By Nina Kahori Fallenbaum

If you’ve ever been trampled by a bag-toting obaachan in Shinjuku station as she runs for the last train (why she’s out shopping at 12:30 a.m., I have never understood), the concept of “slow life” in frenetic Tokyo probably is borderline comical. But LOHAS (“Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability”) has taken hold of Japan like the plague, and its now teetering between a serious subculture and just another boomu, or trend.

The term was first introduced to Japan in 2002 when sociologist Paul Ray, Ph.D. was invited to introduced his concept of “the Cultural Creatives” at a Tokyo symposium. In his book of the same title, he describes a growing sector of society that is interested in health, the environment, and spirituality, against wanton consumerism and waste, but willing to spend top dollar (or yen) on products that are high-quality and not harmful to the Earth. Co-written with his wife Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., the book was the first to explain why natural-food and cosmetics companies were posting record profits all over the U.S. and Europe, and how companies could better court these “green consumers.”

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Being an expectant mother in a foreign country may seem overwhelming at first, especially if you don’t read or speak the language. Fortunately there are others who have trodden that path before you, and many are happy to share their knowledge.

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When you’re learning a foreign language, there are times when you learn a new phrase and then for the following week hear it constantly. Last week, my Japanese word was “Zeppin” (絶品, superb quality), after I ate a Lotteria Zeppin Burger. This week, it’s been “Hara Hachibu”.

I saw the kanji (腹八分) flash by on a tv show and was wondering what it meant, when a few days later an author from Berkeley called Michael Pollan mentioned it. He was giving a great talk about healthy eating and said that the Okinawans came up with this practice.

Haru Hachibu talks about eating until you’re eighty percent full, not until you’re absolutely 100% stuffed. Apparently it can add years to your life. Here’s a page explaining about it:

http://okinawa-diet.com/okinawa_diet/hara_hachi_bu.html

The incredibly interesting YouTube video is after the jump.

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