After decades of paying little attention to the needs of their bodies, the Japanese seem to be rediscovering themselves as flesh-and-blood beings who require proper physical care in order to lead happy and satisfying lives.
Thirty years ago, in the rush to economic prosperity, people didn't bother much about their health condition. Men in particular drank, smoked and slept on eki no benchi (駅のベンチ, train station benches) when they were too sloshed to catch the shūden (終電, last train) home. Now no urban station will allow passengers to bed down for the night — on bench or platform. And besides, far fewer people drink themselves into oblivion anymore.
Back in the late 1970s to mid '80s, my father always had a bottle of igusuri (胃薬, stomach pills) stashed in his briefcase — it was his antidote to everything from depression to karō (過労, excessive fatigue) brought on by 16-hour work days. He wasn't the only one — back then most Japanese company workers had little or no knowledge of the workings of the body and were too busy to care.