According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—what a French philosopher might call a raison d’être.  Some people have found their ikigai, while others are still looking, though they carry it within them.

Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. According to those born on Okinawa, the island with the most centenarians in the world, our ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning.

It also seems to be one way of explaining why the people of Okinawa have far more people than the global average living full, active happy lives over the age of 100.

The purpose of this book is to bring the secrets of Japan’s centenarians to you and give you the tools to find your own ikigai.