Very interesting. I'm curious suddenly of if and/or how this related to allergies. After being in Japan for 15 years I have finally started to get allergies. I say finally because it seems like most Japanese have some form of hay fever, usually to the cedar trees, and the "common wisdom" is that all visitors to the country will eventually get allergies too. And it seems like I finally have. Could this be because of other toxic stuff in my body has piled up to the point where my immune system is going crazy, thus the allergic response? Hmmm... Reading through the other comments I see you mention this idea. If an unhealthy body is the reason for the rise of allergies, then the modern Japanese are very unhealthy, because, again, nearly everyone in this country has allergies.