I’m not in Okinawa. I’m in “Typhoon Alley” on Amami Oshima—one of Japan’s longevity hotspots and, on and off for the past three years, my longevity laboratory. ...
Japan Solo
A few days ago, I completed an exploratory journey through Shizuoka, Japan's leading prefecture for healthy life expectancy and one of the country's most ...
For the past two years I've been travelling across Japan, letting longevity data guide my journey. This time the numbers have brought me to Shizuoka ...
Description Ten days ago, I thought I was coming to observe. I left having learned far more than I expected. This final episode begins, as so many mornings ...
Day 9... and our plans changed once again. 😊 Mechanical problems meant Chiharu and Mitsu stayed an extra day on Kikai Island, so our long-awaited karaoke ...
Day 8... and yes, the week has been extended. 😊 Today, after morning Taiso with a friend and Neighbour, Ken Chan, Chiharu and her son Mitsu flew to nearby ...
Day 7... but we're not finished yet/ Today began early when a neighbor brought over a special flower for Chiharu to enjoy. After Taiso and before breakfast, ...
A Week with Chiharu is a seven-day glimpse into the life of 91-year-old Chiharu as she spends time with her son Mitsu and me in Buren Bay, Japan. Through ...
A Week with Chiharu is a seven-day glimpse into the life of 91-year-old Chiharu as she spends time with her son Mitsu and me in Buren Bay, Japan. Through ...
This is Day 2 of spending a week with 91-year-old Chiharu in my little longevity laboratory here in Buren Bay, Japan. It's only the second time we've met. The ...
This week, Mitsu's 91-year-old mother, Chiharu, has joined us in Buren Bay. It's only the second time I've met her. The first was a few months ago when she ...
After a month away, I'm back in my tiny fishing village on Amami Oshima. Twenty-nine people. This has become my longevity laboratory and a base from which I ...
A famous Japanese proverb says: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Yet after years of travelling through Japan's remote communities and ...
As I continue traveling through Japan’s longevity hotspots, I keep hearing a surprisingly common response from people who remain active, healthy, and engaged ...
In Japan’s longevity hotspots, healthy aging is not reinforced only through healthcare or individual habits. It is woven into the annual rhythm of community ...
In Japan, money is rarely handed over as bare cash when the relationship matters. It’s placed in an envelope. A simple gesture—but one that adds respect, ...
After nearly two years researching and writing Longevity and the Art of Community: Lessons from Japan, I thought I’d be ready to let it go. But this book isn’t ...
Walking around a Japanese castle during cherry blossom season. Moats were designed to protect—keeping outsiders out, and insiders in. Years ago, a mentor ...
It`s Cherry blossom season in Japan. Each spring, people gather under the sakura with friends, family, and colleagues—celebrating their beauty while knowing it ...
After visiting 14 prefectures, spending time in Japan’s longevity hotspots, and interviewing some remarkable people, I’m finally back in Amami — and heading ...
Still away from my boat, I’m in Shibuya, Tokyo, standing beside the iconic Moyai statue, a gift from Niijima Island. Years ago, I sailed there by chance and ...
I have been away from my boat for two weeks and am wrapping up this leg of research in Japan’s longevity hotspots. After speaking with locals, experts, and ...
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. ...