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Dressed in bright yellow, Nagayama Hisao greets the interviewer warmly outside his cheerful yellow house. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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A taste of homemade dashi stock elicits a beatific grin from Nagayama. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Nagayama’s 91-year-old umeboshi, made when he was born. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Garlic pickled for one month in miso with rice kōji, another of Nagayama’s recipes for long life. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Stone carving of Tanokansā (Ta no Kami, or god of the rice fields) in Nagayama’s garden. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Nagayama, a talented cartoonist, displays a colorful illustration of hyakusai nabe, a simmered dish incorporating a variety of longevity foods. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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The ingredients of hyakusai nabe (clockwise from top): carrots, daikon radish, konbu, long onions, garlic, yellow onions, shiitake mushrooms , chicken, miso, and katsuo bushi (bonito flakes). (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Nagayama serves up his hyakusai nabe, a miso-seasoned stew of vegetables and chicken. The breast meat of chicken is rich in carnosine, an antioxidant that can slow down the aging process. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Eating a variety of dishes at each meal is one of the keys to longevity, according to Nagayama. The rice at left is mixed with carrots and flavored with butter and perilla oil. It is flanked on the right by Nagayama’s miso-pickled garlic. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Nagano stresses appreciative, mindful eating, as expressed in the phrase itadakimasu, typically uttered at the start of a meal. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Nagayama takes a moment to admire a piece of broccoli, noting its resemblance to a large tree. Mindful eating makes for more delicious and healthful meals. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Between jobs, Nagayama likes to recharge by practicing kendō. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Consumption of onigiri, a.k.a. omusubi, is booming worldwide. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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Nagayama, who once dreamed of earning a living as a manga artist, uses whimsical cartoons to help spread the gospel of washoku. (© Ōnishi Naruaki)
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