How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose: “Awakening Your Ikigai” by Ken Mogi (Book Summary)

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This is a full book summary of Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi (Amazon).

I’m quickly realizing that every ikigai book is different—some focus on purpose, others focus on culture, etc.

Personally, I found Ken Mogi’s book to be better than the more well-known ikigai book by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles which is more of a surface-level introduction to a vast variety of topics.

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Quick Housekeeping:

• All quotes are from the author unless otherwise stated.
• I’ve added emphasis (in bold) to quotes throughout this post.
• This summary is organized by themes I’ve identified (not necessarily by the author’s chapters).

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Book Summary Contents: Click a link to jump to a section below

• Introduction to Ken Mogi
• The Five Pillars of Ikigai
• What is Ikigai?
• The Spectrum of Ikigai
• Ikigai Byproducts
• Finding your Ikigai
• Happiness & Focusing Illusion
• Negation of the Self (Releasing Oneself)
• Accepting Yourself
• Harmony with Others & Nature
• Ikigai & Health
• Ikigai & Work
• Datsusara & Passion
• State of Mind & Flow
• Spirituality
• Appreciation of the Transient & Ephemeral

How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose: Awakening Your Ikigai by Ken Mogi (Book Summary)

Introduction to Ken Mogi

“Ikigai can be something small or something big. So, in a nutshell, ikigai is a spectrum. The complexity of ikigai actually reflects the complexity of life itself. So, in order to be a master of ikigai, you really need to appreciate how complex and rich life actually is.”

This is a nice video intro to Ken Mogi and ikigai:

Mogi says:

• “You really need to find your own private way to reach a very universal goal. In order to do that, you really need to know yourself.”
• “After all, people can get to realize what they are only through realizing that they are different people from other people.”
• “Finding your ikigai is a process of self-reflection.”

The Five Pillars of Ikigai

“These pillars come up frequently, because each one provides the supportive framework—the very foundations—that allows ikigai to flourish. They are not mutually exclusive or exhaustive, nor do they have a particular order or hierarchy. But they are vital to our understanding of ikigai, and will provide guidance as you digest what you read in the forthcoming pages and reflect on your own life. Each time they will come back to you with a renewed and deepened sense of significance.”

The five pillars of ikigai are:

• Pillar 1: Starting small
• Pillar 2: Releasing yourself
• Pillar 3: Harmony and sustainability
• Pillar 4: The joy of small things
• Pillar 5: Being in the here and now

What is Ikigai?

“Ikigai is a Japanese word for describing the pleasures and meanings of life. The word literally consists of iki (to live) and gai (reason).”

• “Ikigai represents the Japanese wisdom of life, the sensitivities and manners of action that have been uniquely pertinent in Japanese society, and that have evolved over hundreds of years within the closely knit society of the island nation.”
• “The concept of ikigai is Japanese in origin. However, ikigai has implications far beyond national borders. It is not the case that the Japanese culture is anything special in this regard. It is only that the particular cultural conditions and traditions in Japan have led to the nurturing of the concept of ikigai.
• It is about discovering, defining, and appreciating those of life’s pleasures that have meaning for you.”
• “It is what gives you an ongoing motivation for living your life, or you could also say that it gives you the appetite for life that makes you eager to greet each new day.”
• “Simple lifestyle choices give clues as to what constitutes the very essence of ikigai: a sense of community, a balanced diet, and an awareness of spirituality.”
• “Because ikigai just reinforces your already-held intuitions, the change will be gradual and modest, like life itself.”
• “Ikigai gives your life a purpose while giving you the grit to carry on.”

The Spectrum of Ikigai

“Ikigai does not come from a single value system. It is not written in the orders of God. It comes from the rich resonance of a spectrum of small things, none of which serves a grandiose purpose in life by itself.”

• “In the Japanese language, ikigai is used in various contexts, and can apply to small everyday things as well as to big goals and achievements. It is such a common word that people use it in daily life quite casually, without being aware of its having any special significance.”
• “The Japanese do not need grandiose motivational frameworks to keep going, but rely more on the little rituals in their daily routines.”
• “Ikigai resides in the realm of small things. The morning air, the cup of coffee, the ray of sunshine … Only those who can recognize the richness of this whole spectrum really appreciate and enjoy it.”
• “The pursuit of individual ikigai Japanese style, with a full spectrum of values, can be seen to contribute to a peace of mind in a world where extremisms tend to take hold.”

Ikigai Byproducts

“Ikigai is a kind of cognitive and behavioral hub, around which various life habits and value systems are organized.”

• “As a by-product of ikigai, you may even become more creative and successful.”
• “Pursuing one’s private joys in life often leads to social rewards.”
• “In life, we sometimes misplace priorities and significance. Too often, we do something for the sake of rewards. If the rewards are not forthcoming, we are disappointed, and lose interest and zeal in the work. That is simply the wrong approach. In general, there are delays between actions and rewards. Even if you finish a good work, rewards are not necessarily forthcoming: Reception and recognition occur in a stochastic way, depending on many parameters out of your control. If you can make the process of making the effort your primary source of happiness, then you have succeeded in the most important challenge of your life.“
• “So make music, even when nobody is listening. Draw a picture, when nobody is watching. Write a short story that no one will read. The inner joys and satisfaction will be more than enough to make you carry on with your life. If you have succeeded in doing so, then you have made yourself a master of being in the here and now.”
• “One of the benefits of having ikigai is robustness and resilience—both strengths that are very necessary when tragedy occurs.”
• “You can have all these benefits of ikigai if you know how to appreciate this philosophy of life and learn to apply it in your life.”

Finding your Ikigai

“You need to find your ikigai in the little things. You’ve got to start small. You need to be here and now. Most crucially, you cannot and should not blame the environment for a lack of ikigai. After all, it is up to you to find your own ikigai, in your own way.”

• “There is no single optimum way to find ikigai. Each one of us has to seek our own, in the forest of our unique individualities.”
• “Ikigai is a universal commodity, to be handed out to everyone with an eye for it.”
• “In order to have ikigai, you need to go beyond the stereotypes and listen to your inner voice.”
• “You can find ikigai independently of the particular environment you might find yourself in at a particular time.”
• “Humans have the resourcefulness to find ikigai in any circumstances.”
• “Ikigai is an adaptation to the environment, no matter what the nature of that environment might be.”
• “Having ikigai contributes toward making the very best of circumstances, which might otherwise be difficult—regardless of the fact they might be difficult.”
• “You can find and cultivate your own ikigai, grow it secretly and slowly, until one day it bears a quite original fruit.”

Happiness & Focusing Illusion

“Researchers have been investigating a phenomenon called focusing illusion. People tend to regard certain things in life as necessary for happiness, while in fact they aren’t. The term ‘focusing illusion’ comes from the idea that you can be focused on a particular aspect of life, so much so that you can believe that your whole happiness depends on it.”

• “In having a focusing illusion, you create your own reason for feeling unhappy. If unhappiness is a vacuum in which the required element is absent, that vacuum is created by the biased imagination of the subject.”
• “Ikigai is closely related to our conception of happiness. We all want to be happy, and you would feel happier if you had some ikigai.”
• “In a nutshell, in order to be happy, you need to accept yourself.”
• “Accepting oneself is one of the easiest, simplest, and most rewarding things you could do for yourself—a low-budget, maintenance-free formula for being happy.”
• “The epiphany here is that, paradoxically, accepting oneself as one often involves releasing yourself, especially when there is an illusory self, which you hold to be desirable. You need to let go of the illusory self, in order to accept yourself and be happy.”

Negation of the Self (Releasing Oneself)

“Negation of the self sounds a little pejorative. It conjures up thoughts of denial and rejection. However, if you understand the beneficial repercussions that come with this approach within the context of ikigai, nothing becomes more positive.”

• “One of the unique Japanese contributions to the philosophy of life, as it applies to the meaning of life, therefore, would perhaps come from a negation of the self.”
• “A carefree child does not need ikigai to carry on, a point stressed by Mieko Kamiya in her famous book Ikigai ni tsuite (On the meaning of life (ikigai)). A carefree child is not burdened with a social definition of the self. A child is not tied to a specific profession, nor social status, yet. It would be wonderful to maintain a child’s way throughout one’s life. This leads to the second pillar of ikigai, releasing oneself.”
• “It is almost as though finding ikigai in a given environment could be regarded as a form of biological adaptation. You could find your ikigai in a wide range of conditions, and the key to that resilience is sensory pleasure.”
• “There is a deep link here. In a mysterious way, releasing oneself is linked to the discovery of the sensory pleasures … By relieving ourselves of the burden of the self, we can open up to the infinite universe of sensory pleasures.”
• “Naturally, as a biological entity, you are concerned about your own welfare, the satisfaction of your desires. That is normal. However, in order to achieve this state, you need to release your ego. After all, it is not the ego that is important. It is the accumulation of the infinite nuances of the elements involved in a work that are important.”
• “You are not the master; work is the master, and in flow you can identify yourself with your work in a joyous, symbiotic way. A serious pursuit of personal objective is not unknown in Japan. Life is about coherence, and it helps to have a sense of direction, a vision of life’s goals, even when one has small things to support one’s ikigai.”

Accepting Yourself

“The greatest secret of ikigai, ultimately, has to be the acceptance of oneself, no matter what kind of unique features one might happen to be born with.”

• “Ikigai and happiness come from the acceptance of the self.”
• “The Japanese proverb junin toiro (‘ten different colors for ten different people’) expresses the view that there are great variations in personality, sensitivity, and value systems among people. In pursuing your ikigai, you can be yourself, as much as you like. It is only natural that you should be yourself, because each one of us has a slightly different color.“
• “Individual uniqueness is something to be discovered and worked on, not merely assumed and preserved.”

Harmony with Others & Nature

“The pursuit of individual desires is more often than not balanced with the sustainability of society and environment. After all, without a robust and healthy society and environment, you cannot pursue your goals and aim to achieve your ambitions.”

• “Living in harmony with other people and the environment is an essential element of ikigai.”
• “In Japanese culture, in addition, ikigai has much to do with being in harmony with the environment, with people around you, and with society at large, without which sustainability is impossible.”
• “Let us consider the Japanese relationship with nature. The Japanese have made the restraint of individual wants into an art form of modesty, austere aesthetics, and elegant sufficiency. In Japanese idealism, there is an abundance of understated beauty, wabi sabi.”
• “Crucially, the Japanese conception of ikigai has always been one of reservation and self-restraint, where harmony with others is considered to be of primary importance.”
• “Studying ikigai in the context of restrained and moderate expression of the self, while considering the organic system that one finds oneself in, might well contribute to a sustainable way of living.”
• “Sustainability is an art of life, requiring ingenuity and skillfulness. A man is like a forest, individual yet connected and dependent on others for growth.”

Ikigai & Health

“Ikigai can literally transform your life. You can live longer, have good health, and become happier, more satisfied, and less stressed.”

• “It is fascinating to see the extent to which ikigai comes naturally to many Japanese. A key study concerning the health benefits of ikigai published in 2008 was conducted by researchers at the Tohoku University medical school based in the city of Sendai in northern Japan. This study involved a large number of subjects, enabling the researchers to derive statistically significant correlations between ikigai and various health benefits.”
• “In this study, the researchers analyzed data from the Ōsaki National Health Insurance (NHI) cohort study, conducted over a period of seven years. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 54,996 beneficiaries of the Ōsaki Public Health Center, a local government agency that provides health services to the residents of fourteen municipalities, aged between forty and seventy-nine years.”
• “The survey consisted of a ninety-three-item questionnaire in which the subjects were asked about past medical and family histories, physical health status, drinking and smoking habits, job, marital status, education, and other health-related factors, including ikigai. The crucial question relating to the latter was very direct: ‘Do you have ikigai in your life?’ The subjects were asked to choose one of three answers: ‘yes,’ ‘uncertain,’ or ‘no.’“
• “Analyzing data from more than fifty thousand people, the Ōsaki study paper concluded that ‘as compared with those who found a sense of ikigai, those who did not were more likely to be unmarried, unemployed, have a lower educational level, have bad or poor self-rated health, have a high level of perceived mental stress, have severe or moderate bodily pain, have limitation of physical function and be less likely to walk.’“
• “Using just this study, it is of course not possible to tell whether having ikigai has led to improved marital, employment, or educational status of the subjects, or, alternatively, whether the accumulation of the various small successes in life has led to an increased sense of ikigai. But it would be reasonably safe to say that having a sense of ikigai points to a frame of mind whereby the subjects feel that they can build a happy and active life. Ikigai is, in a sense, a barometer that reflects a person’s outlook on life in an integrated and representative way.“
• “Furthermore, the mortality rate for people who answered ‘yes’ to the ikigai question was significantly lower than for those who answered ‘no.’ The lower rate was the result of their being at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, there was no significant change in the risk of cancer for people who answered ‘yes’ compared to those who answered ‘no’ to the ikigai question.”

Ikigai & Work

“Most importantly, ikigai is possible without your necessarily being successful in your professional life. In this sense, it is a very democratic concept, steeped in a celebration of the diversity of life. It is true that having ikigai can result in success, but success is not a requisite condition for having ikigai. It is open to every one of us.”

• “The Japanese embrace work as something of positive value in itself. The attitude toward retirement is different in Japan; there salaried workers look forward to doing some work even after they reach their company’s designated retirement age—and not because they are at a loss for something to do.”
• “Ikigai does not have to be directly associated with one’s professional life.”
• “Because employees in modern Japanese companies are often not fulfilled by the work they do, Japan is a country of hobbyists, engaged in pursuits unrelated to their day jobs. Enjoying hobbies in a big way is in a sense an exaggerated case of joy of small things. People enjoy a sense of achievement in seeing a task through to completion. To the extent that ikigai activity produces something of worth, it seems that the enjoyment of that end product is in the satisfaction of having done something.”

Datsusara & Passion

“Datsusara is a phenomenon in which a salaried worker, usually employed in office work, decides to leave the safe but unexciting life as company employee to pursue their passions. Etymologically, datsu means ‘to exit,’ whereas sara is an abbreviation for ‘salarymen.'”

• “Sometimes, depending on the economic situation, you might be forced into datsusara after getting the boot. However, this has been relatively rare in Japan where, once employed, your job is usually secured until retirement. The forms datsusara may take are numerous: running a bar or a restaurant, becoming a farmer or an artist. A common characteristic is that these occupations are most often examples of extended ikigai—the former employee wishing to earn some kind of a living while doing something they feel passionate about, something they find interesting and fulfilling.“
• “The ethos that you can have ikigai outside the context of your job resonates well with that of datsusara.”

State of Mind & Flow

“As so often in life, you need to accept what you’re given, and then rise to the situation. Biologically speaking, finding ikigai in an environment, or, for that matter, in any environment, could be regarded as a form of adaptation, especially in the context of mental fitness. In any given environment, it is in principle possible to have ikigai, the reason for living, no matter what one’s performances might be.”

• “This particular state of mind, or work ethic, where you just immerse yourself in the joy of being in the here and now, without asking for immediate reward or recognition, is an integral part of the Japanese concept of ikigai.”
• “Youthfulness of mind is important in ikigai, but so is commitment and passion, however seemingly insignificant your goal.”
• “If you can achieve the psychological state of ‘flow,’ as described by the Hungarian-born American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, you will get the most out of ikigai, and things such as daily chores will even become enjoyable. You won’t feel the need to have your work or efforts recognized, you won’t be looking for a reward of any sort. The idea of living in a continuous state of bliss, without searching for immediate gratification through external recognition, is suddenly within your reach.”
• “According to Csikszentmihalyi, flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. That is how you find pleasure in work. Work becomes an end in itself, rather than something to be endured as a means of achieving something. When in flow, you don’t work to earn money for your living. At least, that is not your first priority. You work, because working itself gives you immense pleasure. Wages are a bonus.“
• “Once you achieve a state of blissful concentration, an audience is not necessary. You enjoy the here and now, and simply go on.”
• “Kodawari is difficult to translate. In English it is often rendered as ‘commitment’ or ‘insistence.’ Kodawari is a personal standard, to which the individual adheres in a steadfast manner. It is often, though not always, used in reference to a level of quality or professionalism to which the individual holds. It is an attitude, often maintained throughout one’s life, constituting a central element of ikigai. Kodawari is personal in nature, and it is a manifestation of a pride in what one does.”

Spirituality

“Historically, the Japanese approach to religion has been epitomized by the idea of ‘eight million gods,’ where ‘eight million’ stands for virtual infinity. The Japanese people have traditionally cherished the idea that there are infinitely more sources for religious meaning and values in life, as opposed to a single one representing the will of a deity.”

• “The Japanese believe that diverse elements, free from restrictions of strict religious doctrines, need to enter the practical and secular aspects of life, and the idea of eight million gods is a kind of metaphor for such a philosophy.”
• “The Japanese concept of god, as in eight million gods, is different from the Western conception of God. When a Japanese says he or she believes that there is a god in a household item, what is implied is the necessity to pay due respect to that item, rather than saying that a god who created the whole universe is miraculously encapsulated in that small space.”

Appreciation of the Transient & Ephemeral

“The belief in the ephemeral of ikigai, being in the here and now (the fifth pillar), is possibly the most profound of the Five Pillars.”

• “Hanami, when the Japanese admire the blooming of the cherry blossoms every spring, is a prime example. The Japanese take the transient things of life seriously. The eating of a perfect mango or stately muskmelon takes only a few minutes, providing a fleeting joy. You cannot hold on to the experience.“
• “Perhaps the Japanese love affair with the perfect fruit is a reflection of a belief in the ephemeral.”
• “The Japanese concept ichigo ichie (literally meaning ‘one time, one encounter’) originally comes from the tea ceremony tradition. Rikyū is the most likely originator of this important idea. Ichigo ichie is the appreciation of the ephemeral character of any encounters with people, things, or events in life. Precisely because an encounter is ephemeral, it must be taken seriously. Life, after all, is filled with things that happen only once. The realization of the ‘onceness’ of life’s encounters and pleasures provides the foundations for the Japanese conceptualization of ikigai, and is central to the Japanese philosophy of life. When you take notice of the small details of life, nothing is repeated. Every opportunity is special. That is why the Japanese treat the tiniest detail of any ritual as if it were a question of life and death.“

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