Ikigai: the Japanese secret to live longer and better

According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai, what a French philosopher would translate as raison d’être (“reason for being”). Some have found it and are aware of their ikigai, others have it inside but are still looking for it.

Having a clear and defined ikigai, a great passion, gives satisfaction, happiness and meaning to life.

Ikigai is hidden within us and requires patient exploration. to reach the depths of our being and find it. According to the natives of Okinawans, the island with the highest rate of centenarians in the world, ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning.

A lifelong passion

One of the things that surprises you when you’ve been living in Japan for a while is how active people are even after they retire. In fact, a large number of Japanese never “retire”, they continue to work in what they like, as long as their health allows it.

Interestingly there is no word in Japanese that means retire with the exact meaning of “retire forever”, as we have in the West. As Jan Buettner, a National Geographic journalist who knows Japan well, says, “Having a purpose in life is so important in this culture that’s why they don’t have our concept of retirement.”

Some studies on longevity they suggest that community life and having a clear ikigai are as important, if not more, than the healthy Japanese diet.

The concept that we are going to explore is especially rooted in Okinawa, one of the so-called “blue zones”, the places in the world where people live the longest. On this island there are more people over 100 per 100,000 inhabitants than in any other region of the planet.

The medical investigations that are being carried out have yielded many interesting data.

There are many centenarians with a level of vitality and a state of health that would be unthinkable in the elderly from other latitudes

In addition to living many more years than the rest of the world population:

suffer fewer diseases chronic (cancer or heart disease) and fewer inflammatory conditions. They have fewer free radicals in blood (responsible for cellular aging) due to the culture of tea and the habit of ingesting only until 80% of the stomach is satisfied. dementia cases they also have a notably lower rate than the average of the world population and it has been seen that menopause in women is much smoother. In general, men and women maintain an elevated level of sex hormones until very old ages.

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The researchers point out that an important part of the health and longevity of Okinawans is due to their ikigai attitude towards life, which provides a profound meaning to each day.

The village of centenarians

To the north of the island of Okinawa, there is a town known as “the village of centenarians”. Ogimi holds the honor of being the town with the highest longevity index in the world, and there we did our field work that culminated in the Ikigai essay. Some observations about his lifestyle:

100% of the interviewees has an orchard. They all belong to a neighborhood association. in which they feel loved as if they belonged to a family. They celebrate a lot, even the little things. Music, singing and dancing is an essential part of their day to day. They have an important mission in life, or even several. They have an ikigai, but they don’t take it very seriously either. There is relaxation and enjoyment in what they do. They are very proud of their traditions and the local culture. They show passion for everything they do as unimportant as it may seem. the yui-maru, which could be translated as “mutual cooperation spirit” is firmly seated within his heart. They not only help each other in agricultural work, but also when it comes to building a house or volunteering in public works. they are always busy but with various tasks that allow them to relax. We did not see any grandfather sitting on a bench doing nothing. They were always moving from here to there, going to karaoke, the next getball game or the next neighborhood meeting.

The moai: mutual aid

In fact, throughout Okinawa there is a strong tradition of forming strong ties in local communities.

The moai is an informal group of people with common interests who help each other. For many, community service becomes one of their ikigais.

The origin of the moai it comes from the difficult times, when farmers got together to exchange information about the best ways to farm, as well as to help each other in case the harvest did not go well that year.

Members have to pay a set monthly amount. This payment allows them to attend meetings, dinners, games of shogi (Japanese chess) or whatever common hobby they have.

The feeling of belonging and mutual help provides security and contributes to increasing life expectancy

Everyone’s money is used in activities and, if too much accumulates, a member (they rotate) receives an also established amount of money. For example, if you pay 5,000 yen a month, after two years you will receive 50,000 yen (it is a way of saving with the help of others), and after two years and one month it will be another friend of the same moai who charges 50,000 yen.

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Being in a moai helps to maintain emotional and financial stability. For example, if someone in the group is in trouble, the “pay” from group savings can be advanced.

Ikigai, passion and work united

In Okinawa, work and passion often meet. Ikigai and working life are often the same. In contrast, in the West it is a sadly common story that after a life of hard work, retired people do not find motivating habits to replace the time they put into their job, even if they did not like it.

Suddenly, free time is filled with a feeling of uselessness which is a fertile field for depression, as well as a sedentary lifestyle and other bad habits that accelerate aging and undermine health in an alarming way.

This does not happen to those who love their work because they simply never stop doing it. A passionate teacher may retire, but will still be a teacher. He will continue training, reading, and will even use the free time to teach as a volunteer to groups that he previously had no access to. In short: he will be as happy as or happier than when he “did” at his school.

As the graph we see above shows, it is worth fighting to make our passion, ikigai itself, our work activity. As Confucius said:

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

10 keys to living your ikigai successfully

To live longer, surely it is necessary to live better, to be happier. Here are guidelines, steps, tips inspired by Japanese centenarians.

1. Always be active, never withdraw

Those who abandon the things they love and know how to do, lose the meaning of their life. For this reason, even after having finished your “official” working life, it is important to continue doing things of value, moving forward, bringing beauty or utility to others, helping and shaping our little world.

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2. Take it easy

The rush is inversely proportional to the quality of life. As an old proverb says: “Walking slowly you can go far”. When we leave urgencies behind, time and life take on new meaning.

3. Do not eat until you are full

Also in food for a long life, “less is more”. According to the 80% law, to preserve health for a long time, instead of gorging yourself, you have to eat a little less than we are hungry.

4. Surround yourself with good friends.

They are the best elixir to dissolve worries: with a good talk, telling and listening to anecdotes that lighten life, asking for advice, having fun together, sharing, dreaming… In short, living.

5. Get in shape for your birthday

The water that moves, flows fresh and does not stagnate. Similarly, your vehicle for life needs a little daily maintenance so that it can last for many years. In addition, exercise secretes the hormones of happiness.

6. Smile

An affable attitude makes friends and relaxes the person himself. It’s okay to realize things are wrong, but don’t forget the privilege of being here and now in this world full of possibilities.

7. Reconnect with nature

We regularly need to return to it to recharge our batteries. of the soul. Although most human beings live in cities, we are made to blend in with nature.

8. Say thank you

To your ancestors, to nature that provides you with air and food, your life partners, everything that illuminates your day to day and makes you feel happy to be alive. Dedicate a moment of the day to say thank you and you will increase your flow of happiness.

9. Follow your ikigai

Inside you there is a passion, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and pushes you to give the best of yourself until the end.
If you haven’t found it yet, as Viktor Frankl said, your next mission will be to find it.