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Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

bbc.com

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Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#151

Post by mh- »

dang wrote: post #144
hamasho wrote: post #136

I grew up on a small village in a small island. The yogurt lady was an essential part of the community. Many stay-at-home moms (including my mom) seemed to enjoy her visit. She and my mom talked a lot, sometimes for hours (I still can't figure out how she completed her job when she spent so much time with one person). They chatted about recent events, like the daughter of the fisherman gave birth, the great-grandpa o…

This is one for https://news.ycombinator.com/highlights (I mention this so more people can know the list exists, and hopefully email us more nominations)

I love this! Thank you. I spent way too much time on HN this week, so I'd already enjoyed several of these, but this is a great showcase of the content that keeps me coming back here.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#152

Post by spike021 »

Rendello wrote: post #139

There are also some 'mobile supermarkets' run to help the elderly in some rural villages, as seen at 11 minutes in here: https://youtu.be/IiU3Nk16BLQ?t=664 I know my neck of the woods has a not-for-profit called Meals on Wheels that does something similar.

Seen a doc about this before also. Some Japanese towns are super rural and may be many kilometers from typical supermarkets. Many don't even have the famous convenience stores. Trains may only run once an hour as well, if that.

So these mobile supermarkets are as convenient as it gets.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#153

Post by missedthecue »

pixelready wrote: post #84
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm so glad I visit different countries to see what they are actually like so I don't get brainwashed into thinking GDP is anywhere near of good measure as people think it is.

The case against GDP, by its own creator: https://gnhusa.org/gpi/the-case-against-gdp-made-by-its-own-... It’s not that GDP is a poor measure, just that it is isolated as the only measure most policy is based on improving rather than being one metric in a portfolio of related metrics that balance technological progress, accumulation of wealth, and human thriving. As Gary Stephenson rightly points out the culture of E…

GDP is useless! I prefer thing 96% correlated with GDP.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#154

Post by bananaflag »

no_time wrote: post #78

How neat. I'd buy some Actimel too if a sharply dressed lady would show up at my door instead of a suicidal looking grocery delivery guy who carves the local word for "tip" in the elevator every time he doesn't get any.

Can't you just buy it from the grocery store?

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#156

Post by MinimalAction »

hamasho wrote: post #136

I grew up on a small village in a small island. The yogurt lady was an essential part of the community. Many stay-at-home moms (including my mom) seemed to enjoy her visit. She and my mom talked a lot, sometimes for hours (I still can't figure out how she completed her job when she spent so much time with one person). They chatted about recent events, like the daughter of the fisherman gave birth, the great-grandpa o…

This is pretty typical of life in small villages across southeast Asia, especially towns along the coast have fish/cashew nuts lady as opposed to the yogurt lady. She was the local news representative and also the beacon of acceptable levels of capitalism -- would price her products with just enough margin for her to enjoy her simple life.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#157

Post by _delirium »

lysace wrote: post #83
quicklime wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article says this has been running since 1963 though. The program would’ve been running through the post-war period of economic growth, as well as during the lost decades. It also mentions that it was done to drive sales.

https://www.eater.com/dining-out/916976/yakult-lady-japan-yo... goes into more detail. (I recommend reading the entire article, it's excellent and covers a lot.) Yakult ladies aren’t classified as full-time employees, but kojin jigyo usha (roughly “sole proprietors”), essentially making them owners of bicycle-sized franchises. They purchase product from Yakult and make a profit based on what they can sell. Yakult say…

Thank you for the link! Now that is the article I wanted on this topic.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#158

Post by shevy-java »

What kind of wonky article is that please?

> a network of women delivering probiotic milk drinks has become a vital source of routine, connection and care.

So, yoghurt deliveries will fix the loneliness problem in Japan? Seriously? Are the people at BBC drunk?

You only need to watch some youtube videos to realise that what BBC writes, is narrating things very oddly. Yoghurt deliveries will NOT fix the issue of isolated people. Japan's culture is also very unique, but this is still a somewhat more global issue; South Korea is in a somewhat comparable situation, for instance. A lot of this ties into work culture, too; in Japan even more than in South Korea.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#159

Post by davkan »

AdrianB1 wrote: post #129
paganel wrote: post #81

Sometimes news like this is upvoted, because it involves Japan, towards each a lot of Western techies have an unhealthy obsession on, but the moment when those techies are advised to not use the self-service thing at the super-market they start going bananas.

Japan is a very interesting country for Western people (US and Canada, Western Europe) because it is by far the most developed country that is not Western. In this regard, it is unique and intriguing.

Yes, it seems to me like one of the few places you can go to get a completely fish out water experience while also not feeling the wealth disparity.

I’m not well travelled but, Canada just feels like home of course, and Italy didn’t feel strange in the slightest.

Japan was like being transported to a different world.

Guatemala was as well but, getting picked up by a bodyguard at the airport and driving past slums on the way to a gated community of mansions left a sour taste that still lingers.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#160

Post by shevy-java »

hamasho wrote: post #136

I grew up on a small village in a small island. The yogurt lady was an essential part of the community. Many stay-at-home moms (including my mom) seemed to enjoy her visit. She and my mom talked a lot, sometimes for hours (I still can't figure out how she completed her job when she spent so much time with one person). They chatted about recent events, like the daughter of the fisherman gave birth, the great-grandpa o…

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