4. Conversation patterns

How not to die before you get old

Chiako is active and healthy. She gets up at 7 a.m. every day, takes a 30-minute walk and plays a ball game with her friends three times a week. There is nothing unusual about it except Chiako is 102 years old. She is not alone – there are hundreds of other healthy centenarians on Okinawa who have the same lifestyle.

Okinawa is a group of islands between Japan and Taiwan. Near a beach, there is a large stone with the following words on it: At 70 you are still a child, at 80 you are just a youth, and at 90, if the ancestors invite you into heaven, ask them to wait until you are 100, and then you can start thinking of it.

Okinawans stay slim in old age by eating a low-calorie diet which consists of three quarters plant food and one quarter animal food. They eat seven portions of fruit and vegetables every day and they stop eating when they are still hungry.

They also keep active by dancing, walking and gardening. In other words, they do the things they enjoy.

Okinawans never feel stressed. Nobody is in a hurry, there are no timetables, and there is always tomorrow. Hundreds of people, both young and old, go to the beach every day to watch sunsets. In Okinawa there is always time to watch a sunset.

Okinawans have large families and strong networks of friends. There is no magic pill. If you have good friends, a healthy diet and a stress-free lifestyle, you’ll live longer.