Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life | Hector Garcia - Francesc Miralles

Los Angeles Times bestseller • More than 1.5 million copies sold

“Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider
 
“One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes

*And from the same authors, don’t miss The Book of Ichigo Ichie—about making the most of every moment in your life.*

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Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) and bring meaning and joy to all your days.

“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb
 
According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy.

In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Ikigai urges individuals to simplify their lives by pursuing what sparks joy for them. . . . Much in the same way that The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up emphasizes ‘choosing what we want to keep, and not what we want to get rid of,’ [Ikigai] demonstrates that aging could be an opportunity to keep working, keep smiling, keep active, and keep being social.” —KonMari Newsletter

“Want to live longer? Keep super busy. If hygge is the art of doing nothing, ikigai is the art of doing something—and doing it with supreme focus and joy. . . . Pack up those cozy blankets and candles you purchased in last year’s hygge-fueled Ikea spree. Fall’s biggest imported lifestyle trend is ikigai, and it might help you live to 100.” —New York Post

“Busy-ness is a concept I’m familiar with and fascinated by, especially living in New York City. . . . The Japanese concept of ikigai (the happiness of being busy) [is] attainable and even an important key to living longer.” —Mia Feitel, Elle.com

“Discovering your ikigai, or passion, can be one of the greatest journeys you will embark on.” —Forbes

“Definitely worth the time it will take you to enjoy a cup or two of green tea as you digest this small, charming book.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A must-follow lifestyle hack, ikigai makes hygge look like a trip to Ikea. . . . Think feng shui with Venn diagrams—although this time there is no need to move the front door.” —The Guardian

“You’ve tried hygge and lagom—but it turns out ikigai is the key to happiness.” —The Independent

“Forget hygge. It’s all about ikigai.” —The Times (London)

“Ikigai is what allows you to look forward to the future even if you’re miserable right now. . . . It might just help you live a more fulfilling life.” —BBC
 
“Originating from a country with one of the world’s oldest populations, ikigai is becoming popular outside of Japan as a way to live longer and better. . . . [It] is helping people live longer on Okinawa as it gives them purpose.” —World Economic Forum
 
“Ikigai. Ick-ee-guy. It’s a word you’ll be hearing quite often come autumn. . . . It’s Japanese, and it means something like ‘purpose in life,’ or ‘thing that you live for,’ or ‘thing that gets you out of bed in the morning.’ . . . An extended lifespan, according to the long-life expert Dan Buettner, is what awaits havers-of-ikigai.” —The Sunday Telegraph

“A refreshingly simple recipe for happiness.” —Stylist

“The most eye-catching autumn lifestyle trend is the Japanese concept of ikigai, which translates as ‘reason to live.’ . . . An attractive and absorbing book.” —The Bookseller

“A Japanese concept that offers a new perspective on finding happiness.” —The Debrief

“Persuasively shows that small changes can help readers find more joy and purpose in their lives [with] clear, succinct information . . . skillfully compiled . . . into an engaging, easily accessible format with lists, charts, and illustrations.” —Publishers Weekly

“Ikigai gently unlocks simple secrets we can all use to live long, meaningful, happy lives. Science-based studies weave beautifully into honest, straight-talking conversation you won’t be able to put down. Warm, patient, and kind, this book pulls you gently along your own journey rather than pushing you from behind.” —Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation

About the Author

Héctor García and Francesc Miralles are the coauthors of The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way. Héctor is a citizen of Japan, where he has lived for over a decade, and is the author of A Geek in Japan, a #1 bestseller in Japan. Francesc is the author of a number of bestselling self-help and inspirational books and of the novel Love in Lowercase, which has been translated into twenty languages.