It's an old western saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but it seems that if you're Asian the best way is through his aching feet.

Sound a bit strange? Well consider just how good a foot massage feels when you come home from work after a long day's slug at the office and long train commute home. Think Tokyo at 5:00 p.m. rush hour. Those feet of yours take a beating, as does the rest of you. Your rising stress levels from the job you love to hate, the strain put on your liver by the umpteen cans of Asahi you guzzled with the boys last night, and lest we forget the poisoning of your lungs by the smoke of thousands of cigarette smokers who pass you by everyday.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could find out exactly what your ailments are before spending all that money on expensive doctor's tests? And all it would take is some pretty, (or handsome) young Japanese of the opposite sex pushing the pressure points attached to your toes. Doesn't sound too bad eh?

Well, there is such practice, and it's called Zoku Shin Do. It means quite literally, 'feet, heart, way'. It's a type of reflexology and massage therapy apparently developed thousands of years ago in China, and then brought here to Japan.

The idea behind the massage is that most of your bodily ills, from that heartburn you suffered through after eating pickled kimuchi (spicy cabbage) to a possible liver problem or even heart disease, all of them can be diagnosed depending upon what part of your foot is in pain when you press on it. It's similar to the idea of acupuncture, except without all those prickly needles.

According to one internet website, (the only one actually that didn't advertise a book for sale on the subject), the feet have a signficant impact on the overall well-being of a person.

"The focus on the body as a whole system that can be improved through foot massage to stimulate qi (human bio-energy) to improve circulation, to balance the internal organs and meridians and to enhance overall health." Yeah that's a direct quote, and though admittedly it sounds a bit flaky, it's not got the same nutty flavour as, say, yogic flying or some such other Hollywood tart trap. There is some kind of scientific method to it.

That doesn't mean that one great foot massage will get rid of your heartburn, or anything like that, but the Chinese and Japanese use the foot massage as another way of treating illnesses. Yet despite all the hype, there is one curious oxymoron here. Most Japanese consider the feet as the lowest part of the body, and therefore the most dirty and insulting. My own Japanese girlfriend refused to rub my feet unless there was a towel wrapped around my aching arches. (And yes I know what you're thinking, but my feet are actually quite clean.)

When she finished however, I did feel quite a bit better. Perhaps there's something to it, perhaps not. I certainly wouldn't want to rely on my feet alone to tell me I have bad lungs or heart disease. After all, I can't trust my feet not to trip over themselves just walking down the street.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this type of massage. It might just do you some good. Everyone needs some good, relaxing down time. Just be sure your significant Japanese other doesn't mind touching your feet. Heck, you could always buy her some gloves. And if that doesn't work, I know about thirty website that have a book to sell you.