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Japan’s Okinawan island group has a global reputation for longevity, with a healthy number of elderly becoming centenarians.

Rice farmer Hitoshi Nane, 78, can expect many more good years because his parents both lived to be 99. But Nane isn't counting on genes alone, so he doesn't stuff himself.

"People don't eat until they are full, but 80 percent full," Nane says through an interpreter.

He also enjoys a stiff drink of awamori, the rice-based local alcoholic beverage.

Nane lives on Iriomote, the largest island in Okinawa's Yaeyama Islands, where in the village, a group of octogenarians gather regularly for a game of "gate ball."

With the help of an interpreter, they share their tips for a long life.

"Smiling, talking to people, it's very good for health," says one elder.

"Take a nap. Also, I live by myself, so it's not stressful," says another.

"I wake up at 4:30 or 5 o'clock in the morning. Music from the radio, I exercise to that," says a third.

"Everyone makes vegetables by themselves. Never buy it, so no chemicals," says a fourth.

One of the most popular vegetables is goya, or bitter melon, a staple for many dishes, including chanpuru, a popular stir-fry.

Alessia Corda, the executive chef at the Ritz Carlton Okinawa, where I stayed as a guest, also folds nutrient-rich goya into many of his dishes, including a hearty juice.

"Makes your health sweet, if you eat this every day," Corda says.

Another super food is mozuku, a seaweed harvested in the spring, where locals and visitors alike can take health into their own hands.

So if you want to live to 100, you should have what the Okinawans are having.