[SSJup81]

You know, when older, that 12 year old could get into a high school exchange program. I've seen stuff like that on the net. I even came across one where you can study at Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo. If I had the money, and if my current University was one of their schools for BCA, I'd take them up on the offer. I wonder if a student from another school can get in the program. I'm really interested in studying there.

Originally Posted by TexMex

as for not eating fish and rice..that is the most healthy food around..

Unless you're a diabetic who avoids foods like rice. I love most of the Japanese foods I've had. Stuff like onigiri and sushi is filling and low in fat.

Ironically, though, Asian dishes tend to be low fat and, like you said, healthy. In January, I'm planning on starting up a more "Asian" diet. As long as I exercise whenever eating a starch or carb, I can keep my blood sugar level down.

Here in Japan, I did not see any fat people like US.

In my opinion, I think it has a lot to do with the lack of dairy in their diets, and the emphasis on Physical Education throughout your entire school run. I know here, for elementary, some are phasing out recess, since "test scores" are more important now a days. In high school, you only need a year, or two, for your graduation requirements as opposed to all of your years there. My mother said when she was a kid, you had PE from start of school to finish. I'm not sure if it's like that in other parts of the US, but it is here.

most Americans are fat..they usethe subway, bike and walk everywhere..

This only works if you live in an area with good public transportation (I don't) or things are too far away to walk to it or bike there. I live in a Surburban area of Richmond, Virginia. The only places in walking distance of me (some which was just recently built a year or two ago), is a cafe, Chinese place, gas station, and a hair dresser, and nail salon. As for public transportation, we have bus lines, but for the area I live in I might can walk to a bus stop (and hope I don't get run over by cars in the process, since this area wasn't made for walking), but there's no guarantee it'll go to an area you need to take the bus to. Like the Wal-Mart and other stores we shop at for groceries, no buses run over there. My cousin had to get a car because the buses didn't go to the area where he worked, which is in that area. This is a place where you need a car.

I do agree that we should be using public transportation more and walking more, but if you live in an area like I do, it's difficult, unless you live in the city of Richmond, where public transit is the normality or the urban areas.

The only people I know of who uses public transit on a regular basis and walk on a regular basis (no car, not until recently, so that they could drive down to visit relatives), and have for all of their lives (and still overweight, ironically), are my relatives in New York.