- Walter Bruening (114 years)

“keep your mind and body busy, you’ll be around a long Time"

- Maria Capavilla (116 years)

“I have never eaten meat in my life.”

<ol><li>Stay active; don’t retire.</li><li>Take it slow.</li><li>Don’t fill your stomach.</li><li>Surround yourself with good friends.</li><li>Get in shape for your next birthday.</li><li>Smile.</li><li>Reconnect with nature.</li><li>Give thanks.</li><li>Live in the moment.</li><li>Follow your ikigai.</li></ol>

The ten rules of IKIGAI

Last words of Osamu Tezuka (the father of modern Japanese manga) as he drew one final cartoon, “Please, just let me work!”﻿

“It’s not what happens to you but how you react that matters.”

<ol>
<li>Be completely immersed in what you are doing.</li>
<li>Find a task aligned with your abilities but slightly challenging.</li>
<li>It's better to have a compass pointing to a concrete objective rather than a map without a destination.</li>
<li>Keep the objective in mind without obsessing over it.</li>
<li>Focus on one thing at a time.</li>
<li>Multitasking lowers productivity by at least 60%.</li>
<li>Designate one day of the week for technological 'fasting'.</li>
<li>Keep it simple yet sophisticated.</li>
<li>Happiness is in the act of doing, not the result.</li>
</ol>

How to Turn Work and Free Time into Spaces for Growth

- Jeanne Calment (the oldest person verified in history — 122 years)

“I see badly, I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything’s fin

<ol><li>Smile</li><li>There is no age limit for celebrating little things.</li><li>Show respect for nature.</li><li>Every person has an essence.</li><li>Keep your heart young.</li><li>If you are anxious, go out, say ‘Hello!’ and ‘See you later!’ to people.</li><li>Eat a bit of everything.</li><li>Nurture your friendships every day.</li><li>Live an unhurried life.</li><li>Pray after you wake up.</li></ol>

Lessons from Japan’s Centenarians

<ul><li>Everyone has a reason for getting up in the morning that is 'Ikigai'.</li><li>Do what you love, remain active don't retire at all.</li><li>Longevity takes a healthy diet, exercise, having a purpose in life, and strong social ties.</li><li>"Hara hachi bu" or eat until you are 80% full.</li><li>Being part of 'Moai', an informal group with a common interest.</li></ul>

The Art Of Staying Young While Growing Old

<ol>
<li>A sound mind lies in a sound body.</li>
<li>Mental exercise creates new neural connections and revitalizes the brain.</li>
<li>High-level stress leads to premature aging.</li>
<li>Turn off the autopilot that steers us in an endless loop.</li>
<li>Start meditation for mindfulness.</li>
<li>A small dose of stress helps develop healthier habits, such as smoking less and drinking less alcohol.</li>
<li>Sitting for prolonged periods ages you.</li>
<li>Get seven to nine hours of sleep.</li>
<li>Have a positive attitude and emotional awareness.</li>
</ol>

Little Things that Add Up to a Long and Happy Life

<ol>
<li>If you keep your eyes and ears open, observe what's going on, and stay curious about everything, you will automatically be in your time.</li>
<li>Stay active until the very end.</li>
<li>Every day brings something new.</li>
<li>Never be afraid to die because you are born to die.</li>
</ol>

Masters of Longevity

<ol>
<li>We feel empty, frustrated, or anxious because we desire to have a meaningful life.</li>
<li>Everything can be taken away from a person except the freedom to choose their attitude in any given circumstance.</li>
<li>He who has a why to live for can bear almost anything.</li>
<li>Humor can help break negative cycles and reduce anxiety.</li>
<li>We all have the capacity to do novel or terrible things.</li>
<li>Accept emotions without trying to control them since feelings will change as a result of actions.</li>
<li>Do what you should be doing because recovery will come on its own.</li>
</ol>

How to Live Longer and Better by Finding Your Purpose

“Fall seven times, rise eight.”

“The things we love are like the leaves of a tree: they can fall at any moment with a gust of wind.”

<ol><li>Eat less than 10 grams of salt per day.</li><li>Eat more fruits and vegetables.</li><li>Cut down on refined sugar, refined grains, and foods prepared with cow’s milk.</li><li>Serve food on multiple small plates.</li><li>Eat less than you actually want to.</li><li>Don't forget the tea (green tea, Jasminne tea).</li></ol>

What the world’s Longest living people eat and drink

- Misao Okawa (117 years)

“Eat and sleep, and you’ll live a long time. You have to learn t

This chapter specifically focuses on the importance of movements and breath in living a longer life. It says that you gotta be involved in some type of body movements on a regular basis. You can learn yoga, tai chi, qigong, or as easy as getting out of your chair can be considered as movement too. The longest-living people are not the ones who do the most exercise but rather the ones who move the most. Breathing properly can do wonders.

Gentle Movements, Longer Life

<ol><li>Focus on the most important than the most urgent.</li><li>Be flexible, concentrate on things you can control, and don’t worry about those you cannot.</li><li>There is nothing wrong with enjoying life’s pleasures as long as they do not take control of your life.</li><li>Think about what’s the worst thing that can happen. However, do not give in to negative emotions.</li><li>Observe the thoughts as they appear, without getting carried away.</li><li>Focus on here and now.</li><li>Only imperfection resembles the natural world.</li></ol>

How to face life’s Challenges without letting stress and worry 

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1.5 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider   “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb   According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?

books

Books

Hector Garcia was born in Spain in 1981 and has been living in Tokyo since 2004. During his spare time he writes aGeekinJapan.com, one of the most widely-read blogs in the world in Spanish and in English, as well as books about his experiences in Japan. He is the author of the bestsellers: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life and A Geek in Japan. You can find more of Hector's musings at ageekinjapan.com

Héctor García

Francesc Miralles Contijoch is a Catalan writer, essayist, translator, and musician.