Destinations

Share this article

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: How Japanese people defy ageing

Japanese women are renowned for their youthful appearance and beautiful skin, but what’s their secret? How do they defy ageing? There’s a common joke that asian women remain youthful until […]

Japanese women are renowned for their youthful appearance and beautiful skin, but what’s their secret? How do they defy ageing?

There’s a common joke that asian women remain youthful until menopause, then they age almost instantly overnight, whether it’s true or not, the Japanese have always been known for having amazing skin.

Over the years, there were a couple of Japanese women who became internet sensations for having youthful looks uncharacteristic to their age.

 

Guess her age?

This is Masako Mizutani, a Japanese sensation, especially on TV (where photo-shop can’t help her), lauded as ‘Japan’s Lady of Eternal Youth’.

Masako, mother to a 20-year-old daughter, doesn’t look a day older than her daughter but believe it or not,her real age is 45.

 

Beautifying Baths

140623174527-4-wakayama-kamigoten-ryokan-horizontal-large-gallery

The Ryujin family has been operating the Kamigoten Ryokan in Wakayama since 1658, and after 350 years they’re still going strong. How? They claim to have baths that make you beautiful. The ryokan has earned a reputation for its inddor and outdoor bathing pools, the water – pumped in from nearby onsens is high in sodium bicarbonate, which apparently helps with cuts, burns and chronic skin disease.

People have attested that the waters leave a silky, soft film on the skin post dip.

 

Geisha beauty secrets

geisha

Geishas are known for their sublime beauty and perfect porcelain-like skin.

The geisha gets her beauty from natural Japanese oils and simple fruits. Persimmons, containing calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, iodine and high levels of vitamis were used from facemasks, skin tonics and detox diets.

They also used green tea, loaded with polyphenols that fight free radicals, reduce skin inflammation, providing protection against skin cancer, and getting rid of any nasty toxins or bacteria lingering in your pores.

Japanese plums contain pectins, vitamin C and organic acids that are all very nourishing to the skin.

 

Pitera

The contrast of the wrinkled faces of aged sake brewers and their soft youthful hands led to the discovery of Pitera. SK-II scientists surmised that the secret must lie in the yeast that the brewers’ hands were in constant contact with during the sake fermentation process.

 

READ: SKIING IN JAPAN: 5 things that will convince you to hit the white powder

READ: SAMURAI: 6 astounding facts about Japan’s medieval military nobility

What’s your #1 beauty secret?