Okinawa has been famous as a place where people live well into old age, but that began to change in the years after the war. How Japan's record life expectancy declined after adopting a western lifestyle is a cautionary tale for all.
The inhabitants of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan have quite a notoriety for being amongst the world's longest-lived individuals for generations.
Medical specialists and gerontologists have swarmed to these semi-tropical islands off the coast of southern Japan in quest of the secret to the indigenous population's longevity, with the majority determining that it is a blend of a balanced diet, frequent exercise, and family and community support.
That is, unfortunately, changing now. And, while the Japanese population as a whole is living longer than ever before, Okinawans are dying younger. Younger generations are being condemned for having turned their backs on the islands' traditional way of life.
Okinawa had the greatest average life span fo...