Leg two: Tokyo
The final stop of Leg Two of my Top Ten and Bottom Three Longevity Expedition took me to Japan's capital, with a surprising result.
I know Tokyo well. After nearly thirty years in Japan, I have visited countless times and even lived here for several years. But this visit was different. I arrived with my True Longevity Index™ as my compass, looking for evidence of what helps people live not just longer, but healthier lives.
One highlight was a day of filming with Stu Sp
encer, AIA's Group Chief Marketing Officer, as we explored what Japan can teach us about longevity.
I introduced Stu to two remarkable friends whom I call Red Zone Rebels™.
Chiharu, 91, led a Radio Taiso exercise session in Komazawa Park, joined by family, friends
and others. Later, we visited Juichi, an 84-year-old kickboxer who continues to train at UFC Gym.
Two very different people, but both illustrate something I have observed repeatedly in Japan: the importance of community in keeping older people active, connected and engaged.
Yet individual examples of remarkable aging don't necessarily tell us how an entire city is performing.
Tokyo has impressive life expectancy figures, but my True Longevity Index™ looks beyond lifespan. It also considers centenarian density and the Red Zone—the years between healthy life expectancy and total life expectancy.
That's where Tokyo's story becomes particularly interesting.
So, is Tokyo among Japan's Top Ten or Bottom Three longevity prefectures?
The answer surprised some readers and raises important questions about what we should really measure when we talk about longevity.
Read the full article, including my observations from Tokyo, the latest TLI™ reveal and what these encounters taught me about the Art of Community.
Lowell Sheppard is President of the Never Too Late Academy and is researching longevity across Japan's 47 prefectures. His forthcoming book, Longevity and the Art of Community: Lessons from Japan, explores what we can learn about living longer, healthier, and more connected lives.
