Overweight Brits horrified as crowds ‘point & laugh’ filming Channel 4 doc in Tokyo where ‘obesity doesn’t exist’
OVERWEIGHT Brits were left horrified after crowds 'pointed and laughed' at them while filming a Channel 4 documentary in Japan.
Around the World in 80 Weighs sees six participants travel the globe in a bid to learn weight loss secrets from other cultures.
The first episode of the Channel 4 show saw the group head to Japan, where only four per cent of the population are classified as obese.
This is in stark contrast with the UK, where 25 per cent of Brits are deemed obese.
In Japan, workers are legally obliged to do morning exercises, and even have their waists measured by their employers.
It meant that when the participants walked down the street in Tokyo, they were sadly gawped at by locals.
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Tiffany, 24, said: "As we walked past all of the school kids pointed and laughed at us.
"I'm starting to feel a bit self-conscious, as we're walking, everybody's staring.
"They're so open about being rude. Why would you point and laugh at another human being? It's just cruel."
Fellow participant Marisa replied: "It just blows my mind that you're not allowed to be who you are and you just have to fit it.
"I don't feel like I should be here. In this country I don't feel comfortable, and for me personally, it isn't somewhere I would come back."
The tour guides - YouTubers called Mr and Mrs Eats - explained to the group about obesity - or the lack of - in Japan.
Mrs Eats said: "Obese people are extremely rare. Do we have obese people in our town, maybe. But I just don't see them at all.
"A lot of Japanese people are very disciplined. We believe that harmony is very important, so that if you are too big and you stand out too much, you kind of destroy the harmony in society in a way."
Around the World in 80 Weighs continues on Tuesday, Jan 23 at 9pm on Channel 4.