For Okinawans, it is essential to find a sense of purpose in life - their ikigai. The basic idea: If you want to live a happy and long life, you need a reason that makes you wake up and be excited about your day. Something that fulfills you without making you lose your healthy balance.

There are many factors that are thought to support the longevity of Okinawans; especially the subtropical marine climate of the islands, which is warm and stable year round; its diverse environment, from beautiful seasides to lush forests, stony karsts, and other natural features; the healthy eating habits and mindset ...

The traditional Okinawa diet is comprised primarily of plant-based foods that offer potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities, which possibly promote a longer lifespan. The diet's low-calorie, low-protein, and high-carb foods may also promote longevity.

Although the traditional Japanese diet usually includes large quantities of rice, the traditional Okinawa diet consisted of smaller quantities of rice; instead the staple was sweet potato. The Okinawa diet had only 30% of the sugar and 15% of the grains of the average Japanese dietary intake.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your 'reason for being. ' 'Iki' in Japanese means 'life,' and 'gai' describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It's what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day.

In military matters, geography is supremely important. Okinawa (for convenience sake, referring to the entire Ryukyu Island chain and not just the main island of Okinawa) is "key strategic geography" by virtue of its location. Okinawa sits in between the southern Japan mainland, Taiwan, and China.

People who live in Okinawa, Japan have a wise strategy when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. They call it “hara hachi bu”, which means to stop eating when you are 80% full. Studies show that cutting back on calories can lead to better heart health, longevity, and weight loss.

The diet typically does not include beef, processed meat, eggs, cheese, milk, and processed carbohydrates like sugary sweets and snacks. "While the Okinawan diet is low in refined carbohydrates, that doesn't mean the diet itself is low-carb," Sassos says.

"The Okinawan diet limits meat, refined grains, saturated fat, sugar, salt and full-fat dairy products, which tend to have more inflammatory properties."

On average, the Okinawans were found to share 80.8% (±11.2 SD) admixture with Japanese and 19.2% (±11.2 SD) admixture with Chinese suggesting that the Okinawans and the Japanese share substantial common ancestry.

The Okinawa diet is very low in red meat, eggs, and poultry, but you may still be able to get enough protein from soy, fish, and the occasional pork. You may also be able to get enough nutrition without whole grains and dairy, but it can be difficult to follow a diet that's this restrictive for the long term.

Citrus fruits native to the island are most common, such as papaya, passionfruit, bananas, mangos, and pineapples. Not only are these a delicious addition to your diet, but the high vitamin-C content is great for helping your skin maintain a youthful appearance.

By finding your Ikigai, you can find fulfillment and satisfaction in your personal and professional life. Shikitogai is a Japanese concept that translates to "four virtues of conduct." It refers to the four virtues that are considered essential for leading a good life: wisdom, benevolence, courage, and sincerity.

The Four Elements of Ikigai This diagram shows ikigai as the convergence of four areas of life: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

Okinawa's geographical proximity to other countries like Taiwan, China, and even The Philippines contributes to part of its cultural differences from mainland Japan, and it's evident in the types of food as Okinawan cuisine bears notable influences from Taiwan.

Okinawa is very isolated. Also most of its islands are closer to Taiwan than the rest of Japan – 520km to Japan compared to just 117km to Taiwan at the closest points. In its food, its ancient history, its art and its language, Okinawa has clear influences of Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean origins.