Sit down, Stand up, Fall over

Since olden days the Japanese have preferred a certain way of sitting on the floor during ceremonies or special occasions. It's called seiza. A translation of which would be "tremendous pain." As far as I know, there is no other country in the world that requires people to sit in this most painful of positions for extended periods of time. It is often said to be the cause of bowleggedness and knee problems. Just try it some time. See how long you can sit with your legs directly under you (not crosslegged). See how long you can do it in jeans.

It's like a highly developed form of torture. First, your blood flow is cut off past your knees. Then your toes, feet, calves, and entire legs begin to ache. Then burn. You probably won't reach the point of piercing pain, but that can happen too. The best part, however, is when you try to get up. If you've been sitting long enough, your legs have "fallen asleep." You might not realize it though, and I have seen more than one person stand up to immediately fall over because their legs don't work properly. Then, of course, there is the tingly sensation.

I've had to sit like this often lately - koto lessons, a tea ceremony, visiting a professors's house. I can usually manage about ten minutes before I have to rudely change positions. My koto teacher can go all day without a problem, and so can most other older women. But really, why couldn't the Japanese have followed their mainland neighbors and imported chairs?