Like many people in Japan and around the world, I was saddened by the recent boating tragedy off Henoko in Okinawa, where a 17-year-old high school student and ...

Just wrapped up the IAFOR Aging and Gerontology Conference in Tokyo. 865 delegates from 65 countries, bringing together perspectives that are international, ...

I’m back on the mainland after months on a quiet island in southern Japan. Rush hour. Trains arriving. A different rhythm of life. Yet at sunset, something ...

Last night a full gale blew across Buren Bay. From Mitsu’s old house near the shore I listened to the wind roll over the roof and wondered how Wahine was ...

Still water. A quiet harbor. A small boat resting in the breeze. Moments like this remind me that longevity isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it ...

Next week, Japan hosts an international conference on plastic pollution. I won’t be in the room, but I live at the waterline. From here, plastic pollution ...

Tankan are in season here in this remote Island, a designated World Heritage Site. A woman came by the boat, leaving me with two bags full. No transaction. ...

Kiyotaka Mizuno, Japan’s oldest man, died at 111. His mayor described him as “a symbol of vitality and good health.” Longevity at that level is rarely ...

Out in the middle of the bay, the boat rises and falls without much effort. Tied to the wall, I adjust the lines throughout the day. The tide is the same. ...

I moved the boat today. The water was mirror smooth. Mountains resting in their own reflections. For an hour it felt like I wasn’t moving at all. Sometimes ...

I’ve been provisioning the boat. Somewhere between oranges and bleach, I managed to fall. Nothing to dramatic — just a swollen elbow and a reminder. ...

Back on Amami — but not back on the boat. In places like this, the weather decides the pace. Slow travel isn’t just about moving slowly. Sometimes it’s about ...

This leg of the journey was meant to be by sea. A storm changed that. The logistics shifted — the question behind the journey didn’t. Field notes from the ...

Osaka moves fast and full of energy. In a few hours, I’ll be heading south — toward a different sense of time. Both are Japan. That difference shapes how ...

In 2025, I set out to follow the cherry blossoms the length of Japan by boat. What unfolded instead was a slower journey through Japan’s longevity hotspots, ...

Back to the boat.. After five weeks away—and a little longer neglecting the boat while working on my book project—I’m heading back out to Wahine. The ...

A few final days in Japan before an early flight south. This short video captures some familiar New Year sights: Mount Fuji from the train, the Sumida River ...

Meet Mitsuharu Kume — the closest real-world equivalent I’ve ever found to Kevin Costner’s “Mariner” from Waterworld. He may not have gills (that I know of), ...

Some days are loud… but this one wasn’t. This one was perfect. A slow start on the boat, followed by joining the Buren Bay community to clean the beach, a ...

While grabbing a bite to eat near my “Longevity Laboratory” here in Amami, my mate Matt Pride of Amami Adventures spotted a sign with the funniest—and ...

After visiting 14 prefectures, spending time in Japan’s longevity hotspots, and interviewing some remarkable people, I’m finally back in Amami — and heading ...

Japanese Walking isn’t just a TikTok trend — it actually has two distinct forms: 1) Traditional Japanese Walking A slow, steady, mindful style practiced by ...

I’ve spent the last two days tucked into Osaka, racing to finish the 4th draft of my new book — and somehow, miraculously, I wrapped it early ahead of a ...

I traveled to Kyotango in Kyoto Prefecture — a community with three times Japan’s national average of centenarians — to meet the people behind the statistics. ...