Island contains longest lived people but diet, drinking, smoking habits belie that fact
Someone once told me that coming to Okinawa would make me live longer. Maybe it was Netflix, maybe it was a health guru and some nebulous “blue zone” marketing term – I can’t remember. Whoever it was, I can safely say that after spending two months bouncing around that beautiful island prefecture, they’re a bald-faced liar.
If anything, my time in Okinawa probably shaved about a year off my life expectancy. Don’t let this dissuade you from going there. I’d happily trade a year of being old and doddery for one week in Okinawa, let alone two months. It’s one of my favourite parts of Japan, if you can even truly consider it part of Japan.
So how did Okinawa come to be associated with longevity?
The answer starts with the abundance of centenarians the island chain produces. More people knock up centuries here than just about anywhere else in the world, which has led many researchers and health nuts to try to figure out why. Some point to diet, while others think it’s due to their highly active and social lifestyles.
I saw the latter in practice when I first arrived in Naha. I took a sunset stroll down to a local park, where I found about a dozen 100-year-old men whacking balls around with mallets and chasing them across the grass. They were also chain-smoking cigarettes, slamming cans of Orion beer, and snacking on fried chicken in between rounds, which made me think they might be taking their health advice from Keith Richards.
This introduction to Okinawa pretty much set the pace for the rest of my time there. I ate incredible food, drank arguably too much beer, and consumed enough second-hand smoke to get cravings for it when I got home.
The first thing you should know about Okinawa is that it’s not quite Japan in the same way Hawaii is not quite America. It has its own culture, traditions and language that date back long before it was annexed by the Japanese government. These permeate in Okinawans’ more laid-back attitude, as living in such close proximity to incredible beaches has salt-soaked their identity and made them as warm and welcoming as their subtropical climate.
You will feel this from the moment you enter an izakaya. Nothing beats sitting at the bar, rubbing shoulders with locals, and watching as the chef pauses between slicing sashimi and smoking darts to play a song on a sanshin, the Okinawan equivalent of a banjo.
At some point, these friendly locals will try to feed you awamori. It’s an indigenous rice spirit mixed with ice and water and little else. No bubbles, no sugars, nothing but sweet, kidney-cleansing water, which might be the true secret to Okinawans’ longevity. They get drunk all the time but,hey, at least they’re staying hydrated while they do it.
People often point to the Okinawan diet as if that, too, is a reason for their centenarian status. This was far from my experience. However delicious umibudu (sea grapes) are, no amount of them will ever make up for the amount of Spam that has infiltrated the food on the island (much like other islands in the Pacific).
Yes, Spam, another American invention designed for seemingly no other purpose than to kill us, was brought over during the occupation after World War II and never left. It now sits alongside some other more iconic Okinawa dishes, which include pork soba, soft-serve ice cream, and taco rice.
Not exactly food you associate with good clean living.
But if there is one part of Okinawan cuisine that you have to try, a dish that will not only help you live longer but is also utterly delicious, it is without doubt the tofu. Okinawa is to tofu as France is to cheese, a place that will make you rethink everything you ever thought about coagulated soy milk.
This is all to say that if you go to Okinawa looking for the secret to a longer, healthier life, then you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you go there looking for good food, great times and friendly locals, then you’ll find that our bodies were never meant to be temples; they’re amusement parks, so go enjoy the Okinawan ride.
THE DETAILS
Fly
The best way to get to Naha (or any of the other Okinawan islands) is to connect through Tokyo. JAL and ANA both offer connecting flights. See ana.co.jp or jal.co.jp
Drink
Forget Disneyland, the happiest place on earth is Orion Happy Park, where you can take a tour of the Orion Brewery and enjoy a beer at the end of it. They don’t run tours in English, but they do give you a handy laminated guide to follow along. See orionbeer.co.jp/happypark/
More
visitokinawajapan.com
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Paul Marshall is a Sydney-based travel writer who left his heart on the Banana Pancake Trail. With more than 10 years’ experience in the film, television, and video game industries, he now writes about his former life as a digital nomad and is always plotting his next escape. Whether it’s cycling across Korea or living in a Japanese fishing village, he loves a little-known destination and an offbeat adventure.Connect via email.Traveller Guides
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