This is Ikigai 365: Your Journey to Feeling Alive and Fulfilled Every Day

This Is Ikigai 365 takes you on a transformative journey to experience life feeling alive and fulfilled. Through deeply personal stories from Japanese individuals aged 27 to 100, this book invites readers to explore their Ikigai—the unique reason they wake up each morning.

Ikigai is more than a philosophy—it’s a way of life. This book empowers readers to take meaningful action, at any age or stage, by being present to their lived experience over fleeting happiness. Written by seasoned Ikigai practitioners, This Is Ikigai 365 offers hope, clarity, and a daily path towards fulfilment. It’s an invitation to evolve from ‘human doings’ to ‘human beings’, and live each day with intention.

About the Authors

Akihiro Hasegawa is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Teikyo University, Japan. Since beginning his academic career in 1997, he has focused primarily on Ikigai, which was also the topic of his PhD thesis. His clinical expertise includes brief psychotherapy, couple and family therapy, clinical dohsa-hou (motor-action therapy), and hypnosis. An active member of several academic societies, Prof. Hasegawa has also served as chief editor for the Japanese Society of Hypnosis.

Originally from Chennai, Sumathy has made Kobe, Japan, her home for over twenty-five years. Beginning her life in Japan as a homemaker, she explored diverse professional interests that shaped her varied career. A firm believer in lifelong learning through experiences and reading, she finds inspiration in everyday encounters, which fueled her fascination with Ikigai. A mother of two, she also enjoys discovering Japan’s hidden gems.

Shivendu Nadkarni is a business leader turned human capital catalyst. After twenty-five years in Fortune 500 MNCs across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, he is now an educator, mentor, and advisor to small businesses, as well as a researcher and practitioner of Ikigai. Shiv also serves as an adjunct associate professor at NUS Business School in Singapore, where he has lived for nearly two decades.

Rajiv Bajaj is the Chairman of Bajaj Capital, a respected name in Indian financial guidance for over five decades. After more than thirty years in investment banking, wealth management, and financial planning, Rajiv became interested in what makes life truly fulfilling. His exploration led him to the world’s ‘blue zones,’ regions where people often live to 100 or more, where he discovered Ikigai and became a coach in the practice.

Rati Arora is an internationally certified health and wellness coach with over a decade of corporate experience. Her transition into motherhood taught her that self-care is not a luxury but a necessity. She realigned her career with her true passion and Ikigai, recognizing that those who care for others—especially women—often neglect their own emotional and physical well-being.