I grew up in Okinawa. Here's what I think the 'Blue Zones' trend has right and wrong about my home island.

Yoonji HanJan 13, 2024, 00:17 IST

Yumi Matsumoto and her family celebrating New Year's traditions at a shrine in Okinawa.Courtesy of Yumi Matsumoto

Yumi Matsumoto lived in Okinawa for 30 years before moving to America last year.
She said while Okinawans do emphasize health and community, things are changing with the younger generation.

I lived in Okinawa, Japan for 30 years since I was 5 years old. Last year, I moved to the US, where I now live with my husband and two kids.

Matsumoto and her husband at the Okinawa botanical gardens.Courtesy of Yumi Matsumoto

While it's cool to see the island I grew up in get so much attention now because of Blue Zones, I don't think a lot of people are still living like that. There's a darker side to Okinawa that a lot of people don't know about.

Okinawa is known for longevity.Getty Images

While it's cool to see the island I grew up in get so much attention now because of Blue Zones, I don't think a lot of people are still living like that. There's a darker side to Okinawa that a lot of people don't know about.

The neighborhood I grew up in, Koza, was right next to the American base and was a little bit rough around the edges.

Many locals have protested US military bases in Okinawa for decades, arguing for land and property rights and the use of their island for war.Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

But there's still a peaceful, community feel to Okinawa, where everyone looks out for you.

Okinawan women on Coming of Age Day, which celebrates young people who have reached 20 years old, the official age of adulthood in Japan.Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Okinawans abide by "senzo suuhai," which means "ancestor worship." There are always elderly people around the island, and instead of a religion, we make it our mission to take care of our elders.

Children join a modern Eisa folk dance in Okinawa during the Obon festival to honor the spirits of their ancestors on August 17, 2016.Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Okinawans abide by "senzo suuhai," which means "ancestor worship." There are always elderly people around the island, and instead of a religion, we make it our mission to take care of our elders.

Our respect for elders is connected with the idea of Blue Zone longevity. Part of growing old is having your family and community care for you throughout your life, and even afterwards.

An elderly man and children dance to music in Okinawa.Toru Yamanaka/Getty Images

Our respect for elders is connected with the idea of Blue Zone longevity. Part of growing old is having your family and community care for you throughout your life, and even afterwards.

When I moved to the US last year, one of the differences I immediately noticed was in the food quality: In Okinawa, I ate a lot more fresh vegetables, and the meats look and smell better, too.

Eel donburi with vegetables including bitter melon, miso soup and mochi dessert.Courtesy of Yumi Matsumoto

When I moved to the US last year, one of the differences I immediately noticed was in the food quality: In Okinawa, I ate a lot more fresh vegetables, and the meats look and smell better, too.

Food prices are also a lot higher in America. In the US, the more organic it is, the more expensive it is. But in Japan, if you buy groceries at the store, they're more expensive than at the farmers markets.

Farmers work on a field on Miyako Island, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, April 21, 2022.Issei Kato/Reuters

Food prices are also a lot higher in America. In the US, the more organic it is, the more expensive it is. But in Japan, if you buy groceries at the store, they're more expensive than at the farmers markets.

Good and healthy food should be totally accessible. Another example are the lunches at schools. In Japan, school lunches are very nutritious, versus in America, it's pizza, burgers, or nuggets.

A Japanese bento box with stir-fried noodles and vegetables.Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

Good and healthy food should be totally accessible. Another example are the lunches at schools. In Japan, school lunches are very nutritious, versus in America, it's pizza, burgers, or nuggets.

But in Okinawa, too, people eat a bunch of fast food. Okinawa has the highest obesity rate in Japan for young people, and it's because it has become Americanized.

American fast-food hamburger Burger King restaurant chain in Japan.Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

When it comes to physical activity, people don't realize some Okinawans are very lazy. We do a little more daily exercise than Americans do, but we also drive around everywhere.

A hike path through the mangroves in Okinawa.Courtesy of Yumi Matsumoto

When it comes to physical activity, people don't realize some Okinawans are very lazy. We do a little more daily exercise than Americans do, but we also drive around everywhere.

The Blue Zone documentary really got the stress-free aspect of living in Okinawa right. That's what I miss the most. I'd move back to Okinawa in a heartbeat.

Matsumoto island hopping in Kouri Island, Okinawa.Courtesy of Yumi Matsumoto

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I grew up in Okinawa. Here's what I think the 'Blue Zones' trend has right and wrong about my home island.

I lived in Okinawa, Japan for 30 years since I was 5 years old. Last year, I moved to the US, where I now live with my husband and two kids.

While it's cool to see the island I grew up in get so much attention now because of Blue Zones, I don't think a lot of people are still living like that. There's a darker side to Okinawa that a lot of people don't know about.

The neighborhood I grew up in, Koza, was right next to the American base and was a little bit rough around the edges.

But there's still a peaceful, community feel to Okinawa, where everyone looks out for you.

Okinawans abide by "senzo suuhai," which means "ancestor worship." There are always elderly people around the island, and instead of a religion, we make it our mission to take care of our elders.

Our respect for elders is connected with the idea of Blue Zone longevity. Part of growing old is having your family and community care for you throughout your life, and even afterwards.

When I moved to the US last year, one of the differences I immediately noticed was in the food quality: In Okinawa, I ate a lot more fresh vegetables, and the meats look and smell better, too.

Food prices are also a lot higher in America. In the US, the more organic it is, the more expensive it is. But in Japan, if you buy groceries at the store, they're more expensive than at the farmers markets.

Good and healthy food should be totally accessible. Another example are the lunches at schools. In Japan, school lunches are very nutritious, versus in America, it's pizza, burgers, or nuggets.

But in Okinawa, too, people eat a bunch of fast food. Okinawa has the highest obesity rate in Japan for young people, and it's because it has become Americanized.

When it comes to physical activity, people don't realize some Okinawans are very lazy. We do a little more daily exercise than Americans do, but we also drive around everywhere.

The Blue Zone documentary really got the stress-free aspect of living in Okinawa right. That's what I miss the most. I'd move back to Okinawa in a heartbeat.