Thursday, 30 August 2007
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Rising sons and daughters get naked as J-birds
Increasing numbers of Japanese are doing their bit to combat global warming by getting all their gear off, according to Sunday Mainichi (9/9).
"We asked a group of Office Ladies to tell us what they did to beat the heat and the most common answers were 'strip down to almost nothing and sit around without the air conditioner on' and 'sleep in the nude,'" Takayo Yamamoto, a researcher at the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, tells Sunday Mainichi.
A 29-year-old OL shares an apartment with two other young women and the trio is more than happy to get around in the buff when they're at home because it's such a welcome respite from the prim and proper business attire they dress in during the day while working in the money business.
"Getting nude at home is like taking off our 'suits of armor,'" she says. "You just relax. I suppose in a way it's like taking your make-up off."
A married ad man in his 40s has become an advocate of the nude lifestyle since he began an extramarital affair with a 20-something woman five years ago.
"At home, it's not like I can go around in just my undies and let off farts. When I'm at my girlfriend's place, though, we always hang out in the nude, whether we're just watching TV or even during meals. And, you know what, just being in my natural state means I feel free to fart," he tells Sunday Mainichi. "And when I take a crap, if I come up with a really funny-shaped turd, I'll call my girlfriend in and show it to her."
Singer Sun Plaza Nakano has romped around naked at home for the past decade.
"By exposing your skin to fresh air, you toughen it up," he says. "I've stopped catching colds, too."
Copywriter Naoya Okada has been a fan of nudism since he and his wife gave it a one-off try for a day 20 years ago.
"We just had so much fun," he says. "Modern people's bodies aren't as sensitive as they used to be. Being naked can be stimulating. I'd recommend stripping off and whipping up a stir-fry or deep fried dish and feel all sorts of body parts where the flying fat lands just so different parts of your body can feel some sort of stimulation."
Shohei Wada, author of "Ratai Jinruigaku (Naked Sociology)" and a professor at Koshien University, is delighted at the widespread embracing of nakedness.
"It finally looks like Japan has added its name to Nudist Civilization. Globally, nudists first appeared in Germany in the early 20th century and became a major social movement. In 1937, there was an International Nudist Convention and after that nudism spread throughout Europe, but Japan still doesn't have a strong nudist movement," the academic says. "I was expecting a nudist movement to pop up sometime. It might be happening now."
A woman in her 40s who has experienced naturalist living overseas would love to see nudism spread in Japan.
"My experience at a nudist beach in the Caribbean was unforgettable. It felt so good just strutting along the beach baring all and sundry," she tells Sunday Mainichi.
"Was I embarrassed? Not a bit. Everybody there was nude, so I'd have been more embarrassed if I was the only one wearing a swimsuit." (By Ryann Connell)
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