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Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Hardcover – August 29, 2017

by Héctor García (Author), Francesc Miralles (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 57,739 ratings
#1 Best Seller in Consciousness & Thought Philosophy
See all formats and editions
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“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

Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more 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?
Previous page
  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Life
  4. Publication date
    August 29, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    0.9 x 5 x 7.1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0143130722
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0143130727
  8. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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Previous page
  1. “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
    Highlighted by 8,206 Kindle readers
  2. Concentrating on one thing at a time may be the single most important factor in achieving flow.
    Highlighted by 7,994 Kindle readers
  3. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
    Highlighted by 6,941 Kindle readers
  4. “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.”
    Highlighted by 4,834 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

The international bestseller Ikigai. The Japanese secret to a Long and Happy Life
Discover your own ikigai: What you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, etc

...ikigai is becoming popular outside of Japan as a way to live longer... says World Economic Forum

Discovering your ikigai, or passion, can be one of the greatest journeys... says FORBES

The Japanese concept of ikigai [is] attainable and even an important key to living longer, says ELLE

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

“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

“The Japanese concept of ikigai (the happiness of being busy) [is] attainable and even an important key to living longer.” —Elle.com

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

“Enjoy a cup or two of green tea as you digest this small, charming book.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A must-follow lifestyle hack . . . Think feng shui with Venn diagrams—although this time there is no need to move the front door.” —The Guardian

“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
 
“A refreshingly simple recipe for happiness.” —Stylist

“An attractive and absorbing book.” —The Bookseller

“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.” —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 and The Four-Way Path. 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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Life; Illustrated edition (August 29, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143130722
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143130727
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.9 x 5 x 7.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 57,739 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Héctor García

    Héctor García

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    Héctor García was born in Spain and worked at CERN in Switzerland before moving to Japan, his home for 16 years and counting. In Tokyo, when he is not writing his next book, he makes a living in the IT industry. His popular blog led to his international bestseller A Geek In Japan. He is the author of the bestselling Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life; translated to 57 languages, has the strange honor of being the most translated book ever originally written in Spanish language. To this day he has published seven books, his latest one is: The Book of Ichigo Ichie.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Heather Cleary

    Heather Cleary

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    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). She has served as a judge for the National Book Award (Translated Literature), the BTBA, and the PEN Translation Award. A member of the Cedilla & Co. translation collective and a founding editor of the digital, bilingual Buenos Aires Review, she holds a PhD in Latin American and Iberian Cultures from Columbia University and teaches at Sarah Lawrence College.

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  3. Francesc Miralles

    Francesc Miralles

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    Francesc Miralles is a lecturer and award-winning author of bestselling books in the areas of health and spirituality. Born in Barcelona, he studied journalism, English literature and German philology, and has worked as a translator, editor, art therapist and musician. His novel Love in Lowercase has been translated into 28 languages. Along with Hector Garcia, he is the author of the bestselling Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.

    See more on the author's page
  4. Fracesc Miralles

    Fracesc Miralles

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Customer reviews

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Top reviews from the United States

nancers
5.0 out of 5 stars Ikigai
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2024
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Loved the book! Quick easy read! Great info..I will read this again but this time make notes, highlight areas, more notes...I've purchased 2 more copies to give as gifts...
4 people found this helpful
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Alessa Burton
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
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The stories of the adventures of the authors to learn the secret of a long and meaningful life are most inspiring. It was interesting enough to keep me reading. It also has practices and rituals to assist in finding the reader’s ikigai. As I was reading I thought about my purpose and what made me happy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fulfilling life.
2 people found this helpful
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lilwun4ever1808
4.0 out of 5 stars The secret to a long and happy life
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2023
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I was very excited to read this book as in the recent months I discovered the concept of "ikigai". Since then, I have been reading as much as I can on the topic. The cover art and title drew me to this book and I was excited to read it. It was a well written book and I commend the authors on their dedication to doing the research and work to bring this book to life. That said it really does focus on what the secret to a long and happy life. Not necessarily on how to determine what your ikigai is. However, it had plenty of background on how to live in the moment, what habits one should adopt in order to have a long and full life (includes even a dietary section), how to keep the mind, body and soul moving, and just good advice on how to grow old without growing old. The book talks about resilience and anti fragility and how in combination with everything else mentioned above will help in living a long life. The last few pages of the epilogue give a recap of the 10 steps and honestly are incredibly helpful. All this said, find what you love to do and do more of it. That's really what finding your meaning/passion/ikigai is all about. As a result of making this discovery, you'll probably unlock the ability to live a much longer life.

I give this book 4 stars since it is a very easy read and doesn't delve too deep into how you should find your ikigai, but it does demonstrate in good detail how to live a long and happy life.
37 people found this helpful
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MV
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! Highly Recommend
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
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Truly enjoyed this book and have given to all my relatives to read. Many great messages and statistics you can pull form the book to be relevant to something you are working though. Both intellectually and emotionally informational!
One person found this helpful
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Haiden Boyles
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
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Such a good book.
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Ama Zon
3.0 out of 5 stars Mile wide, inch deep
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
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I think this book’s value is in telling you that you need more. More purpose, more friends, more health, more… life. The elderly in Ogimi, Japan have this life. And it seems to add more time to their clocks

But otherwise, the book really struggles to give you advice on how to proceed. It tells you examples — Zen Buddhism, Tai Chi, vegetable gardens, etc. But it never tells you how to live like an Ogimi citizen in your western context.

Instead of directly copying another culture that is really hard to emulate in our western world, it should encourage you to look to your western framework and identify the equivalent benefits found in Japan. Perhaps the Catholic would look to God and ascetic life. Perhaps Americans could look to their vast lands and start an active hobby like camping or hiking. Maybe how to look into gardening in your own country. Or tips on forming Ogimi-like groups.

For a self help book, it relies too much on the self to identify the next steps. But it does offer an interesting case study of one particular town.
31 people found this helpful
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Carolena Seereeram
5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful book
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
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I love Japanese teachings and their philosophies of life. This book is worth the read, it is very insightful!
3 people found this helpful
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Angeline Pho
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book :)
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
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It's a lot more about blue zones than I thought, but it was a great read. I recommended it to everyone I know and they all loved it.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Buen producto, lo probamos y si nos sentimos mejor al hacer ejercicio, principalmente en las articulaciones como rodilla
5.0 out of 5 stars Buen titulo
Reviewed in Mexico on March 18, 2024
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Gran calidad de pasta y llega en buenas condiciones
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Rose
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2024
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This is a good book. Easy reading yet informative. Enjoyed it.
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Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book. Definitely worth a read
Reviewed in Brazil on September 1, 2022
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This was a great book. I read it in one day. So many great reminders and wisdom on how to enjoy life.
3 people found this helpful
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Heloise dos Santos
5.0 out of 5 stars O titulo diz tudo!
Reviewed in Spain on April 9, 2024
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é um livro excelente que oferece clareza para os que a procuram!
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emmie
5.0 out of 5 stars génial
Reviewed in France on February 10, 2024
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