Ikigai-Book review

Hariny Rajadurai
2 min readFeb 20, 2023

The book Ikigai is written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles. Chances are, you have already heard something about this book. Ikigai is a Japanese word for life’s purpose, which is at the intersection of what you love to do, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you will be paid for. Having a life purpose and following it has proved to be one of the secrets of Japan to live longer. But this is not all that there is in the book. The authors have read, analyzed, and interviewed people from Okinawa, which is a town in Japan that has the highest life expectancy in the world. From their learnings, they have put together this book which shares with us some secrets and tips to live longer and happier.

Captured and Edited by Hariny

The Read
It is a small book compared to a standard self-help book. They don’t drag it as much as the other books in that genre. I got a hardcover for Rs. 250 (3 $) in an offer, and it is definitely a good investment. It is a good read without complicated words, that even an intermediate English reader can understand. There is a lot to learn from this book. If you are serious and taking notes, it will take a week to finish with 4–5 sessions of 1hr, a quick reader will only need 2–3 such sessions. In terms of the flow of the narrative, it wasn’t exactly flowing well. Sometimes it felt like the book was throwing in information, and some facts were getting repeated. There are some techniques in the book that they suggest we do for our well-being, and it felt like it could have been written and explained better. But overall, the work done by the authors is truly commendable.

Should you Read
You Should. I think everyone should read this book at least once. It gives you an idea of how to live a longer and merrier life. It is very easy to get carried away in this fast-paced world. It is necessary to use the tips and techniques given in this book to lead a peaceful, satisfying, and meaningful life on earth.

Overall, it was a great read with a lot of insights on how to live longer and healthier from people who have lived for 110 years or more. It gives a perspective of how people in Japan, particularly in Okinawa look at life and have managed to understand the human body and mind. I most certainly learned something, and I hope you do too.

Thank you so much for reading. If you like this, please show some love and clap for me :)

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