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not_sophieLast update: October 10th, 2024. I added the last blurb in the About the Body section and I'll probably never come back to edit these, so it is done. Other sections in the book will be in separate posts and the next section happens to be About Living Creatures 1.
I have discovered a gold mine of Japanese books at a local bookstore, Midway Book Store. Literally nobody wants translations of these but I shall provide, for it allows me to pretend it was in high demand and that I'm the only one who can do it, and so I must.
This is a nice science book, very easy and comfy to read at the low reading level it's for. Since the book is split up on general subjects, I will split up my posts in the same fashion. So this post shall be used for the first section in the book, About the Body. This section is apparently written by Yukiko Nakagawa and illustrated by Jun Kawakami.
Why Are Babies in the Belly?
When a baby is inside a mother's body, her belly gradually grows larger. This is because the baby inside is growing larger.
At first, a baby does not look the same as they do when they are born. They start out looking like a very small egg. When they've developed for about a month, they have gills and a tail, and look similar to a fish. Following that, they grow arms and legs, the gills and tail go away, and at approximately three months they begin to look like babies.
You are probably wondering how babies live inside the belly.
Inside their mother, the baby floats about in a fluid called "amniotic fluid." They do not eat food with their mouth or breathe through their nose or mouth. Their body has a tube called an "umbilical cord" which is connected to the mother, so the mother provides nutrition and oxygen directly to the baby.
[tl note: there is a silly picture on this page showing the "egg time" and how they progress from there. I'm kidding it's scary because babies are horrifying but I like my translation of たまごのとき as egg time so here it is]
Babies are not always sleeping; they can keep a rhythm properly, sleep, and wake up. While awake, they will bend and stretch their legs, and move their body as well. When they want to get outside, they may stretch their legs a lot.
Also, the baby will suck his own finger and gulp down the amniotic fluid, as practice for drinking from its mother's breast. It can hear speaking voices and sounds from outside, and it may remember the kind voices of its family.
After practicing in various ways in the mother's belly, the baby is born.
Why do we get stiff?
Have your mother or father ever asked you to give them a shoulder massage? You may be surprised to know that their shoulders have become tense and stiff. There are even children who get stiff from things like reading books laying down, overdoing things, and using the computer for a long time. Stiffness is mostly caused by stress and tiring out your muscles.
When your muscles get tired from stress or staying in the same position for a long time, the strain on your muscles makes your "nerves" work like crazy. Since your muscles are strained, "blood vessels" become more narrow, causing your blood flow to become poor.
When blood flow is poor, they cannot bring enough "oxygen" to the muscles. And so matter that makes your muscles hurt will be created. One such matter is "lactic acid." When lactic acid accumulates, your body becomes dull and starts to want to stay still. This is a sign that your muscles are tired.
[Adorable pictures strike again. This is in the form of a mini comic sort of thing so have yo translations.
(Inside the narrowed blood vessel...) Oxygen: It's so narrow it's hard to move...
Muscle: There isn't enough oxygen...]
It feels good to strike or massage it because doing this makes the blood flow better. The substances that cause the pain flow with the blood, the pain is gradually alleviated, and the muscles feel more flexible, too. Bending and stretching exercises or taking a bath to warm your body also have the effect of improving blood flow.
[the pictures continue on this last page.
*massage*
(In the widened blood vessel...) Lactic acid: I'm being swept away!
Oxygen: Here's your oxygen!
Muscle: Woo hoo! The oxygen is here!]
Why should you eat breakfast?
There are people who do not eat breakfast if there is not enough time. Then what is so good about eating breakfast? The first is that eating breakfast makes your mind start to work. To let your brain start to work, a nutrient called "glucose" is necessary. Glucose is made from eating rice, bread, or fruit. If it is taken during lunch, the brain's function is slowed and lessened.
The second reason is that if it is had during breakfast, body temperature rises, and the body starts working hard. If you're still half asleep, eating breakfast will be very effective at making you wake up fast.
[cute pictures time.
Brain: Let's work hard!
Body temperature: So much energy!
Stomach: It's time for food!]
The third reason is that it can adjust your stomach's rhythm. If you have a meal at the same time every day, your body can digest food more smoothly.
The fourth reason is that compared to those who do not eat breakfast, it is easier to gain weight. The body will signal being in a dangerous nutritious state, and transition into a phase where weight gain is easy.
If you eat breakfast, the result is completely beneficial. Eat breakfast to get the most out of every day. If you don't eat much for many days, a yogurt or lots of vegetable juice is usually enough.
Why do your legs get numb when sitting seiza-style?
Have you ever tried to stand up after sitting for a while and found that your feet were numb? They tingle and become unable to move, but if you stand for a moment, they gradually go back to normal. This numbness is caused by putting weight on your bent feet for a long time, making the blood flow of the feet become poor.
Inside our feet, there are nerves that convey the sensation of being touched, nerves for moving the body, and nerves that communicate pain. When the blood flow that reaches the foot's nerves is bad, these nerves stop working as well.
If you touch the bottom of your feet when they're numb, do they have no feeling, or does it feel almost like they're being touched through a shoe? This is the result of the nerves that sense touch being weakened. If you become unable to move your feet by thinking, that means the nerves for moving the body have become weak.
However, if only the nerves that convey pain are working, they will continuously send off signals, causing your feet to tingle and hurt. It's a danger signal of your body's abnormal condition, saying, "Your blood flow is bad! Your nerves are being suppressed!"
When your feet are numb, improve your blood flow. Stretch and move your feet, and the weakened nerves will gradually recover to how they were before.
Why does my mouth smell bad?
If you don't brush your teeth, then a little while after eating, the bacteria in your mouth will start to multiply by using leftover food particles as nutrients. These bacteria give off a bad smell.
When you're sleeping at night, it's particularly easy for the bacteria to multiply. The amount of saliva present is also a factor. When you're sleeping, the amount of saliva produced is decreased. That's why, when you wake up in the morning, there is a higher amount of bacteria in your mouth giving off a bad smell.
There are also reports that, compared to after eating dinner, there are about 30 times more bacteria in the mouth after waking up. Bacteria are especially comfortable in parts of the body with high temperature like the mouth. If you brush your teeth before going to bed, the bacteria don't multiply as fast.
Incidentally, you've probably noticed that your mouth starts to smell after eating foods that have a lot of garlic, like yakiniku or gyoza. Even if you brush your teeth right after, somehow it starts smelling like garlic again. This is because the smell is not the garlic itself.
The cause of the smell is a component within garlic that gets absorbed into the bloodstream. That's why it will still smell like garlic even when you brush your teeth until your mouth is clean: your breath itself is carrying the smell.
Why do we get the flu?
The flu is a contagious illness people get when they are infected by a virus called influenza. It spreads between people through coughing and sneezing.
The world's big cities are connected by airplanes. Because of this, viruses that come from overseas can be easily spread between airplane passengers and then become global epidemics.
The influenza virus is round and spiky. It is very small, and it can't be seen with a normal microscope. There are two types: Type A and Type B, and which one is more prevalent changes from year to year. Even if you get it once and built immunity, the virus's shape changes a little every year due to how widespread it is, so you have to look out for it every year.
Other than human flus, there are also avian and swine flus. If these viruses mutate to be able to infect humans as well, there is a concern that it could become a dangerous new type of virus.
From coughing and sneezing, the scattered virus attaches itself to your throat or nose. Once it gets in your body and spreads, you can get a high fever of 38C or more, headaches, sluggishness, and more. The symptoms can manifest all over the body. There is a fear that small children, elderly people, people who have other illnesses, and those with weakened immune systems may become too weak from the virus and die.
To prevent the flu, wash your hands and rinse your mouth frequently, and thoroughly wash any part of your body that comes into contact with the virus. Also, if you get the vaccine, it will be harder to get sick with the flu, and even if you do, the symptoms will be milder.
Why is it that when we get old, we get wrinkles and our hair turns gray?
All humans, when they grow old, gradually get things like wrinkles on their face, as well as graying hair, and bones that are easier to break.
Your body has "cells" and creates many of them, little by little, placing them in appropriate locations. As you grow older, changes in your body make it so that your body has fewer cells, and they stop functioning as well. That is why these changes happen.
For example, for wrinkles to appear, the new cells created for skin are fewer in number than they should be.
To see one's hair colour as black means that the hairs are being pigmented by melanin. But as we age, the cells that produce melanin decrease, and eventually, melanin is no longer produced. Because of this, hair begins to grow out either white or colorless.
Furthermore, as we take on age, our bone tissue also becomes weakened and porous, which can lead to bending of the hips and putting these bones most at risk to breaking.
When we look at the lifespan of people around the world, it appears the longest living humans have a few things in common: they eat a balanced diet and exercise every day.
Why does my stomach start to hurt when I run?
There are actually several reasons why your side might start to hurt when you run after eating lunch.
The first reason is that there may not be enough bloodflow in your stomach and intestines so soon after a meal. After a meal, in order for your stomach and intestines to work well, a lot of blood is sent their way. If you run during this time, the blood that's used to move your muscles will leave your stomach and intestines without the blood they need to do their job. Then your digestive system will cramp up, causing your sides to hurt.
The secon explanation is that when you run, the movement causes gas in your bowels to get pushed into the bends of your large intestine, and this causes the pain. This is the more prominent explanation in recent research.
Other explanations include people who don't typically exercise suddenly trying to run, which causes muscle spasms in the sides; as well as the idea that the internal organ called the "spleen" suddenly starts to contract.
There are many possible reasons for side pain while running, but in the case of people who aren't used to running frequently, suddenly starting will often cause pain. If you avoid running right after eating, and make sure to stretch before running, you may be able to pevent such pain.
Why do we get moles?
Moles grow here and there on the body. Since moles are different for each person, they are unique characteristic for those that have them. A long time ago, in Europe, having one was considered fashionable. There was a trend of attaching a fake mole, called a "mouche," to the face.
Moles are really just small, dark birthmarks. In medical language, they are even classified as "pigmented birthmarks." However, the reality is that newborn babies almost never have moles. THeir numbers increase around 3-4 years old. Everyone has different amounts of moles, but it's said that an adult could have around 500 of them.
Well then, how do moles form?
Moles are where dark pigment, called "melanin," has accumulated. Inside the skin are thin cells called "melanocytes," and these are what creates melanin.
When there is a lot of ultraviolet light from the sun, melanocytes will create a lot of melanin in order to protect your skin against the ultraviolet rays. This causes a darker discoloration on the skin. If a melanocyte creates too much extra melanin at this time, it can create a conspicuous spot of color at just that one spot, which is a mole. If a melanocyte is working particularly hard, a mole could even form beneath your clothes, even though the sun didn't hit the skin directly.
Other than ultraviolet rays, there are also illnesses which can cause visible spots that are similar to moles. If they suddenly get larger, or if they start to bleed, it's important to go see a doctor.
Why do we cry?
When debris gets into the eye or we cut onions, tears come from our eyes. It can also happen when we experience strong emotions like sadness or frustration.
Tears are made from places called "tear glands" which are located on the inside part of the upper eyelid. To stop your eyes from getting dry, tear glands are constantly creating small amounts of tears. When dust gets into your eye, they make large amounts of tears in order to flush the dust out. When cutting onions, there is a substance that comes from the cut part of the onion that irritates the tear glands, causing us to cry. Tears exist in order to protect the eyes.
So why is it that people cry when they are sad?
Tear glands are connected to nerves that regulate the body's function, called "autonomic nerves." When we're sad, our brain communicates, through the autonomic nerves, a command to produce tears. But why the brain would issue such an order still isn't well-understood.
Further, it's said that the tears produced from sadness have a different composition from the tears that protect our eyes. A hormone that is secreted when under stress is expelled from the body along with these tears. Some experts believe that we cry when we are sad because it has the effect of calming the mind down.
Science Experiment: "Huh? I'm unsteady!" One-legged Balance Experiment
(this story was written and illustrated instead by Nobuyuki Irisawa.)
Let's do an experiment to see how long we can stand on one leg. It's going to be different from standing on one leg the normal way, though. If there are any small objects around your feet, please clean them up first, since you may end up falling suddenly.
First, stand on one foot normally. How is it? Were you able to do it?
Stay how you are, but try closing your eyes. How is it now? Are you wobbling? Maybe you fell and had someone nearby help you up. It's totally different from doing it with your eyes open, isn't it?
Let's do one more. This time, you can keep your eyes open. Find a big piece of paper and draw black stripes on it. Ask someone to slowly move this paper side to side around 20 to 25 centimeters apart. While standing on one leg, try watching the piece of paper. Oh my, did you stumble? Strange. I wonder why that is?
For us to remain standing upright, like we do when walking or running, our ears, eyes and brain all need to work together.
Inside of your ear, there are things that are shaped like three donuts stuck together, called the "semicircular canals." The semicircular canals are full of fluid, and there are sensitive hairs that grow there. When your body tilts, it moves the liquid, and those movements are felt by the hairs, which send that information to the brain immediately. So even when it seems like your body is going to lose its balance, in that moment, you will unconsciously right yourself.
Your eyes work to keep your balance, too. Because your eyes see the scenery around you, they will also see the scenery tilt when your body does. When your brain receives that information, it sends out instructions to your body to regain your balance.
When you shut both of your eyes while standing on one foot, you don't get any balance information from your eyes. Even though your ears are working, your eyes don't contribute anymore. Because of that, your balance falls apart, and you start to wobble and fall.
When you were watching the stripes, the information your eyes were receiving was deceptive. When your eyes follow the movements of the stripes, and tells your brain, your brain misinterprets the information and thinks the ground itself is moving. In its attempt to match those movements to maintain balance, it ends up throwing your balance off even more.
I have discovered a gold mine of Japanese books at a local bookstore, Midway Book Store. Literally nobody wants translations of these but I shall provide, for it allows me to pretend it was in high demand and that I'm the only one who can do it, and so I must.
This is a nice science book, very easy and comfy to read at the low reading level it's for. Since the book is split up on general subjects, I will split up my posts in the same fashion. So this post shall be used for the first section in the book, About the Body. This section is apparently written by Yukiko Nakagawa and illustrated by Jun Kawakami.
Why Are Babies in the Belly?
When a baby is inside a mother's body, her belly gradually grows larger. This is because the baby inside is growing larger.
At first, a baby does not look the same as they do when they are born. They start out looking like a very small egg. When they've developed for about a month, they have gills and a tail, and look similar to a fish. Following that, they grow arms and legs, the gills and tail go away, and at approximately three months they begin to look like babies.
You are probably wondering how babies live inside the belly.
Inside their mother, the baby floats about in a fluid called "amniotic fluid." They do not eat food with their mouth or breathe through their nose or mouth. Their body has a tube called an "umbilical cord" which is connected to the mother, so the mother provides nutrition and oxygen directly to the baby.
[tl note: there is a silly picture on this page showing the "egg time" and how they progress from there. I'm kidding it's scary because babies are horrifying but I like my translation of たまごのとき as egg time so here it is]
Babies are not always sleeping; they can keep a rhythm properly, sleep, and wake up. While awake, they will bend and stretch their legs, and move their body as well. When they want to get outside, they may stretch their legs a lot.
Also, the baby will suck his own finger and gulp down the amniotic fluid, as practice for drinking from its mother's breast. It can hear speaking voices and sounds from outside, and it may remember the kind voices of its family.
After practicing in various ways in the mother's belly, the baby is born.
Why do we get stiff?
Have your mother or father ever asked you to give them a shoulder massage? You may be surprised to know that their shoulders have become tense and stiff. There are even children who get stiff from things like reading books laying down, overdoing things, and using the computer for a long time. Stiffness is mostly caused by stress and tiring out your muscles.
When your muscles get tired from stress or staying in the same position for a long time, the strain on your muscles makes your "nerves" work like crazy. Since your muscles are strained, "blood vessels" become more narrow, causing your blood flow to become poor.
When blood flow is poor, they cannot bring enough "oxygen" to the muscles. And so matter that makes your muscles hurt will be created. One such matter is "lactic acid." When lactic acid accumulates, your body becomes dull and starts to want to stay still. This is a sign that your muscles are tired.
[Adorable pictures strike again. This is in the form of a mini comic sort of thing so have yo translations.
(Inside the narrowed blood vessel...) Oxygen: It's so narrow it's hard to move...
Muscle: There isn't enough oxygen...]
It feels good to strike or massage it because doing this makes the blood flow better. The substances that cause the pain flow with the blood, the pain is gradually alleviated, and the muscles feel more flexible, too. Bending and stretching exercises or taking a bath to warm your body also have the effect of improving blood flow.
[the pictures continue on this last page.
*massage*
(In the widened blood vessel...) Lactic acid: I'm being swept away!
Oxygen: Here's your oxygen!
Muscle: Woo hoo! The oxygen is here!]
Why should you eat breakfast?
There are people who do not eat breakfast if there is not enough time. Then what is so good about eating breakfast? The first is that eating breakfast makes your mind start to work. To let your brain start to work, a nutrient called "glucose" is necessary. Glucose is made from eating rice, bread, or fruit. If it is taken during lunch, the brain's function is slowed and lessened.
The second reason is that if it is had during breakfast, body temperature rises, and the body starts working hard. If you're still half asleep, eating breakfast will be very effective at making you wake up fast.
[cute pictures time.
Brain: Let's work hard!
Body temperature: So much energy!
Stomach: It's time for food!]
The third reason is that it can adjust your stomach's rhythm. If you have a meal at the same time every day, your body can digest food more smoothly.
The fourth reason is that compared to those who do not eat breakfast, it is easier to gain weight. The body will signal being in a dangerous nutritious state, and transition into a phase where weight gain is easy.
If you eat breakfast, the result is completely beneficial. Eat breakfast to get the most out of every day. If you don't eat much for many days, a yogurt or lots of vegetable juice is usually enough.
Why do your legs get numb when sitting seiza-style?
Have you ever tried to stand up after sitting for a while and found that your feet were numb? They tingle and become unable to move, but if you stand for a moment, they gradually go back to normal. This numbness is caused by putting weight on your bent feet for a long time, making the blood flow of the feet become poor.
Inside our feet, there are nerves that convey the sensation of being touched, nerves for moving the body, and nerves that communicate pain. When the blood flow that reaches the foot's nerves is bad, these nerves stop working as well.
If you touch the bottom of your feet when they're numb, do they have no feeling, or does it feel almost like they're being touched through a shoe? This is the result of the nerves that sense touch being weakened. If you become unable to move your feet by thinking, that means the nerves for moving the body have become weak.
However, if only the nerves that convey pain are working, they will continuously send off signals, causing your feet to tingle and hurt. It's a danger signal of your body's abnormal condition, saying, "Your blood flow is bad! Your nerves are being suppressed!"
When your feet are numb, improve your blood flow. Stretch and move your feet, and the weakened nerves will gradually recover to how they were before.
Why does my mouth smell bad?
If you don't brush your teeth, then a little while after eating, the bacteria in your mouth will start to multiply by using leftover food particles as nutrients. These bacteria give off a bad smell.
When you're sleeping at night, it's particularly easy for the bacteria to multiply. The amount of saliva present is also a factor. When you're sleeping, the amount of saliva produced is decreased. That's why, when you wake up in the morning, there is a higher amount of bacteria in your mouth giving off a bad smell.
There are also reports that, compared to after eating dinner, there are about 30 times more bacteria in the mouth after waking up. Bacteria are especially comfortable in parts of the body with high temperature like the mouth. If you brush your teeth before going to bed, the bacteria don't multiply as fast.
Incidentally, you've probably noticed that your mouth starts to smell after eating foods that have a lot of garlic, like yakiniku or gyoza. Even if you brush your teeth right after, somehow it starts smelling like garlic again. This is because the smell is not the garlic itself.
The cause of the smell is a component within garlic that gets absorbed into the bloodstream. That's why it will still smell like garlic even when you brush your teeth until your mouth is clean: your breath itself is carrying the smell.
Why do we get the flu?
The flu is a contagious illness people get when they are infected by a virus called influenza. It spreads between people through coughing and sneezing.
The world's big cities are connected by airplanes. Because of this, viruses that come from overseas can be easily spread between airplane passengers and then become global epidemics.
The influenza virus is round and spiky. It is very small, and it can't be seen with a normal microscope. There are two types: Type A and Type B, and which one is more prevalent changes from year to year. Even if you get it once and built immunity, the virus's shape changes a little every year due to how widespread it is, so you have to look out for it every year.
Other than human flus, there are also avian and swine flus. If these viruses mutate to be able to infect humans as well, there is a concern that it could become a dangerous new type of virus.
From coughing and sneezing, the scattered virus attaches itself to your throat or nose. Once it gets in your body and spreads, you can get a high fever of 38C or more, headaches, sluggishness, and more. The symptoms can manifest all over the body. There is a fear that small children, elderly people, people who have other illnesses, and those with weakened immune systems may become too weak from the virus and die.
To prevent the flu, wash your hands and rinse your mouth frequently, and thoroughly wash any part of your body that comes into contact with the virus. Also, if you get the vaccine, it will be harder to get sick with the flu, and even if you do, the symptoms will be milder.
Why is it that when we get old, we get wrinkles and our hair turns gray?
All humans, when they grow old, gradually get things like wrinkles on their face, as well as graying hair, and bones that are easier to break.
Your body has "cells" and creates many of them, little by little, placing them in appropriate locations. As you grow older, changes in your body make it so that your body has fewer cells, and they stop functioning as well. That is why these changes happen.
For example, for wrinkles to appear, the new cells created for skin are fewer in number than they should be.
To see one's hair colour as black means that the hairs are being pigmented by melanin. But as we age, the cells that produce melanin decrease, and eventually, melanin is no longer produced. Because of this, hair begins to grow out either white or colorless.
Furthermore, as we take on age, our bone tissue also becomes weakened and porous, which can lead to bending of the hips and putting these bones most at risk to breaking.
When we look at the lifespan of people around the world, it appears the longest living humans have a few things in common: they eat a balanced diet and exercise every day.
Why does my stomach start to hurt when I run?
There are actually several reasons why your side might start to hurt when you run after eating lunch.
The first reason is that there may not be enough bloodflow in your stomach and intestines so soon after a meal. After a meal, in order for your stomach and intestines to work well, a lot of blood is sent their way. If you run during this time, the blood that's used to move your muscles will leave your stomach and intestines without the blood they need to do their job. Then your digestive system will cramp up, causing your sides to hurt.
The secon explanation is that when you run, the movement causes gas in your bowels to get pushed into the bends of your large intestine, and this causes the pain. This is the more prominent explanation in recent research.
Other explanations include people who don't typically exercise suddenly trying to run, which causes muscle spasms in the sides; as well as the idea that the internal organ called the "spleen" suddenly starts to contract.
There are many possible reasons for side pain while running, but in the case of people who aren't used to running frequently, suddenly starting will often cause pain. If you avoid running right after eating, and make sure to stretch before running, you may be able to pevent such pain.
Why do we get moles?
Moles grow here and there on the body. Since moles are different for each person, they are unique characteristic for those that have them. A long time ago, in Europe, having one was considered fashionable. There was a trend of attaching a fake mole, called a "mouche," to the face.
Moles are really just small, dark birthmarks. In medical language, they are even classified as "pigmented birthmarks." However, the reality is that newborn babies almost never have moles. THeir numbers increase around 3-4 years old. Everyone has different amounts of moles, but it's said that an adult could have around 500 of them.
Well then, how do moles form?
Moles are where dark pigment, called "melanin," has accumulated. Inside the skin are thin cells called "melanocytes," and these are what creates melanin.
When there is a lot of ultraviolet light from the sun, melanocytes will create a lot of melanin in order to protect your skin against the ultraviolet rays. This causes a darker discoloration on the skin. If a melanocyte creates too much extra melanin at this time, it can create a conspicuous spot of color at just that one spot, which is a mole. If a melanocyte is working particularly hard, a mole could even form beneath your clothes, even though the sun didn't hit the skin directly.
Other than ultraviolet rays, there are also illnesses which can cause visible spots that are similar to moles. If they suddenly get larger, or if they start to bleed, it's important to go see a doctor.
Why do we cry?
When debris gets into the eye or we cut onions, tears come from our eyes. It can also happen when we experience strong emotions like sadness or frustration.
Tears are made from places called "tear glands" which are located on the inside part of the upper eyelid. To stop your eyes from getting dry, tear glands are constantly creating small amounts of tears. When dust gets into your eye, they make large amounts of tears in order to flush the dust out. When cutting onions, there is a substance that comes from the cut part of the onion that irritates the tear glands, causing us to cry. Tears exist in order to protect the eyes.
So why is it that people cry when they are sad?
Tear glands are connected to nerves that regulate the body's function, called "autonomic nerves." When we're sad, our brain communicates, through the autonomic nerves, a command to produce tears. But why the brain would issue such an order still isn't well-understood.
Further, it's said that the tears produced from sadness have a different composition from the tears that protect our eyes. A hormone that is secreted when under stress is expelled from the body along with these tears. Some experts believe that we cry when we are sad because it has the effect of calming the mind down.
Science Experiment: "Huh? I'm unsteady!" One-legged Balance Experiment
(this story was written and illustrated instead by Nobuyuki Irisawa.)
Let's do an experiment to see how long we can stand on one leg. It's going to be different from standing on one leg the normal way, though. If there are any small objects around your feet, please clean them up first, since you may end up falling suddenly.
First, stand on one foot normally. How is it? Were you able to do it?
Stay how you are, but try closing your eyes. How is it now? Are you wobbling? Maybe you fell and had someone nearby help you up. It's totally different from doing it with your eyes open, isn't it?
Let's do one more. This time, you can keep your eyes open. Find a big piece of paper and draw black stripes on it. Ask someone to slowly move this paper side to side around 20 to 25 centimeters apart. While standing on one leg, try watching the piece of paper. Oh my, did you stumble? Strange. I wonder why that is?
For us to remain standing upright, like we do when walking or running, our ears, eyes and brain all need to work together.
Inside of your ear, there are things that are shaped like three donuts stuck together, called the "semicircular canals." The semicircular canals are full of fluid, and there are sensitive hairs that grow there. When your body tilts, it moves the liquid, and those movements are felt by the hairs, which send that information to the brain immediately. So even when it seems like your body is going to lose its balance, in that moment, you will unconsciously right yourself.
Your eyes work to keep your balance, too. Because your eyes see the scenery around you, they will also see the scenery tilt when your body does. When your brain receives that information, it sends out instructions to your body to regain your balance.
When you shut both of your eyes while standing on one foot, you don't get any balance information from your eyes. Even though your ears are working, your eyes don't contribute anymore. Because of that, your balance falls apart, and you start to wobble and fall.
When you were watching the stripes, the information your eyes were receiving was deceptive. When your eyes follow the movements of the stripes, and tells your brain, your brain misinterprets the information and thinks the ground itself is moving. In its attempt to match those movements to maintain balance, it ends up throwing your balance off even more.
