Meet Tomiko Itooka: The world’s oldest person at 116

Born in the same year that saw the Wright Brothers’ initial public flights, Tomiko Itooka has a life as remarkable as her age.

Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman, has become the world’s oldest living person at age 116, following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Guinness World Records.

Her age and birthdate – 23 May 1908 – were confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, and put her at the top of its World Supercentenarian Rankings List.

Itooka, a mother of four, currently lives in a nursing home in the city of Ashiya. When told about her becoming the oldest person, she replied, “Thank you,” a phrase she also relays often to the caretakers at her home – proving that you’re never too old to be polite.

Born in Osaka, Itooka was a volleyball player in high school. She married at 20, and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness. During World War II, she managed the office of her husband’s textile factory.

She has enjoyed an incredibly active life, even after her husband’s death in 1979. Living alone in Nara Prefecture for a decade, she frequently indulged in mountain climbing, including scaling Mount Nijo in the Kongō Range.

In her 70s, she tackled Japan’s 3,067-metre Mount Ontake twice, famously surprising her guide by doing so in trainers rather than hiking boots. In her 80s, she participated in the Osaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, visiting 33 temples, and at 100, she ascended the stone steps of Japan’s Ashiya Shrine unaided by a cane.

Amidst all her adventures, Itooka still enjoys the simple pleasure of eating bananas and starts her day with her favourite yogurt-flavoured drink, Calpis. She celebrated her birthday three months ago, receiving flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor.

Who is the oldest living European?

The oldest living European is Ethel Caterham,a supercentenarian from the United Kingdom who recently celebrated her 115th birthday on 21 August.

She is the last surviving person born in the UK during the reign of King Edward VII.

For the past 50 years, Mrs. Caterham has called Surrey home, where she was a regular bridge player until a few years ago and only stopped driving at 97.

She now resides in a care home in Ash Vale and astonishingly survived a Covid-19 infection during the pandemic in 2020.

In a 2020 interview with BBC Radio Surrey, she shared her secret to longevity: “I’ve taken everything in my stride, the highs and lows. I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve ended up in this lovely home, where everyone is falling over themselves for me, giving me everything I want.”

Good on ya’ babe!