Plenty of good ones here.

This island boasts an abundance of good things to eat.

And for 93 years, it's been home to this amazing woman.

Cheers!

She's a force of nature, making best use of everything nature has to offer.

Please turn out good.

Let's look through the kitchen window, and follow her story.

Tokunoshima is a small island with a warm climate.

It's 1,300 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and not far from Okinawa.

About 20,000 people live here.

And they live well.

The average life-span is long, and the fertility rate is high.

Tokunoshima is known as a place of longevity, blessed with children.

Mizumoto Mieko is living proof that you're never too old to try something new.

A little longer.

She was in her early 70s when she opened a restaurant.

Help comes from her daughter, 68-year-old Ikuyo.

This is aosa, or sea lettuce.
It's nice and green.

And it tastes great.

Mieko gathered the seaweed from the shore.

Yes, she's 93.

But that doesn't stop her from sourcing ingredients herself.

Delicious.

She's so energetic.

For her, work is no chore.
She has more fun than anyone else.

I want to age like her.

Mieko's specialties include deep-fried fish and tempura made with wild plants.

She also makes tonsoku, or pigs' feet.

You won't find many of her dishes elsewhere.

I can only use local ingredients.
So, I make simple home-cooked meals.

She only accepts one group a day.

And oftentimes, they come from other parts of Japan.

These are all good for your health.
Common wild plants.

No additives whatsoever.

Eat these, and you'll live long.

I've been here all my life.

Born and raised on this island.
And proud of it.

There's greenery, and the ocean.
Such a wonderful place.

Mieko likes to keep herself busy.

Right from morning, you'll find her in the garden.

The island's climate is perfect for growing all kinds of fruit and veg all year round.

We islanders always have something
to do, no matter how old.

The winds are picking up.

And Mieko is heading to a cape.

Plenty of good ones here.

We call it "long-life grass."

This is a type of hog's fennel, part of the parsley family.

It grows wild.

And the locals say eating one bunch adds an extra day to your life.

People here have always eaten it.
It's a medicinal herb. So healthy.

It's delicious when seasoned.
And it makes good tea, too.

Even on remote islands, companionship can flourish.

Mieko cherishes the time she spends with her husband, Shunkichi.

He's the grand old age of 100.

I found that veg on the shore.

Three meals a day, 365 days a year.

They've been married for more than 70 years.

It's like a world with no sound.

People on Tokunoshima have long made salt
on the shore.

When seawater gets trapped in coral reef pools, Mieko's 71-year-old son Ryutaro gets to work.

He seizes the moment when there's a weeklong dry spell.

Splashing seawater on sun-scorched rock causes evaporation.

And the concentration of salt increases in what remains.

This is the most important bit.
Otherwise, you won't get tasty salt.

For Mieko, the work is filled with nostalgia.

Her parents would make salt this way.

Right on the same shore.

I was a young schoolgirl.
But I remember them boiling seawater here.

I'd just sit, looking at the salt and the sea.

Nothing but beautiful memories.

This method had all but disappeared at one point.

But Mieko revived production in her 70s.

Salt and water are the keys to life.
So we must maintain this tradition.

I make salt because I like doing it.

And for me, this is the purest method.

Mieko has passed the salt-making business on to Ryutaro.

Not all of the process takes place by the sea.

The work is pretty physical.

And steamy.

Ryutaro spends a whole day boiling down the seawater.

A week of drying in the shade refines the taste.

This isn't just salty.
It's also rich, and sweet.

I grew up on this salt, so I know.

And the taste is filled with memories.

"Salt of the earth," they say.

Just like the people on Tokunoshima.

Mieko is feeling pretty chirpy, too.

Because she's cooking "funayaki" - a local sweet made with unrefined dark brown sugar.

But that's not all.

My grandchildren are coming over.
So, we'll eat together.

I hope this turns out good.

It burns easily and sticks to the pan.
I couldn't get it to brown nicely before.

But I've improved a lot.
Don't mean to brag, though.

For special occasions, Mieko always prepares a salted pork dish called "shu-wa-shi."

And no guesses who made the salt.

We used to let it sit in a jar
for about a month.

Families on this island used to raise pigs.

They treasured pork dishes, and always passed them on to the next generation.

The No. 1 local treat.
We eat it on all kinds of occasions.

Everyone loves it.
And I love it too.

Everyone's hungry.

And they have a feast, lovingly prepared by Mieko.

Cheers!

Thank you, Shunkichi and Mieko!

Please live long!

Mieko has three children, 10 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Four generations, all here.
I guess we should behave!

"Long-life grass."
You'll live long.

I'm happy and healthy.
And I can still walk.

I'm also glad my children
and grandchildren are close by.

I'm having the time of my life.