Regional Profiles
26 articles
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Shiga Prefecture's #1 Male Longevity: Lake Biwa, Shijimi Clams, and a Freshwater Food Culture
Shiga ranked #1 for male life expectancy in Japan in 2020. What shijimi clams, ayu sweetfish, funazushi, and Biwako cycling actually show in the longevity data.
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Kochi Prefecture Longevity: Anserine, Imidazole Dipeptides, and the Niyodo River
Kochi's longevity angle: anserine (imidazole dipeptide) RCT evidence, PMF citrus flavones from yuzu peel, Sawachi communal eating culture, and the Niyodo River's active outdoor environment.
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Iwate's Wanko Soba Culture: Buckwheat, Cold Climate, and Longevity-Associated Factors in Japan's Second-Largest Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture's wanko soba tradition, buckwheat rutin content, and cold-climate agricultural community patterns examined alongside Japanese longevity research.
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Amami Oshima: Kagoshima's Island Black Sugar, Traditional Diet, and What the Research Shows
Amami Oshima's kokuto, traditional island diet, and subtropical lifestyle in Kagoshima. What the evidence documents about food patterns and what remains preliminary.
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Kyotango and the Tango Peninsula: Inside Japan's Highest Centenarian-Density City
Kyotango City holds roughly 5x Japan's national centenarian density. What Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine research has documented — and what the numbers cannot explain.
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Mito and the Natto Belt: What Ibaraki's Fermented Soybean Culture Shows About Longevity Research
Ibaraki makes roughly 40 percent of Japan's natto. What the nattokinase, vitamin K2 MK-7, and polyamine evidence actually supports—and where it stops.
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Fukuoka's Hakata Collagen Nabe and Mentaiko: What the Food Science Shows
Fukuoka's Hakata food culture centers collagen nabe and mentaiko. What evidence on collagen peptides, pollock roe compounds, and healthy aging actually shows.
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Kagawa Prefecture: Sanuki Udon, Shodoshima Olive, and the Seto Inland Sea Regional Diet
Kagawa Prefecture: Sanuki udon, Shodoshima olive oil, and Seto Inland Sea seafood on one small coastline. Evidence on what this regional diet actually shows.
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Hiroshima's Oyster Culture and the Zinc-Taurine Connection: What the Research Shows
Hiroshima produces roughly 60% of Japan's oysters. Evidence on zinc, taurine, and aging biology — what the data actually supports, and where it runs ahead of itself.
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Niigata's Koshihikari, Sake, and Snow Country Diet: A Regional Profile of Longevity-Associated Factors in Japan's Rice Belt
How Niigata's koshihikari rice culture, sake fermentation tradition, and yukiguni snow country diet align with factors in Japanese healthy aging and longevity research.
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Kochi Prefecture's Tosa Diet: Katsuobushi, Yuzu, and the Pacific Coastal Longevity Profile
How Kochi's Tosa food culture — katsuo no tataki, yuzu, Shimanto river fish, and a 400-year Sunday market — aligns with factors studied in Japanese longevity research.
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Japan's Ama Divers of Mie Prefecture: What 2,000 Years of Coastal Free-Diving Shows About Functional Aging
Mie Prefecture's Ama divers, ocean free-divers for over 2,000 years. What research shows about marine diet, cold-water exposure, and functional aging.
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Shimane and Lake Shinjiko's Wild Shijimi Clams: Japan's Quiet Longevity Region
Shimane Prefecture scores high on Japan's healthy independence span metrics. What the shijimi clam ornithine research shows, the Izumo cultural anchor, and what transfers abroad.
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Shizuoka's Green Tea Country: What Japan's Largest Tea Region Shows Against the Longevity Research Record
Shizuoka grows 40% of Japan's green tea and its communities drink 10+ cups daily. What the cohort record shows about that consumption level and the Fuji region lifestyle.
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Mount Daisen and the San'in Table: Tottori's Mountain Village Food Tradition Through a Longevity Research Lens
Tottori's Daisen foothills produce distinctive tofu, mountain yam, and daikon traditions. What western Japan's sacred volcanic mountain food culture shows against the longevity research record.
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Akita's Fermented Food Traditions: Sake, Koji, and the Science Behind Tohoku Longevity
What makes Akita a fermented food powerhouse: rice koji, sake, and tsukemono traditions — and what the evidence shows about their role in regional longevity patterns.
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Aomori's Cold Climate Paradox: Why Japan's Apple Prefecture Ranked Among the Nation's Shortest-Lived — and What Changed
Aomori once ranked among Japan's shortest-lived prefectures. Evidence on high-salt cold-climate diets, apple polyphenol research, and what public health data shows about change.
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Awamori, Aged Kusu, and the Okinawan Centenarian Cohort: What the Polyphenol Research Actually Shows
What polyphenol chemistry, the Okinawa Centenarian Study, and Blue Zones observational data show — and don't show — about aged awamori and longevity. Observational data only.
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Nagano's Salt Paradox: How a 60-Year Policy Campaign Turned Japan's Stroke Capital Into Its Longest-Lived Prefecture
Nagano went from Japan's highest-stroke prefecture to top longevity ranking through a 60-year salt reduction campaign. Evidence, limits, and what transfers.
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Yamagata Prefecture's Tsukemono Tradition: Lactic Fermentation, Gut Microbiome Research, and Rural Longevity Patterns
Yamagata ranks first in Japan for per-capita tsukemono consumption. What the lacto-fermentation biology, cohort data, and rural community structure actually show — and where the evidence ends.
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Yamanashi Wine Region and Longevity: What Japan's Polyphenol-Rich Mountain Prefecture Actually Shows
Yamanashi is Japan's only large-scale wine region, with high polyphenol intake from grapes. What the data shows and where resveratrol evidence stands.
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Yakushima Cedar Forest Wellness: What Longevity Research and Shinrin-Yoku Science Actually Show
UNESCO cedar island in Kyushu, Blue Zones neighbor. What the shinrin-yoku evidence and Kyushu longevity data actually indicate about Yakushima.
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Nagano Prefecture Longevity Profile: From Japan's Highest-Stroke Region to Its Longest-Lived
Nagano ranked among Japan's highest-stroke prefectures in the 1960s. Today it holds the top male longevity ranking. MHLW data on what changed and what you can adapt from abroad.
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Okinawa's Centenarians: What the Longevity Research Has Actually Found
Okinawa's centenarian research reviewed at the evidence level — Hara Hachi Bu, Moai, plant-based diet, and what you can actually apply from abroad.
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Kyotango, Japan: What the Densest Centenarian Population in the Country Actually Does
Kyotango City has roughly 5x Japan's national centenarian density. What the research partnership has found, and what you can actually apply.
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Beyond Okinawa: Japan's Other Longevity Hotspots — Kyotango and Nagano
Okinawa is the famous Blue Zone, but it lost its longevity crown years ago. The current Japanese longevity story is in Kyotango on the Sea of Japan and Nagano in the central mountains. Here is what those communities actually do differently.