Three years ago, my partner and I spent a month in Okinawa. We went for the beaches and the food, but what I remember most is watching a group of elderly women at the market. They must have been in their eighties or nineties. They were laughing, arguing about vegetables, and seemed completely at ease with each other. I later learned they were part of a moai, a lifelong social group.
That trip got me thinking about how different cultures approach longevity. Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, and it’s not just about genetics or healthcare. It’s about how people live day to day.
Let’s dig into seven principles that seem to make a real difference.
1) Ikigai: knowing your reason for getting up
Ask an Okinawan elder what their ikigai is, and they’ll give you a straight answer. Maybe it’s their garden. Maybe it’s teaching neighborhood kids. Maybe it’s making traditional textiles.
The concept loosely translates to your reason for being. Not in some grand, existential way, but in a practical, everyday sense.
What gets you out of bed?
In Okinawa, many people don’t retire in the traditional sense because they never stop doing what gives them purpose. That’s the key. Your ikigai isn’t necessarily your job or your passion project. It can be as simple as caring for your vegetable garden or meeting friends for tea.
Research from the region shows that having a clear sense of purpose correlates with longer life and better mental health. People with ikigai report higher satisfaction and lower rates of cognitive decline.
I think about this when I’m making coffee at dawn before a writing session. That quiet hour before the world wakes up, that’s part of my ikigai. Not dramatic, but mine.
2) Hara hachi bu: eating to 80% full
Ever notice how stuffed you feel after Thanksgiving dinner? That’s the opposite of hara hachi bu.
This Confucian-inspired principle instructs you to stop eating when you’re about 80% full. The phrase translates roughly to “belly eight parts out of ten full.”
Why does this matter? Your brain takes about 20 minutes to register fullness. If you eat until you feel completely full, you’ve likely overeaten by the time your body catches up.
Okinawans practicing hara hachi bu consume around 1,800 to 1,900 calories daily, compared to the American average of over 2,500. They also have lower BMIs and fewer chronic diseases.
I started experimenting with this after that Okinawa trip. I eat slower now, put my fork down between bites, and check in with myself midway through meals. Do I actually need more, or am I just eating because it’s there?
The difference is subtle but real. I feel lighter, more energized, and less sluggish after eating.
3) Moai: your built-in social safety net
Remember those women at the market I mentioned? That was a moai in action.
In Okinawa, children are often assigned to small groups of about five friends early in life. These groups meet regularly throughout their entire lives, offering emotional, social, and even financial support.
Think of it as your second family. You gather a few times a week to talk, eat, share problems, and just be present with each other. When someone needs help, the group shows up. No questions asked.
About half of Okinawans belong to at least one moai. Research consistently shows that strong social connections are among the most important predictors of longevity and happiness.
I don’t have a formal moai, but I have a group of friends from my music blogging days. We meet for dinner once a month, no exceptions. We’ve been doing this for over a decade now. Some months we talk about nothing important. Other months someone’s going through something and needs the group.
That consistency matters. Knowing those people will show up makes everything easier.
4) Shinrin-yoku: forest bathing for your nervous system
Shinrin-yoku literally means “forest bath” in Japanese. It’s the practice of spending intentional time in nature, engaging all your senses.
This isn’t hiking or exercising. It’s slower, more deliberate. You’re walking through a forest and actually noticing things. The way light filters through leaves. The smell of pine. The sound of wind moving through branches.
The Japanese government introduced this as a public health initiative in 1982, responding to rising stress-related illnesses from urbanization and technology. Now there are over 65 designated Forest Therapy centers across Japan.
Studies show that time spent in forests reduces cortisol levels, lowers blood pressure, and boosts immune function. Trees release compounds called phytoncides that have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
Living in Venice Beach, I’m not exactly surrounded by forests. But I make it to Griffith Park or Runyon Canyon a few times a month. Even an hour among the trees shifts something in my nervous system. The constant low-level buzz of city life quiets down.
5) Kaizen: small, continuous improvements
Kaizen translates to “good change” or “continuous improvement.” It’s the philosophy that small, incremental changes compound into significant results over time.
Toyota made this famous in manufacturing, but the principle applies to everything. Instead of overhauling your entire life, you make tiny adjustments every day.
Want to wake up earlier? Don’t jump from 8am to 5am. Try 7:50am for a week. Then 7:40am. Small steps, sustainable progress.
The psychology behind this works because small changes don’t trigger resistance. Your brain doesn’t freak out about a five-minute shift. But over months, those minutes add up.
I used this approach when I transitioned to plant-based eating eight years ago. I didn’t overhaul everything overnight. I started with Meatless Mondays. Then I added more plant-based dinners. Within a few months, the shift felt natural rather than forced.
The key is consistency over intensity. It’s not about making massive changes that burn you out. It’s about sustainable progress that becomes part of who you are.
6) Gaman: enduring with dignity
Gaman is probably the hardest principle to translate. It means something like “enduring the unbearable with patience and dignity.”
This isn’t about suffering in silence or suppressing your feelings. It’s about maintaining composure and perspective when life gets difficult. It’s about not letting temporary hardships define you.
You see gaman in how Japanese communities respond to natural disasters. There’s a quiet resilience, a refusal to panic or despair, even in devastating circumstances.
In modern context, this principle is evolving. Younger generations are questioning whether endurance should come at the cost of mental health. The healthier interpretation seems to be about building genuine resilience without sacrificing wellbeing.
I think about this when I’m dealing with freelance work stress or navigating disagreements with my partner. Not everything requires an immediate reaction. Sometimes the most powerful response is to sit with discomfort, acknowledge it, and then decide how to move forward.
That’s different from ignoring problems. It’s about choosing your response rather than just reacting.
7) Wabi-sabi: finding beauty in imperfection
Wabi-sabi is the aesthetic philosophy that celebrates imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness.
A cracked tea bowl isn’t flawed. It’s beautiful because of the crack. The patina on old metal isn’t damage. It’s character. Nothing lasts forever, and that’s not a problem to solve.
This shows up everywhere in Japanese culture, from pottery to architecture to daily life. There’s an acceptance of things as they are rather than constantly striving for some impossible standard of perfection.
In our productivity-obsessed culture, this feels almost radical. We’re constantly told to optimize, improve, level up. Wabi-sabi says maybe that’s missing the point.
When I’m photographing around the neighborhood, I’m drawn to weathered buildings and peeling paint. There’s more truth in those textures than in anything pristine. The imperfections tell the story.
Applying this to daily life means being easier on yourself. Your morning didn’t go perfectly? That’s fine. The meal you cooked isn’t Instagram-worthy? Who cares if it tastes good. You’re aging and changing? So is everything else.
There’s freedom in letting go of the pursuit of perfection.
Final thoughts
These principles aren’t magic. You can’t just adopt ikigai or hara hachi bu and suddenly live to 100.
But taken together, they represent a different way of approaching life. Less about intensity and achievement, more about sustainability and connection. Less about perfection, more about presence.
The Okinawans living well into their nineties and beyond aren’t doing anything extreme. They’re eating reasonable amounts of whole foods. They’re staying connected to friends and family. They’re finding purpose in simple daily activities. They’re spending time in nature.
These aren’t groundbreaking revelations. But they work.
Which of these resonates with you? Maybe start with one. Not because you need to optimize your life or hack your way to longevity, but because these practices might actually make your days better.
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