Birthday girl celebrates 116 years
Born in 1887, when Japan was still in the throes of its conversion from samurai rule to modern democracy, Kamato Hongo was recognised as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness Book of Records after an American woman died last March aged 115.
Along with being the object of national pride as a symbol of Japan's unmatched longevity, Hongo is famous for her habit of sleeping for two days and then staying awake for two days.
