9 Lessons From Japan’s Okinawa About Living A Long And Healthy Life
Okinawans are famous for their longevity – the prefecture has more centenarians than any other place on the planet. Here are nine simple, Okinawa-inspired ways to increase your own life span.
1. Shun the generation gap
“You’re only as old as you feel” is a phrase taken seriously here. Friendships are more likely to transcend age-related boundaries, and the elderly are much less likely to feel excluded. Take the festivities leading up to Tanadui – an annual celebration of seed-planting. During this event, four locals aged 77 (a symbolic number here) are invited onstage to be honoured, before youngsters take to the stage to perform the fortune-inducing Yuhiki dance. Like many aspects of Okinawan society, it’s designed to bring several generations together.
2. Give the brain a workout, too
Many of Okinawa’s most revered craftsmen and women are well past UK retirement age. These hard-working locals finally have time to hone their skills relating to hobbies they might not have had time for previously, whether it’s wood carving or pottery. Okinawa’s deep-rooted connections with crafts means there are plenty of opportunities to follow their lead. Start with a lesson at Yomitan Village’s Yachimun no Sato (pottery workshop) where you’ll be able to learn how to produce your very own piece of pottery perfection.
3. Embrace carbs
Yes, you read that correctly. A calorie and carb-rich diet is believed to be one of the reasons so many Okinawans live beyond 100. But before you tuck into a huge plate of pasta a word of warning – the carbs in question come from sweet potatoes, which also provide the bulk of Okinawans’ calorie intake. Okinawa, and Japan in general, are unique in this regard, because elsewhere in Asia, the most common form of carbs is rice. However, sweet potato was introduced to Japan in the seventeenth century through trade with China.
4. Be an active part of your community
The majority of Okinawans work in physically demanding jobs (such as farming or fishing) which ensure they remain active. But they also live in tight-knit communities and form close social networks (known as moais) which play a large part in keeping healthy too. When you consider that strong social connections have been proven to reduce the body’s stress responses to challenging events, and that loneliness (especially in old age) is thought to do be as harmful as a 15-cigarettes-a-day habit, it’s easy to see why Okinawans have some of the longest life spans.
5. Sprinkle some salt on your food
Love a sprinkle of salt on your fish and chips? You can take a slightly more decadent approach in Okinawa, where you’ll find what’s regarded as the world’s healthiest salt. This is because it contains more nutrients than any other type. And you can rest assured the salt produced here is of the highest quality – its manufacture is taken especially seriously. Factories generally produce it in several formats, including a powder version which can be added to water to create a mineral-rich drink.
6. Embrace vitamin D
In the Western world we’re known as sun-worshippers. Okinawans are too – but the difference here is that (like everything else) they enjoy it in moderation. Okinawa is just one degree north of the Tropics, which means plenty of sunlight. It’s this same sunlight which beams light into the islands’ famously bountiful crops, which include banana and mango.
7. Don’t overdo it
We’re talking primarily around food here. Spend a decent amount of time in Okinawa and it’s highly likely you’ll hear the phrase hara hachi-bu (eat until you’re 80 per cent full). It’s also the reason overweight Okinawans are a rare sight – locals love their food, but enjoy it in moderation.
8. 100 is the magic number
Okinawans have a famously long lifespan - even the clams here regularly live to see 100. Researchers regularly visit the island to discover the secret to locals’ longevity, thought to be the result of a healthy diet, an active lifestyle and the mood-boosting benefits of living in tight-knit communities with strong social bonds.
9. Plant a pine tree
This ties in with the whole positivity thing, because in Japan, pine trees represent longevity. Pine trees generally live between 100 and 200 years, and the trees’ sap is believed to have medicinal qualities. So flex those green fingers and plant one in your garden, or failing that, make sure it’s a pine tree – rather than a fir or spruce - which you deck with holly this Christmas.