Land of the Rising Sun

In the Western world we love the sun and we plan our holidays around when and where we may find the best sunbathing weather. We love spending time on the beach or next to the pool suntanning and some even go as far as faking the sun tan.  Here in Japan the ladies cover themselves up and hide away from the sun.  Most of the female population hides from the sun with an umbrella and by wearing long socks, long sleeves, wide rimmed hats and even long gloves.  The woman even wear gloves while driving their cars to ensure no tanning.  In Japan it is really important to have a white skin and if you get sun spots, freckles or even tanned just a little bit it is considered unattractive.  They have a huge selection of sunscreens and cosmetics to ensure full protection against the sun and ensuring the blemish free, pale beauty. This all seemed to date back in history when there were still nobles, most of them never went outside in the sun and as a result probably had beautiful flawless fair skin.