📝 Show notes | PDF & Infographic | Why is Okinawa referred to as the island of (almost) eternal youth? Why is it home to so many centenarians? Ikigai is at the heart of Okinawan culture and is one key to its health and prosperity.

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StoryShots Summary and Review of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Frances Miralles

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Introduction

Why is Okinawa referred to as the island of (almost) eternal youth? Why is it home to so many centenarians?

Ikigai is at the heart of Okinawan culture and is one key to its health and prosperity. Okinawa is an island to the south of mainland Japan, containing some of the world’s longest-living humans. On average, men live up to 84 years and women until 90. Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, lived among Okinawans and gained a first-hand account of why these people are healthier, happier and live longer than anywhere else in the world.

Researchers have identified that their diet, simple outdoor lifestyles, and subtropical climate are three reasons for their longevity. However, it is Ikigai that shapes their lives. 

Iki means “to live,” and gai means “reason.” Therefore, Ikigai is a reason to live. Each individual’s ikigai is personal to them and specific to their lives, values, and beliefs. It reflects the inner self and creates a mental state in which the individual feels at ease. 

About Héctor García and Francesc Miralles

Héctor García is a Japanese-Spanish author who has written several books about Japanese culture, including two worldwide bestsellers, A Geek in Japan and Ikigai. A former software engineer, Héctor worked at CERN in Switzerland before moving to Japan. He has now lived in Tokyo for over 16 years.

Francesc Miralles is a Catalan international award-winning author of self-help and inspirational books. His bestselling novel Love in Lowercase has been translated into twenty languages. Miralles too lived in Okinawa, Japan.

It was while living in Okinawa that Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles had the opportunity to interview more than a hundred villagers about their philosophy for a long and happy life.

StoryShot #1: Find and Follow Your Ikigai

StoryShot #2: Take it Slow

First published in July, 2022.

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