112-Yr-Old Man Lives To Do the Things that Should Have Killed Him Years Ago
What causes a person to live a long and healthy life? Answers to that question have varied throughout the years, postulating everything from physical exertion and spartan living to exotic diets and avoiding preservatives to imbibing regularly and chasing wild women.
For one man in Hokkaido, Japan, though, his secret to long life seems like something that would kill you instead.
On April 10, Masazo Nonaka was named the world’s oldest living man by Guinness World Records.
Born on July 24, 1905, the year before the Wright Brothers started their famous test flights, Nonaka saw the rise of radically new technologies, the fall of nations, and sweeping social changes. Most of the time, though, he found himself dealing with more mundane matters.
His family has maintained a lodge in the rural corner of Japan located near Mount Oakan for 105 years. The small inn, Yado Nonanka Onsen is perched right next to a bevy of beautiful hot springs.
It’s those very hot springs that Nonaka’s family credits with his longevity, that and avoiding stress. (Apparently, he doesn’t have any problem saying “no.”)
But there’s something else prolonging his life that should’ve killed him years ago. What is it? An undying love for sweets.
“He loves eating any kinds of sweets — Japanese or western style,” his granddaughter Yuko Nonaka told AFP. “He needs a wheelchair to move, but he is in good condition.”
Indeed, Nonaka wheeled himself up onto a stage when Guinness World Records presented him with his award. The presenters also had something else for him: a strawberry sponge cake.
“Delicious,” he said as he dug in. “Thank you.”
Nonaka’s longevity may be credited to more than his affection for refined sugar.
Japan boasts nearly 68,000 people over the age of 100, and the average life expectancy is above 80 years for both sexes.
In fact, a Japanese woman is expected to be certified as the world’s oldest living person. Nabi Tajima has lived for an amazing 117 years.
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