The Way of Choju: Consuming Longevity in a Rural Japanese Town

Abstract

This thesis reviews the literature on the anthropology and biology of aging, Japanese health cosmology, and self-medication and analyzes the findings from a study investigating the perceptions on diet, health, and longevity of rural Japanese elderly living in southwestern Japan. A biocultural theoretical perspective is used to understand the relationship between culture, identity, tradition, and longevity. To rural elderly Japanese, health is a matter of maintaining balance through diet and lifestyle, while disease is diagnosed and treated by physicians and biomedical pharmaceuticals. Traditional Japanese foods have been shown to be longevity-enhancing, although Okinawans, who have the greatest life expectancy of Japanese, do not eat a traditional Japanese diet. This disparity is reconciled by the adopted of a number of foods from Okinawa, such as nigagori. The bioscientific literature on some foods listed by informants as good for longevity is analyzed and linked to the literature on cultural identity and nationalism. Consuming traditional Japanese foods for longevity allows Japanese to participate in their cultural identity while at the same time, eating the biologically best foods for health and longevity.