So while this post is aimed at a visit I have considered moving to Japan and now that I’m a lil bigger I’m sure this trip will help decide for me.
So I’m planning to visit Japan soon. Previously, I briefly lived /visited Japan some time ago to teach English. At that time, I was around 30 pounds lighter. Currently, I weigh about 155 pounds at 5’9″. I’ve realized that during my last stay in Japan, I might not have faced as strict body standards because I fit within those norms. Some of my Japanese friends have had serious discussions about the stringent body and beauty standards there, with some choosing not to return due to past trauma related to being larger during their youth in Japan.
As a white woman, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not judged by the same standards or expected to meet them. However, I’m still anxious about being larger than I was during my last visit. Even then, some people at a club made jokes about how fortunate I am not to be “one of those fat Americans,” mocking bigger American women as unattractive. I know I’m not 400lbs (and there’s nothing wrong with being larger), but I’m anxious about my weight in Japan. Do you think I’m being unreasonable with this anxiety?”
19 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Do foreigners face the same level of scrutiny regarding body/beauty standards as native Japanese individuals?**
So while this post is aimed at a visit I have considered moving to Japan and now that I’m a lil bigger I’m sure this trip will help decide for me.
So I’m planning to visit Japan soon. Previously, I briefly lived /visited Japan some time ago to teach English. At that time, I was around 30 pounds lighter. Currently, I weigh about 155 pounds at 5’9″. I’ve realized that during my last stay in Japan, I might not have faced as strict body standards because I fit within those norms. Some of my Japanese friends have had serious discussions about the stringent body and beauty standards there, with some choosing not to return due to past trauma related to being larger during their youth in Japan.
As a white woman, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not judged by the same standards or expected to meet them. However, I’m still anxious about being larger than I was during my last visit. Even then, some people at a club made jokes about how fortunate I am not to be “one of those fat Americans,” mocking bigger American women as unattractive. I know I’m not 400lbs (and there’s nothing wrong with being larger), but I’m anxious about my weight in Japan. Do you think I’m being unreasonable with this anxiety?”
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Gaijin smash. You exist outside the rules.
I am close to your weight and height, and nobody commented on my weight when I lived there for a year. Some might comment on how you are quite tall for a lady there.
That depends on exactly what would make you anxious really.
– Are you anxious about not finding someone romantically? You will be fine.
– Are you anxious about being ridiculed by strangers? Nobody cares enough to mock random strangers.
– Are you anxious about being ridiculed by friends/acquaintances? Japanese people usually do not ridicule to your face or ask directly, due to their stricter standards however they will probably make roundabout remarks here and there like “What do you usually eat?”, “do you usually exercise?..” etc… That comes to you whether you are fine with this or not.
But given your height and weight you will be perfectly fine imo.
As long as you are yourself happy with your current weight then you will naturally pay no mind like you should anyway
I guess it depends on what you mean by scrutiny. On a visit (i.e. not in an office with co-workers or visiting in-laws who feel like they can say ‘you’ve gained weight!’) no one is going to say anything to you at all. You’re going to get bucketed as just another standard foreigner regardless of most external features unless those features really stand out (being super tall, super obese, tons of tattoos/body mods). Also on top of all that, you are 5’9″/155…I think you’re overthinking this. That’s not even particularly wild by Japanese standards. If you mean scrutiny like you’re trying to find someone romantically/hookup, I don’t think those numbers would in any way be an impeding factor to finding something.
I currently live in Japan, my weight is the same as yours, but I’m much shorter. No one has ever said anything to me about my weight ( this includes my Japanese friends).
However, finding clothes can be a bit of a struggle unless you go to international brands.
Honestly the most shit get is from the kids I teach at kindergarten lol. I would say I’m not big for American “standards” but definitely thicker in Japan.
The kids are not afraid to point out my insecurities.. 🥲 (those adorable bastards)
In life and with friends, I’ve never had an issue. And with dating, men treated me as novelty or a notch on their belt but not cause of my weight just cause of my foreignness.
People in Japan come in all shapes and sizes, most are concerned about other things and you shouldn’t waste your time worrying about it.
From my very limited experience study abroad: Japanese college dudes found the slightly bigger women in my study abroad group more attractive then the smaller thin women. Reason is because they are foreign + have bigger butts/boobs that Japanese women generally lack.
Take that with a grain of salt though, since it was limited to the people I met in college. But! generally speaking, Japanese people are very polite and will keep opinions to themselves, so I highly doubt you will face any direct scrutiny
First of all why do you care? Secondly, if you do care, I think your height is more of an issue rather than your weight. 155 and 5 foot 9 is nothing like overweight
To some extent yes, many women, especially young ones, don’t like guys with beard, for body weight I’m not sure
Yes and no.
It all depends. Anything over BMI 25 and people will comment. It’s mostly out of concern for your health, not an attack like you see in the west. “Fat” is all perspective. To the Japanese women, the moment your thighs rub, you are chubby and need to diet. Once they have a few kids and reach 35, BMI goes out the window as long as they remain married.
The answer to this is that it depends on who you’re talking to and your mileage may vary then.
Generally as long as you have a BMI under 24.9 most doctors during the annual health check or whatever won’t comment on it.
Colleagues won’t comment on it either unless you have a massive stomach that sticks out quite a bit or something like that. In that case, expect comments and maybe even people poking you >< (it didn’t happen to me but I have witnessed this).
Inlaws though, holy shit, mine cannot keep their mouths shut about how fat I am lmao, literally anything I do makes me fat and in my mind its become a running joke after they said I’d get fat because the weight I was picking up at that time was heavy! Yes, lifting weights = getting fat in their mind, hilarious! So yeah, again, not everyone’s inlaws are like this I hear but a decent chunk are.
Personally as a foreigner, you’ve just got to accept that you’re going to stand out anyway. My advice would be to not give a shit, as long as you’re good with you being yourself, don’t worry about it. The culture can be toxic about things like weight, body hair, eyelid surgery, etc but yeah, just //ignore
Woh 150 at 5’9 isn’t that normal. You are just slightly over the scale and you are just over thinking.
depends on your demographic
I’m talking to a Japanese man online and I’m soooo anxious because I’m a size 10 in US sizing lol. He already confessed to me and says he likes big asses but I know I don’t look like Japanese girls so I’m insecure :’)
Everyone has a type, regardless of beauty standards.
What no one has said and bears stating is that Japan is highly weight conscious, especially women. Women who look skinny by our standards are always on a diet. There’s a lot of pressure on women to be thin. I think it can be very hard on young women and their mental health.
I am concerned because you already feel anxious, so you might be susceptible to some of this pressure.
That said, Japan is a wonderful place to lose weight. Lots of walking and lots of healthy food. Smaller portions and sweets are not so sweet.
I moved to Tokyo just over one month ago. I’m shorter and heavier than you (I’m also white and American). No one has said anything to me about my weight. I also don’t speak Japanese, so if anyone made a passing comment I wouldn’t understand it anyway. I’ve been going to bars and I’ve already made friends and had some guys hit on me.
For my size, it’s pretty difficult to find clothing in stores (I’m top heavy with a very large chest so I can’t buy bras either) but I researched that before I moved to Japan and brought lots of clothes with me. If you are larger than maybe a US pant size 6 and your shoe size is larger than a US women’s size 7, you will have trouble finding clothing and shoes. Since I’ve been here I have seen plenty of very thin Japanese women (and men) but I’ve also seen heavier Japanese people. Everyone here isn’t stick thin.
I feel your anxiety. My weight was a big source of anxiety for me and deciding to move to Japan. I am actively working toward losing weight, but it will take time to get to where I want to be.