The Ikigai Journey: A Practical Guide to Finding Happiness and Purpose the Japanese Way

In The Ikigai Journey, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles build on their international bestseller Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, offering a practical approach to identifying your own ikigai through exercises. The book presents ikigai as the point where passion, mission, vocation and profession meet, creating a personal sense of meaning.

Structured as a journey, it brings these elements together with the aim of supporting a more balanced life. It also describes ikigai as something that changes over time, shifting with different phases of life. Across three sections, the book encourages acceptance of that change, positioning the process as a way to understand the past, engage with the present and consider the future.

Key details

• Authors: Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
• Described as a practical guide with exercises and habit-based approaches
• Builds on the authors’ international bestseller Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
• Organised into three sections: future, past and present
• Uses Tokyo, Kyoto and Ise as the settings for each section

Synopsis

The book explores ikigai as a “reason for being” formed where what you love, what you hope to contribute, the gifts you offer and your livelihood converge. It frames ikigai as a constant that transforms over time, differing across life stages.

Its three-part structure moves through the future, the past and the present, using Tokyo, Kyoto and Ise as symbols for each perspective. It also references Japan’s long life span and the role a strong sense of ikigai is said to play in happiness and longevity, presenting the method as a way to find peace and fulfilment within a busy life.