1. How do Japanese people drink water?
In Japan, water is not only for drinking but also for therapeutic purposes, which is why it is called water therapy. This therapy uses water extensively in Japanese medicine and in the lives of many people here.
This therapy involves drinking room temperature or warm water on an empty stomach after waking up to cleanse the digestive system and regulate intestinal health. Some people believe that this therapy can cure many different health problems.
According to the Japanese way of drinking water, drinking cold water is harmful to health because it can cause fats and oils in food to harden in the digestive tract. Therefore, it will slow down the digestive process and cause illness.

Japanese water therapy includes the following steps:
- Drink 4 - 5 glasses (160ml) of water at room temperature on an empty stomach when you first wake up, before brushing your teeth and then 45 minutes before eating breakfast.
- Each meal should only last 15 minutes. Then wait at least 2 hours before eating or drinking anything else.
This should be repeated every day.
According to those who use this therapy, to be effective, this therapy must be performed in different stages to treat different health problems, for example:
- Constipation: 10 days
- High blood pressure: 30 days
- Type 2 diabetes: 30 days.
- Cancer: 180 days.
While drinking more water can help treat constipation and high blood pressure, there is no evidence that it is effective in treating type 2 diabetes or cancer. However, drinking more water may have some other health benefits.

2. What are the benefits of drinking water properly?
While Japanese water therapy is not an effective treatment for many health problems, drinking more water may still have some health benefits.
- Increased water intake: Using Japanese water therapy involves drinking several glasses of water each day to help your body stay hydrated.
There are many benefits to adequate hydration, including optimal brain function, sustained energy levels, and regulation of body temperature and blood pressure. Drinking plenty of water can also help prevent constipation, headaches, and kidney stones.
Most people get enough water by drinking to satisfy their thirst. However, if you are very active, work outdoors, or live in a hot climate, you may need to drink more water.
- Lower Calories: Practicing Japanese water therapy can help you lose weight by limiting your calorie intake.
The first is that if you replace sugary drinks like juice or soda with water, your calorie intake will decrease. The change can be as much as several hundred calories per day.
Also, by only eating for 15 minutes, and then not eating for the next 2 hours, you can limit your calorie intake.
Finally, drinking more water can help you feel fuller and cause you to eat less.

3. Some unwanted effects of Japanese water therapy
- Water intoxication: can occur when you drink too much water in a short period of time. This condition causes hyponatremia due to the dilution of salt by the excessive amount of fluid in the blood.
This is a serious condition that can lead to death, but this rarely happens in healthy people with good kidneys that quickly remove excess water from the blood. However, people with kidney problems, endurance athletes, and people who abuse stimulants who drink too much water are at risk of hyponatremia.
To be safe, do not drink more than about 4 cups (1 liter) of water per hour, as this is the maximum amount of water a healthy person's kidneys can handle at one time.
- Excessive calorie restriction: due to the application of meal timing guidelines and eating within 15 minutes.
If you are trying to lose weight, excessive calorie restriction can lead to weight gain after the therapy ends. Restricting your calorie intake too much will reduce the number of calories you burn at rest and cause a spike in the hormone ghrelin - which increases hunger.
Restricting your eating time to a short period can lead to overeating, which can cause indigestion or lead to weight gain.

4. How does Japanese water therapy work?
The Japanese way of drinking water is said to have the ability to treat everything from constipation to cancer. But so far there is no evidence to support this.
The Japanese way of drinking water is said to clean your intestines and help regulate your gut health, but there is currently no research to confirm this. Drinking water does have an impact on the balance of gut bacteria, but the impact is much smaller than other factors such as diet.
Cold water lowers the temperature of your digestive tract and can increase blood pressure in some people. However, drinking cold water does not cause fat to solidify in your digestive tract.
You should not use Japanese water therapy as a substitute for any medical care from doctors or health care professionals.
Customers can go directly to Vinmec Healthcare system nationwide for examination or contact the hotline here for support.
Reference article source: healthline.com