𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?

40% of companies in world more than 300 years old are Japanese.

That is because they subscribe to Wise Capitalism rather than Wall Street Capitalism.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮?

First, the large number of very old firms means their strategic plans have a very long time frame, in some cases up to 200 years.

Secondly, these companies have very stable leadership that isn’t bothered about about external metrics (share price etc. ) but develops its measurements of what success looks like from inside out.

Leadership is highly respected and based its plans on a long term vision for the future rather than short term data.

Japan routinely suffers terrible natural disasters and this focus on the future makes these companies highly resilient. When earthquakes etc happen these leaders thing of their employees and customers first and profits last.

Thirdly, empathy is highly valued in these firms.

Japan also has some of the longest living people on the planet.

But, it wasn’t always that way…

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱?

For many of the same reason that their companies last so long:

First, strategic plans that have a very long time frame.

Secondly, stable leadership that isn’t bothered about external trends but focussed on long term health, building from inside out.

Leadership is highly respected and based its plans on a long term vision for the future rather than short term data.

Thirdly, empathy for their population and each other. The Japanese, and other eastern cultures have a more group focus when it comes to success.

They see themselves as part of the whole and help each other to achieve goals.

This is reflected in Asian versus Western Instagram posts. There are LOADS of Asian women who make a living from being lifestyle influencers, but if you check out their feeds, their selfies are more likely to include their friends and/or the background in their locations, rather than just a face or butt.

Meet Takami Kuroiwa.

He looks forward to weekends — not so he can relax with a little golf or TV, but to put in 12-hour days on the family farm. His regular job as a tourism manager provides a comfortable living, but raising his own fruit and vegetables is part of a lifelong routine.

At 66, Kuroiwa has already come out of retirement once and expects to work well into his later years.

“It’s part of the lifestyle here. You work in an office and then you retire to the farm. It’s just the next stage in life,” Kuroiwa says.

As it turns out, it’s a very long life.

𝘈 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.

That marks a remarkable turnaround for an area that, as recently as the early 1980s, had the highest rate of strokes in Japan.

𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

• Location: Japanese Alps
• Size: 5,245 square miles
• Population: 2.15 million
• No. 1 in: Life expectancy, employment rate for those 65+ and vegetable consumption per capita

Women in Nagano prefecture can expect to live an average of 87.2 years, while men can look forward to living 80.9 years.

The lifestyle in Nagano has also produced some of the lowest per capita medical costs in Japan. That saves consumers and taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

Nagano is unique in many ways, but there are lessons you can apply anywhere. Improve your diet, stay active, continue to work as you get older.

The key is not just to live longer, but to stay healthy longer.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀

Japan is one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. A quarter of the population is age 65 or older. In Tokyo alone, some 3.1 million residents will be 65 or older by 2025.

Keeping those people healthy and productive is key to controlling costs for Japan’s national health care system and helping offset a declining birth rate.

At first glance, Nagano would seem an unlikely setting for a long and healthy life.

Tucked high in the Japanese Alps, the area experiences long and harsh winters. Arable land is limited. Surrounded by mountains, Nagano is one of the few regions of Japan without immediate access to the fresh fish and seafood that makes up much of the national diet.

Even as Japan’s economy boomed and longevity rates climbed through the post-war era, life expectancy in Nagano lagged. Men in particular suffered from high rates of stroke, heart attack and cerebral aneurysm.

Much of the blame fell on their inability to exercise outside in the long winters and poor diet.

Housewives in Nagano for generations preserved all manner of homegrown produce to make up for the lack of fresh vegetables during long snowy winters.

In wintertime, people would sit around and talk and eat tsukemono all day.

The turning point was 1981, when Nagano became number one in strokes. We decided, ‘OK, we have to do something about this.

𝗔 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗼

The first step in boosting Nagano’s life span was a campaign to a healthier diet and lifestyle.

Cases of hypertension and related illnesses began to decline shortly after.

The region of 2.1 million people now has some 4,500 volunteers who host seminars and clinics at supermarkets, shopping malls and community centres. They also conduct regular home visits to dietary recommendations.

Their goal and our motives had nothing to do with becoming number one in life expectancy.

But, individual efforts and local initiatives gradually changed the lifestyle, and that in turn lengthened the life expectancy for the region as a whole.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱?

At cooking demonstration in markets near Nagano’s main train station, volunteers would prepare a dish of sesame pork with shiitake mushrooms and sliced pumpkin.

They also promoted the reduced use of refined vegetable cooking oil.

The efforts paid off with surprising speed. By 1990, life expectancy for men had risen three years in a decade in Nagano prefecture, and 3.5 years for women.

Nagano life spans continued to climb until they topped all of Japan by 2010. Rates of deaths due to cancer, heart and liver disease, and pneumonia now rank well below the national average.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱

As the effects of an improved diet began to be felt, the region’s business community found ways to support a healthy lifestyle.

In Matsumoto, the region’s second largest city, a bank started offering higher interest rates and incentives like weekends at Tokyo’s Disneyland for those who get medical checkups for three consecutive years.

A convenience store chain agreed to distribute health care information and host some 40 health fairs at various locations this year.

City health workers take blood pressure readings, answer questions and distribute information on public health care services.

Those preventive care efforts contributed to lower health care costs in Nagano, which came to about $2,488 per person in 2009.

The per capita average in Japan was $3,120, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That compares with $8,233 in the United States.

Japan’s national health insurance program, which covers virtually all residents, including those in intensive nursing care, is funded in part by local contributions.

The Japanese recognise that preventive medicine is much less costly than having to put people in the hospital

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲

Another not-so-secret key to Nagano’s remarkable longevity is a vigorous lifestyle, encouraged by local leaders.

In Matsumoto, officials have developed a network of more than 100 walking routes to encourage people to exercise.

Community groups and neighbourhood associations organize communal walks — not difficult in group-oriented Japan.

Even in winter, clusters of residents can be found regularly walking along Matsumoto’s streets, parks and canals and around its historic medieval castle downtown.

Japanese officials encourage people to postpone retirement or begin second careers, in part to maintain a healthy lifestyle longer.

Nagano is ahead of the curve there as well. Nearly 1 in 4 people over 65 are still in the workforce — the highest rate in Japan.

𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.

Either way, they are continuing to contribute to their own earnings and the country’s GDP.

Kuroiwa retired as village accountant a few years ago, but came back to manage a new tourism centre last year.

As before, his spare time goes into running his family’s small farm, where he grows apples and rice along with an array of vegetables.

His parents worked regularly into their late 80s, and Kuroiwa figures he and his wife will do the same.

“No one here is particularly aware that we live longer than other people. We don’t have any secret. We just go about our normal everyday lives and it just turns out that way.”

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 80𝙨?

Read more… Adding five healthy years to UK life expectancy – how to achieve it

Drinking a pint of beer may lower your life expectancy by the same amount as smoking a cigarette – new research

‘Anti-ageing’ protein shown to slow cell growth is key in longevity – new research

Yours optimally,
Scott

Source: Secrets From the Longest-Living Place on Earth