Job Discussion Forums

[tradang]

Hi,

I teach in Vietnam at the moment and am considering a move to Japan(not sure which city yet). One of the my concerns is being able to keep in shape which is easy in VN. I'd appreciate any input on any of the following questions:

Is it possible to buy the following to prepare at home daily at an affordable price?:

fresh/frozen fruit
Fresh/frozen/canned veggies and beans?
Brown rice?
Chicken breast/fish?
Nuts?
Skim/fat free milk?

Would I be able to join a gym with weights and cardio(running machines and bikes) facilities?

Thanks!

[Apsara]

All of the above, very easily. Japan is a very developed country with well-stocked supermarkets. Fruit can be a bit expensive but bananas are cheap and local fruit in season is usually reasonable if bought at the right place.

Gyms are everywhere, except in tiny country villages. You can also play almost any sport you care to name, do yoga, Pilates...

[Shimmeringstar]

Welcome to health food (especially fish!) capital of the world.

Japanese people usually eat very healthy foods, so most of the foods you mentioned you can find very easily. Yes, I second the fact that fruit can be a bit pricey, but it's good quality and worth the price.

Brown rice may be the hardest thing to find on your list. Japan loves its white rice for some reason! If you cannot find it in any stores, you can buy it from the Foreign Buyers Club www.fbcusa.com.

As for fitness clubs, I joined one and it was absolutely no problem! Most Japanese cities have great health club facilities. Overall, the Japan lifestyle is pretty healthy.

[Quibby84]

I buy brown rice at my store, it is called Apita (the store's name). It is sort of expensive but I mix it with white rice and call it a day. But it is true that it is strange here, when I tell someone that I eat brown rice they do look at me weird.

I havent seen many canned veggies (well not affordable ones) but it is easy to get them fresh.
I am pretty healthy, or I try to be but in Japan it is harder because you cant read the labels and they do not offer a organic or low fat option. BUT you can do it if you buy fresh and cook often.

[craven]

Ditto on the rice...while most food can be bought reasonably easily here, non-Japanese rice is a bit of a problem! A Thai friend of mine orders me big sacks of jasmine rice when he puts his restaurant orders in...otherwise I'd never be able to afford the stuff!
I don't know about Vietnam, but I lived for a while in Thailand and I personally find it MUCH easier to work out/do sports in Japan than it was in Thailand. There are local sports leagues/clubs of every size/shape/skill level imaginable...martial arts in particular are VERY cheap (my budokan charges Y6000 (about $57USD) for 6 months worth of lessons). Large gyms can be a bit on the pricey side (around $80-90USD/month), but there are lots of smaller places with a good range of dumbbells/so-so equipment around. My gym and pool have no membership, and cost Y250 and Y500/day respectively.

[Apsara]

In big cities like Tokyo, all kinds of organic foods are available, including at my local supermarket. We have organic pasta, brown rice, tea, peppermint tea and veges in my house right now.

Quibby, is it possible you're missing the organic stuff because you don't know the kanji for it? It's ?? which is pronounced yuuki. Sometimes they also have the katakana version ??????. Mostly only dairy food come in low-fat options, look for ??? -teishibou- on yoghurt, cheese etc.
Or perhaps it's because you live in Ashikaga? I bet there is more organic stuff around you than you realise though.

[Quibby84]

The only thing that I have ever seen that was organic was pasta and it was 3 times the normal price. I couldnt make myself but it....
What is the kanji and hirigana for Low-Fat, I have so much trouble buying healthy yogurt. Do you know a good brand?
I buy Japanese brown rice...

and hey, Ashikaga is ichiban! Beats all other cities in Japan! (lets just pretend that I have been to every city)

[furiousmilksheikali]

低脂 or 低脂肪 is low-fat.

[Apsara]

Ah, I see none of my kanji came out, sorry. Maybe furiousmilksheikali can give you the kanji for organic as well- my computer skills are not that advanced

I haven't been to Ashikaga but I knew someone who went to live there and it sounded very inaka. She was a city girl and didn't last long there. I'm sure it has its merits though!

[furiousmilksheikali]

In fact, I had no idea what the kanji for organic was, as I have never been particularly interested in organic food (or low-fat food for that matter but I somehow knew that one).

Aspara, could you confirm if this is the correct kanji? (I went to babelfish to find it so it may be wrong).

有機性

[Apsara]

That's yuuki-sei, which does mean organic, but my husband says that just the first two kanji, yuuki, is the more usual way to write it. The first two are what I was trying to write above instead of ????, followed by the katakana.

Thanks for the help!

[furiousmilksheikali]

どういったしまして

[Tom Bombadil]

Japan is a great place for healthy food, even if not everyone takes advantage of it.

I came out of a ten-year retirement from competitive bodybuilding while living in Japan. I trained in the local city gym for 100 yen per day and had not problem with food, though I did import my supplements.

[rai]

I'm one of the few people here who has gained weight in Japan . I've been here about seven years and I've been a member of most of the major gym chains. There's usually something available that will meet some or most of your needs, but of course you have to make some adjustments (which I'm sure you're doing now in Vietnam).

The ONE THING that absolutely drives me crazy here is that most gyms open at 10 in the freaking morning! I'm a morning person, and like to work-out BEFORE work (I useta work out at 5 A.M. back in Chicago) but here I've gotta go after work. I'm tired after work, especially in the summer when I've been sweating like a pig all day.

A friend of mine in another part of Osaka lives near the only 24-hour gym I've ever heard of in Japan... Anyway, you'll be fine, unless you're a serious weight-lifter and get stuck in the middle of nowhere. But even when I lived in the countryside in Nagano there was a decent prefectural gym (a 45-minute walk away, but at least it was there) with some weights.

[Quibby84]

Thanks!

Ashikaga is not for the unmarried...some people have learned that the hard way. But it is perfect for those who don't mind hanging out with their significant others 24/7....ok so, it does lack in the friend area, but it is beautiful!