Chiyo Nonaka was born in Japan on 27 September 1911. Reportedly, she loved exercise and ran marathons as a child. Her passion for sports continued into her old age, and she enjoyed watching track and field and sports in general.

Since 2020, she has received a courtesy visit from the mayor every September as the city’s oldest resident. On that occasion, every year she greeted the mayor in the traditional Japanese sitting position, seiza (sitting on the floor with her legs bent). Even as a supercentenarian, she was still able to assume that sitting position. In the summer of 2023, when she was 111 years old, she reportedly enjoyed watching the Koshien (National High School Baseball Championship) on TV. At the age of 112, she lives with her daughter at her home. It is reported that she celebrated New Year 2024 with her relatives at her home.