A Year of Ikigai by Nicholas Kemp

Curious about what makes your life fulfilling and how to focus on what matters most to you? A Year of Ikigai will help you to do just that. Author, podcaster and coach Nicholas Kemp shares 365 ideas for discovering how to lead a purposeful and enjoyable life, based on the Japanese concept of ‘ikigai’. Although there’s no single English word that precisely conveys the meaning of ikigai, Kemp suggests that ikigai is all about what makes life feel worth living.

Kemp was working in Tokyo when he first heard about ikigai from a coworker.

[Their] explanation of ikigai filled me with excitement and left me intrigued. I couldn’t believe that there was a single word that encapsulated what makes life worth living and the reasons we battle on through life.

Years later, Kemp set out to explore how the concept fits into everyday life in Japan. As a “non-Japanese Westerner”, he is determined to understand, experience, and share his knowledge of what ikigai is and how ikigai practices can support wellbeing. He acknowledges his gratitude to the people of Japan “whose kindness, wisdom and spirit have given [him] the gift of ikigai”.

Kemp talked with people from different backgrounds – from schoolchildren to Shinto priests – to learn how they integrate ikigai into their lives. The book reveals what he found out, as well as clearing up a few common misunderstandings.

Real-life examples of ikigai in action include stories from university students, musicians, ikigai coaches, poets and parents. The diverse sources of ikigai include pets, theme park visits, musical theatre, sporting events, phone calls with family living overseas, morning routines, satisfaction gained from work, and quiet walks alone.

When we’re alone, we become more attuned to our energy - how we feel, what we need, and what truly restores us. Ikigai doesn’t always arrive with excitement; sometimes it whispers in stillness.

A Year of Ikigai is easy to read and attractively laid out. (The fine print confirms that images in the book were created by an artist and not by artificial intelligence.) A Table of Contents guides readers to particular sections. Several of the section headings are in Japanese, and it would have been helpful if these headings had been translated in the Table of Contents, rather than only within the sections themselves.

After the short introductory chapters, each of the sections that follows is only one paragraph long. To get the most out of the book, you will also need to set aside time to consider Kemp’s reflections, examples, and questions, as well as to take your own next steps.

“Start with a beginner’s mind,” Kemp says, so that you are open to new insights about what ikigai means. He recommends keeping a journal to jot down your responses, any decisions you’d like to make, and realistic goals. His questions include:

• Where and by whom do you feel needed? This will help you to figure out who you are most connected to, as well as what you are contributing to your community and to society.

• What’s something you’d eagerly seek out – not for gain, but for the sheer joy of doing it? This might be something that you don’t do well, but even so enjoy. For example, if you love singing but sing out of tune, singing could still be your ikigai.

• What is ikigai – that inner voice – encouraging you to change about yourself or the world around you? What would be the first step to take? This might be related to your values, for example, or to social or environmental causes.

• How can you bring tranquillity into your life? Kemp suggests that connecting your environment to nature is a great start, such as by spending time in a garden, or even simply taking care of a potted plant.

• What has a favorite food experience taught you lately? Perhaps this is connected to the flavours, cultural traditions, the person who prepared the dish, or the people you shared the meal with.

  
  

Anyone who has spent time in Japan will have noticed what Kemp describes as the “customs and practices designed to avoid inconveniencing others”, such as the silence on public transport. Talking or taking phone calls is discouraged as it can disturb others. Kemp explains that the quietness gives others space to experience ikigai.

While the book is intended to be read daily, it could also be dipped into at times when motivation or focus is flagging. It will help you to consider how to make the most of your time – how you spend it, who you spend it with, and which activities will give you a deeper sense of purpose, renewing your energy rather than draining it. Making space for what matters, says Kemp, allows ikigai to become a way of life. It can become “a quiet anchor”, particularly during rough times.

The final heading in Kemp’s book, for Day 365, captures the book’s central question: What do you want to be doing? Kemp encourages us to think about what we’d most like to be doing right now, with whom, and where – as well as the life we want to lead overall. He suggests that once we can confidently and easily answer these questions, we are on the ikigai path.

Reviewer: Anne Kerslake Hendricks

Rock Point/The Quarto Group