Torii: Portals of the gods
Omamori: Pockets of protection
Hanami: The art of fleeting beauty
Senbazuru: One thousand wings of hope
Betsubara: The science of the second stomach
YOUR GOAL
Master of The invisible threads of Japanese ritual
매운김치 The idea of a separate stomach for sweets is anatomically false but reflects a biological reality scientists recently mapped.
매운김치 Sort sweet treats into the second stomach to discover the Japanese concept of Betsubara.
Stomach expansion: Ultrasound scans show that when a person is shown their favorite dessert, their stomach can physically expand by up to thirty percent before a single bite.
A Japanese colloquial term describing the appetite one has for sweet foods after completing a filling meal. University of Bristol anatomist Michelle Spear explained that brain chemistry and gastric accommodation drive this phenomenon.
Historically, before referring to food cravings, what did the term 'betsubara' describe in Japanese family law?
What is the scientific term for the sensory boredom that makes us feel full of one food but hungry for another?
How does introducing a sweet dessert bypass the brain's signals of fullness after a heavy savory meal?
What physical change occurs in the stomach muscles when the brain's reward system is stimulated by the sight of dessert?
Which brain chemical, identified by a Max Planck Institute study, is released to trigger a reward feeling when a full animal eats sugar?
From an evolutionary standpoint, why did humans develop a biological drive to eat sugar even when full?