Review of The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too (Paperback)

This is a response to Owl's review of Sept 9, 2001. First let me say that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.Second, I am aJapanese woman from Tokyo who also lived in Okinawa for several years but I have a very different opinion from Owl. I studied anthropology and wrote my thesis on Okinawan culture so I feel that I have some qualification to comment on The Okinawa Program both as a general prescriptive, self-help book and a scientific work.I can also offer you my interpretation of Okinawa and its culture.

Owl (the Sept 9, 2001 reviewer) sounds like so many other self-proclaimed "experts" on Okinawan culture from abroad. Typically they live in Okinawa 1-3 years (as did Owl), learn very little of the culture (including the language, customs, history), interact on only a superficial basis with the locals, and sometimes learn a little karate. When they leave they consider themselves cultural experts and gurus (his correspondence from a "remote mountain village" in Japan suggests that this applies in his case).

I believe that the Okinawa Program gives a realistic, intriguing account of Okinawan life and culture and valuable "hands-on" health advice. It has hundreds of scientific references so is hardly what I would call "superficial". In fact, the text itself is referenced, so that one can verify all the statements the authors make. This is rare for books written by scientists for a lay audience and I think that helps to explain its appeal to both the lay audience and the scientist. ... .

In one sense, Owl's review is very illuminating because it illustrates the problems of modern day Okinawa, where the youth no longer value as much the old ways and don't eat the traditional diet or practice the traditional martial arts or believe in the native spiritual traditions. In fact, very few Okinawans under the age of fifty even speak the Okinawan language, which is quite distinct from Japanese. Sadly sometimes they cannot speak fluently with their great-grandparents, who may speak only the Okinawan language.

Owl reveals his superficial experience with Okinawan culture when he states "did I ever see older Okinawans out practicing Tai Chi or karate or any other martial art for exercise or anything else? No! " Shoshin Nagamine, one of the giants of Okinawan karate, would turn over in his grave if he read that comment!! I suspect that Owl never bothered to seek out the multitude of martial arts dojos around Okinawa where karate has been nurtured, practiced and spread to every corner of the globe over the past few centuries. So for him they don't exist. Yet, thousands of Okinawan karate dojos exist around the world. The hundreds of thousands of devotees may be surprised to hear that older Okinawans "don't practice the martial arts", especially since their "masters" are usually older Okinawans.

I also suspect that Owl never made it to the traditional villages of rural Okinawa, especially in the Northern half of the main island so he never saw the elders out walking, gardening or participating in traditional dance.To correct Owl once again, the authors never said that masses of Okinawans are doing Tai Chi on the beach but that many engage in traditional dance, which resembles Tai Chi and likely had similar origins and influences from ancient China (and likely offers similar health benefits).

I really had to laugh when Owl said that he never saw karate on the beach in Okinawa. I guess he never made it to the beach on Sunday morning where 97-year-old karate master Seikichi Uehara takes his many pupils through their paces. That doesn't surprise me either. I don't think that I have to ask Owl if he ever participated in a shimisai (picnic with the ancestors at the family tomb) or ask him if he saw the sacred sites on the island where the elders gather to pray for peace and health.

Finally, he does have a good point when he said that other Japanese live a long time too. But if he actually read the Okinawa Program he would see that an important reason that Okinawans live longer is that they have the lowest heart disease, lowest stroke levels and the least cancer in Japan. This is largely related to their overall healthier lifestyle, which includes a higher intake of vegetables, soy products and less salt in the diet, as well as more exercise and cultural traditions such as moai(support groups) that increase social support and may lead to lower suicide rates, among other benefits.

Okinawa goes against the social gradient in terms of having lower socio-economic status and higher life expectancy. This is quite unlike what you see in the rest of Japan or the rest of the world, unlike what Owl would have you believe.

Okinawa leads some other prefectures in Japan for life expectancy by only a few months and others by a few years. As the Okinawans lose their traditional healthy ways the overall lead is closing. To be precise, Okinawans live on average to be 81.2 years, Japanese 79.9 years and Americans 76.8 years. But Okinawans are more active and less disabled as they age and they have over 4 times the number of centenarians as Japan or the U.S. ... .


To sum up; The Okinawa Program is full of useful prescriptive advice and fascinating information but if you are already a self-acclaimed guru who does not wish to come down from your remote mountain village to mingle with the people or you are simply a "know-it-all" then save your money. If you are like me, and want some practical and helpful information on how to live a long, active life, lose some fat, stay active, and learn something about different cultures, including healthy eating patterns, exercise habits and stress reduction then invest in The Okinawa Program. It may be the best investment you make.



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