Japanese Chrono Trigger: Rethinking Time and Longevity

Do You Chase Time, or Do You Let It Come to You?

Rethinking Longevity Through Japanese Wisdom and Modern Science

Did you know that how you perceive time might be just as important for your longevity as your biomarkers?

We are obsessed with "saving" time. We treat it like a finite resource to be managed, hacked, and controlled. But what if I told you that in the cage, fighting for my life, time didn't exist at all? And what if the ancient Japanese understood something about time that modern biohackers are just beginning to rediscover?

At the recent Hololife Summit 2025 in Tokyo, I challenged the audience to rethink their relationship with time, testosterone, and human optimization. We often get lost in the biochemistry, but true longevity isn't just about living to 120—it's about the depth of the life you live today.

Here are the key takeaways from my presentation on blending ancient philosophy with cutting-edge science.

Chasing the future costs your present; your internal time clock burns your own present for the future. Mastering time is not to control it, but to synchronize it. Live not longer, but deeper—because you live at the moment deeper.
— Tateki Matsuda

Quick Show Notes & Takeaways

Philosophy: Shift from "managing" time to "synchronizing" with it. Stop chasing the future at the expense of the present.
Rhythms: optimize your schedule based on Circadian (daily) and Infradian (monthly/seasonal) rhythms.
Community: Prioritize social connection to combat the isolation of aging.
No master clock: Time is relative (physics) and local (biology); live your proper time.
Coherence > accumulation: Align circadian/infradian clocks; longevity emerges from synchronization.
Reflective optimization: Data is useful—pair it with presence or you only accelerate.
Design for variability: Honor menstrual cycles and seasonal rhythms—optimize with nature, not against it.
Depth per second: Novelty, relationships, and mindful solitude stretch lived time.

You reframe longevity from “chasing more time” to synchronizing with time. Drawing on physics, chronobiology, Japanese time culture (Wadokei/不定時法), and Zen—as well as your MMA experience of flow—you show that healthspan expands when we align our body’s clocks (circadian/infradian), our social rhythms, and our moment-to-moment awareness. Western optimization (“time is money”) is rational, but incomplete without presence. The Japanese lens adds reciprocity with nature: time doesn’t just pass; it approaches—and our task is to receive it well.

Shownote:

The Philosophy of Time

Janet’s Law / Time Compression > The Theory of Morals by Paul Janet, Mary Chapman Review by: Francis G. Peabody Science, Vol. 3, No. 59 (Mar. 21, 1884), pp. 360-362 (3 pages)

Human time perception and its illusions > Eagleman DM. Human time perception and its illusions. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2008 Apr;18(2):131-6. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2008.06.002. Epub 2008 Aug 8. PMID: 18639634; PMCID: PMC2866156.

Circadian physiology of metabolism > Panda S. Circadian physiology of metabolism. Science. 2016 Nov 25;354(6315):1008-1015. doi: 10.1126/science.aah4967. PMID: 27885007; PMCID: PMC7261592.

Gender Data Gap

Relative dearth of 'sex differences' research in sports medicine >Schilaty ND, Bates NA, Hewett TE. Relative dearth of 'sex differences' research in sports medicine. J Sci Med Sport. 2018 May;21(5):440-441. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2017.10.028. Epub 2017 Nov 3. PMID: 29248307; PMCID: PMC5927370.

IJES Self-Study on Participants' Sex in Exercise Science: Sex-Data Gap and Corresponding Author Survey > Garver MJ, Navalta JW, Heijnen MJH, Davis DW, Reece JD, Stone WJ, Siegel SR, Lyons TS. IJES Self-Study on Participants' Sex in Exercise Science: Sex-Data Gap and Corresponding Author Survey. Int J Exerc Sci. 2023 Mar 1;16(6):364-376. doi: 10.70252/DZZC8088. PMID: 37123815; PMCID: PMC10128117.

Brain insulin action on peripheral insulin sensitivity in women depends on menstrual cycle phase > Hummel J, Benkendorff C, Fritsche L, Prystupa K, Vosseler A, Gancheva S, Trenkamp S, Birkenfeld AL, Preissl H, Roden M, Häring HU, Fritsche A, Peter A, Wagner R, Kullmann S, Heni M. Brain insulin action on peripheral insulin sensitivity in women depends on menstrual cycle phase. Nat Metab. 2023 Sep;5(9):1475-1482. doi: 10.1038/s42255-023-00869-w. Epub 2023 Sep 21. PMID: 37735274; PMCID: PMC10513929.

Changes in sleeping energy metabolism and thermoregulation during menstrual cycle > Zhang S, Osumi H, Uchizawa A, Hamada H, Park I, Suzuki Y, Tanaka Y, Ishihara A, Yajima K, Seol J, Satoh M, Omi N, Tokuyama K. Changes in sleeping energy metabolism and thermoregulation during menstrual cycle. Physiol Rep. 2020 Jan;8(2):e14353. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14353. PMID: 31981319; PMCID: PMC6981303.

Insulin Sensitivity, Food Intake, and Cravings with Premenstrual Syndrome: A Pilot Study > Trout KK, Basel-Brown L, Rickels MR, Schutta MH, Petrova M, Freeman EW, Tkacs NC, Teff KL. Insulin sensitivity, food intake, and cravings with premenstrual syndrome: a pilot study. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2008 May;17(4):657-65. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2007.0594. PMID: 18447765; PMCID: PMC3319142.

Association between subjective and cortisol stress response depends on the menstrual cycle phase > Duchesne, A., & Pruessner, J. C. (2013). Association between subjective and cortisol stress response depends on the menstrual cycle phase. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(12), 3155–3159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.08.009

Effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance > Janse de Jonge X. A. (2003). Effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 33(11), 833–851. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200333110-00004

Impact of Menstrual cycle-based Periodized training on Aerobic performance, a Clinical Trial study protocol—the IMPACT study > Ekenros L, von Rosen P, Norrbom J, Holmberg HC, Sundberg CJ, Fridén C, Hirschberg AL. Impact of Menstrual cycle-based Periodized training on Aerobic performance, a Clinical Trial study protocol-the IMPACT study. Trials. 2024 Jan 29;25(1):93. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-07921-4. PMID: 38287424; PMCID: PMC10823667.

Time Curve: The Loneliness of Longevity

Who Americans spend their time with, by age, All people > Our Would in data: Measured in hours per day, based on averages from surveys in the United States between 2010 and 2023.

Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review > Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB. Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010 Jul 27;7(7):e1000316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316. PMID: 20668659; PMCID: PMC2910600.

Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity > Brewer JA, Worhunsky PD, Gray JR, Tang YY, Weber J, Kober H. Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Dec 13;108(50):20254-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1112029108. Epub 2011 Nov 23. PMID: 22114193; PMCID: PMC3250176.

https://museum.seiko.co.jp/knowledge/relation_15/

Time is a Visitor, Not a Resource

In the West, we view time as a road we travel down—something we move through. We are always running toward the future. But before the Meiji era, the Japanese conception of time was radically different: time was seen as something that approaches the individual.

This isn't just semantics. It changes everything.

The Western view: You are running against the clock. This leads to anxiety, burnout, and a constant "future-chasing" mindset where the present moment is sacrificed for a better tomorrow.
The Japanese view: You are the anchor. Time comes to you. Your job is not to control it, but to synchronize with it.

As a former UFC fighter, I know this state intimately. In the cage, there is no past and no future. There is only the immediate response to the present moment. If you are thinking about the next round, you get knocked out. This martial arts mindfulness—this Zen—is the antidote to the burnout of modern optimization.

Respecting Biological Rhythms (Circadian vs. Infradian)

Biohacking is useless if you are fighting your own biology. We talk a lot about the circadian rhythm (the 24-hour cycle), which governs everything from cortisol spikes in the morning to melatonin at night.

However, mainstream science has largely ignored infradian rhythms—cycles that last longer than a day. This is a massive gap in female health optimization. Women experience hormonal cycles spanning 28 to 36 days, yet most research is done on male subjects. True biohacking requires acknowledging this biological variability. One-size-fits-all protocols don't work.

The Social Time Curve

Perhaps the most poignant insight for me is the "social time curve." Data shows that as we age, the time we spend alone increases, while time with friends and family decreases.

If our goal is radical life extension—living to 120 or beyond—we have to ask: Are we prepared for the solitude?

Good relationships are the clearest factor in a satisfying life. Every interaction deepens your "inner time mass," giving your life texture and weight. Longevity without community is just a long, lonely wait. We must optimize our relationships just as rigorously as we optimize our mitochondria.

Synchronize, Don't Control

My mother's name is Kazuko, which means "harmonize." This is the core of my philosophy. Optimization without reflection leads to acceleration, but not evolution. We are becoming "human becomings" rather than human beings.

Science decodes the structure of time, but culture shapes how we use it. Don't just chase a longer life. Synchronize with the natural rhythms of your body and the world around you. Live not just longer, but deeper.

Time approaches whether you are ready or not. How will you meet it?