World's Oldest Person Celebrates Another Birthday, Says Last 117 Years Were Short

The world's oldest person, Misao Okawa of Japan, turns 117 today. And guess what, she doesn't think 117 years is "such a long time".

Wearing a pink kimono decorated with cherry blossom print and a pink daisy pin in her hair, Mrs Okawa celebrated her birthday yesterday with her family in Japan. Her birthday celebrations were televised across Japan.

According to AFP reports, when a local official stopped by to meet her with a bunch of flowers, he asked her, "Was it (the past 117 years) long?" "It was short," said Mrs Okawa cheerfully.

So, what's the secret of her longevity? "Mrs Okawa eats three large meals a day and makes sure that she sleeps eight hours a night," Tomohito Okada, the head of the Kurenai retirement home where she lives, recently told the media, notes Guinness World Records.

She loves mackerel on vinegar-steamed rice, and she has it at least once every month. A report in JapanToday.com says that if you ask her for her secret, Mrs Okawa will tell you, "I wonder about that too."

The staff at the nursing home told Associated Press that Mrs Okawa has slowed down in recent months and is having trouble hearing, but is in otherwise good health.

Born on March 5, 1898 in Tenma, Misao Okawa is one of only a handful of people born in the 19th century to still be alive. She "is looking in good shape," an official at her Osaka nursing home told AFP.

Mrs Okawa married her husband, Yukio, in 1919. She is the mother of three, grandmother of four and great-grandmother of six. Mrs Okawa took the title of world's oldest living person in June 2013 following the death of Jiroemon Kimura - also from Japan - who died at the age of 116.

According to Associated Press, Japan has the most centenarians in the world - over 58,000, according to the government. About 87 percent of them are women.