Secret of Long Life in Japan

Researchers say that one of the possible reasons for the long and healthy life of people in Japan is that 80% of Japanese people stay in hot water for a long time.

For two decades, Tokyo City University professor and medical doctor Shenya Hayasaka has studied the medical benefits of long baths and hot baths.

Speaking to DW, Professor Hayasaka said, "Nearly 20 years ago, a nurse who helped elderly patients bathe at home asked me for advice. He was concerned that many people had high blood pressure and that it was safe for them to take long baths in hot water.

He adds, "There was no scientific research at that time to answer this question. I think the answer to this question needs to be found in the light of scientific evidence.

Ayasaka recently published his first research paper in the Journal of Epidemiology, emphasizing the need to carefully monitor elderly people who bathe in hot water for long periods of time. Spread daily in Japan until you lie down in a hot tub.

Japan, famous for earthquakes and volcanoes, has 27,000 hot springs. Due to the abundance of these hot springs, almost every Japanese citizen has access to them in the past. For this reason, lying in hot water for a long time and taking a long bath is a kind of national tradition in Japan. Religion has also historically played a key role in this regard. Many places of worship locally provide bathing places for the common people. Many Buddhist leaders also advise people to take regular baths.

Until the 1960s, most Japanese homes did not have bathrooms and people had to turn to public bathrooms. Due to this, bathing has in a way become a public event and culture. Now that every home has a bathroom, public bathrooms are still visible.

According to Hayasaka, bathing longer in hot water has three main benefits: a warmth, an increase in the body's ability to float on water, and hydrostatic pressure. In addition, the health benefits of hygiene and sanitation are different. However, according to Professor Hayasaka, the hygienic and hygienic benefits can be achieved by taking a bath while standing under the shower. However, the first benefits are only due to lying in warm water.