# Cholera Belt

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cholera-belt/21
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [April 14, 1999, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cholera-belt/21 "1999-04-14T01:15:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 14, 1999, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cholera-belt/21/1 "1999-04-14T01:15:00Z")

</div>

Cecil, you’ll be happy to know that the cholera belt survives in Japan, and is in fact quite common. Known as a hara-maki (belly-band), these knitted woolen bands are worn by many older men (especially in the countryside) who believe that a chilly tummy leads to illness (and most Japanese tend to agree, but then most Japanese believe that blood type is a good indicator of personality). They are also common among laborers, often in garish colors (these guys dress very strangely anyway), who also find them convenient for holding a pack of cigarettes.

Bob Poulson, Tokyo