Japan encourages people to cry for stress relief

Tears, whether from sadness or happiness, are thought to be effective ways to relieve stress. For this reason, more and more Japanese schools and companies encourage people to cry.

"Crying is an act of self-defense against stress," said Junko Umihara, professor of Nippon Medical University, sharing with Japan Times.

Japanese companies and schools encourage people to cry to improve mental health.(Photo: JT).

Dubbed the "tears teacher " (namida sensei), 43-year-old Hidefumi Yoshida spent five and a half years traveling around Japan to propagate the benefits of crying. He realized crying was good for mental health by witnessing a student who no longer needed psychological consultation after opening his heart and crying.

"Compared to the effectiveness of stress reduction, we cry better and laugh and sleep, " the former high school teacher commented. Working with Hideho Arita, emeritus professor at Toho University Medical School, Yoshida started tears activities and lectures since 2014.

In 2015, Japan introduced a mandatory stress test program for companies with 50 or more employees. Since then, Yoshida has been continuously invited to talk about crying.

According to Yoshida, the most important thing is to create a chance to cry. You can make use of touching films, listen to lyrical music or read inspirational stories."If you cry once a week, your life will no longer be stressful , " the teacher said.

On September 7, Mr. Yoshida gave a presentation at Osaka High School before 79 grade 11 students. After watching an emotional film, the teenagers were asked to write and read the commentary. Thanks to that, many children couldn't help crying.

"I think I should cry very comfortably," said Ryohai Tsuda, a 17-year-old male student. Thinking together, Naito Sugimoto, 17, also said, "It's good to cry."