Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day

by Ken Mogi

Overview

“Awakening Your Ikigai is really quite a delightful look at sometimes mystifying Japanese traditions.”—The New York Times Book Review

Introducing IKIGAI: find your passions and live with joy

Ikigai is a Japanese phenomenon commonly understood as “your reason to get up in the morning.” Ikigai can be small moments: the morning air, a cup of coffee, a compliment. It can also be deep convictions: a fulfilling job, lasting friendships, balanced health. Whether big or small, your ikigai is the path to success and happiness in your own life.

Author Ken Mogi introduces five pillars of ikigai to help you make the most of each day and become your most authentic self:
1. starting small — focus on the details
2. releasing yourself — accept who you are
3. harmony and sustainability — rely on others
4. the joy of little things — appreciate sensory pleasure
5. being in the here and now — find your flow.

Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture, plus stories from renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono, anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and others, Mogi skillfully shows the way to awaken your ikigai.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615194759
Publisher:	The Experiment
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	522,228
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Ken Mogi is a neuroscientist, writer, and broadcaster based in Tokyo. He has published more than 30 papers on cognitive and neurosciences, and over 100 books in Japan covering popular science, essay, criticism, and self-help. His books have sold close to 1 million copies. This is his first book in English.

Table of Contents

Note to the Reader: The Five Pillars of ikigai vii

Chapter 1 What is ikigai? 1

Chapter 2 Your reason to get up in the morning 21

Chapter 3 Kodawari and the benefits of thinking small 39

Chapter 4 The sensory beauty of ikigai 65

Chapter 5 Flow and creativity 83

Chapter 6 Ikigai and sustainability 109

Chapter 7 Finding your purpose in life 131

Chapter 8 What doesn't kill you makes you stronger 157

Chapter 9 Ikigai and happiness 175

Chapter 10 Accept yourself for who you are 193

Conclusion: Find your own ikigai 205

About the Author 213

Editorial Reviews

…a delightful look at sometimes mystifying Japanese traditions.

The New York Times Book Review - Judith Newman

"Tapping into that sunrise magic is as simple as creating habits that reflect your ‘ikigai.’"

Well + Good

"Ikigai is an additional item you can add to your self-care toolbox."

Bustle

"Awakening Your Ikigai is really quite a delightful look at sometimes mystifying Japanese traditions."

The New York Times Book Review

"A must-read."

Books for Better Living

"When ikigai is practiced and present in life, it holds the potential to dissipate stress, ease anxiety, and help you find the purpose to ‘wake up to joy’ every day. Who wouldn’t want that?"

From the Publisher

A plethora of Japanese philosophy, history, and culture are revealed in this prescription on living life with ikigai—a Japanese concept that encapsulates living life with purpose and pleasure. Narrator Matt Addis conveys a sense of wonder as he reveals examples on how ikigai is deeply immersed in Japanese life. Despite instances when overmodulation distorts some words, Addis’s reading clearly defines the Five Pillars—steps that provide the foundation for ikigai to flourish. There are only a few mispronunciations as Addis navigates the abundance of Japanese names and words in this journey through the nation’s culture, traditions, and contemporary mores. Happily, these are relatively easily overlooked, given the delight Addis infuses into his narration. M.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MAY 2018 - AudioFile