A lot has changed since 1898, and no one knows that better than Misao Okawa.

The world's oldest person — she has seen the turn of two centuries — is set to turn 117 years old on Thursday.

Okawa was born on March 5, 1898 to a kimono maker in Osaka, Japan. She was married in 1919, but has outlived her husband by 84 years, since he died in 1931.

Misao Okawa, the world's oldest person, receives a bouquet of flowers on her 117th birthday celebration at Kurenai Nursing Home on March 4, 2015 in Osaka, Japan. Image: Buddhika Weerasinghe

The couple had three children, and Okawa now has four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

On Wednesday, she celebrated the big day with her family one day ahead of her actual birthday, and is reportedly in good health.

During the celebrations, she said that "117 years didn't seem like such a long time" according to the BBC.

The Guinness World Records recognized Osaka as the world's oldest person in 2013.