Non-fiction Book Review: Awakening Your Ikigai by Ken Mogi
Awakening Your Ikigai by Ken Mogi, in bookstores January 2, 2018
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that is making its way to the broader world.
Ikigai can be best translated as a way of life that enables you to enjoy the simple joys of life even in the midst of conflict and chaos.
Ikigai promotes a balanced but simple lifestyle; in making choices to appreciate the small things in life. And, the author suggests, Ikigai could be critical to a long life.
Highlights of Ikigai include starting small, the joy of little things, harmony and stability, and being in the here and now.
It’s easy to see the appeal of Ikigai in Japan, where workers frequently log more than 80 hours a month of overtime and death related to overwork in Japan has made international news of late.
Author Ken Mogi uses multiple examples from both Japan and the western world to explain how Ikigai transcends cultural boundaries. Mogi shows how Ikigai can be seen in Japanese culture in the Sumo wrestler’s lifestyle, a famous Sushi chef’s approach, or even the fisherman who supplies that chef fresh fish. From the Western World, we can see Ikigai in an Irish television comedy, the living conditions of California and Montana, and the works of William Shakespeare.
Even though Ikigai is a Japanese term, the ideals are something that stressed out people around the globe can embrace.
Mogi’s syntax is sometimes stilted and has the feel of a speaker, or translator, who is well versed in English but not fully fluent. Some of the examples used to support the arguments for Ikigai in the Western world seem either dated or a bit of a stretch, but it is easy for the reader to grasp the main point and extrapolate that to his or her own cultural examples.
Mogi’s book particularly resonated with me, as I made my first trip through Japan last summer and visited many of the places Mogi mentions as examples in the book. But you don’t need to be an Otaku -- a fan of Japanese culture -- to find this book both interesting and rewarding.
This quick and easy read makes an effective case for adopting Ikigai regardless of where you live. Despite some minor flaws in readability and examples, this is a recommended read that can help you find joy and balance in the life you’re already living. Awekening Your Ikigai is a worthy read for a weary world.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that is making its way to the broader world.
Ikigai can be best translated as a way of life that enables you to enjoy the simple joys of life even in the midst of conflict and chaos.
Ikigai promotes a balanced but simple lifestyle; in making choices to appreciate the small things in life. And, the author suggests, Ikigai could be critical to a long life.
Highlights of Ikigai include starting small, the joy of little things, harmony and stability, and being in the here and now.
It’s easy to see the appeal of Ikigai in Japan, where workers frequently log more than 80 hours a month of overtime and death related to overwork in Japan has made international news of late.
Author Ken Mogi uses multiple examples from both Japan and the western world to explain how Ikigai transcends cultural boundaries. Mogi shows how Ikigai can be seen in Japanese culture in the Sumo wrestler’s lifestyle, a famous Sushi chef’s approach, or even the fisherman who supplies that chef fresh fish. From the Western World, we can see Ikigai in an Irish television comedy, the living conditions of California and Montana, and the works of William Shakespeare.
Even though Ikigai is a Japanese term, the ideals are something that stressed out people around the globe can embrace.
Mogi’s syntax is sometimes stilted and has the feel of a speaker, or translator, who is well versed in English but not fully fluent. Some of the examples used to support the arguments for Ikigai in the Western world seem either dated or a bit of a stretch, but it is easy for the reader to grasp the main point and extrapolate that to his or her own cultural examples.
Mogi’s book particularly resonated with me, as I made my first trip through Japan last summer and visited many of the places Mogi mentions as examples in the book. But you don’t need to be an Otaku -- a fan of Japanese culture -- to find this book both interesting and rewarding.
This quick and easy read makes an effective case for adopting Ikigai regardless of where you live. Despite some minor flaws in readability and examples, this is a recommended read that can help you find joy and balance in the life you’re already living. Awekening Your Ikigai is a worthy read for a weary world.
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