Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

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The people of Japan believe that everyone has an ikigai – a reason for being; the thing that gets you out of bed each morning. I liked the message of this book and the concept of ikigai, but I found the book focused more on longevity and how centenarians claim they were able to live so long. Yes there are chapters on diet and exercise, and the content of these is not particularly new or surprising (however irritating it may be, these things are indeed features of a healthy lifestyle). We each have a unique reason for being, which can be adjusted or transformed many times over the years. It that feeling when you are sharing good, comfort food with your closest friends, by candle light and exchanging easy conversation.

Most of the things mentioned are things that make sense and I already knew from documentaries, books, medicine or real people! Discover the Japanese secret to a long and happy life with the internationally bestselling guide to ikigai.The only setback I would like to mention is perhaps the beginning of the book, since I find the writing to be a bit dry and plainly informational content. I have to admit that the timing was good for me as I was losing this desire to go on and this book reminded me of some of the basics. Most of the world's centenarians lives in Japan and they help us to understand some of the keys to longevity- proper diet, exercise, building good relationships and most importantly Ikigai - to find the ultimate goal of our life and work harder to achieve that.

However, I was expecting the book to talk about the Ikigai diagram in rich detail (the diagram you’ve likely seen if you’re interested in reading this book), but instead, it was more focused on interviewing the centenarians and supercentenarians of Okinawa and learning about their daily practices, and the simple life of farming and other similar roles the citizens of Okinawans live is very different from the Western world, especially for an ambitious person. At first, I was torn between rating the book with 3 or 4 stars, however, as I gradually came towards the end, there are some great offered insights which I think can be helpful to the readers, myself included. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. Heather Cleary’s translations include Betina González’s American Delirium, Roque Larraquy’s Comemadre (nominee, National Book Award 2018), and Sergio Chejfec’s The Dark (nominee, National Translation Award 2014) and The Planets (finalist, BTBA 2013). In these chapters, the author very intelligently describe the secret of longevity along with the diet, culture, jobs, living styles and hobbies of the Super-Centurions of the Okinawa island.The lessons of how to not worry in situations, how to take each task at a time and do it your own pace carefully enjoying it, how to be resilient, how to be antifragile. It will show you how to leave urgency behind, find your purpose, nurture friendships and throw yourself into your passions. I was introduced to the concept of ikigainot so long ago, and yet reading this book certainly helps clarify the notion out. Overall, this book attempted to offer some good advice, but it needed to expand more on the core focus of ikigai. For fans of Japanese culture like I am, this is a true treat, as it mixes that with a neat account of self-development.