Overweight Britons were left shocked to discover that there were “no obese people in Tokyo” and “everyone was staring at them” as they took to the streets of the Japanese city.
Around the World in 80 Weighs aired last night on Channel 4 and saw six contestants from around the UK go on an adventure to Japan.
In Japan, only 4 per cent of the population is obese compared to 25 per cent of Brits, and the people around them definitely noticed.
Another rule in the country is that workers are legally obliged to do a morning exercise session and have their waists measured by their employers.
They said that “everyone was staring at them”
Channel 4
Tiffany, 24 years old and one of the contestants on the show, said: “As we walked past all of the school kids pointed and laughed at us.
“They’re so open about being rude. Why would you point and laugh at another human being? It’s just cruel.”
Marisa, 31, explained: “‘It just blows my mind that you’re not allowed to be who you are and you just have to fit it.
‘I don’t feel like I should be here. In this country, I don’t feel comfortable, and for me, it isn’t somewhere I would come back.”
Being obese is rare in Japan
Channel 4
The group then went on to visit Japanese YouTubers Mr and Mrs Eats who revealed that it was their first time seeing overweight people in the flesh.
Mrs Eats said: “Obese people are extremely rare. Do we have obese people in our town, maybe? But I just don’t see them at all.”
She explained to the group: “A lot of Japanese people are very disciplined.
“We believe that harmony is very important, so that if you are too big and you stand out too much, you kind of destroy the harmony in society in a way.”
She decided that the country “wasn’t for her”
Channel 4
The contestants set out to discover the implications of their health and to meet people in each country who might be able to help them lead healthier lives and lose weight along the way.
Marisa said: “It’s very strict. They only eat with chopsticks, and they only eat until they’re 80 per cent full.
Marisa revealed that she had to eat everything off her plate to get dessert. But in Japan, it is the opposite.
She said: “The Japanese culture is very different, you don’t have to eat all your food, you’re fine to leave it.'”
