Isen Town, Kagoshima Prefecture
A town of longevity and fertility that has produced two of the world's longest-living people
Isen Town, located on Tokunoshima Island in the Amami Islands, is famous as the birthplace of two people who were once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-living people in the world.
Izumi Shigechiyo passed away at the age of 120, but he held the record for having celebrated his 60th birthday twice, known as "daikanreki."
Also, Kamato Hongo passed away at the age of 116, making her the world's oldest superwoman, having lived for three centuries.
The "Longevity Road" that connects the couple's birthplaces is surrounded by sugarcane fields and offers a rich natural environment.
Note: There are various theories about the birth years of Izumi Shigechiyo and Hongo Kamato, so their recognition by the Guinness Book of World Records was revoked in the 2012 edition.
Access from Osaka
Isen Town is blessed with bounty from the sea and mountains, and a food culture that is close to nature is still deeply rooted in the area. Healthy island food is essential to longevity. The water and ingredients nurtured by the island's climate are high in magnesium and calcium, and also contain large amounts of beta-carotene, iron, protein, vitamin B1, and more.
Furthermore, brown sugar shochu, made from brown sugar, has long been loved locally and is recommended for those who want to drink alcohol but also want to take care of their health.
Tokunoshima's "bullfighting culture," with a history of about 400 years, is the pride of the island. The sight of one-ton bulls ramming headfirst into each other, creating a powerful roar, is an event that captivates people of all ages and genders. Isen Town is also famous for its high birth rate, and the town is deeply rooted in a spiritual culture of ancestor worship, which holds that children are treasures, and the community as a whole supports child-rearing. The strong regional strength, which exists in the spiritual foundation of caring for the elderly, leads to an environment that is conducive to raising children. Raising fighting bulls is also one of the factors behind this strong regional strength.