Mrs. Tomiko Itooka, the oldest living person in Japan is now the second oldest person in the world. She turned 116 on May 23rd.
The supercentenarian celebrated her 116th birthday at her nursing home in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The celebration was attended by the Mayor of the city, Ryosuke Takashima. Itooka has been associated with this nursing home since the age of 110 and continues to enjoy her stay there.
Tomiko Itooka was born in 1908 in Osaka and had a lovely family with a husband and 4 kids. She got married at the age of 20 and during World War II, Itooka would manage her husband’s textile factory in South Korea. In her youth, she was fond of pilgrimage and hiking. She has also made records for climbing the 14th highest mountain in Japan, Mount Ontake in her 80s! At that very age, Mrs. Tomika also participated in the Osaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage twice.
Mrs. Itooka has surpassed Fusa Tatsumi who passed away on December 12th. 2023 making her the oldest person alive in the country and in Asia. She became the second oldest person globally after Edie Ceccarelli of the US passed away in February this year.
Her nursing home celebrated the supercentenarian’s 116th birthday offering her flowers, well wishes, and a birthday cake. The representatives of LongeviQuest, a research organization, dedicated her a congratulatory message alongside the Mayor. The celebrant happily responded with a ‘Thank you’ while enjoying her cake.
The supercentenarian Mrs. Tomiko Itooka has always lived an active lifestyle. From being a part of the volleyball club in high school to climbing a mountain in ordinary sneakers, the lady has always been on her toes when it came to physical fitness. Spiritually too, Itooka has been dedicated towards worshipping. Her spirituality can be understood by her dedication to climbing the stone stairs of a temple when she was 100 years old!
