Book Title: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
Author: Héctor García, Francesc Miralles
Genre: Self Help
Rating: 3.9/5
Originally Published: April, 2016
Ikigai Book Review
As the title suggests, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, brings the secrets of the Japanese of living a long life out in public. This book suggests that according to the Japanese Ikigai is the secret of becoming a centenarian life. Ikigai means the happiness of always being busy (rough translation).
The book Ikigai suggests everyone to find their own ikigai, basically some sort of work which you love to do, which pays you, which you’re good at and which benefits the world. A work which can be your profession, passion, mission and vocation at the same time.
The Knowledge of Ikigai
Ikigai majorly focuses on the importance of work and the necessity to keep working. A fun fact, theirs no word in Japanese literature which explains or defines the word retirement.
Other than work this book suggests one to focus on their diet. Ikigai suggests that Japanese people or to be more specific the people of Okinawa believe in “Hara Hachi bu” which means filling only 80% of your stomach.
They basically say that the moment you start to feel that your stomach is almost filling up is the moment you should end the meal.
Eating more than required does nothing but increases your diet and the more you consume the more you risk towards increased cell oxidation. In fact, Okinawan people consume only around 1,500-1,800 calories while the rest of the world oscillates from 2,200 to 3,300 calories a day.
Okinawan people also emphasise on the importance of a veg diet and less consumption of meat. Unlike any other country, their dishes majorly involve only seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Ikigai explains that they also emphasise on the importance of exercise. Their exercise is more based on day to day activities like cleaning their house or maintaining their gardens or walking/ cycling to work, etc.
The other thing they feel is important is maintaining a relationship. Okinawans form small groups of people who have similar interests of work and they help each other through all the hardships.
They believe that a good relationship is also one of the secrets of becoming a centenarian. They believe in a term called “Ichariba Chode” which means “treat everyone like a brother, even if you have bever met them before.”
Why this book?
Ikigai is a book that is filled with secrets of having a long life. But through this book review, I would like to tell everyone that this book holds a deeper meaning and has amazing information on not just living a long life but also how to live a happy and fulfilled life.
The secrets in this summary are not even a per cent of this book and yet it tells a lot, imagine how vast information does the book carries within itself.
The best part of Ikigai, this is a tiny book and can be easily finished in 2-3 days, so the people who generally don’t like reading can read this and get to know all the secrets themselves and also, if you read this book not as leisure but as a guide or a source of knowledge then you will find a drastic change in yourself by the end of the book.
After reading Ikigai Book Review you must be wanting to read other book reviews and Comment Down your Favorite part of the book:
- Shiva Sutras
- Start with Why
- To kill a Mockingbird
- The Great Gatsby
- Think and Grow Rich
- One Indian Girl
- A Second Chance
