11 Japanese Hygiene Rules Americans Break That Make You Smell Bad!
641K views · Aug 12, 2026 · Education
Comments · 1.4K
@TheJapaneseMethod0 · 1 month ago · pinned
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@fleetcenturion · 1 month ago (edited)
1. no damp towels<br>2. washing from top down + shower before bed<br>3. change your loofah/use body towel instead<br>4. apply deodorant to dry skin<br>5. dry clothes in sunlight/ O2 bleach soak<br>6. natural fibers<br>7. don't wear shoes in the house, rotate paris<br>8. use a tongue scraper/ rinse after meals<br>9. air out kitchen/ wash hair at night<br>10. green tea, water, 48 hr. garlic window<br>11. tannin, silver ion soap for chest, neck, back, ears/ change pillow case 2-3 days<br>Bonus: ear wax<br><br>Leave a like, if this saved you 23 minutes!
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@annak2575 · 1 month ago
Who the hell doesn't wash from the top down??😮😮
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@joycemjinx · 1 month ago (edited)
Who reuses a towel for 8 days or doesn't hang their towel to dry properly? This is ridiculous. I am 73 and always wash my hair first. I use a clean washcloth every night and never used those poofs. I don't use spray deodorant. This is a wrong assumption of what Americans do.
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@CounterClockwise-m4k · 1 month ago (edited)
No American I know "folds" their damp towel after showering, and nobody uses a towel for "8" days. And plenty of us shower at night, especially during the summer because it doesn't make sense to go to bed sweaty and sticky. You can't sleep that way anyway so I was definitely raised to wash the day off at night... especially as a kid. Mom made us bathe before bed because we were filthy from playing outside all day long. And who washes their hair last?! NOBODY!!!
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@crowredeye8066 · 1 month ago
Hmm, I'm suspicious that the only Americans you have known are adolescent boys raised in a cave. Bless your heart.
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@jeannabauer2969 · 1 month ago
I use pure linen towels. They are thin, dry quickly, and are naturally antibacterial.
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@saralaneraboci7614 · 1 month ago
Microbiologist here the main reason is the gene reason. Native Americans also carry the gene and they do not have a noticeable body odor. Most Europeans do not carry the gene so their bodies do produce odors. Also, there is no such ethnic group as American we are a melting pot of many different ethnic groups so please refrain from making comments that sound like Americans are a distinct ethnic/genetic group. Many Japanese are married to Americans and have children who now do not carry the gene. Generalizing is not a good thing.
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@AmyJacquelineGalvin · 1 month ago
As a flight attendant of over 30 years I can attest to the fact that an aircraft full of Japanese passengers are not only the most polite , but the cleanest passengers of all. 😊
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@TitaLore · 1 month ago
Maybe asian people does not smell because they have a mutation in the ABCC11 gen that reduces the substances in your sweat that bacteria converted in bad smell. And not driyin towels looks like a brit problem. In Spain we sun dry our laundry, guys.
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@CW-yj8ce · 1 month ago
Yes, I am Asian and when I first had roommates in college, I was shock they don’t wash up before bed. Some didn’t even wash their face or brush their teeth! Most also wear their street shoes into the bedroom and jump on bed with their dirty clothes.
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@kewpified · 1 month ago
This video is interesting, but it’s not accurate about why Americans “smell bad.” The biggest difference isn’t hygiene rules, it’s biology. Body odor comes from apocrine sweat glands, which release thicker secretions that skin bacteria break down into odor. A large percentage of East Asians (especially Japanese, Chinese, and Korean populations) have a non‑functional variant of the ABCC11 gene, which means their apocrine glands produce almost no odor‑causing compounds in the first place. They still sweat normally through eccrine glands, but the odor precursors simply aren’t there, so bacteria have nothing to break down. This is also why many East Asians have dry earwax, it’s controlled by the same gene. Hygiene matters for everyone, of course, but the root difference in underarm odor between populations is genetic, not cultural habits or “hygiene rules.”<br><br>So if Americans want to smell less, the answer isn’t copying “Japanese hygiene rules”, it’s understanding the biology. Body odor only happens when bacteria break down apocrine sweat, and those bacteria don’t instantly regrow every time you sweat. If you knock them down in the morning with something that actually reduces the bacterial load, like a benzoyl peroxide wash, an antibacterial soap, or even a diluted apple‑cider‑vinegar rinse to lower the pH, then when you sweat later, there simply aren’t enough bacteria around to create odor. Treat the source, not the scent, and you stay fresh all day.<br><br>Anyone interested in doing a video on this topic or just for personal use: <br><br>the science‑supported routine that works for people with normal ABCC11 function:<br><br>Benzoyl peroxide wash (2.5% or 5%): Kills the odor‑producing bacteria for hours. Dermatologists recommend this for people with strong BO.<br><br>Diluted apple cider vinegar (1 part ACV: 4 parts water) let sit for 1-2 minutes. Shower as normal. (or smell like salad dressing all day. lol)<br>Lowers pH -> bacteria struggle to grow -> less smell throughout the day.<br>You can apply it with a cotton pad or put it in a spray bottle.<br><br>Magnesium hydroxide: Neutralizes odor‑causing acids and keeps pH low.<br><br>Antibacterial soap: Reduces the bacterial load so sweat has nothing to react with.<br><br>These don’t mask odor, they stop the bacteria that create it.
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