Go Tokyo Your Experience
How many times a week do we really need to take a shower? This question seems simple, yet it has many answers that vary with time and cultural background. Recently, among young people in Japan, a trend known as “cancellation of bathing” has become popular. As the name suggests, this trend emphasizes that to save time or maintain the integrity of their hairstyle, many people choose to significantly reduce the frequency of their showers, sometimes taking one only once a week.
When some young entertainers in Japan publicly shared this habit on television shows, it immediately sparked intense discussions online, with many people openly stating that this habit is “disgusting.” This provides a glimpse into the cultural background and reasons behind this fashion.
In the Japanese TV variety show “The Consultation Office with a Line,” several representatives of the new generation of artists are invited to share their contemporary youthful concepts with older artists.
One reason this show has drawn attention is that it fully showcases the huge differences in basic lifestyle habits between the two generations to the audience.
One of the hot topics is showering habits. The production team interviewed young people on the street and found that many had become accustomed to not showering every day, and some even only showered once a week.
The concept of “not showering” is not just as simple as “not soaking,” but rather even “showering” is selectively ignored.
The idol member of the “Nanha 男子” group, Takahashi Kyohei, candidly stated: “If I feel like I haven’t sweated, then I won’t wash up.”
Such thoughts seem to be quite common among the younger generation.
At the recording site of the show, the host asked the young group of artists: “If you don’t want to take a shower today, please raise your hand……”
Interestingly, three female artists immediately raised their hands.
Seeing this scene, the middle-aged and older artists all showed expressions of surprise, unable to understand such a change.
Young artist Fuwa Sauce further explained that this trend among young people is referred to as “the canceling of bathing culture.”
She mentioned that many people choose not to wash because they find it troublesome or don’t want to mess up their carefully styled hair.
Thus, ‘cancelling baths’ has become a trend.
Standing nearby, the middle-aged artist Gotō Teruki immediately asked: “What if the uncle also hadn’t showered for a week, would you still find it acceptable?”
The young artists instantly showed expressions of disgust, stating that it’s very unsanitary for the uncle not to shower, making it hard to bear.
This made Hidetaka Goto remark: “You are the ones who are unhygienic!”
Canceling showers may be just a trend among some young people in Japan, but the thoughts it provokes transcend cultural boundaries. Are we always being bound by certain habits while ignoring the newer lifestyles or more flexible personal choices? This is an open question worth reflecting on for everyone.
So, have you ever tried a lifestyle of “canceling showers”? Although this phenomenon is gradually gaining popularity among young people, whether it is really reasonable or can become a lasting habit still needs to be verified over time.
In any case, this trend indeed reveals the diversity in individual lifestyle choices in contemporary society, as well as a re-examination of traditional standards.
