Have you lost weight?

In the states, when someone says "have you lost weight?" it's usually a comment designed to make the person feel good, regardless of whether or not they've lost weight.

In Japan, it's a simple observation, and pointing out the opposite -- weight gain, that is -- is not seen as a different sort of comment.

So you might hear "you gained a little weight, right?" when talking to Japanese friends. Or, upon meeting a new Japanese friend, the conversation might naturally steer toward weight. "So, you're a little fat," is not seen as any more rude than "so, that shirt you're wearing, it's pretty blue, right?"

It's a perfectly acceptable part of normal conversation, even though many foreigners will cringe upon hearing a comment about their weight.

As for my own weight -- I lost some after arriving, but weight comes and goes. My lifestyle here is much more mobile than it was back home. I ride a bike everywhere, or walk, whereas I drove nearly everywhere back home.

A lot of people think that because I'm in Japan, I'll automatically lose weight because I'm eating only healthy food. Well, I could be, as I could have been back home. But fried food and fatty food and unhealthy treats are popular here too, along with all the stuff that's good for you.

One thing that does help is that normal serving sizes are usually smaller here than they would be back home, and that goes for McDonald's or a home-cooked meal.

Japan seems a little obsessed with the idea of being fat. They call is "metabo," short for "metabolic syndrome," and they seem to think it's sweeping their island chain like a typhoon. The government recently announced that it would be measuring waste-lines of people over a certain age, and an ad campaign urges people to avoid metabo.

Of course, Japan has fat people, but they're nowhere near the levels of the U.S. or Mexico or other fat nations. But when a trend gains traction here, it can really dig in. This is one such trend.

And that gives even more weight to the concept that discussing whether someone is fat is socially acceptable. Maybe it's a good thing. Our version seems to be that we ignore it if someone is fat because it might hurt their feelings to make any mention of it. Perhaps some discussion would be helpful.

Also helpful: a healthy diet and regular exercise. Maybe I should join that gym down the road after all.