Shimei Nakaoji and the art of staying young
In Okinawa, where people live longer than almost anywhere else on earth, Shimei Nakaoji runs every day. At 87, he defies time – not out of duty, but pure joy for life.
Every morning, Shimei Nakaoji laces up his running shoes and heads out. For the 87-year-old, daily running is more than just exercise; it is a quiet search for eternity – a way to keep his heart young. On Okinawa, Japan’s island of centenarians, Nakaoji has developed a life philosophy that goes far beyond fitness. It is his way of not simply surrendering to time but reshaping it with every step.
A meditation in motion
After his father’s passing, director Alex Lockett travelled to Okinawa. He wanted to understand what truly makes a long life – and there he met Shimei Nakaoji. What was planned as an interview turned into a quiet, poetic short film: Running Against Time. In it, Lockett captures not just Nakaoji’s running, but his mindset – his unbreakable forward-looking spirit and playful lightness.
“Nakaoji-san reminded me that longevity isn’t just about adding years to life, but life to years.”
– Alex Lockett
Movement as elixir
For Nakaoji, running each day is a form of meditation. Every step connects him to his body, his surroundings, and a deeper meaning of life itself. Lockett describes the film as “a meditation on movement as a lifeline, as a mindset, and as a spiritual outlook.”
The power of playfulness
What drives Nakaoji is not so much the desire to live forever, but rather the joy of staying young. In running, he finds curiosity, energy, and the childlike playfulness we so often lose in daily life. It is this spirit that gets him out every morning – showing that the secret to longevity is not found in stillness, but in gentle, continuous motion.