Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat (or Ugly)
This spring’s bestseller French Women Don’t Get Fat has a new challenger. Writer Naomi Moriyama will soon publish her book Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat, and it looks like a great read!
As the story goes, Moriyama spent two years in Japan and promptly lost 25 pounds. I have to say, every time I go to Japan, I feel this incredible collective pressure to lose weight — everyone is so lithe and energetic, so I’m excited that someone has written a book on this subject.
The book is very timely for the US, where a full 34 percent of American women are obese. Japanese women weight in at a teeny tiny 2.9%. This is quite intriguing when you consider what a food obsessed culture Japan really is. And yet, the emphasis is on small portions, healthy ingredients, and very little cream or butter.
One of the things that I love about Moriyama’s book is that it is subtitled: Secrets of My Mother’s Tokyo Kitchen. This, of course, is one of the secrets to the Japanese diet — to have a Japanese mother in the first place.
http://mirrored.flabber.nl/busu/busu.swf
October 29th, 2005 at 6:04 amhahahahah…
October 29th, 2005 at 7:17 amMany Japanese women are clinically obese, even though appearing slender. Their ratio of body-fat to muscle is quite high. They are very flabby & soft, with little or no muscle tone. The obsession with being thin has created poor eating habits, and they rarely get any exercise.
October 29th, 2005 at 10:01 amTodd you need stats to back that kind of thing up, actual stats not made up ones either.
October 29th, 2005 at 11:08 amEating disorders among Japanese women
October 29th, 2005 at 11:18 amDon’t know what it all means, but. . .
In the United States, eating disorders seem to be less common among African-American and Asian females than among white females, equally common among Latina females, and surprisingly common among Native Americans. Japan seems to be the country with the highest prevalence of eating disorders.
From here.
October 29th, 2005 at 11:19 amActually Todd is quite correct. Asians, men and women, tend to have a higher body fat composition when compared to Caucasians and Africans at the same weights. This is particularly true for Asian women where the fat to body mass ratio is significantly higher than for non-Asian females.
Theres a plethora of clinical studies that proves this is true and it seems to be a mostly genetic factor rather than social one.
Heres an abstract from the National Library of Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8017333&dopt=Abstract
Just because Asian women don’t look fat, doesn’t neccessarily mean they are fit or healthy. They can possibly have the same fat mass as a woman who weighs more, but it is generally more evenly distributed across the body so it doesn’t register as readily as the ubiquitous American “bulge”.
October 29th, 2005 at 3:09 pmAsian men and women also tend to be of smaller build though, so to be of equivalent weight to that of their Caucasian and African counterparts they would have to be a lot more fat.
October 29th, 2005 at 3:18 pmAbout the Author
Naomi Moriyama was born in Tokyo. As a U.S.-Japan marketing consultant, she works with some of the world’s leading fashion, luxury, and consumer brands. She lives in New York City with her husband and coauthor, William Doyle, who has written or cowritten five books.
October 29th, 2005 at 3:18 pmThe book was co-authored with William Doyle, her husband.
October 29th, 2005 at 3:19 pmNaomi Moriyama is founder and president of digital powerhouse, a boutique New York Japan/U.S. marketing agency for clients like barnesandnoble.com, Mitsubishi Corporation, NTT Communications, Fujitsu Limited, Shiseido and Polo Ralph Lauren. She is a fully bi-cultural, bilingual executive with experience ranging from “blue-chip” multinational marketing to launching her own start-up. She started as account executive at Tokyo and New York offices of Grey Advertising, working on the Proctor & Gamble and Kraft General Foods accounts. She then worked as director of corporate development for giant Japanese trading company Itochu International and broadcaster at NHK, and later served as director of marketing for U.S. cable TV network HBO. She has won a series of industry awards, including the prestigious “Effie” Award for Procter & Gamble’s Pantene campaign, NY Film Festival Finalist for an NHK promotion video, and a Cable Ace Award for HBO.
October 29th, 2005 at 3:20 pmAbout the co-Author
William Doyle’s previous book, Inside the Oval Office: The White House Tapes from FDR to Clinton (1999) was a New York Times Notable Book. In 1998 he won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best TV Documentary for the A&E special The Secret White House Tapes, which he co-wrote and co-produced. He lives in New York City.
October 29th, 2005 at 3:24 pm“JAPANESE WOMEN DON’T GET OLD OR FAT (OR UGLY” — I am all for living healthily. Also, to some extent, I appreciate that these titles are refuting the underlying assumption of many Americans that to get older automatically means to get heavier.
October 29th, 2005 at 11:45 pmHowever, many Japanese women feel anything but attractive. Why is that?
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/features/life2005/fl20050918×4.htm
The cosmetic and plastic surgery industries have certainly benefited from this lack of self-assurance. Do books with titles like this help? Is this truly a celebration of Japanese women???
It’s an interesting question, Melissa. I also think your perspective helps to point out how women of one country so easily look to women of another country and see an “answer” to their woes. Obesity and its related health problems have created what amounts to a crisis in the US. Everyone would really like for there to be an easy solution to all of this — and, without knowing the full depth of Japanese women’s experiences, many Americans think that the Japanese “have it down.” After all, Japan has the highest longevity, so the perception isn’t completely off that the Japanese are doing something right.
October 30th, 2005 at 1:54 amI will diet next week because I gain 3kg.(eat apple for dinner) I am Japanese but it is very easy to gain weight for me. I have to be careful always and lose before it is too late.
October 30th, 2005 at 12:54 pmTHE AUTHOR IS HERSELF JAPANESE WHO IS UGLY, SO HER BOOK’S TITLE JAPANESE WOMAN BLAH BLAH BLAH IS RUBBISH.
November 1st, 2005 at 1:51 pmI resent these book titles. They imply that American women do get “old and fat”. It only adds to the collective low self-esteem that we have in our culture.
Of course obesity and the related health consequences are dire issues. But maybe we should be addressing these as symptoms of another problem in American culture– too much stress and too much food.
American women have high expectations of having successful careers, and being good wives and mothers (if we’re even able to get husbands or have children). On top of that, we’re supposed to stay young and thin, and be assertive instead of aggressive (even though it’s okay and even expected for American men to be aggressive “go-getters”).
Maybe it’s time for a book which celebrates the beauty and accomplishments of American women. We are not perfect, but considering our vast accomplishments since the “sexual revolution”, we are certainly role models to less fortunate women in many other countries.
P.S. I am also an Asian-American woman. And I pride myself on more than how I look. I enjoy my work and get paid well. My husband and son are the joys of my life.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:10 amThanks, Sarah, for your comments. I hope that you and Melissa continue to post. Japundit needs the input and opinions of more women.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:59 amAlthough I’m full blooded Japanese — American born and raised, I find the title itself biased and ignorant. I’m an American, and I thrive on variety. Who would wanna eat Japanese food EVERYDAY just to stay thin? It’s all about the choices we make when it comes to dieting and not STEREOTYPING one race from another just because they are generally thin. I feel completely ashamed with the title she gave her book — or whoever gave the title for that matter. She makes us, Japanese women, look bad with that title. I’m in an Asian club in a prestigous college and my Japanese friends find the book itself offending. And most of them are from JAPAN. As one friend put it, “With her book, good American people are going to ‘Hiroshima’ us again.” I can see from most of these posts….it’s already starting.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:12 amA comment on the original post since I have only started reading the book - the author spent the 2 years in American gaining the 25 pounds and returned home home to Japan and her former lifestyle and promptly lost the weight in (if I remember correctly) much less than 2 years. Also in reply to Aisan Dream - as an overweight American woman I have no problems with the title while at the same time agreeing with you on “choices”. My life is high in stress and short on time for decent eating or exercising and until I find a way to make the time for myself I will continue to make bad choices based on the little time I have but I have truly enjoyed the book so far and agree with her comments on lifestyle differences. Anyone who does the “Hiroshima” does so for effect not because they have a brain. I admit to liking the French Women… book as well because I know both speak truthfully - boil it down to what you eat, how much you eat, and what kind of consistent exercise you do - throw in info on recipes that are actually doable or at least adaptable and I feel that maybe I might be able to slow down enough to make just enough changes that will lead to more. I am more inspired by these 2 relatively small volumes than by any other “diet” books since McDougall’s.
November 29th, 2005 at 9:22 amHola Chicas, I am from the Dominican republic and a mother of 6, I have the best job in the world and a husband who is 12 years younger than I am, I am proud to say that I embrace my latina curve, I love my body and so does my husband. I think that when women from around the world start to accept and love ourselves as we see ourselves in the mirror the rest of the world will too. I just got remarried 2 years ago, my husband is 31 and I am 43 and not one day goes buy that my husband does not tell me how sexy I am at my 5′6” and 200 lbs, and if you were to see my husband Brad Pitt has NADA on him. Salud chicas and just LIV and ENJOY life.
December 1st, 2005 at 1:39 amHola again chica I forgot to mentioned that my maternal abuela lived to be 96 and my beautiful mother lived to be 85, what more can you want, as my mami would say SIMPLICITY is the key to living a long and healthy life, again I say DO NOT THINK ABOUT and JUST LIVE AND ENJOY oh I forgot to say making love at least once a day helps too, ohhhhhhh la dulce y bella vida. I love you all.
December 1st, 2005 at 1:46 amJapanese Women Don’t Get Old Or Fat: Secrets of My Mother’s Tokyo Kitchen by Naomi Moriyama and William Doyle
Japanse women have the lowest obesity rate in the world at just 3% and the highest life expectancy at 85 years. So, what’s the secret? Authors Naomi Moriyama (a native of Tokyo) and her husband William Doyle explore how a wholesome, simplistic …
December 4th, 2005 at 2:18 amWhen you are someone like me (genetically predisposed to heart disease and high blood pressure), you’re going to try to find the healthiest way to live and this book provides great examples on how to do that.
I couldn’t find a lot of the Japaneses ingredients in the book, so I’m having my mom, who lives in Manhattan, buy them and ship them up to me.
As for saying that being fat or old is a bad thing, she isn’t implying that. She’s simply saying that because you are going to get old no matter what you do, you don’t have to feel old. You can still have youthful energy and movement even when you are aging. To be fat slows you down and in most people causes health problems that wouldn’t be there if you were thinner.
If you enjoy being fat and slow and old and achy, then this book is not for you.
December 19th, 2005 at 11:03 pmThe author is incredibly ugly!!!
She doesn’t even have eyes. Yuk.
March 1st, 2006 at 5:19 pm[...] all along it has been sake that has helped Japanese women stay so young looking. Share [...]
March 19th, 2008 at 7:26 pmI think the author is conceited. Japanese women can be gorgeous but the really pretty ones look the same. Stop bashing other races because you’re jealous of our D-cups!
February 28th, 2009 at 9:58 amamuse and abuse yourself with this Nonnymouse ->
http://www.shockabsorber.co.uk/bounceometer/shock.html
Mister remora
February 28th, 2009 at 1:38 pmNo offence.But I am a East Asia girl,from China,and I am a real D cup girl.My family full of D cups women.I never jealous of white or black D cup girls,and girls in our country never jealous yet.But I have many male friends from US,and they conplained that US full of obese women.I never been to US,so I dont know the truth.No offence,again:-)
March 1st, 2009 at 4:55 pmWhen I moved to Japan to teach English I lost 30 pounds without really trying just by switching to the local diet. Also, I disagree with the person who wrote much earlier that Japanese women were unfit because they didn’t exercise. There is not the same obsession with working out as there is on this side of the world, but the Japanese walk and bike far more than we do. You don’t have to be bulging with rock hard muscles to be fit.
It is natural, I guess, to become defensive when its suggested that other countries are better at something than we are. But sometimes it’s to our benefit to have an open mind. And, considering the obesity epidemic that the US is suffering from, the more open minded we become about other ways to eat and live, the better. (Much better than sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that morbidly obese bodies are “curvy.”) Our emphasis on “self esteem” over all else is maybe a problem too. Too much self esteem can be nothing more than smugness or denial.
By the way, it’s not just the Japanese that manage to stay trim and fit. It is also very rare to see extremely fat people in France and many other European countries. The common factors are healthy, low fat diets and far less reliance on cars.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm