Hirayachi in Okinawan dialect means “cooked flat,” giving you an idea of what it looks like. It’s a kind of Okinawan-style pancake or pizza. You can put any kind of ingredient on Hirayachi, but normally the only one used is green onion, although you can also enjoy tasty Hirayachi with soy sauce.

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Turmeric, commonly known in okinawa as ucchin, is one of the Okinawans’ favorite herbs and claims a multitude of health benefits. It’s known as ukon to the Japanese, jiang huang to the Chinese, and as curcuma and Indian saffron in other areas of the world and is widely available in North America. Turmeric is from [...]

Most older Okinawans are active in some way that not only keeps them physically fit, but also connects with their spiritual belief system. The activity might be as simple as gardening — where Shinto beliefs imbue plants and herbs with spiritual energy. It may be a more structured activity such as traditional Okinawan dance, which [...]

As self-defense, karate is meant to be weaponless. Indeed, the word itself means empty hand (kara — empty; te — hand). This often comes as a surprise, since many people associate karate with violence, weapons and aggression. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. While some may use karate aggressively, this is a [...]

A member of the melon family, goya was probably brought to okinawa from ancient China during one of the many trade exchanges between the Ryukyu Kingdom (ancient name for okinawa) and the Ming and Manchu dynasties. It is widely available in North America in Chinese markets or Asian food stores, where it’s referred to as [...]

‘The okinawa Program’: The Island’s Guide to Healthy Aging
There’s no Shangri-La, but okinawa comes pretty close to being that mythical land of perpetual youth. Okinawans are the world’s longest-living people and among the least likely to suffer from the chronic diseases of aging, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and dementia. How they do it [...]