Japan has one of the oldest populations on Earth. Yet many of its seniors are anything but slow. They swim, sprint, climb mountains and even run social media accounts.
Their stories offer clues about how to age well. They also point to lessons for countries that will soon face the same demographic shift.
Seniors who refuse to slow down
Mieko Nagaoka took up swimming in her 80s to recover from a knee injury. At 100, she set a world record for her age group by swimming 1,500 metres in a 25-metre pool. By 105, she held 18 world records.
In September 2019, she announced her retirement. She entered one last competition in Fukuoka and attempted a 50-metre backstroke record. She had to pull out of the race, but she left the poolside smiling to applause. Her son Hiroyuki, 79, who helped her train, said few families could claim such a shared experience.
Hidekichi Miyazaki, nicknamed “Golden Bolt”, was another sporting centenarian. He set the first 100-metre sprint record for the 105-and-over category. He died in 2019 at 108. Even after his record run, he said he was not happy with his time.
Then there is Yuichiro Miura, an 86-year-old alpinist and skier. In his 40s, he skied down Mount Everest with a parachute to slow his descent. A film about the feat won an Academy Award in 1975. At 70, he became the oldest person to summit Everest. He broke his own record at 75 and again at 80.
In early 2019, doctors stopped his Aconcagua attempt at about 6,000 metres over fears of heart failure. He accepted the order because he hopes to try again. His next goal is Everest at 90.
Others are just as active. Michiharu Shimojo, 83, still runs marathons. Seichi Sano took up surfing at 80 “on a whim”.
A fast-ageing world
The trend is global. UN data show the number of people aged 80 and above will triple by 2050. It will rise from 143 million to 426 million.
Japan is already a “super-aged” society. People aged 65 and above make up more than 28% of its population. Former Bank of Japan chairman Masaaki Shirakawa argued in 2018 that the answer lies in new social structures, not economic measures alone.
Europe is already ageing. South Korea, China and Singapore are following closely. Many will look to Japan for guidance. Ageing workforces, health care costs and pensions all demand new policies. Protecting the mental happiness of older citizens matters too, though it is often overlooked.
The “no meiwaku” mindset
One cultural idea may explain much of this drive. Meiwaku means being a nuisance. Many Japanese fear becoming a burden on family and society more than they fear death.
Old age cannot be helped. So the no-meiwaku attitude turns into a determination to stay independent, both financially and mentally.
This shapes how seniors live. According to the Cabinet Office, about 70% of people aged 60 to 69 work or take part in volunteering, community activities or hobbies. About half of those aged 70 and above do the same. Around 70% of companies have also raised their retirement age.
Exercise, community and purpose
Seniors fill their time with swimming, calligraphy, flower arranging, sewing, music and dance. Swimming is especially popular because of its rehabilitative benefits.
The same report suggests Japanese seniors show higher cognitive ability than seniors elsewhere. Yuko Oguma of the Keio Sports Medicine Research Center links athletic ability to better cognition. She does not say everyone should climb a mountain. Light exercise such as stretching or daily walks works, she says. It helps the mind and builds social ties.
Oguma also notes that Japanese seniors are healthier than they were a decade ago. She credits better medical care and a better understanding of the body. Research also shows that muscles can keep getting stronger in old age.
She believes peer support plays a quiet role as well. Seniors often organise community programmes themselves. That, she says, strengthens them. Many also volunteer at school events, and some guide tourists at the national zoo. Efforts to improve internet skills among older people are growing too.
The 90-year-old “Insta-gran”
Kimiko Nishimoto shows the lighter side of ageing. The 90-year-old has more than 220,000 Instagram followers. She fell in love with photography after taking lessons arranged by her son.
Her photos are playful. She jokes about her age with staged scenes, including a mock car crash, a scooter dash and a self-portrait in a garbage bag. She lives alone, so her son bought her a robot called Pepper. She scolds it for being loud and dresses it in ribbons.
Her habits are not exactly textbook. She admitted to drinking bourbon and smoking daily. So a healthy diet is clearly not the only secret.
What it all adds up to
These seniors are helping to erase the stigma of age. Japanese policymakers, companies and communities are now paying closer attention to older people’s quality of life.
The lesson may be simple. Keep moving, stay connected and hold on to a sense of purpose. A little joy helps too.
