Could the Japanese concept of ikigai teach us the secrets of happiness and a longer life?

Not so long ago we went a little bit Danish – snuggling down and getting cosy with hygge, the Scandinavian secret to happiness. But this autumn, if it’s happiness and a longer, more fulfilling life you’re after, you need to look further afield to Japan and its philosophy of ikigai (pronounced “icky guy”).

It comes from the Japanese iki (to live) and gai (reason) and is loosely translated as the reason for waking up in the morning or our purpose in life.

Two new books on ikigai have been published in the UK this autumn and the authors point out that when we know our ikigai we are happier and, like the Japanese who are among the world’s longest-lived people, may survive seven to 12 years longer than those who don’t know theirs.

But what is ikigai and can it be transferred to the West?

“Ikigai is similar to finding our purpose or the meaning of our life,” explains life coach and business strategist Simon Alexander Ong. “The French call it our raison d’etre. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning. It comes naturally to us and is sometimes seen as a gift. When we’re doing it, we’re in flow and we have no idea where the time went because we were so engrossed.

“For example, Richard Branson loves manifesting new ideas and seeing if they work. He could retire if he wanted to, but he doesn’t because he lives by his ikigai to make people’s lives better. Instead of retiring he is continually opening new businesses and always learning.

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