Ikigai (ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning “alive” or “life,” and gai, meaning “benefit” or “worth.”
When combined, these terms mean that which gives your life worth, meaning, or purpose.
Ikigai is similar to the French term “raison d’etre” or “reason for being.”
acCORDING TO W.H.O FIGURES AS OF 2015, JAPAN IS THE COUNTRY WHERE HUMANS LIVE THE LONGEST. THE COUNTRY RANKS NUMBER ONE IN LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR BOTH WOMEN (90.1 YEARS) AND MEN (85.4 YEARS), WITH AN OVERALL AVERAGE OF 87.9 YEARS - OVER 4 YEARS MORE THAN COUNTRY WITH THE SECOND HIGHEST RANKING (SWITZERLAND)!
"May your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food"
This advice, attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates, perfectly sums up the positive effect of the diet of the Japanese on their bodies.
Indeed, the staple foods of Japanese cuisine, namely fish, rice and vegetables, are healthy and low in saturated fats and sugars, which over time can cause hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers.
The Japanese also consume a lot of soy and seaweed, which, as well as being rich in many vitamins and minerals, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
For several centuries, the Japanese have been heavy consumers of matcha, green tea powder. It is rich in catechins, antioxidants that boost the immune system and help prevent cancer and excess cholesterol. Its antioxidant activity extends to the elimination of free radicals, which have an impact on cell aging, and helps preserve membrane cells and DNA.
Matcha also has a positive effect on the regulation of blood pressure, digestion and stress.
The Japanese continue to engage in physical activity in their old age for as long as they can. It's not uncommon to see groups of the elderly in city parks doing gymnastics, running or Nordic walking. Cycling is also particularly popular, and many seniors continue to move around by bike.
Generally, daily physical activity, valued at an early age by the Japanese especially through rajio taiso (literally "gymnastics radio" and a kind of warm-up calisthenics broadcast every morning throughout Japan), continues until very late in the life of Japanese people.
Japan has one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world, offering affordable, high quality health coverage that's easily accessible to a large number of people (ranked 4th in the world by Bloomberg Efficient Health Care).
The competence of the country's doctors is also recognized and respected, and these two factors combined mean that many Japanese visit their doctor frequently, improving the prevention and early detection of diseases.
The Japanese love a drink, but like other Asian ethnic groups, they are often affected by a dysfunction of one of the two enzymes responsible for treating alcohol in the liver.
This alcohol flush reaction, which can often be noticed in people of Asian origin, is a redness of the skin following the ingestion of alcohol. It can also be accompanied by nausea, headaches, and an increased heart rate. This genetic mutation makes many Japanese more sensitive to alcohol, and greatly reduces the amount of alcohol they are able to drink. This relative intolerance to alcohol helps distance those affected from the negative effects caused by drinking too much.
Another not-so-secret key to Nagano's remarkable longevity is a vigorous lifestyle, encouraged by local leaders.
In Matsumoto, officials have developed a network of more than 100 walking routes to encourage people to exercise. Community groups and neighborhood associations organize communal walks — not difficult in group-oriented Japan. Even in winter, clusters of residents can be found regularly walking along Matsumoto's streets, parks and canals and around its historic medieval castle downtown. Sugenoya says the walking trails are a cost-effective way to promote health and control medical costs. "The first thing we wanted was just to get people walking. Everyone can do that. You walk, you talk, you get exercise and that helps build up a sense of community," he says.
Japanese officials encourage people to postpone retirement or begin second careers, in part to maintain a healthy lifestyle longer.
Nagano is ahead of the curve there as well. Nearly 1 in 4 people over 65 are still in the workforce — the highest rate in Japan. "We don't really know if people in Nagano continue to work because they are healthy, or if they are healthy because they continue to work," says Hiroko Akiyama, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Gerontology. "But we believe working does affect health."
Kuroiwa says he doesn't think about all that. He retired as village accountant a few years ago, but came back to manage a new tourism center last year. As before, his spare time goes into running his family's small farm, where he grows apples and rice along with an array of vegetables. His parents worked regularly into their late 80s, and Kuroiwa figures he and his wife will do the same. "No one here is particularly aware that we live longer than other people. We don't have any secret. We just go about our normal everyday lives and it just turns out that way."
Five secrets that support Japanese longevity
- What are the secrets to these long lives? While there have been many investigations into this question, a clear causal relationship has not been made evident. Here are five points that lead to good health and are thought to be some of the reasons for Japanese people's longevity.
Diet
Hygiene
High levels of societal engagement
High rates of health consciousness
Universal healthcare
Sources:
The Philosophy of Ikigai: 3 Examples About Finding Purpose (positivepsychology.com)
Secrets of longevity in Japan | Japan Experience (japan-experience.com)
Longevity Secrets From Japan - How to Live Longer (aarp.org)
Five secrets that support Japanese longevity | tsunagu Japan