No.1 for 17 consecutive years…! The longest-lived village in Japan: “Beer in the open air after work” – The secret of longevity is the “Yuimaru” spirit.

Japan is known as the country with the world’s longest life expectancy.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average life expectancy in Japan is 84.3 years, the highest in the world. By gender, men live 81.5 years (2nd in the world) and women 86.9 years (1st in the world).

In Japan, there is a village famous for its longevity. It is Kitanakagusuku Village in Okinawa Prefecture.

The average life expectancy of women in the village is 89 years. The average life expectancy by municipality has been reported every five years since 2000, and Kitanakagusuku Village has held the No. 1 position for 17 years since 2005, except for the first year when it was ranked No. 2.

Why has Kitanakagusuku Village become the village with the longest life expectancy? I would like to explore the secret by quoting from the reportage “Mukonenrei senronen” (The Elderly without a Relative) (Kota Ishii, Ushio Publishing Co., Ltd.), which describes the problem of the isolation of the elderly.

Kitanakagusuku Village is about the size of Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. The population is 17,888. Surrounded by the sea and hills, it is a village where warm sea breezes blow. Recently, more and more people from the mainland are moving to the village.

The village mayor, Takanori Higa, says, “I have had many scholars and doctors come here.

Various scholars and doctors have investigated the secret of the village’s longevity. The general consensus is that longevity is achieved by a combination of several factors in the village. I would like to mention the spiritual element that supports this: the “Yuimaru spirit” among the villagers. This is a term used to describe the mutual support and solidarity of the villagers.

In the old days, there were many farmers growing sugarcane in the village. Sugarcane is harvested four times a year, and one family alone could not do it. So during harvest time, it was customary for neighbors to join forces and harvest each other’s fields. Because of this, there is a strong bond between the residents, and the idea of helping each other is deeply rooted.

What I felt while actually touring the village was the good relationship among the residents. In the village, there is a kind of public well called a “kha (well spring),” which is equipped with benches and a small park. Villagers gather at such places in the morning and engage in small talk.

Penniless and rebuilding their lives due to the war

Incidentally, the flower beds in public spaces like Kha are maintained by a local volunteer group, the Hanasakai. The mostly elderly men get together twice a month to plant flowers in parks and vacant lots. The members enjoy drinking beer outdoors after the work is done.

Higa says, “When it comes to women’s longevity, it’s not just about the longevity of women.

When it comes to women’s longevity, the women’s association has always been very active in the village. When the Pacific War ended, many women lost their husbands and homes and had to rebuild their lives with nothing. Women who had married from other villages must have been especially worried because they had few relatives and friends.

This led to a growing momentum among the women to unite and do their best, and various activities centering on the Women’s Association became more active. Many salons were established, and they are still in existence today.

In fact, the happiness rate in Kitanakagusuku Village is 52.8%. Compared to the national average of 44.63%, this is quite high.

How are the villagers connected? To find out, we visited “Salon Tominaga,” one of the many salons in the village.

In Kitanakagusuku Village, a salon is a community for the elderly held in their homes. The village encourages residents to set up their own salons, where they are encouraged to perform “square step” exercises to prevent the need for nursing care. The idea is for the elderly to get together, look after each other, and maintain their health through exercises.