Re:Speaking of Japan

[Guest guest]

One of the factors that affects lifespan is stress/mental wellbeing. I have always been amazed at the government services provided in Japan. Just like the childrens center below. When I was on Okinawa there were a plethora of FREE childrens centers to take the kids to. There are rooms everywhere for baby changing and breastfeeding. They have community centers and parks that are actually kept up and used by the community. I would go for a walk in the park and see groups of people - young and old - praticing dance routines or musical presentations that they would show at local festivals. There really is a "group" consciousness in Japan. This leads to the feeling that you are supported by the community and government - which leads to mental well being. While the diet of Japan gets worse and their life expectancy drops I still think they will live longer than us simply for the fact that I think that

they are community oriented. And old people are stil respected in Japan. I think the mental aspect is just as important as the physical when it comes to longevity. -Ed In Tokyo, the local government has started offering lifestyle coaching forobese children. At one children's center, counselors advise children oneating habits, exercise and dieting safely. The weekly program has about 50children on its waiting list.For decades, the life expectancy of Okinawan men was among the world'shighest. But after American fast food arrived in the late 1940s, Spam andtaco-rice slowly supplanted the much healthier local diet. Every year, thegovernment in Tokyo publishes longevity statistics for Japan's 47prefectures. After falling in the rankings from the top to fifth in 1990,Okinawan men slumped to 26th in 2000.

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"There is a criterion by which you can judge whether the

thoughts you are thinking and the things you are doing

are right for you. The criterion is: Have they brought you inner peace?"

-Peace Pilgrim