kōneki (更年期)

In Japan, menopause is referred to as 更年期 (kōneki). The term is beautifully layered in meaning:

• 更 (kō) = change/renewal

• 年 (nen) = years

• 期 (ki) = period or season

So rather than being framed as an "ending," it literally means “the season of renewal/change of years.” This language alone reflects a cultural outlook: menopause is seen less as loss and more as a natural transition into a new life stage.

How the Japanese lifestyle, diet, and outlook support women in this transition

1. Diet rich in phytoestrogens

   • Traditional Japanese cuisine includes soy-based foods like miso, tofu, natto, and edamame. These contain isoflavones, plant compounds with mild oestrogen-like effects that may reduce hot flashes and protect bones and the heart.

   • Studies (including the well-known Japan Collaborative Cohort Study, suggest lower incidence of severe vasomotor symptoms in Japanese women compared to Western women, partly due to lifelong soy intake.

   • Research suggests a link between diet and menopause symptoms. Japanese diets rich in soy contain isoflavones, which may alleviate vasomotor symptoms. Specifically, the metabolite equol, produced by some individuals from soy, is associated with fewer severe symptoms. Clinical trials using natural S‑equol (10 mg daily for 12 weeks) showed reductions in hot flashes and even improvements in neck/shoulder stiffness, sweating, irritability and other somatic symptoms.

   • Additional community studies support that soy extracts and phytoestrogens may relieve symptoms—though results are still emerging.

     
     

2. Low meat, low dairy, high fish diet

   • The traditional Japanese diet is high in fish, seaweed, vegetables, and fermented foods, with less red meat and dairy. This provides omega-3 fatty acids, minerals like iodine, magnesium, and calcium, and a gut-friendly diversity of foods.

   • Such a diet is linked to lower risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, and obesity - conditions that often worsen during menopause in Western women.

     
     

3. Portion size and balance

   • Meals are often structured around the idea of “hara hachi bu” - eating until 80% full. This prevents overeating, supports weight stability, and avoids the midlife abdominal weight gain that can fuel symptoms and chronic disease.

     
     

4. Daily lifestyle habits

   • Japanese women often remain physically active through walking, cycling, and gentle movement practices well into later life. Regular low-impact activity supports circulation, bone density, and emotional wellbeing.

   • Practices like forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) and mindfulness in daily routines (tea ceremony, gardening, community engagement) reduce stress - important since cortisol dysregulation worsens menopausal symptoms.

     
     

5. Outlook and cultural framing

   • Menopause is less medicalised in Japan. It is framed as a natural life season rather than a deficiency or disease, which reduces fear and stigma.

   • Elder women are often respected for wisdom and life experience, so the transition into post-menopause carries cultural value rather than invisibility.

     
     

6. Community and social health

   • Strong social ties - moai in Okinawa, for example (social support groups that share food, resources, and friendship) - help protect mental health and resilience during life changes, including menopause.

What this means for those outside Japan

Adopting aspects of the Japanese way can help:

• Incorporate soy in traditional forms (fermented miso, tempeh, natto, tofu).

• Eat more fish, vegetables, seaweed, and fermented foods for gut and hormone balance.

• Practice hara hachi bu: mindful eating and stopping before full.

• Build daily gentle activity into life.

• Shift perspective: menopause as a renewal, not decline.

• Stay socially connected, sharing meals and experiences to ease the journey.

  
  

👉 The Japanese example shows that menopause does not need to be dreaded - it can be embraced as a season of transformation supported by diet, lifestyle, and mindset.