All language subtitles for Miso.Hungry.2015.1080p.WEB.H264-CBFM

[music]

My name is Craig Anderson.

I'm a 38 year old
actor and filmmaker

and I live in Sydney, Australia.

And though you probably
can't tell by looking

at me I'm a little
bit overweight.

This is my castle, my
fortress of solitude.

It's a combination of
creative art studio

and open plan living space,
better known as a warehouse.

It's here that I pursue my
dream of being a filmmaker.

I write, act in and edit a lot
of my own material and this

is where the magic happens.

But being creative isn't easy.

It requires stimulation of
both the mind and the body.

And that's why I start
each day with a trip

to the local swimming pool.

Alright so this is the warehouse
where I live and I'm now driving

to the local pool/gym.

It's got everything, but most
importantly it has a shower

and my warehouse only
has cold water shower,

so every few days my daily
routine is to drive to the pool

and have a shower there.

This might seem inconvenient
but it beats a cold shower.

Plus it gets me out
of the house,

which let's face it is
pretty much my only exercise

for the day.

After avoiding weird
glances from people

who have actually
been in the pool,

I head home, time for breakfast.

Working long hours takes energy

and creative work
is no different.

So, I like to start the day
with a big hearty breakfast.

A well rounded diet
is important so I try

to include all the important
food groups, bacon, eggs,

sausages, hash browns and
a serving of Fruit...Loops.

I'm clean, I'm fed and
it's time to get to work.

Alright well, this is my room.

When I finish at the pool I come
back here and that's my bed,

which I haven't put away.

I sleep on the floor on
this mattress, but I put it

in the corner during the day so
that potential clients who come

in to check out the edits

that I've been doing don't
think that I'm a hobo.

That being said, I do have a
clothes rack in the corner.

No one ever says anything.
I don't know why.

I keep my clothes, this is
where the fresh clothes go

and the used clothes;
I won't open that.

That's in there.

This is my edit suite where I
sit pretty much all the time.

Maybe once a week
I get to go out

and actually shoot
something which is fun.

But most of the time I sit
here at the control tower

and edit exciting
film and TV projects.

Video editing is a time
intensive job and it's normal

for me to sit in my edit
suite for hours on end getting

up to only go to the
bathroom or to eat.

And I often work late
into the night,

which means my dinner
options can be very limited.

Alright, well it's
11:30 at night

and I finished some
editing which is great,

because I nailed it
but it's 11:30 at night

and obviously all the
places that should be open

where you can buy
food are now closed,

which means I don't
have many options.

There's convenience stores
where I could get a sausage roll

and a flavoured milk
or there's McDonald's.

So I'm going to McDonald's.

[packaging rustling]

I'm back from McDonald's

and I got the big value
meal because value.

You get a whole bunch of
burgers which is good,

because I'll eat a few of them
now and then the ones I don't

get through I can put in the
fridge and have for lunch

or for breakfast tomorrow.

So, yeah it's economic sense.

So there you have it,
a snapshot of my life.

You might find it strange
but I'm doing what I love.

I'm chasing my dreams
and at the end

of the day I wouldn't
trade it for anything.

The only problem
is it's killing me.

[music]

Another day, another burger.

In a typical week I'll eat
at least four fast food meals.

I don't know how much
of its convenience

and how much is addiction.

I'm not sure I want to know.

And when I do cook for myself
it's usually just as bad.

I decided to keep a
record of my eating habits.

It's not pretty.

Pizza, burgers, fries, all kinds
of sweets and gallons of soda

and that's just in one week.

I know how bad this is for
me, but I can't seem to stop.

I've tried every
diet under the sun,

but in the end the results
are always the same.

The diet becomes
impractical to maintain

and I fall off the wagon.

I know I need to change but
I really don't know how.

Fortunately the change I needed
found me.

Hang on, like the country?

Japan the country yeah.

No I've never been before.

A few weeks ago I was contacted

by my friend Tim,
a fellow filmmaker.

He told me he wanted
to make a documentary

about the health benefits
of the Japanese lifestyle.

As someone who grew up in Japan,

he knows how different their
food culture is compared

to the typical western diet.

His idea was this, send
someone to Japan for two weeks

to learn how the
Japanese live and eat.

Then have them return home
and recreate that lifestyle

for a further 10 weeks and see
what effect this three month

Japanese diet has
on their health.

For some reason
he thought of me,

probably because
of my good looks.

After talking to Tim I
did a little research

on Japanese health.

I found out that they have some
of the lowest rates of obesity

and heart disease in
the developed world.

They also have a
very low cancer rate.

The weird thing is they don't
seem to skimp on their meals.

They're eating all the time and
it's a part of their culture.

So how it is a nation
that's so devoted

to stuffing their faces
is amongst the healthiest?

What is it about their diet and
lifestyle that lets them live

such long and healthy lives?

I was intrigued so
I told Tim I was in.

But before the fun could start,

there were a few things
I had to take care of.

Okay are we ready?

Yeah, I love blood tests.

Okay, alright.

Okay, just very still,
thank you.

Great.

I'm doing some medical
tests before I leave

to get a snapshot of
my overall health.

Once the diet is over I'll
come back and do the same tests

and compare the results.

This should provide
a very clear picture

of what effect the diet
has had on my body.

How is my health in general?

Obviously it's not the best.

We've got your baseline here

and there were some
areas of concern.

The most obvious one is
this red number here 4 GGT,

and that is a liver enzyme.

This particular enzyme lives
inside a healthy liver cell

and does its toxic
waste recycling job.

When that liver cell is
damaged it releases this

into the bloodstream
and then we measure it.

And yours has come back out
of reference range for that.

Out of reference?

Absolutely; yours
is high out of range

and that would indicate
an excessive inflammation

of your liver that can be
due to a lot of reasons.

But sometimes just
carrying extra weight

and perhaps having a very high
refined sugar diet will actually

promote that extra demand on the
liver, damage those liver cells

and then show this sort
of result in a blood test.

[music]

This diet is about
more than just weight.

It's about improving my health.

That's why I'm doing
this bio-impedance test.

Developed by NASA, the test
measures the biological age

of the patient and I think
I'll be pleasantly surprised

with the results.

The healthy body weight
for you should sit

between that red line there
around 72 up to about 75,

and unfortunately
this is you here.

I look like the timeline.

Just a little bit overweight,
so that's something

that needs to be looked at.

The bad news is when we look

at your biological age you've
ticked in at 64 years of age.

The good news is that all
of this is reversible.

I get to keep this?

You get to keep that.

I get to keep that?
- Yes

How very exciting for me
to have this document.

My exam results weren't as
pretty as this footage.

Here's how I shape up.

I weigh a whopping 138 kilos and
although I'm only 38 years old,

I have the liver of a 64
year old heavy drinker.

My high process sugar
diet has caused my liver

to have serious inflammation.

And the enzyme levels

on the liver function
test were completely

out of reference range.

I'm also at risk of future
cardiovascular disease,

particularly heart
attacks and strokes.

There's a thing called a
C reactive protein level

which is a good indicator
of cardiovascular risk.

Ideally you want
a score below one.

Mine is at 4.6 and speaking
of unhealthy numbers,

my insulin level is at 36.

Ideally it should be
below 10, which means I'm

on the fast track to
type two diabetes.

All this information has just
shown me how much damage my

current lifestyle
is doing to my body.

As someone who doesn't have much
experience with Japanese food

or healthy food in general,

I need a little guidance
before I leave.

So I'm seeing a dietician to
get some advice on what to eat

and what to avoid
eating whilst in Japan.

The Japanese have a wonderful
way of eating very close

to nature and they eat, they eat
primarily a plant-based diet.

And it will be easy as
far as I'm aware for you

to eat a much healthier
diet in Japan.

So let's have a look at the
foods you'll encounter in Japan.

We have fish here.

We have salad, particularly
seaweed salad.

Don't make that face.

What face?

Seaweed salad is
so good for you.

It's full of greens.
- Sure, sure.

It's really good for you.

We have a little bit of rice,
some tofu, a Japanese omelette.

The other thing that I love

about this diet that's
particular

for Japan are the
fermented foods.

When you ferment a food not
only do you make it easier

for your body to absorb it and
therefore get the nutrients

from that, but it also
increases the bioavailability

of the bacteria.

So it increases our vitamin
K2, which is really important

for the absorption of
your vitamin D. And so

in your diet plan here we're
going to include several

of them every day,
Natto being one of them.

Have you come across Natto?

No. Natto is one that people
have told me is a little

displeasing so to speak.

I'm ready for it, but...

- Pungent perhaps.
- Oh okay.

I think you could get
used to anything.

- Okay.

And I think in terms of the
increase of vitamin K2

that it's going to
bring into your body,

I think we should
get used to it.

[laughter]

Another thing I'd like
to make an amendment

to your current diet is
the coffee that you drink.

Can you swap it for green tea?
- Yeah, yeah.

And you can have
four to six cups

of green tea a day, no problem.

Green tea is amazing.

It just has so many different
nutrients, antioxidants,

phytonutrients in
it that are going

to be really useful for us.

This is the size of your
stomach fully expanded.

So one fist is your
plant-based foods.

Whatever they are and your
second fist half and half.

You can have rice on one half.

And the protein food
on the other half.

- Okay.

So here I am about
to embark on one

of the biggest adventures
of my life.

In less than 12 hours
I'll be in Japan.

This could be the start of a
whole new chapter of my life,

a chance to turn things around
and start living healthy.

As long as I stay
focussed and stay strong,

nothing will be able
to stop me, I hope.

[music]

The city of Tokyo
is overwhelming;

neon lights on every
surface and thousands

of people bustling
through the streets.

Even late at night the sidewalks
are crowded with pedestrians.

I've been told the average
Japanese day involves a lot

of walking and seeing as I've
already walked about a mile

from the bus stop to my
motel, I can believe it.

This constant daily cardio is a
key component to Japanese health

and something I'll
need to adopt.

To help me I'll be
wearing an activity tracker

which will record my physical
activity the whole time

I'm here.

This will give me an idea of
how much walking I'm doing

and how much I'll need to do

to maintain the lifestyle
back home.

Tomorrow my diet begins.

Well, I'm excited,
but I'm also nervous.

I'm 38 years old going on 64

and if I can't make this
lifestyle change now I don't

know how many more chances
I'm going to get.

Alright, well I'm in Japan.

I arrived last night and
I slept here in a motel

and I'm very drowsy and excited.

But this morning I'm going to
have my first meal of the diet,

a Japanese breakfast
at the motel buffet.

So, last night before
I went to sleep I went

to a convenience store and
asked, "Do you have chopsticks?"

or to be honest "Do you have
like chopsticks for people

who aren't very good?"

And they said, "yes",
and they gave me these.

Kind of like children's
chopsticks,

but they said it will
make it easy for me

because they won't
keep falling around.

So, I'm off to breakfast.

Alright, well it's
breakfast time and I'm

in the buffet downstairs
at the motel.

And this is western over here.

This is what I would normally
have for breakfast, pikelets

and pastries, sausages,
bacon, and because I'm

at a buffet I'd probably have
three or four of these plates.

But that's not what
I'm eating today.

It's my first Japanese
breakfast so I'm eating this.

My dietician said eating
slowly will help me feel full

and stop me from overeating.

So I've decided that
for the duration

of this experiment I'm going

to eat all my meals
with chopsticks.

And with my elite chopstick
skills eating slowly should be a

piece of cake.

My dietician also recommended

that I drink green
tea instead of coffee.

Apparently it's jam-packed
with antioxidants, vitamins,

nutrients and all
the other things

that are usually healthy
person talk, for disgusting.

I'll be drinking a lot of green
tea over the next three months.

So I've decided to attend
a green tea ceremony

to learn how it's traditionally
prepared and served.

I've been told to sit
in complete silence

as the tea master
prepares the tea.

It's kind of like waiting
for the barista at Starbucks,

except a little bit less
exciting and I'm not allowed

to play with my phone.

Thank you.

Very good.

- Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Do you want some?

You don't have any?

You don't have tea?
- Yes.

In general you don't have tea?

Oh, only the guests?
Okay. I'll finish it then.

I do like it. Yeah I like it.
It's great.

I just thought you
might want some, okay.

Okay. Okay, I'm
going to put it back.

Yes. Thank you very much.

- Thank you very much.

Do I...

I push it to you?
- Yes.

Okay. My leg's gone dead.

Yes, okay thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

The tea master just
made the tea in a ritual

and they just shut the doors and
I don't know what I should do,

if like I'm supposed
to leave, alright.

My leg is dead.

You're sitting there
the whole time.

Do you always sit there?

Okay, what do I do?

It's okay, yes.

Are you finished?

Okay, thank you.

I am in Japan because
I need to be healthy.

- Yes.

Well you don't have to laugh.
What are you laughing at?

I heard green tea
is very healthy.

I was surprised.

I didn't know anything
but when you brought

out green powder I thought
it would be like tea leaves,

but it's not, it's powder?

Powder, yes.

What is the powder?

- Amazing.

Very fine?

Yes.

Can I smell it?

Yes.

Yes, okay.

Yeah, you can smell it.

Okay, sorry.

Would I like to make it? Okay.
I would like to make it.

You will teach me?

- Okay, great.

As he taught me how

to make the tea the
tea master told me

about its health benefits.

He said it's great for weight
loss and is full of vitamin C,

B1 and B12 as well as
iron and magnesium.

Thank you, thank
you for having me.

Thank you. I'll just
see myself out.

Okay.

I am out for lunch and
instead of being at McDonald's

or in my office I am sitting
in a fancy department store

in Tokyo and this is the top
floor where I've gotten, horse?

No not horse, soba, which
is buckwheat noodle

and that's horseradish and these
are called mountain vegetables

and I think some of them
have been tempurified

and I also have sauce that
goes on it and scallions

and wasabi to mix all in.

I've also got a green
tea right here.

I am enjoying the green tea
a lot more than I expected

and everyone seems to swear
by its health benefits.

So I've decided to
step things up.

For the remainder of my diet
I'm going to drink nothing

but green tea and water.

This means no more soda, no
more juice and no more coffee.

Can I go in and look?

Absolutely.

Okay, thank you.

All green tea?
- Yes.

Wow.

Yeah. Okay, that's that one?

- Yes.

Okay. I'm going to get that.

I've only been in
Tokyo for one night

but already I've
noticed a large number

of elderly people out and about.

I read the Japanese have
the longest life expectancy

and more people over 100 than
any other country in the world.

Is this because of their
diet and lifestyle?

I sure hope so.

If the doctor was right about
my biological age I'm going

to need some of that longevity.

Me and the crew have
left the motel.

We'll be staying in a house we
rented for the next two weeks,

that is, if I can find it.

Okay, well I'm in Asakusa
and I've left the hotel

and I'm going to move
into a house for a week,

but it's my job to
find the house.

Unfortunately my phone has died,
so good day for my step tracker

because I'm going to try and
find it by walking around.

The guy on the internet
who owns the house

on Airbnb said follow the
golden poo to start with.

So, pretty sure that's it.

So off we go across the river.

You know unless there's
another golden poo somewhere

around here I'm pretty
sure that's it.

I followed the golden
Godzilla turd across the bridge

and after a lot more walking
I eventually found the house.

Alright, hey.

I think I just turned on,

there's like nine
light switches here.

Oh, what does this mean?

Okay, I haven't been
in a Japanese house.

I have no idea maybe it's wrong
to walk in with your shoes.

Yeah, okay.

I'm going to put on some of
these and I'm going to dress

up like my grandmother
and keep looking.

Now that fits well.

Remind you of anything?

It's just like how I sleep at
the office, except prettier.

This is, it's either a sauna
or a decompression chamber.

I reckon it's a sauna.

Oh and there's rocks in there.

This is just like Japan.

Okay, I'm in.

There's rocks in here.

It's the end of day one
and it's been a good day.

It's been all Japanese food
today and I'm feeling good,

but also weird, a little
light-headed and I've gone

to the bathroom like four
times to push stuff out.

And I don't know if it's
just the difference in food

like not being used to it here

or if it's got to
do with detoxing.

Green tea all day, water
all day, I feel tired.

I've had a good day
and then I've done

like at least the amount of
walking that I was supposed

to have done and
I didn't skip a meal.

So now I'm off to bed.

Today I'm off to the
outskirts of Tokyo.

The crew has arranged for
me to be a dinner guest

with a typical Japanese family.

If I'm going to stick to
this diet when I get home,

I'll need to know what kind of
ingredients the Japanese use

and how they prepare them.

Hopefully Yuko and her
family will be able

to give some guidance.

Hey, hi.

Should I take my shoes off?

Okay. This is all that
you eat for dinner?

Yes.

That's a lot of stuff.

Wow what is that?

Rencon.

Rencon?

Wow, like potato.

No.

No, no not at all.

You can see straight through.

I can see you.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

What's this long thing?

Gobo.

Gobo, okay.

Shiitake.

Oh, shiitake.

Shiitake.
- I've heard of Shiitake.

Yes, mushroom yes.

There are a lot of vegetables.

Yeah.
- Vegetables.

Small amount of fish, tofu?

Yeah, tofu.

Tofu, okay.

Konnyaku.

Konnyaku?

Let's do that konnyaku.

No that's like a cube
of something floating

in a gel of some description.

So we're cooking a
very healthy meal.

We have these fish
shavings in the big pot

and they're soaking off, yes
for my, check my sweater.

Thank you very much.

Harrods, Harrods okay.

I hope it fits.

No, doesn't fit.

She's laughing.
Alright.

Well that's the second
insult for today.

Carrot.
- Carrot?

Cut please.

Oh I should cut the carrot?

- Yeah, yeah.
- Okay, I'm coming behind you.

It's a very sharp knife.

I'm pushing hard and I'm used to
a very dull knife so I'm cutting

through the chopping board.

Okay, now triangle, yeah?

Yeah, yeah okay great.

Okay great.

What are you laughing at?

Is that wrong? Is that okay?

I thought I was doing
a good job.

Oh now you're in trouble.

What? Oh very thin, no?

That is exactly what
I was doing.

I don't know why I
was taken off that task.

That's fine.

I've been told to
cut the konnyaku.

I think I'm massacring this.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Every time the knife tries
to get in it bends and folds

and moves and then I know
you're not going to be happy

with what I've done here.

Okay, sorry.

Oh sorry, sorry.

I dropped a knife
but it's okay.

It did land straight
into the ground.

Sorry, I probably so, hey let's
look at origami with Aiya.

Origami? Okay we
go this way, okay.

I'm sorry I dropped the knife.

Okay, I'm sorry.

I'm going okay.

I have been removed from the
kitchen after dropping a knife

and sort of cutting my finger.

So I feel bad but I'm
relieved to be here, yeah.

No? Yeah, yeah okay, yeah yeah.

And we're doing origami.

[japanese phrase]

Sorry oh that's nice.

What? Should I take this, yeah.

I put that on there.

Okay. Okay, okay, okay.

Oh what's this?

Gobo.

Gobo. Gobo.

Oh yeah the long one yeah.

Umm it's like squash almost.

What's this one? This is...

Rencon.

Rencon, Rencon.

I have parents.

I go to their house for dinner,
but on our plate we have meat,

big meat like steak, sausages.

I eat hamburgers.

No, no, no.

No, no I shouldn't, but I do.

I'm trying to stop
hamburgers, pizzas, chips,

like fries all the time.

That's all I ever eat is a
lot of bad food, junk food.

Yeah, yeah I never
have good food.

Arigato and Sayonara.

[laughter]

[music]

Dinner was delicious.

The dishes were small
but satisfying

and presented beautifully and
best of all they were all made

without the use of an oven.

This is a big plus considering
I don't actually have an oven

in my warehouse.

I did some research on the
vegetables I'd ate for dinner.

Gobo, rencon and daikon.

I'd never heard of them
before but they each seemed

to be packed with
different kinds of vitamins,

minerals and nutrients.

They're also low in calories,
perfect for weight loss.

My old pal the potato
is starting

to look a little bit shabby.

Well today's the day I've been
dreading but I suppose it's

about time I bit the bullet

or in this case the
fermented soy bean.

It's natto day.

I've heard a lot of
talk about natto.

People call it a super food
and they say it does wonders

for the digestive and
absorption of nutrients.

But they also say it stinks
like gym socks and mouldy cheese

and tastes even worse.

But I can leave Japan without
at least trying the stuff

and the crew found an
entire restaurant devoted

to the natto thing,
which is lucky for me.

Hello.
- Hello.

Hi.

Hello. I want natto.
- Natto.

Natto, what do I, how
do I, oh I just pick one.

Okay.

Okay.
- Are they good?

Yeah.
- Okay, I'll get those.

The gentleman is making my
food on the inside of there.

I've ordered big
beans and small beans.

Apparently they're the
more popular dishes.

Oh yeah, thank you.

Okay. Thank you very much.
Yes.

Okay. Wow there it is,
how do I meant to eat?

What do I do?

Okay, just chopsticks...

And swirl.

Keep doing it.

A lot.

Okay and this and put in there.
- Yes.

On top.
- Okay.

Okay. That is freaky.

Why is it so sticky?

It's like a thing from "Alien."

This is my first try.
- Yeah.

Never tried it before.

Okay here we go, natto.

Smell?

It smells, it
smells a bit like glue.

Okay, yeah a lot like
paint thinner or something.

Okay.

Okay. It's not too bad.

It's not, it's a weird, that
is the weirdest texture.

The, it's so stringy
and wet and glue-like.

And it does smell like I've just
finished painting a house okay.

Okay.

Okay.

But the taste is not too bad.
- Yeah.

Not bad.

Nice.

It may have smelt like
a ruptured septic tank

and had the texture
of thick snot,

but the natto didn't
actually taste too bad.

It's definitely an acquired
taste like a Japanese Vegemite,

but it's a great
source of protein.

It's loaded with vitamin
K and has been known

to reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease.

It'll never be my favourite dish

but I don't think I'll ever have
a problem eating it regularly

and speaking of regular.

Hey, so I'm in the
bathroom a lot.

A lot as in three times a
day I go to the toilet now.

It's really weird.

I have to keep going.

I don't know it's only, you
know I've only been doing this

for a few days and
I don't know if it's

because the Japanese
food that I'm not used to

or my body's detoxing
from all the rubbish

and the sugar and stuff.

But, yeah I have to go
to the toilet a lot.

Everywhere I go in
Tokyo I see food.

I feel like there's a restaurant
on every street corner.

The Japanese really are
all about their food.

And while there are
plenty of fast food joints

and greasy restaurants
throughout the city,

finding traditional
meals doesn't seem

to be a problem at all.

I've been eating at these types

of traditional restaurants
since I landed.

But the house I'm staying
at also has a kitchen.

So I think it's time to put
my new cooking knowledge

to the test, but first
I'll need some supplies.

I too big.

It's true, I'm too big.

I do. I'm on a diet.

I'm trying to eat Japanese
food so what is this?

Seaweed.

A kind of seaweed?

Yes this, this and this.

Is that that?
- Yeah, yeah.

Oh, that's that one?
- Uh huh.

Okay, maybe I'll try that.

[laughter]

What the hell?

Okay. Why is it so gluggy?

Okay.

Very sticky, sorry.

Okay.

Seaweed.

So sorry.

Thank you very much.

Bye-bye. Thank you.

Bye-bye thank you.
- Thank you.

I just bought the
world's sharpest knife.

It wasn't advertised as
the world's sharpest knife

but as I'm opening I cut my
thumb there and I've tried

to tape it up, but
it keeps bleeding.

But, I bought a knife because
I need to cut some pickles.

Oh that's great.

Oh that sesame and peanut mixed

in with some seaweed
and some greens.

This is from the supermarket.

It is to be put on top of rice.

It's like something
you mix with rice.

I only have a very small
amount of rice today.

I'm going to just
stick it on top anyway.

That's the miso from
the package.

Now maybe it's because I
don't have a good palate

or I'm not used to it yet,

but it kind of tastes the
same as any other miso.

Unfortunately, there's
a lot more

to the Japanese lifestyle then
just eating delicious meals.

To discover what it is
that keeps this nation

so healthy I need to
experience the different facets

of their lives.

So today the crew has arranged
for me to spend an entire day

with a typical Japanese
businessman.

I'd only just met Kaz before
it was time to get moving.

I'm told Japanese
businessmen do a lot of walking

in an average workday.

Just spotting our way into
the crowded morning trains

is exhausting.

I'm doing my best
not to slow him down,

but when nature calls
you have to answer.

Sorry.
- It's okay.

Sorry.
- That's okay.

That's fine.

As we get close to
his first appointment,

Kaz relaxes a little
and we get to talk.

How old are you?

I'm 42 years old.

You look very young.

Thank you.
- I'm 38.

You're 38?
- Thirty eight, okay.

But do you think I'm older
or younger than I look?

Of course, older.

Of course, older.

[laughter]

Kaz has three
different meetings today,

all across the city and
he'll be walking to each one.

I'm trying my best to keep up

but my short strides are no
match for Kaz's power walk.

I have no idea how he
does this every day.

My feet are killing me so I
am going to use my laptop bag,

which isn't a laptop bag
because I wasn't going to carry

around a laptop all day.

I did pack it with my
shoes, so I'm going

to stick these on instead.

With his schedule so tight
I wasn't sure we'd be able

to stop for lunch.

But working men need to eat
and Kaz is no exception.

He's brought me to a noodle bar
for lunch though I'm not sure

if it counts as stopping.

There are no seats in here.

Okay.
What are these called?

Udon.
- Udon.

We're in and out
of the noodle bar

in under eight minutes.

The udon noodles are tasty and
relatively healthy compared

to the fast food
options I have back home.

I'm not sure if standing to
eat is good for digestion,

but there's no time
to think about it.

We're already hustling
to the next appointment.

Another meeting, a
lot more power walking

and finally the day is over.

It's time to head
home, or so I thought.

Hey.
- Hey.

Hey. Good to see you again.

Good to see you.
How did you go?

Well, meeting was good.
- Yeah.

Went well.
- Okay.

Now it's the end of the day.

The end of the day.
- I'm free.

Oh that's great.
- Do you go home now?

No, no, no.
It's party time.

Party time, drinking time.

Do you want to come?

Okay. Yeah, sure okay.

It's Friday.

Yeah, and this is what you
would normally do on a Friday?

Alright, then we
should do it, yeah.

That's a capsule hotel.

It says Capsule hotel "Siesta".
- Siesta.

so if we miss the last
train we could stay

in this capsule hotel.

But there's only
like regular size,

no extra large size for you.

What's that mean?

I can go.

Hang on are you serious?
I might not fit in a capsule?

You can try, but I doubt.

Kaz booked us in at a
small bar called an izakaya.

It's a place where Japanese
businessmen often eat

and drink after work.

If there's ever a place
to test my dedication

to this new healthy
diet it's here.

What type of food
do they make here?

Noodles, rice dish.

Some veggies, cucumber

and some tomatoes,
tofu yeah and edamame.

You know edamame right?
- Yeah, I love edamame.

Let's order edamame.

I have to eat Japanese
food to lose weight

because its healthy food
compared to Australia.

Healthy food,
yeah, yeah, yeah.

So cabbage healthy,
tofu healthy.

Yeah.

Oolong tea it's healthy yeah.

Alright.

What is this?

This is we call teppanyaki.

I've heard of -

Yeah, yeah lot of veggies
and tofu and some pork.

Right.

I'm surprised by the
range of food offered

in this small restaurant.

The teppanyaki dish isn't the
healthiest, especially compared

to what I've been
eating, but it's balanced

out with side orders of tofu and
edamame beans, fresh tomatoes,

pickled cucumbers and sprouts.

When I went to the doctor
they did tests to find

out what my biological age is.

You know what biological
age, yeah okay.

Sixty four.

[laughter]

Okay. It's not that -

After the meal Kaz tells me

that no Friday night
drinking session is complete

without a trip to a
nearby karaoke bar.

So when in Rome do as
the drunken Romans do.

Though Kaz and his friend are in
the mood to celebrate I decided

to stick with my oolong tea.

Who says I'm not a party animal?

I've missed the last train home

so it's a capsule
hotel for me tonight.

I guess I asked for the
authentic businessman experience

so it's time to climb on in.

I just hope I fit.

Kazu the salary man,
was making stuff up.

Obviously I can fit
in here fine.

Yeah.

Rolling up I just got
back from a walk.

I went for a walk.

Ah, what the hell's
wrong with me.

Every day the pain
goes away and I want

to do more fun based things
like, and this is weird,

just go for a walk
in the morning.

So I took my headphones
and walked

around like I was a teenager
in high school or university.

I remember doing that a lot,

listening to music
when I walked around.

So I did that and
that was awesome

and that is very unusual,

something I haven't
done for a long time.

Tofu is another cornerstone
of the Japanese diet.

I've been eating it
with almost every meal

and while it doesn't
taste bad, it's starting

to get a little boring.

But apparently it comes in many
different forms and flavours.

So today, I'm travelling

to a traditional
style tofu restaurant

to sample their many dishes.

Unfortunately, their
menus are in Japanese.

This one.

This one?
- Yeah, tofu?

No, this one is sake, sho-chu

Oh sake.

That's the sake.

This one tofu?

No.

Okay, okay.
- Sake again.

Where is maybe this, oh no
they all look like sake.

Oh all sake.

This is drinks, oh
I see okay, sorry.

Let me try this one, I'm
going to try this one.

Okay, this one.

Oh.
- Tofu?

Oh, child's menu.

This is the child's menu.

I picked the child's menu.

Okay any moment now I'm
going to find the adult menu.

This one.

Oh, okay.

Yeah for me yeah, tofu.
- Tofu

Excellent, okay great.

Well, tofu.

Right. Tofu.

Nailed it.

A big white square.
This is something

that I wouldn't expect
was going to happen.

This is very exciting.

I've never seen this before.

I'm told tofu is a great source
of protein, calcium and iron

and though it's a bit bland
on its own when you serve it

with these tasty sauces

and condiments it's
actually quite delicious.

Whoa.
- Hot tofu skin.

Hot tofu skin.

Ooh. Is that off
the top of this?

Yeah it looked like a giant
square off the top of that okay.

Do you want something?

No, no.

Okay. That's confidence.

Alright, here we go.

Okay, sorry.

Um huh, umm.

One sec -

It went...

It's like one big
long strip of plastic

or like I mean it's
delicious sure.

But it was like eating
cling wrap.

It just was one big long
thing that was joined together.

So I digested it badly.

It all slid down.

But let's do it again,
another one of these.

Yes, thank you.

After eating some more of
the hot tofu skin it was time

to sample some of
the other dishes.

Tofu salad, cold tofu skin
and even a tofu dessert.

These tofu dishes sure
are tastier than the packs

of plain tofu back home.

[music]

Okay, it's morning time and I
have made myself some breakfast

and I have natto,
soy bean and pickles.

And I've got soy bean because we
don't have a rice cooker here.

So, I'm eating soy and beans.

Probably not good because
they're both protein.

I've just realised, okay yeah
but that's what I'm eating

and I've got some green
tea here as well.

I've gotten into the habit of
shopping for groceries instead

of relying on premade meals.

This will be invaluable
when I have

to keep the diet
going back home.

Hey, I just went to get
some water and some natto

at the convenience store.

I put my jeans on today
which is exciting,

not because they're jeans but
because I haven't worn them

for a while and they are
feeling loose, which is good.

Because when I wore
them a couple of months ago

before I started
you know this whole process

they were very tight.

So I think I've lost some weight
around the waist which is good.

The whole time I've been here
I haven't seen any overweight

people, certainly
no one as big as me.

I was wondering what
are the locals thinking

when they see someone my size
when all of a sudden it hit me.

There are people this
size in Japan, in fact,

they're much bigger
in every possible way.

Sumo wrestlers are cultural
icons and the majority

of them are still born
and raised in Japan.

So what are they eating in order
to reach their massive size?

I asked the crew to arrange a
meeting with a sumo wrestler.

And as it turns out they got
the biggest one of all time.

Konishiki is a sumo legend,

born in Hawaii he's a three time
champion and holds the record

for the heaviest
sumo wrestler ever.

If anyone could tell me what
to avoid in my diet it's him.

I'm just hoping he
won't be angry

when I ask him what I should be
doing to not end up like him.

Did you notice a difference
in food between here

and Samoa, Hawaii like?

Well the food is
here is great man.

Yeah.
- Even at the beginning

of my career there's some things
I couldn't eat like natto.

Natto is a -

I know what natto is.

I eat it every morning now.

I love it.
- Yeah.

I love it now but
couldn't eat it before.

Like tofu was something
I eat before.

But you know I think Japan has
a very healthy diet naturally.

Yeah, I've noticed
it's much easier

for me to eat healthy here.

Yeah.
- A lot easier.

You notice everything
that comes

with Japan food is
always vegetables.

Yeah.
- Always vegetables.

What do you eat to get big?

Chanko nabe is a, it's a
mixture of a lot of vegetables

and then your base
soup can be salt-based.

It can be miso.

It can be like kimchi and they
add meat to it, maybe pork

or beef or seafood, it
don't matter, chicken.

Right.
- So it's like a stew.

It sounds, its healthy right?

It's not the food
that really gets us big.

It turns our sumo wrestlers
eat similar types of food

to regular Japanese people.

The major difference seems to
be the quantity that they eat.

This is the normal what
we call chowing in Japanese.

This is normal size of a
Japanese person at home.

This is like the average bowl.
- Yes

That we use in sumo
staples, rice and stew.

And the young fellows
will be eating three or four.

Everybody, everybody.
- Right.

But the young ones
will just eat more.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, this is
the difference yeah?

Yeah, right.

So it, that's how come you
see all these Japanese people

walking around skinny.

But that's not only the reason.

If you see the distance that
they walk from door to door

to work every day
you're going to find

out that all of them
catch trains.

My meeting with Konishiki
gave me a lot to think about.

All Japanese food is
healthy for the most part.

Overeating can still
cause problems

and Konishiki reinforced
how much the Japanese walk.

They walk to work, to
school, to the grocery store.

They walk everywhere.

Back home I walk about
7000 steps a day.

Since arriving in Japan I
average about 12,000 steps

and my day with Kaz the
businessman saw this number jump

to over 20,000.

This daily exercise is
more vital to the lifestyle

than I initially thought.

I'm going to need to keep
it up when I get home

if I want to maintain the diet.

Konishiki also reminded me
something my dietician told me

about portion sizes.

She told me not to
eat more than the size

of my fists during
any given meal.

I realise that the
Japanese custom

of serving small bite-size
dishes has inadvertently helped

me manage my meal portions.

Today I'm meeting with Mr. Otaka

who operates several cafeterias
inside of factories, offices

and schools around Tokyo and
he's agreed to give me a tour

of one of his kitchens so I
can observe the type of meals

which are served in a
typical Japanese cafeteria.

Oh, that's good.

Hey we look like train
drivers right yeah.

This is good.
- It doesn't... is that okay?

Okay.

Should I put another
on backwards or something?

It's okay.
- Okay

They won't get upset?
- Right.

Okay, where do we...?

Like back home schools
and large companies

in Japan, often provide hot
lunches for their employees.

But unlike back home there
are no burgers, French fries

or pizzas to be seen here.

This is miso?

This is miso.

Miso soup okay.

I don't how to make soup.

I'm sorry I don't understand
myself but I use packets.

Oh yeah.

Put in a cup with water.
- Oh yes, yes.

Young people, everybody
use that in Japan also.

Oh right.

Even when cooking on
mats providing healthy

and nutritious meal
options is a priority.

Mr. Otaka even employs
a nutritionist at each

of these cafeterias in order to
ensure a high standard of meals.

How do I eat the fish
without cutting it?

Oh actually you can

in the centre.

May I help you, okay?

Yes please.

Ah. - Centre you can
pull it this way.

Yeah.

Oh this is rather
difficult for you.

It is easy for us but,
instead of cutting by knife,

we can do it by chopsticks.

Amazing. Thank you so much.

You're like my dad now.
- Oh.

You cut my food for me
before I eat it, right.

I'm going to pick it
up like this okay?

That's okay.
- Okay.

Umm and slurping is good?

Well as far as eating soba
it is okay to make noise.

but otherwise we
don't think so.

So with miso I shouldn't make
a lot of slurping.

Little bit noise
is okay but -

A little bit but not -

Umm good.

Not bad, that was okay.
- Okay.

Okay, this?

I don't think so.

Alright it was
probably too much.

We put rice bowl
here then this way.

It's okay to drop.

Drop on the rice.

So it's like using
instead of a hand -

Sometimes we eat this way.

Right. So I can -
and I'll look good.

Oh, I just drop it.

My meeting with Mr.
Otaka has shown me

that cheap healthy nutritious
food choices are abundant

everywhere, even in places
you would never expect.

The Japanese culture seems to
promote a healthy lifestyle even

in location where greasy
fried foods would be

so much easier to serve.

I don't know how I'm
going to match this type

of food when I get back home.

My stay in Japan is almost
over and I'm starting

to get a little worried.

While it's easy and affordable

to eat healthy here doing the
same thing back home will be a

different story.

If I'm stuck in the
middle of nowhere

on a film set all day I don't
think catering will be offering

green tea and natto for lunch.

I thought back to the start
of my journey and my dinner

with Yuko and her family.

She mentioned making her
children a bento box,

a kind of Japanese packed lunch

which they took to
school every day.

I called Yuko and she
arranged for her friend Ryoko

to teach me how to
make a bento box.

Oh, I know I learned this,
gobo.

Gobo.
- Gobo.

Cut in the centre.

Ooh and we'll make
a finger puppet.

No, oh. You turn it
okay, that's amazing.

You make a hole in the centre
and then you, yeah.

Okay, what?

Okay, okay, alright, don't look
over here for a second.

No, nothing. Okay, good, in.
Gobo?

Gobo.
- Gobo.

In it goes, gobo
bamboo shoot in there.

To be completely honest I'm
not sure what I'm making here.

But I'm using the
same ingredients

that Yuko used for her dinner.

So I'm pretty confident
that this is going

to be a healthy lunch.

We boiled and washed the spinach
and now we'll slice it up

and it's going into sesame
that I've just grounded up.

So this tamagoyaki
is like an omelette.

Man this upper level.

This in it goes,
okay, okay, okay.

Alright good. Under.

Under. Under

Under, so you just lift it up

and let it fall under, cool.

This is the worst part.

Oh boy. I can see
what you're doing.

I don't know if I can okay.

Quickly, quick, quick hey.

Wow.

With all of the individual
ingredients prepared it's time

to build the bento boxes.

Like most Japanese meals the
bento box consists of a lot

of small side dishes
and vegetables.

Oh look at that;
that is beautiful.

We have our omelette
called tamagoyaki.

We've got all of our vegetables
there and we have a plum.

We have our rice
with nori on top

and then underneath we
have kombu, another type

of seaweed green goodness.

Now that I know how to make the
bento box I'm wanting to buy one

of my own to take home with me.

That's pretty cute.

They didn't really have
boys one, but I don't mind.

I like this.

Today I sort of solved
a big problem.

I now know I can take Bento
onto my work, my weed random

who knows what day, where
I'm going to be type work

and I can open it and just
have it at my regular times.

So that's going to solve
a lot of problems for me

when I get back and I'm stressed

about what I'm going
to do every day.

I pack, I can be self-sufficient
pretty much for one

or even two meals
throughout the day

and then just make sure I get
home to prepare my other meal

or if I'm out at a place
that sells sushi or the type

of food I need to
get, I can do that.

I've been in Japan now for
almost two weeks and I think

that I've got the food
thing figured out.

I feel confident in knowing
what to eat and what to avoid.

Shopping and cooking for myself
has become a habit and foods

that I would never have
eaten back home, tofu,

pickled vegetables, green tea,

even natto now feel
normal to me.

And most importantly,

I'm keeping an eye
on my portion sizes.

Yeah. So, I just lost my,
well I'm carrying bags.

It's good news.

We're heading to the temple
but my pants have become looser

but it means they fall
down when I'm not able

to hitch them up as I'm walking.

So, yeah where do I put this?

How do I -

It's my final weekend
in Japan and the crew

and I are spending it

in Zen Buddhist temple a
few hours out of Tokyo.

I feel like I've learnt a lot

about Japan's food
and lifestyle.

If I can stay motivated once I
get home I know this diet will

be a success.

I'm hoping a Buddhist monk
can give me some guidance

and help me stay focussed.

Konishiki when he visited
temple last week they,

there's some sort of ritual
where they hit you with a stick

and that because he's Konishiki
and a big guy they went

and got a really big
stick, a thick one,

and they hit him really hard
and it welted and became black.

It was a very painful
mark that they left

and he says they were doing
it on you know for comedy.

So I'm a little bit worried

because I think the temple's
been briefed that I'm a comedian

and there's going
to be a film crew.

So I'm worried that the monk,
he's going to hit me harder

because it's funny to do that.

We've stopped at a
roadside diner for lunch

and I'm pleasantly
surprised to find

that even here healthy meal
options are readily available.

This is from a roadside
diner in Japan.

The crew have been able to order
slightly more exciting meals

with you know deep fried stuff
and burgers and western things.

But, this is what I
can get at a diner

in the roadside along
a highway in Japan.

So it's very exciting.

If I was in Australia
and I was pulling

over I'd be eating burgers
and sandwiches and hot chips.

But this is what I've got
here; a very healthy meal.

With lunch out of the way we
continue to the temple high

in the mountain west of Tokyo.

We arrive to start the
lunch to find Asami,

the temple's sole monk and
caretaker waiting for us.

Hello.
- Hello.

Hi. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

My name's Craig.

My name Asami and I live,
live in this temple.

Oh, you live here?
- Alone.

Alone?
- Yeah.

Are you okay?
- Yeah.

You're not scared?
No.

Okay, good.

I will show you.

Yeah. It's beautiful.

Yeah it's really pretty, yeah.
- Thank you.

Two hundred and fifty?

This building is 250 years old?
- Yeah, yeah.

Wow. Oh it's in good shape.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Still strong, yeah.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

You're not 250 years old?
- No, no.

[laughter]

Alright, just checking.

I've come to Japan
because I'm too big.

Okay.

And I wanted to ask you
what I can learn from Zen

to be healthy what I need to do,

prepare my mind for
when I go back.

Okay, good.

I'm going to be very simple.

I'm going to think of nothing
else other than this exercise,

copying the sutra. Okay.

Yes, okay.

No smell.
- Okay, no smell.

Well, I'm not supposed
to be talking to you

because I'm working
on my Ku but I know

if it's a deliberate trick,

but this table isn't very
you know, not stable.

And maybe it's a lesson,
but it's very annoying

when I'm trying to
think of nothing else.

I'm going to put my
sock underneath it.

I just passed the first test.

I tried to clear
my mind and focus

on nothing but writing my Ku.

And I think it worked
because I didn't even notice

that the sun had set and that
my toes had started to freeze.

All finished?
- I think so.

Is this okay?

Is it perfect?
- Yeah, perfect.

A bit bad with the -

Okay.

Not fat.

Thank you.
That's why I'm here.

Not fat.
- Yeah.

Do you need me to
help you in the kitchen?

Yeah, thank you.

I would love to.
- Okay.

Heater, okay. Great thank you.

Oh man.

Okay.

I've never seen tempura
get made, only eat it.

First time see it yes.

Very good.

Vegetarian?

Which meat do you
eat when you eat it?

Okay, I didn't think that
was allowed but that's great.

Any meat you want.

Just whatever you can get
your hands on.

Yeah, yeah.
- MOS Burger.

I am not... I can't eat
MOS Burger.

Okay, okay.
That's a good secret.

I won't tell anyone.

Top secret, okay, okay good.

Could you, so I remove
and put on there?

Yeah.
- Yes, okay.

This is a real true
test of chopsticks here,

180 degrees underneath.

Thank you.

I get a bus?

Outside bus?

You mean outside shower?

Okay, I'll find it.
Oh you'll show me?

We'll go find the outside bath.

Wash my hands and then
I can call them up.

Sorry, it's embarrassing.

Okay, yeah.
- I will do it.

Okay, thank you.

No, that's worse okay.

It's alright. I will get better.

Okay, thank you.

Okay. There we go. Okay.

Thank you.

Okay good.
- Yeah, yeah.

Good, thank you.

Outside bath.
- Yeah.

This is underneath.

It looks like rocks and
so - oh why is it so hot?

Yeah my feet are like boiling.

This isn't, that's not right.

It's hot, it's very warm.

But now it's really
cold outside, so.

Okay. Well that's good, like
it's really hot on my legs.

It feels like I shouldn't be in
here, but it's so cold outside.

Oh man, okay.

Oh, oh, oh.

Okay, okay I think I'm
getting used to it.

Cody? You okay man?

Cameraman just belched.

With my mind clear and my skin
burning it was time for dinner.

Oh wow. Wow.
- Yeah.

Thank you.

Oh, vegetarian.

Yes. This is the pumpkin.

Tempura.

Spinach with sesame.
And mirin, mirin, yes.

Daikon.

Daikon, yeah.

Here we have...
- Carrot.

Carrots, bean,
shiitake and miso?

Miso soup.
- Miso soup.

And rice.
- And rice.

Thank you.
- Please.

Alright.

Thank you.

It looks fantastic.

Try some. I might just start

with the one I made
tempura pumpkin.

This is all extremely healthy
and it's all vegetarian.

The monk is mostly
vegetarian when in town.

But when he's outside of
the building he'll drop

into MOS Burger, I'm having such
a great time with this pumpkin.

Okay, this is what I made.

Yeah, yeah nice.

Today Asami will teach me
more meditation techniques.

But first he has a
little gift for me.

As you may have noticed
I'm now wearing suspenders.

I'm not in a 1993 music video.

I am wearing suspenders because
the monk after my pants fell

down embarrassingly in the
kitchen when I was trying

to help him in the kitchen
he said he had suspenders.

And he went and found
them and he gave them

to me this morning as a gift.

I'll have to check if
he wants them back,

but if he doesn't I'll be
wearing some suspenders

with these jeans now because the
jeans have become quite loose

in the time that
I've been in Japan.

So that's both exciting
and a real bonus.

Ooh. So, let's yeah.

Asami tells me today's lesson
will be more enlightening

than tracing the Ku.

And all of a sudden,
I'm a bit nervous.

I'm told this technique
will help me say focussed

and keep my mind clear.

But I seem to be getting
whacked more than the others.

I wonder if this is Asami's
way of telling me to keep quiet

about his MOS Burger habits.

With my Zen training complete,
it's time to fly home.

My journey here has
taught me a lot of things.

It's taught me that eating
healthy can also be delicious

and that daily exercise

and portion control
can mean the difference

between slim and sumo.

Now it's up to me to
take this knowledge home

and apply it to my life.

Come on, want to go for a walk.

Come, come on.

Yeah good boy.

Good boy come on.

I've been home for
a little while now

and I've been wondering how
to integrate what I learnt

into my daily routine.

Each day in Japan I was walking
almost twice the distance I was

before I started this diet.

And with a little help from
Malcolm here, I've been able

to keep that number up.

It's been great and not just
for me but for Malcolm as well.

Because between you
and me he was starting

to get a little bit chubby.

I've kept up my shopping habits

and though the big grocery
chains don't have a lot

of the more obscure food items,
I found an Asian grocer nearby

that stocks almost
everything I need.

I visit them so often now

that the owner told me I
was his biggest customer.

At first I was flattered

and then I realised
he was making a joke.

I had a good source for almost
all the ingredients I need

to maintain my diet.

Miso paste, tofu, natto,
fish flakes, dried pickles,

ume plums and konnyaku.

Some of the fresh veggies
I wanted like daikon,

gobo and bamboo shoots are
a lot harder to track down.

So I have to make do
with what I can find.

I still need to spend long
hours in the edit room,

but I've replaced the
coke with green tea.

And if I feel like
snacking I can eat plenty

of edamame beans on hand.

They're delicious,
high in protein

and vitamins and low in fat.

Plus it's a fun word
say, edamame.

This evening I'm
helping a friend perform

at the Sydney Comedy Festival.

In the olden days I'd
have driven, but it seems

like a nice evening so I've
decided to walk instead.

I always run into old
friends at events like these

and sometimes they want
to grab a bite to eat.

So I'm worried at this late hour
the only food options will be

greasy junk food.

But it turns out my local
sushi bar has a back menu full

of traditional and
healthy dishes.

So I've been to the
local sushi train.

So this is a whole
tray of salmon,

natto and you can also
get the pickled plum,

ume which is what I stick
in my rice every morning.

You just got to work hard
to find it; you need to ask.

Sushi train, they put
out stuff in the train,

but they just put the big ones
out, the ones everyone wants

because they don't
want it to go to waste.

But the menu, that's
where you can get plum

and natto and pickles.

It's great for nights
when I want to go out

or don't have time to cook.

Plus the look the waitress's
face the first time I ordered

natto was priceless.

For the most part
adapting the Japanese diet

to fit my lifestyle has
been a fairly simple

and painless process.

Keeping it up for the remainder

of my 12 week experiment
shouldn't be a problem at all,

unless something drastically
changes in my work life.

I've just checked my emails
and I've got a job coming

up where I'm directing a comedy
show starting in like two days.

So that's going to be a lot
of work and I'm going to be

on set a lot, so I've
been planning how

to do my morning ritual, so make
sure I get my bento box done

in time.

I'm making my bento while I eat
breakfast just because I have

to save some time
in the morning.

And this is the plum that
I put on, in the rice.

So that is my rice
component, done.

Now I'll make the good
side of the bento box,

because I'm not a
big rice eater.

I love this part.

This has got all the protein
and the vegetables in it.

Konnyaku, carrot.

I'm building my bento
box for the day

and I'm also making
a little brown rice,

tofu and avocado
sushi roll as a snack.

And I can't forget
about the miso soup

and Thermos of green tea.

Aside from all the extra walking
I also like to start my days now

with some light exercise
followed by my usual trip

to the local swimming pool.

But not just to shower, now I
like to swim a few laps first.

Swimming at a swimming
pool, who'd have guessed?

So today we're filming in a
house in a suburb in Sydney.

There's always a lot of
temptation in the morning

because the first things
that happen is they lay out

all the hot food
and everyone just sits

and eats while I wait
for them to start.

But I still have to get
here at the right time

because I'm the guy who picks
the space and then we move

and they start slowly building
and eating so I have to sit

and wait for them
to finish eating.

But lucky I had natto
to keep me sustained.

I would love you guys to
still be orientated towards

the screens.

So the setting yeah
and like I'll look

at what this person's
up to, yeah.

And then maybe -

Directing is one of
my biggest passions.

especially directing comedy.

But lunch on set
requires discipline.

The catered meals smell
good, really good.

Well it's lunchtime on set

and everyone's got their
lunch that's been catered for.

But I've got my rice
and bento box.

Everyone is very supportive.

They're teasing me today

but normally they'd
be very supportive.

[laughter]

Yeah enjoy it.

I don't care.

People make fun of me and
get to eat mashed potato.

Okay. Who wants to
try, you can try some.

Come on man you want
some, you want to try it.

I cook easy Japanese meals
every evening after work

and tamagoyaki is a
simple dish to make.

I don't have a square pan,

but my round frying pan
will get the job done.

It's not pretty, but it works.

It's so nerve-wrecking.

We have to pick it up and
get the thing to slide under,

in time

because if you don't
it just starts cooking

and it doesn't slide anymore.

But I made it so,
crisis averted.

Okay yeah let's do it.

Let's shoot that.

Can I get you standing
further back,

everyone standing further back?

Directing the comedy programme

over the past few
weeks has been hectic.

But through it all I've managed
to stay true to my diet;

natto for breakfast,
followed by exercise,

then my morning stroll,
swim and shower.

I prepare my bento box
daily to eat on set

and cooking meals has become
a part of my daily life.

This Japanese way of eating
no longer feels like a diet.

I eat every meal with
chopsticks and drinking nothing

but green tea has
become second nature.

The 12 weeks is up and though I
feel great, it's time to return

to the doctor and see exactly
what effect this lifestyle has

had on my health.

The first thing
that we'll talk

about is your amazing
weight loss.

You're down from 138
kilograms on our first visit

to 114 kilograms today and
that's a 24 kilogram loss,

which is incredibly great.

And of course your weight loss
has brought your biological age

down from 64 years down to 55.

So you're a work in
progress there and again

that result is very
dependent on the weight,

so the more weight you
lose the more favourable

that result will be over time.

The other really good result
from a medical perspective is

that your abnormal liver
function tests are now normal.

The C reactive protein is
the inflammation marker

that we looked at and you
scored 4.6 previously but it's

down to two now and
we know that the lower

that score the less
cardiovascular risk you have

moving forward.

So you no longer have

that medically significant
inflammation of your liver

that was quite obvious on your
previous liver function test

that we checked a
few months ago.

Your insulin levels,
and we talked

about those pre-diabetic
worrying insulin levels

previously, they've
dropped by 64%.

They're nearly in
normal range now.

You were at 36, you're now at
13 and the ideal is 10 or below.

So you're ever so close to that.

So if we look at across
the board, a reduced risk

of type two diabetes and a
reduced risk of heart attack

and a stroke, much improved
liver function test,

and your knees will thank you.

The doctor's consultation
produced some amazing results.

My weight is down from 138 to
114, a drop of 24 kilograms

or around 50 pounds
in just 12 weeks.

My biological age is
down from 64 to 55.

My liver function test also
shows the inflammation is gone

and my liver enzyme levels are
back within the reference range.

Also my C reactive
protein level,

the heart attack indicator
is now a much healthier 2.0

and I'm aiming at a
perfect score of zero soon.

And finally, my insulin
levels are also down.

Before the diet I
was on a scary 36,

well above the healthy
10 and under range.

It's now down to 13 and with a
little more work I'm confident I

can get it to under 10.

Living the Japanese diet these
past few months has had a

profound impact on my life
and I'm not just talking

about the weight loss
and improved health.

It's shown me that
it's never too late

to make a positive
change in life

and that I've got the
willpower to make it happen.

I've learnt that dieting
isn't just about food choices,

it's also about mindset.

I'm determined to continue my
journey towards better health.

My new lifestyle has filled
me with happiness and energy

and because of that, I'm
also filled with pride.