Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

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 - the place where passion, mission, vocation, and profession intersect - 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 respecting 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 secret to their longevity and happiness: 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?

What's your ikigai?

"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."
New York Post

"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 Uo 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."
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