would garden likesome sort of vegetable or plant
and they would sometimes use itin the school cafeteria right
Lunch.
Yeah, that's a lifestyle overthere.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah, the food is freshly made like lunch every
single day in the morning by thecooks, and kids do grow some of
these vegetables and such thatare used in the lunch.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, they're so healthy and yummy.
Yeah, and even in children'sbook they talk about like
they'll have like suggestions inthe front or the back of the
book that's like, oh, make sureyou turn the light on when you
read, or just little reminders,you know.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I remember making a poster during elementary school
about brushing teeth too.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, like health and there's always signs that kids
make in schools that'll saysomething about health related
things.
Do you remember, like even howto eat bread?
Like make sure you don't take ahuge bite into the bread.
Like no, you take.
Remember, like, even how to eatbread?
Like make sure you don't take ahuge bite into the bread.
Like no, you take bits off withyour hand and eat it not like
shove it in your mouth you don'tremember
that no, I just remember that,because it was like posters that
(04:16):
kids would make and then youknow, they would put it in
schools.
Yeah, but when you explain itlike this, this sounds so
extreme, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
yeah, it's even in workplace too.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
They really enforce people to take the stairs and
not the elevator.
They'll exercise before or atwork.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Right, I think hygiene is also big.
Like you said, culturally, youdon't wear outside shoes indoors
.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Oh yeah, same with school, even at school, that's
true, you have to switch it toindoor shoes, and then we also
had gym shoes that are separatefrom indoor shoes.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
That's true.
The kids had to carry all thetime weekly, right?
It'll stay at school for a weekand then you bring it back, and
then you wash them and then youbring it back on Monday again.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yep, and we had to wash it ourselves outside.
What else?
Obviously the food itself also,I think, less highly processed
food.
Obviously the food itself also,I think, less highly processed
food.
People like to eat fish more sothan any other protein, or tofu
even.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Well, it is so good though, because it's the whole
country is an island, you know,so everything's so fresh when it
comes to seafood, so it is sodelicious, I feel.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Even like side dishes every meal.
Encouraged anyway to havedifferent types of vegetables,
even snacks.
They're not sugary dessertseven yeah yeah not too sweet
yeah made with rice, or yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
And public transportation is very, very
common in japan, so people arealways walking or biking to the
public transportation or just ingeneral, they're taking their
bikes or walking to the publictransportation or just in
general they're taking theirbikes or walking to wherever
destination they're going.
Like that is very, very common.
My kids tell me you're soextreme, and I'm like no, this
is normal, like how I grew up.
(05:56):
I guess it's not normal in theU?
S though, but it is very normalover there.
You know, people are veryconscious of health and dining
and all of that.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Sumi.
What do you think?
Yeah, you guys very much, saidit all.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Anything that at work that you thought they would
enforce?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Didn't we talk about how people nap at work?
Or didn't you say somethingabout how there are places where
you can nap?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yeah, in certain places.
Well, where I used to work at,they would encourage you to take
small naps, like power napsafter lunchtime, right, I think,
like for about 10 or 20 minutes.
So yeah, it's very normal tosee someone sleeping, like
putting their head down on theirdesk and just sleeping.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Right At a workplace, right.
What about medicine wise?
Speaker 4 (06:42):
What about it?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I feel like pharmacists.
They don't give out so muchLike.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
it's always in smaller dosage it's like herbal
medicine is the way they like todo it in Japan.
What is that word?
That's really Kampo, yes, kampo.
Herbal medicine method is, like, always more encouraged over
there, isn't?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
kampo more like Eastern method, like more
chinese yeah, I think it camefrom right I think it started,
but it's commonly practiced injapan.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Now japan is like known so much more for it.
But yeah, I think it started inchina, the idea.
But I mean, I think we sharevery similar cultures, obviously
, but I know it's a huge thingin j.
I mean even my nail techactually.
She was telling me oh, my momhas cancer, but I heard that
this amazing medicine, herbalmedicine, all natural, that
(07:32):
could potentially help and curecancer.
And she's like and at thispoint I want to like try
anything.
So she was saying it's like aproduct from Japan and it's from
a certain type of seaweed inOkinawa.
They like dry it and make itinto a powder I don't know what
else they do it to it, butapparently it has this
miraculous power.
She was trying to obtain that,I remember.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
I remember Okasan used to rub aloe.
Yeah, oh yeah, On us wheneverfor bug bites.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Yeah, and I remember one time specifically, when we
were staying at her aunt's placeand I got a huge mosquito bite.
It was so massive and she justgrabbed a plant of aloe and then
rubbed it on it and then,literally, it was like it seemed
like an hour later or so it wasgone, like completely gone.
I'm like, oh my gosh, it's gone.
(08:21):
I just remember being soshocked because it was massive.
It just like got so big.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I feel like in Japan people don't take any
supplements.
It's not part of vitamins andall that Actually it's becoming
more popular.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, it's becoming more popular these days, oh
really.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
It's probably because there's so much more processed
food that's available.
Maybe I mean considering, youknow there's a lot of
international folks living inJapan too, and variety of foods
that are available probablynowadays versus it probably
wasn't as much.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
One thing I just remembered if you go to, like
train stations, you know theyencourage you to take the stairs
, and what they would do is soyou, you know they encourage you
to take the stairs and whatthey would do is so you have an
elevator or you can go up thestairs, and if you choose the
stairs, they will say how manycalories you have burned by, you
know, climbing up those.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, Really Like average calories, yeah, you burn
some somewhat calories.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
That's interesting.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
That's a good incentive Because it kind of
depends on the person.
But that's an average calorie.
Wow, that's interesting.
When I tell my friends in theUS it just sounds so extreme
over there.
You know what I mean.
But it's like a common thingover there.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
It's normal.
I know in the past we alsotalked about 中体操, which is
basically in the summer.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
I don't know if it's to this day kids do this in
school, but during the summerdays, apparently, they don't I
heard they don't anymore oh wow,that's what I heard.
Well, you should tell me ifit's true or not.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
I heard it, yeah that's true After you have the
baby.
Yeah, you tell us, but we usedto wake up early.
I think it started at sixo'clock in the morning this
during summer break yeah, yeah,every single day.
We had to wear this like alittle card around our neck.
We had to get it stamped everysingle day to prove that we were
there.
There was always parentalfigure there.
It wasn't a teacher.
Um, we would meet in nearbypark and we do this
(10:11):
choreographed exercise exercise.
Yeah, probably like 10-15minutes or something.
So even in the summer we didn'tsleep in.
We got up early enough to makeit to this thing.
Yeah, I feel like it's justpart of culture.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Yeah, I mean because it was so normal.
It didn't seem like a drag tome, you know, like it wasn't
like I got to get it, it waslike okay, that's what you do,
like you wake up and you do itLike first thing it was what
time do you?
I think we had to meet beforeseven, right at the park.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, I think it was like it started from six, so we
woke up like around fivesomething no, I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I think I think it was before seven, like right
before seven.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I don't feel like it was six, I feel like it was six,
two, but you know that comes onevery single morning still in
japan on the radio and I thinkit's six, I thought but, but
anyway.
It's like nationwide it goesthrough radio and it's like a
music that you follow.
Everybody knows in Japan ifyou've grown up there.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
At the pool too public pools when they mandate
you to take a break every hourfor like what 10 minutes or
something and before you getback in they play this song so
you can stretch and exercise andthen you get back in, and I
used to hate that time when Iwas a kid where I had to take a
break because it's mandatory.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Some workplaces actually play this music and
they make you exercise beforeyou start working.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, that's a good idea.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
One of the companies that I used to work at.
They did that yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
I was like, oh my gosh, yeah, and if we translate
that song like it's literally,we call it radio exercise is
what it's called, but yeah, butyou know, what's not common in
japan is for people to go to thegym and work out at the gym yes
there are people that go to thegym and, yes, there are people
that sign up to become members,but not very common, which is
very interesting.
People are not interested ingetting buff over there.
In that sense, they are veryhealth that sign up to become
members but not very commonwhich is very interesting.
People are not interested ingetting buff over there.
In that sense they are veryhealth conscious.
(12:05):
But I've never worked out in agym before, yeah yeah, I mean
that's so common over there, formost people don't go to the gym
or has never been to the gym inJapan.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah it's such a Western thing, I think, is that
common in Germany, in Japan?
Yeah, it's such a Western thing, I think Is that common in
Germany.
Yeah, people do go to gym.
But I feel like you have tomake up somewhere to try to stay
healthy and I feel like ifyou're not growing up in a
culture that you know you dothese things, it's habitual
almost.
You have to make it upsomewhere to stay healthy and I
(12:37):
feel like going to the gym isthe Western solution, somewhere
to stay healthy and I feel likegoing to the gym is the Western
solution.
Perhaps you know, like, forexample, in the US, like you
can't walk everywhere unless youlive in the city.
Like you said, publictransportation that's also
difficult if you don't live inthe city and so there's no
opportunity perhaps to walk asmuch.
You have to go to the gym tomake up for all those exercises
(13:00):
that you didn't do or youcouldn't do.
But I feel like also in Japan,more people are going to the
gyms.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Maybe my husband has been going to the gym for over a
year now.
Yeah, well, because he wasabout to hit three digits.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
In kilograms In kilograms In pounds.
In weight.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, because you should hit three digits in
pounds.
But if you want to lose weightquick, I mean, that's a quick
solution.
Rather, maybe it's not likeconsistent, habitual things that
you do, it's just like okay,I've gained weight, I need to
lose weight, let's hit the gym.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Or I need to build more muscles, or I mean there
are, and then there are peoplethat are, you see, in the U?
S, for example.
That are the ones that are intofitness, are really into
fitness, you know, and theywatch what they eat.
Yeah, huge gap, I feel.
People that are fit, are superfit and they are very dedicated
and they eat well and all thatstuff too.
But it's funny because I'venoticed even ones that are super
(13:59):
fit in the US and super healthconscious, they feed their kids
the complete opposite of whatthey want to eat, though you
know what the kids want to eat,which is so bizarre to me.
Oh, because kids won't eathealthier food.
I don't know if it's becausethey won't or if it's because
that's the norm here, you know.
Just, I see that a lot and Ithink that's so strange, like
you are such a healthy person,you don't want to feed your kids
(14:22):
healthy food too.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, you know.
But you know, I feel like alsosome kids are just are not used
to eating these things and maybethey won't eat.
Yeah, again, that's just normal, yeah.
And even kids meals.
They're more catered to kids.
They refuse to eat healthierfood, maybe because that's not
part of the kids meals a lot oftimes.
(14:44):
I think, sumi, you mentionedthis, but people in the us are
big on therapy therapy as inlike mental for mental, like
counseling, yeah I guess this islike to maintain mental meant
to be mentally healthy.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
But you know, even like if, even if you don't need
a therapist in your life, it's agood thing for you to.
I think you know, go see atherapist just so you can like
keep aligning yourself mentallyhealthy.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
I think these days maybe the health is it's not
changing, but it's it's alsotalking about not just physical
health but mental health.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
For sure that's so important too, yeah, although I
think they do kind of go hand inhand too in my opinion but for
sure you need to have strongmental health to be able to
maintain everything else in life, I guess.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I think Japan is way behind when it comes to taking
care of mental health.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yeah, I mean, suicide rate is so high in Japan,
unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
And why do you think that is?
Why is the suicide rate high?
Why Do you?
Speaker 3 (15:45):
feel like people are feeling pressured and then also
to talk about your mentalillness is not like kind of
frowned upon over there or seena certain way A?
Speaker 4 (15:55):
little bit.
I think it's hard for people inJapan to say, okay, I'm
stressed, I need some rest, or,you know, I need a break,
because it's kind of thoughtlike the more you work, the
better, kind of mindset.
Or you're more respected, yeah,and if you say, okay, I can't
do this anymore, then you'reconsidered maybe weak or, yeah,
(16:20):
not very useful I mean even aschildren, I think academically
they are very stressed overthere in japan yeah, you are
expected to do well, so that's alot too, I think it's very
common to go to.
Is it cram school, like afterschool like?
Speaker 2 (16:42):
yeah, yeah.
Tutoring on top of schooling,or not tutoring.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
It's very common for kids to kids in japan to go to
those to keep up with schoolyeah come on.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
We have come on here in the us, but really um, but
it's not very common mm-hmm.
It's almost like every kid inJapan goes to like after school.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
I guess in Japan.
Yeah, you don't talk about howto keep your mental health in
check, or maybe people talkabout it.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I think more people in Japan, in my opinion, live to
work, whereas US it's more likeyou work to live.
And oh, speaking of medicine,and all that we talked about
earlier in Japan, how they tryto do more herbal method, and
all that we talked about earlierin Japan, how they try to do
more herbal method in the US, Ifeel that it's the complete
opposite, where I've gone to thedoctors many times and they
(17:32):
really push medicine on you,even when you tell them I don't
need that medicine, like Iremember, for example and I
remember because it's narcoticswhen I went to get my wisdom
teeth pulled, the doctor waslike, ok, I'm going to prescribe
you Percocet because you'regoing to need it for the pain.
And I was like, oh, no, no, no,no, I don't, I don't want
Percocet.
Don't, don't prescribe Percocetto me.
(17:53):
And he's like, oh no, I'm goingto write it because you're going
to need it.
And I'm like'll have it in caseyou need it.
And he still wrote it, theprescription.
Of course I don't have to fillit.
But you know I was like, oh,that's just crazy, but that
(18:14):
happens all the time, where Ialways tell them I don't need it
, I don't need that yeah.
So in general, I feel like theyreally push medicine on you,
even if you say I'm good, andtying it to a weight loss.
Ozympic is super popular in theU?
S right now, where it's, youknow, injection to lose weight.
But, a lot of people say, well,it's for my blood pressure or
(18:36):
whatever.
But also weight loss forreasons you know but, I, just I.
That thought scares me toinject anything like that, and
you don't know the long termeffects and you know I don't.
It's just so unnatural, it'sjust crazy to me.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Mm, hmm, yeah, you're trying to fix the problem.
I guess the quickest, the mostconvenient way to do it perhaps.
But you know, I feel like a lotof people struggle with weight.
But I also don't blame it onthe people necessarily Because,
like in Japan, you grew up withall these things already.
(19:11):
You know, you already have thishealthy, conscious living.
But you know, you only knowwhat you know and I feel like if
you grow up eating certainfoods or processed food, it's
difficult to get away from that.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And especially in Western diet.
Of course it's so hard to likeif you grew up a certain way and
what's normal to you is normalyou know, and it's just crazy
for me that I'm considered socrazy and extreme here when it's
so normal.
You know how it was for us,because the kids always tell me
(19:44):
Mama, you're so extreme withhealth and da, da, da.
And I'm like no, I'm not, I'mnot.
It's normal maybe here in theUS to do the complete opposite,
but that's not normal in Japanor a lot of other countries, to
be honest.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Yeah, what about Germany, germany?
I feel like the first thingthat you notice here is that
people take work-life balancevery seriously.
So, like I said, grocery storesclose on Sundays, so that's
like a resting day for people.
A lot of people walk on Sundays.
It's also a quiet day, so youcan't really like you're not
(20:19):
supposed to be, like throwing,recycling away or vacuuming, for
that matter, and I think that'sgreat, because we were just
talking.
How you know, people dooverwork in Japan, and there's
actually a term that's used,which is death from, you know,
overwork, karoshi.
I think people do a very goodjob here.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Balancing that, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
And also there seem to be more vacation days here,
even kids I think, what Inoticed is that, um, the kids in
the us and germany have almostabout the same amount of break,
vacation days, but I think inthe us there's longer summer uh
days that are off versus inGermany, germany is like a month
(21:07):
, I think in the US two months,two to two and a half something
like that Right Three months.
Yeah, so that gets allocatedthroughout the year.
So especially in Bavaria,though, because it's a Christian
state, there are more Christianholidays Celebrated.
Yeah, and there are more publicholidays here in our state than
(21:28):
any other state, so that meansthat you know kids are off
longer here.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Do they have shorter days of school?
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah, kids do actually.
So our son goes to all dayschool, which means that he's
there until 4.30 every day,except on Fridays.
It's almost like a half a day.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
And wait.
What time does he go in?
What time does school startSchool?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
starts at 10, after 8 at his school and then he's
done at 4.30.
Okay, but here if you go to astate school then usually some
kids are done by, I think,before lunch or some days after
lunch.
So early, that is so early, butthey get more homework.
(22:11):
The work-life balance peopletake very seriously, and health
resorts there are tons of them.
It includes like thermal baths,mud treatments, physical
therapy, dietary counselingwhich I think people in the US
also do like exercises, rest.
Those are big here.
They also have like familyhotels that are big in Germany
(22:35):
where if you have smaller kidsyou can still take a break if
you take them there, becauseit's designed for parents to
kind of relax.
So the children are usuallybabysat or they go into some
program or activities, so theyspend time separately.
So there are a lot of them andI think that people also love
sauna here, more so than theaverage, you mean.
(22:58):
More so than average.
You have to go in completelynaked, though, however.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Not even a towel.
Not even a towel.
Even a towel.
No, is that normal?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
I don't know.
In germany, yes, even at thepool, saunas are big.
A lot of people go to pool togo to sauna oh.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
So do they get in the pool at all, or they just
actually are there to just sauna?
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I don't really know to be honest, but I think people
tend to do, but they have itusually what are the benefits?
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I think it's good blood circulation or something
right yeah?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
and I think you sweat a lot getting toxin out of you.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I believe yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
I think so, and there's also like hot and cold
water treatments.
They also have that in somehotels.
Germans see wellness as not asan indulgence, but they see it
as more preventative.
Like I said before, a lot ofpeople walk on Sundays.
Tomomi, one time you said whyare people not overweight?
(23:56):
Because a lot of people drinkbeer, because people walk a lot.
People also bike a lot here,even to work.
So you see a lot of people onbicycle.
But in general it's abike-friendly city, so there are
bike lanes usually.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I mean where you live or in general, everywhere, In
general that's nice, so they'redesigned specifically for people
to bike.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I mean, it's not everywhere, but it's pretty good
.
There's a lane specifically forpeople on bikes or scooters and
for medicine.
Here I feel like it's similarto japan.
You have to speak to apharmacist a lot of times even
for, like you know, painkillerslike ibuprofen or paracetamol.
(24:40):
Like you have to ask even, yeah, over the counter stuff, right,
yeah, that you can buy in theus, you cannot buy it here.
That is so interesting, it'swhole foods.
So doctors are tend to be moreconservative and prescribing
antibiotics.
Sometimes you have to kind ofask them if you could have it.
Some doctors will say no, youdon't need it.
A lot of times like this is theopposite of, I think, how the
(25:00):
US is, and generally theapproach is more natural and
homeopathic, maybe sort of likeJapan.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Yeah, speaking of when you were talking about,
like the pool and stuff, and howit's common in Germany to have
sauna somewhere too.
It just reminded me that inJapan, public pools they always
have an area where you have torinse your body off hygiene.
You have to like immerse yourbody or you go through showers
oh my gosh, I hated those.
I know those are so cold, butyou have to go through that to
(25:28):
kind of cleanse yourself beforeentering the pool.
Same here, okay.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Except it's shower you have to take a shower.
It's usually designed so thatyou go into the locker room and
then you go through the shower.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, so you cleanse your body before you go in and
also they have, like the eyecleaning fountains at the pool.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
And I don't see that.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I don't see that in the us I've never seen that in
the us, where you can clean youreyes.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
I always have my eyes closed for those that defeats
the point.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
I think they even had it for um our school right,
like even the eye cleaningfountains, because we had uh
yeah pool classes too for pe,our school had pool, so if you
were to catch a cold, in.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
Germany like, if you're a child, what would your
mom make you Like what's like atypical?
Speaker 2 (26:15):
meal for the kids.
Yeah, I think big thing is tea.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, I was going to say I didn't know that Germans
drank tea.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
There are like different types.
Depending on the sickness theyhave different types of tea.
So I think tea is big and Idon't really know per se.
But yeah, I know that peopleare big on teas, mm-hmm.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
I would guess like for the US it's like chicken
noodle soup, right, it's like atypical yeah, or is that?
Speaker 3 (26:44):
yeah?
Speaker 4 (26:46):
mm-hmm, they do have some japan will be like porridge
rice porridge, which is not myfavorite yeah that might be.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
People are also big on opening the windows here, so
even if it's winter for aircirculation purposes, a lot of
people open the windows becauseyou guys don't have like central
air or anything usually right,it's not very common, no, Not
very common Nowadays.
You start to see them Notcentral, but one of those space
(27:16):
units per room.
That's a big thing.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
You know how I go to the clinic now, because I'm
pregnant.
Now I go once every two weeks,but it's mandatory to wear a
mask for you.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
What does that when you go in because you're
pregnant?
Speaker 4 (27:35):
or no?
No, for that's just the generalrule for the clinic what about
regular like anywhere hospitals?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
do you have to wear a mask?
Speaker 4 (27:43):
I feel like some still require you to wear a mask
, especially after after thepandemic, but not all hospitals.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
I wonder why they make you wear it at the clinic.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
They don't want you to get sick and pass it on to
the baby.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
Right, they don't want any sick people to come and
pass it on to other pregnantwomen or babies.
Even if you go to thesupermarket, they will still
have those sanitizers.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Well, I know that in japan the mindset is very much
like I gotta take care of othershealth like I gotta be
conscious of other people'shealth.
So it's always been thatapproach where, like, if you're
sick you have to wear a mask,even before covid like this is
like how we grew up is like ifyou are coughing you have to
wear a mask so you don't give itto somebody.
(28:30):
Um, yeah, that's always beenthe approach in japan.
It's like, oh you, you gottacare for others around you their
health, not just yours.
Here, it's more my health overyours.
So well, that sucks for you.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
You know that kind of thing the COVID is interesting
because I think every countryreacted differently, but
certainly I'm very sure thatJapanese people were on top of
it as far as just you know beingcollaborative, because it's
just how people race there.
Respect for others, likewearing masks, is nothing,
because that's not a foreignthing.
(29:08):
Germany there were differenttypes of masks that eventually
people had to wear oh yeah, likeyou said, certain ones were
enforced or something, rightyeah?
Like medical masks at somepoint were accepted or something
, yeah, at some point.
Yeah, yeah, I know thateverybody was scraping to try to
figure out what.
You know how to keep ourselvesnot get it, but I'm sure in
(29:32):
japan people are very good aboutit yeah, everyone's so used to
it yeah so do.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
A lot of people in germany have therapists like do
they go and see a therapist?
Is that a common thing?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I think it's not an unusual thing, but I don't know
how common it is either.
I believe that a lot of theexpats they go to a therapist.
I know that, but I'm not quitesure if the locals do that.
In the next few months, we'dlove to hear from you.
We want to gather yourquestions and ideas for future
(30:06):
episodes.
In fact, in one of our upcomingshows we're doing something
special.
We want you to help kick offthe conversation.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Whether you've been with us for a while or this is
your very first episode, we'resure you've got some questions
or maybe even thoughts on pastepisodes that you'd like to
share.
It doesn't have to be anythingdeep, it can be a one-liner.
You may be wondering how do Ireach out?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
It's easy Just scroll down to the episode description
and click on the first phraseSend us a text.
It might be in color orunderlined, depending on the
platform you're using.
Click on it and it open up amessenger where you can send us
your text.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Don't worry, we get them anonymously, unless you
choose to sign your name at theend, and if you'd like a shout
out, just let us know who youare when you send your message.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
We can't wait to hear from you, and thanks in advance
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We appreciate each and everyone of you for listening to the
sister vibes.
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