英会話・英語　アミック Is it cool to tan?

With the warmer weather beginning and spring vacation just finished many of us are either blessing or condemning becoming sun-kissed. Growing up in the UK, a sunny day is something to be celebrated, with short sleeves and shorts, ice-creams and sea sides… and the inevitable red patches of sunburn. Due to the lack of sunlight in the UK, Brits are recommended to have 15 minutes in the sun without using sun-screen, this is because the body generates an essential vitamin through direct contact with sunlight: Vitamin D. This coupled with the notion of “a healthy glow” it has become very popular for us to tan, completely opposite to the traditional “English Rose” portrayed in classical British literature with pure white skin and dark hair.
One of my biggest culture shocks when I first moved to Thailand, was the amount of “whitening” products that were available, certainly comparable to the amount of “tanning” products that are available in the UK. When I moved to Japan, I was expecting to see a similar variety of these “whitening” products and although I have seen some, there are less than I expected. There is a greater selection of sun protection products however and this seems, to me, to be a more natural and healthier option. Although it is not unusual to see a sun parasol in Thailand, they are much more common place in Japan. This with the UV protection clothing and higher SPF sun-screen, it is certainly easier to maintain a whiter skin shade.
Do you think it’s better to tan or not and what are your reasons?