World-renowned Japanese competitive eater ends career to prioritise health

In a recent article, South China Morning Post highlights that the world-renowned Japanese competitive eater has announced her retirement from the competitive eating scene due to health concerns and aging. 

The announcement was shared online on February 1, just months after globally renowned eating influencer from Japan Yuka Kinoshita returned to social media following a seven-month break during which she was at home battling bipolar affective disorder.

Kinoshita shared with her 5.2 million followers on a major social media platform that she turned 40 on February 4 and that it had become really hard for her to continue working as a competitive eater.

“I am very exhausted. My health has deteriorated over the years. It is no problem to eat like a normal person, but I will feel tired even when I am not full. So I am afraid I cannot eat as much as before,” she explained.

Kinoshita’s career as a “big stomach king” began in 2009 on the Japanese reality show The Battle of Big Eaters, where, despite not winning, she gained attention for the striking contrast between her massive food consumption and her slim figure and cute smile.

She launched her own online channel in 2014, showcasing her binge-eating feats in videos.

Her remarkable achievements included devouring 600 fried chickens, 100 burgers, 5kg of steak, or 5kg of ramen in a single sitting.

In one video, she indulged in bibimbap, a Korean rice dish, mixed with 50 eggs and accompanied by 6kg of miso soup.

Kinoshita, who stands at 158cm tall, maintained a weight of 47kg for years, despite estimates that she consumed between 5,000 to 20,000 calories per meal during her binge-eating sessions.

She stopped uploading content at the start of last year but returned in August, explaining that she was gradually recovering from her mental illness.

“I am not in the mood for love and I never thought of getting married. With my three cats, I am quite happy and content,” Kinoshita shared in a recent video.

“For this new year, I hope I can live a long life like a snake,” she said.

Her decision to retire sparked a lively conversation on social media.

“Your health is the most important. Thank you for your previous videos which are healing to me. I was also concerned about your health. Hope you can develop other healthy habits,” said one online observer.

Another person commented: “When my spirits were low and I did not want to eat anything, I encountered your videos. You made me think food is delicious and so I went out to eat. I feel grateful to you.”

By Naila Huseynova