Excellent. Dead on. All the points I looked for regarding the "history behind," I found with ease. You have dug deep and been rewarded with a new sub, sir. 夜露死苦
Yes, unfortunately there is a lot of confusion and ignorance about the sun. In fact, the best thing anyone can do for their health is to expose as much of their skin as possible to the sun's energy in moderation, especially after sunrise and before sunset, when the sun is below 30 degrees of elevation. It makes me despair to see people covered from head to toe on a nice sunny day.
Are Japanese people as interested in keeping their skin pale as much as many Chinese and South East Asian women are? I was shocked when I first saw skin whitening cream in Indonesia. Especially, as in the UK people want to get tanned not pale. Also the point about sunglasses is interesting - I can't cope without sunglasses in Europe as my eyes get irritated by the sun really easily, but when I've been in Japan I didn't have the problem too much, so perhaps the sun hits a bit differently over there (or I could be talking nonsense).
Once again, I wind up thinking of some aspect of sumo: the idea that Japan can be a hot place is perennially driven home by the July Sumo Basho, held in Nagoya every year. The AC in the arena they use (Dolphin Arena?) is notoriously poor, so the faithful come ready with cool clothing, cold drinks, and constantly fluttering paper fans.
Great analysis. And interesting. I’m still wearing my fedora in Sydney in Tokyo after some skin cancer small treatments to prevent further. Should try Biore, so far Japanese sunscreens I have tried were inferior to Aussie ones.
Excellent. Dead on. All the points I looked for regarding the "history behind," I found with ease. You have dug deep and been rewarded with a new sub, sir. 夜露死苦
Yes, unfortunately there is a lot of confusion and ignorance about the sun. In fact, the best thing anyone can do for their health is to expose as much of their skin as possible to the sun's energy in moderation, especially after sunrise and before sunset, when the sun is below 30 degrees of elevation. It makes me despair to see people covered from head to toe on a nice sunny day.
Brilliant observations, great writing!
Are Japanese people as interested in keeping their skin pale as much as many Chinese and South East Asian women are? I was shocked when I first saw skin whitening cream in Indonesia. Especially, as in the UK people want to get tanned not pale. Also the point about sunglasses is interesting - I can't cope without sunglasses in Europe as my eyes get irritated by the sun really easily, but when I've been in Japan I didn't have the problem too much, so perhaps the sun hits a bit differently over there (or I could be talking nonsense).
Once again, I wind up thinking of some aspect of sumo: the idea that Japan can be a hot place is perennially driven home by the July Sumo Basho, held in Nagoya every year. The AC in the arena they use (Dolphin Arena?) is notoriously poor, so the faithful come ready with cool clothing, cold drinks, and constantly fluttering paper fans.
Once again, Leon, you have taught me something new about a culture I know very little about. Great read.
Great analysis. And interesting. I’m still wearing my fedora in Sydney in Tokyo after some skin cancer small treatments to prevent further. Should try Biore, so far Japanese sunscreens I have tried were inferior to Aussie ones.