Century-Old Twins Are a Big Hit in Japan as They Charm Millions of TV Viewers

Kin and Gin, silver-headed identical twins, have captured the hearts of millions of Japanese just by sitting on cushions and laughing.

And by surviving, faculties firmly intact, for a century.

For most of their lives, Kin Narita and Gin Kanie lived quietly, farming and raising 16 children between them.

Then last fall, they debuted in a television special on Respect the Aged Day, a national holiday. Duskin Co., an Osaka-based maker of doormats, hired them soon afterward to appear in a television commercial.

And recently they released their first cassette disc--adding their hai, hai’s (yes, yes) to a collection of nursery songs sung by kindergarten children.

Hardly a day goes by without a glimpse of the mirthful, kimono-clad women on TV. They have charmed millions of Japanese nostalgic for close-knit, extended families and the serene, traditional world the women represent.

Most of all, people agree, the twins are cute, and that’s enough to make them superstars of the moment.

“Kin is 100, 100,” Kin says in the commercial for Duskin, whose toll-free customer service line includes the numbers 100-100.

“Gin is 100, 100,” says Gin, perched beside her sister on a plush cushion.

They turn to each other and burst out laughing.

Like about 40% of elderly Japanese, Kin and Gin are living the traditional ideal of old age: They live in extended families. They are coddled and respected, but still able to dress and bathe themselves.

“They are living just as they believe they ought to be,” says Gin’s daughter Mineo Kanie, 57.

The sisters were born Aug. 1, 1892, but say they’re already 100 years old because in those days babies were reckoned a year old at birth.

The Japanese have the world’s longest average life expectancy: 81.8 years for women and 75.8 years for men. Centenarians are not rare--the government counted a record 3,625 last year--but 99-year-old twins are.

Kin, whose name means gold, and Gin, who is silver, laugh off questions about their secret for longevity.

Like the wars, typhoons and arranged marriages that determined their fates in the past, they are taking fame in stride. Instead of making money from their newfound celebrity, they donated their $31,000 earnings from the commercial to government welfare funds.

At the home of Kin’s son in this industrial city in central Japan, Gin remarks, “It’s comforting that people are interested in this kind of old babaa “--an uncomplimentary slang word for “granny.”

“It’s pretty weird,” declares Kin with an emphatic nod.

Both were enthusiastic about meeting their first foreigner. They made kind comments and self-deprecating jokes:

“When you get to be 100, your head’s no good anymore,” says Gin.

“That’s right. No good at all,” Kin says.

“We’re just people from the old days,” says Gin. “There’s lots of things we don’t understand.”

But Kin, a pro wrestling fan, and Gin, who enjoys watching legislative proceedings on television, say plenty about the changes in Japanese society since they were young, especially the shrinking of most families to just one or two children.

The eldest of eight children, Kin and Gin spent their childhoods looking after younger siblings, sometimes alternating days at school so one could stay home. When they reminisce, it’s their brothers and sisters--only one of whom survives--they remember most.

“Big families are the best,” says Gin. “I think people are holding back just a little too much these days. Families of just two or three kids are really pitiful.”

But the sisters aren’t overly critical.

“Young people today are pretty smart, aren’t they?” Gin jokes. “In the old days there were just more stupid people than there are now.”