The Island of Centenarians

Kane Tanaka, the worlds oldest living person, died on April 19, 2022, in Fukuoka in western Japan. Had she been living in Okinawa, known as the Island of Centenarians and one of the five blue zones, who knows how long she might have lived! Blue Zones are places where people live the longest and are the healthiest. These Blue Zones are identified as: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California. Curious? Let’s learn a bit more about the place they call the Island of Centenarians.

On Japan’s Okinawa Island, nicknamed the “island of longevity,” locals refuse to die. Residents suffer from low levels of heart disease, cancer and dementia, and Okinawans’ robust social life and strong sense of ikigai (a unique purpose in life) often keeps them alive and healthy past the age of 100.  Get the full story here.