Woman reveals what it feels like to be a plus-size woman in Japan compared to America

It can be hard to find overweight people in Japanese society as most of them have a slimmer build and petite frame. However, foreigners traveling to the country might face certain challenges while adjusting to public transport or even houses. Leo Hirata, a Japanese man who creates videos on the TikTok channel @japan_documented, captured the essence of this when he interviewed an American woman and asked her about her experience as a plus-size woman in the country.

"How does it feel like to be a plus-sized woman in Japan?" Hirata asked her from off-camera. "It surprisingly feels worse than it does to be a plus-sized person in America," the woman admitted. "We tend to pack more muscle and more mass than Asian people, particularly Japanese people. There are some bus seats that I can't sit in. It is difficult to take the airplane sometimes because the seats are so much smaller." When Hirata questioned how she deals with these difficulties, she answered that she tries to avoid getting into these transports whenever possible. She prefers to take the Shinkansen or the high-speed bullet trains instead of airplanes. She concluded by saying that whenever she doesn't have a choice, she just has to "suck it up."

A few people in the comment section criticized her for not mentioning the fact that most Americans are obese. @pointlesscrap101 joked, "Everyone in America is plus-sized." @thehobbygremlin quipped, "LOL, people like these make me so embarrassed to be American." However, we need to keep in mind how some societal factors and practices in Japan are the reason behind the country being less accommodating towards plus-sized people. According to NPR, only 4.2% of Japanese individuals are overweight, whereas in America, 42% of people are considered obese. 

"The Japanese cuisine's core feature is simplicity. For us, the simpler, the better," Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku President Masaru Watanabe told TIME, explaining the food habits of Japanese folks. "First, drink the soup a little bit, then go to the side dish—one bite. Then, try the rice for one bite. Then the mackerel—again, a single mouthful. Then, go back and have another taste of the soup. This is also the key to keeping you healthy. Keeping the balance, so you don't eat too much."

It's not just the body types of Japanese people that differ from Americans. People also have a very different experience with childbirth in Japan than in America. An American mom named Nicole Patrice shared her calming and beautiful experience of giving birth to her child in Japan. Patrice–who goes by @nicole_does_japan on TikTok–made a video to show her viewers how she was treated by the hospital staff right from the moment she went into labor. "It's the moment that we've all been waiting for, giving birth in Japan. I've been really curious to compare and contrast my experience of giving birth in the United States versus my experience in Japan. And boy, there is some catching up that needs to happen. Giving birth here in Japan has been seamless and thoughtful, deliberate, kind, and beautiful," she captioned her video.

She added that her birth center offered the option of aromatherapy to relax and soothe the birth process while she was scheduled to deliver her baby via C-section. "My birth center was amazing. They let me have a birth plan, then let me choose the music," Patrice revealed. "The hospital's interiors and detailed equipment were all soothing and everything was given to the new mom in bed." She had a labor and delivery room with everything arranged to help with pregnancy and postpartum needs. The mom then revealed a delicious platter, which they gave her for lunch and it looked nothing less than a meal at a five-star restaurant. 

You can follow Leo Hirata (@japan_documented) on TikTok for more videos on Japan.