This is not your typical body-positive rant. This one’s Japan-specific. For most non-Japanese women, moving to Japan and transitioning to life here can be a huge weight.
So what do you do when your body suddenly changes without warning? How do you cope with weight gain and feeling foreign in your new body? And where the heck can a gal find brown bread in Japan? So you’ve acquired an unwelcome muffin top. Or your skin has exploded. Or your hair has taken on an electrocuted frizz and.
.. you—loathe—it.
Guess what? It’s completely okay to feel that way, but just remember that it is expected. It’s what our bodies do. They change, especially when our lives have taken a 360-degree turn.
I came to Japan on JET (the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program), where I was randomly placed in the most (countryside) location ever. This meant the I was used to back home—whole wheat crackers, brown bread, quinoa, nuts and seeds, to name a few—were alien to my new environment. Plus, the nearest sports facility was an hour’s drive away, and I felt uncomfortable exercising outside because everyone stared.
I had to accept that living in an unaccustomed place, breathing in different air, eating exotic foods, working an unfamiliar job and instinctively engaging in new daily habits have a big impact on our health. It turns out that Japanese food isn’t as healthy as I had expected. During my first months here, eating the with white rice and white bread every day, dining out and eating.
