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Strange Japanese Beliefs

朝鮮人参, ちょうせんにんじん, Chousen Ninjin, or Asian ginseng, can be found here in Okinawa at any number of herbal pharmacies, however, real or otherwise, it can cost quite a bit.

Thanks so much for all the info. Are you in Okinawa?
 
Speaking of herbal remedies, because of East Asian culture, the Japanese seem to buy easily into every "miracle drug" or miracle food type of belief. Shortly before I arrived in Japan this year, there was apparently some kind of major fallout from a television show telling people that eating a type of tofu will make them magically lose weight. When people found out it wasn't working, they got upset.

...

You'd think people would know better, but they just never learn. Japanese are very bad at learning from their mistakes in this area, because it seems like every month I hear "the new" miracle diet food. This month will be something like gyoza soy-vinegar dipping sauce or something equally stupid. And the same people will buy into it.

Americans and Europeans at least, are a little better about deceiving themselves about their weight. They at least buy diet medications, which are equally ineffective, but mask themselves behind fancy sounding pseudo-medicine with their marketing. Japanese just expect to eat tofu and *poof* lose weight, because TV told them. Did everyone sleep through biology class or something?
 
taking a shower when you are feel really tired can have bad endings?

drinking coffee after beer is like taking water with an aspirine?

Sleeping on the floor is a little bit better for your health then sleep on a futon or bed?

eating egg's fully is energetic?

eating different peanuts (healthy peanuts like amandels etc..) is very good for your heart?

That every day a little glass with wine is good for preventing cancers?

That when you go to sleep you fully shutdown your television is better for your electricity bill? (this really work :p)

Gambatte ne!

greetz, Herbal☆.
 
Hmm well the fan thing is a possible...ive gotten sick quite a few times from having the fan on me while I am sleeping. A person could get pneumonia and die.
 
Hmm well the fan thing is a possible...ive gotten sick quite a few times from having the fan on me while I am sleeping. A person could get pneumonia and die.

Or they could get heat stroke and die if they don't use it. My god, it's so hot here today. The humidity is what really gets me. And the A/C is useless against it. I think it's a dangerous belief, especially for older people who are more prone from succumbing to heat stroke, and especially in Japan, where the homes have no insulation or central air. A fan can't make anyone sick, unless they stick it right in their face or something. But common sense should prevent something like that...? ☝
 
Gosh, if I hear the thing about covering your stomach at night one more time! Make sure you cover your stomach at night, so that it doesn't get cold! If you don't, you'll have a stomach ache!

And you better believe I sleep with a fan...no A/C pointed directly at me at night. I haven't had a stomach ache from it yet, much less died from it.

Eat vegetables while pregnant, and you will have a girl. Eat meat, get a boy. Or is it vice versa?

And what's the saying about throwing teeth on the roof?

The fights that my husband and I got into while I was pregnant. It seemed like the weird beliefs really came out while I was with child. I'm not superstitious at all, and it really got on my nerves, to say the least. I learned to just ignore it and go on as I pleased.

One of the main things was the prenatal vitamins. No, no, no...you don't "swallow pills" when pregnant. Never. Not even vitamins! I definitely didn't pay attention to that one. Oh, but it was ok to drink some champagne(which I didn't object to one glass myself) or smoke.
 
I just found this bizzare one.

If you lie down immediately after eating, you will become a cow.

For some reason, I find it hard to believe that either the Japanese or anybody else would believe this one.
 
Eating peanuts will make your nose bleed.
OK, I must admit - I had believed eating too many peanuts will make my nose bleed til I read this thread!

  • You won't be able to be present at your parents' death if you clip your nails at night.
I heard that this is kind of a play on words.
clipping your nails at night = 夜爪を切る
- 夜 has the same pronunciation as 世(world, life)
- 爪 sounds like つめる(to shorten)
So, it leads to this superstition, clipping your nail at night can make your life shorter!

I know these beliefs are just beliefs, but I can't help acting on these superstitions just to avoid bad luck:p
 
Yeah. God knows what they are based on. Some of them may be true. I think Snopes.com is a good site to find out if Urban Legends and superstitions are true, because it seems that these beliefs aren't only held in Japan but they are world wide superstitions.
 
How about the one that if you eat too much chocolate you get a nose bleed?
My host mother worried alot in the beginning when I was eating japanese chocolate..
 
Or when you see someone really hot/pretty and have nose bleeds?
My host grandma told me that if I saw a maiko/geisha I would have a nosebleed....
 
It seems to be a common thing that looking at hot people will give you a nose bleed. I've seen it in TV shows, anime, manga, music videos. It happens all the time. Not sure about real life though. Is that one just in Japan???
 
I heard the following superstitions:
Going to bed naked will give you a headache.
Drinking sweet mineral water will keep you sexual organ healtier.
Leaving a toilet's open while you sleep will make you a restless !
Eating dried bread will make your earache.
Leaving a bottle of water outside your home will keep cats away.
 
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