I AM in Okinawa, a prefecture of 150 islands where the locals refuse to die. The archipelago, part of Japan and one of the so-called Blue Zones, regions in the world where people live longer than average, has a higher percentage of centenarians than anywhere else on the planet. Other Blue Zones include Nicoya in Costa Rica, and Icaria in Greece. It is, in many respects, a time capsule of longevity. And, after only a few minutes being here, it’s easy to see why.
Okinawa is part of a larger chain of islands called the Southwest Islands,