Japanese Listening Podcast 18 昔 日本でコーヒーは薬だった Coffee used to be medicine in Japan

This podcast is for foreign nationals working in Japanese. business Japanese, communication, Japanese culture, Japanese society, and so on We are talking about various topics. As soon as possible, do you all drink coffee? I love coffee and drink it every day without fail. I like coffee with a bitter taste, but I'm somewhat uncomfortable with those that are too acidic. Thus, although coffee is very familiar in our daily lives, Did you know that in old Japan, it was consumed as medicine? Moreover, recently, regarding the relationship between coffee and health, Various studies are being conducted, and its potential benefits for health are attracting attention. Today, the relationship between Japanese people and health consciousness, and the history of how coffee was introduced to Japan, Coffee, once consumed as a medicine, I would like to talk about the health benefits of coffee, as revealed by modern research. First of all, suddenly—what image do you have of Japanese people? Polite, punctual, neat, does not express things clearly there are various things, I think, such as It is said that many Japanese people have a strong interest in health. In Japan, it is legally required for companies and schools to conduct annual health checkups. A health checkup is a regular examination conducted to detect diseases at an early stage. Some people also pay out of pocket to undergo a comprehensive health checkup known as a "human dock." Going to a convenience store helps reduce fat, lower blood pressure, and improve gut health. I often come across products labeled with this. Health programs are popular on television as well, and Topics such as walking, stretching, and fermented foods are frequently discussed. Although Japan is one of the world's leading countries in terms of longevity, Perhaps behind this lies a high level of awareness regarding health. In Japan, a great deal of money is also spent on products and services related to health. The size of the health food market is approximately 90 billion yen. Healthy food refers to products designed to maintain health, such as dietary supplements, vitamins, and protein powders. The fitness club market is also growing. 24-hour gyms, women-only gyms, personal training gyms, and others are increasing. Many Japanese people think not only about treatment after becoming ill, but also about prevention before getting sick. There is a beverage that has been long beloved by health-conscious Japanese people. That is coffee. Which do you think more Japanese people drink, tea or coffee? Of course, tea is popular, but coffee is also very popular. Japanese people consume approximately 4 kilograms of coffee per person per year. Japan is also one of the world's leading coffee-importing countries. According to further research, it is said that the average Japanese person drinks more than 11 cups of coffee per week. People who buy coffee at convenience stores, people who drink coffee during work, people who enjoy drip coffee at home, Coffee has become an integral part of Japanese daily life. When did coffee come to Japan? The answer is the Edo period. The Edo period was a time that lasted from 1603 to 1868. At that time, Japan restricted exchanges with foreign countries, but Nagasaki's Dejima was an exception. It is said that the Dutch people who lived on Dejima brought coffee there. The Nagasaki Documents Record, written in 1800, contains the first recorded mention of coffee in Japan. However, it was not very popular among the Japanese at that time. The reason is simple: it tasted bitter. Although many people today enjoy black coffee, the strong bitterness was not acceptable to the Japanese of that time. It is said that those who actually drank it were interpreters and courtesans who had interactions with the Dutch. A courtesan was a woman who worked entertaining customers during the Edo period. I had many opportunities to interact with foreigners and encountered new cultures and foreign beverages. However, as time progressed, coffee came to be used in unexpected ways. That is medicine. In 1855, as the samurai of Hirosaki Domain were heading toward Edo Territory, now known as Hokkaido, Coffee was distributed as a preventive measure against heatstroke. Hiroshima Domain was a local government during the Edo period located in the western part of present-day Aomori Prefecture. During the Edo period in Japan, regions were managed not by the current prefectures, but by domains known as "han." Hiroshima Domain was a domain that governed the Sugawara region, with its center located in the present-day city of Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. Hiroshima Domain was involved in the defense and development of Hokkaido, therefore, It is said that the samurai carried coffee with them when they traveled from Edo to Hokkaido. Kakke refers to a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1. Your legs may feel numb, and it may become difficult to exert strength. In 1857, coffee beans were also distributed at Hakodate Bukō Shū. Hakodate Buikyoshu was an administrative office established by the Edo shogunate to manage the Hokkaido region. The assigned partner was a group of hatamoto. A hatamoto was a samurai who served directly under the Edo shogunate. It was a position similar to that of a modern-day national civil servant. In other words, people back then considered coffee to be a healthy beverage. Is coffee really good for your health, as people used to believe? In fact, numerous studies are being conducted in the modern era. In a large-scale study conducted in Japan, people who drink coffee It has been reported that those who drink alcohol tend to have a lower risk of death compared to those who do not drink. Its relationship with heart disease and stroke is particularly noteworthy. A stroke is a condition in which the blood vessels in the brain become blocked or rupture. Typical examples include cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage. Coffee also contains compounds known as polyphenols and chlorogenic acid. They are believed to have the effect of suppressing oxidative stress in the body. However, drinking coffee does not necessarily mean you will live a long life. Various factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management are all related to health, aren't they? And here, a question occurred to me. Why did people in the past think coffee was medicine? Currently, modern medicine does not consider coffee to have a preventive effect on vitality. This means that people back then mistakenly believed coffee to be a medicine that invigorates. but it was a rare beverage brought from abroad, and From what the Dutch people particularly enjoyed drinking Perhaps they thought it was surely a healthy drink. It might have been something akin to today's health foods. Coffee was truly introduced and popularized in Japan during the Meiji era. Japan's first musical coffee shop, established in 1888 in Kuromonomachi, Ueno, Tokyo Kahisakan has opened. After that, café culture spread throughout Japan. Nowadays, you can easily buy coffee at convenience stores, train stations, or vending machines. Although Japan is known as the land of tea, Coffee has also become an indispensable drink for Japanese people. Today, in fact, it was about medicine? I spoke on the theme of coffee and Japanese health habits. Japanese people during the Edo period drank coffee thinking of it as medicine. Today, scientific research is being conducted on the relationship between coffee and health. Of course, coffee is not the only reason for their longevity. Japanese cuisine, sports, healthcare system, health checkups, and the national awareness of striving to prevent diseases Various factors such as these support the health of the Japanese people. Are there any drinks or foods in your country that are said to be good for health? Please let me know in the comments. Thank you very much for listening to the end once again. Let's meet again in the next episode. Well done.