Blue Zones -- Okinawa -- National Geographic

A Pinch of Seaweed
Photograph by David McLain, National Geographic
The Pacific archipelago of Okinawa, Japan, is home to some of the world’s longest-lived people. They enjoy the highest life expectancy, the most years of healthy life, and one of the highest centenarian ratios. Dan Buettner visited Okinawa with photographer David McLain to learn its secrets. The Okinawans in this gallery were photographed on assignment for a November 2005 feature article in National Geographic magazine.
Squatting effortlessly on a slippery embankment, 89-year-old Kame Ogido (above) inspects a pinch of seaweed, part of a low-calorie, plant-based diet that may help give Okinawans an average life expectancy of 82 years, among the longest in the world. Meals of stir-fried vegetables, sweet potatoes, and tofu are high in nutrients and low in calories. While centenarian Okinawans do eat some pork, it is traditionally reserved only for infrequent ceremonial occasions and taken only in small amounts.
—Text adapted from the National Geographic book Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
Tofu and Hara Hachi Bu
Photogrpah by David McLain, Aurora
Okinawans eat an average of three ounces of soy products per day. Tofu, their main source of soy, is rich in flavonoids and may play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease. But it’s not just what the Okinawans eat, it’s also how much. Many of the islanders who grew up before World War II still live by the Confucian-inspired adage "hara hachi bu—eat until your stomach is 80 percent full.”
—Text adapted from the National Geographic book Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
Sense of Purpose
Photograph by David McLain, National Geographic
Older Okinawans possess a strong sense of purpose, a concept contained in the word ikigai, which translates roughly to “that which makes one’s life worth living.” Here, 84-year-old Fumiyasu Yamakawa practices his ikigai—daily exercises, including yoga, to train for an annual decathlon. Some centenarians find that a moai—a group of lifelong friends—provides a sense of purpose. These secure social networks serve as financial safety nets and provide emotional support in times of need.
—Text adapted from the National Geographic book Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
Garden Variety
Photograph by David McLain, National Geographic
When she’s not watching sumo wrestling on TV, Yaso Itoman, 100, gets her own exercise by growing onions, tomatoes, carrots, and other herbs and vegetables in her garden. They give her natural antioxidants that may help prevent cancer. Gardening, along with walking, is also a means for older Okinawans to stay active. It’s a source of daily physical activity that exercises the body with a wide range of motion and helps reduce stress.
—Text adapted from the National Geographic book Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
Paying Respects
Photograph by David McLain, Aurora
The ritual of daily offerings to ancestors is a cornerstone of spiritual life on Okinawa. Here, the Ishigaki family worships their ancestors at the family tomb on the Okinawan island of Taketomi. Once a year, families on Taketomi gather to worship their ancestors with a feast for the living as well as the dead.
—Text adapted from the National Geographic book Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest