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Ikigai in 2025: The Japanese Concept Of Finding Purpose In Life

Learn How This Age-Old Ideology Can Help You Find Happiness

By Lucy Dayman |
April 16, 2025 |
Health, Art & Culture, Lifestyle

There’s no better time than now to refocus our energies, and really plan out our hopes and goals for the future.

Ikigai—the age-old Japanese ideology tied to purpose and longevity—had its moment in the global spotlight several years ago. Since then, it has made waves in self-help circles, lifestyle blogs and bestselling books. And while the buzz may have quieted down, its message still resonates deeply in 2025. Let’s remind ourselves what it’s all about.

A combination of the Japanese words “iki” (生き), meaning “life,” and “gai” (甲斐), meaning “value” or “worth,” ikigai is all about finding joy through purpose. In other words, your ikigai is what gets you up every morning and keeps you going.

So, What Exactly Is Ikigai?

The origin of the word ikigai goes back to the Heian period (794 to 1185). Clinical psychologist and avid expert on the ikigai evolution Akihiro Hasegawa released a research paper in 2001 where he wrote that the word “gai” comes from the word “kai,” which translates to “shell” in Japanese.

Shells were extremely valuable during the Heian period, so the association of value is still inherently present in this word. Similar Japanese words like hatarakigai (働きがい), which means the value of work, or yarigai ~ga aru (やり甲斐がある), meaning “it’s worth doing it,” also convey this idea.

Gai is the key to finding your purpose or value in life. The best way to really encapsulate the overarching ideology of ikigai is to look at the ikigai Venn diagram (above). It displays the overlapping four main qualities:

What you are good at
What the world needs
What you can be paid for
What you love

Boiling it down to its most basic theory, it’s within the crossover of these points where ikigai stands.

Why Is Ikigai Important?

Many sociologists, scientists and journalists have researched and hypothesized the usefulness and truth behind this particular phenomenon, and they’ve come to a number of very interesting conclusions. One particular theory is that ikigai can make you live longer and with more direction.

In September 2017, the popular Japanese TV program Takeshi no katei no igaku partnered with a group of scientists to conduct research in the small town of Kyotango in Kyoto. The town prides itself on having three times more residents over the age of 100 than the average of the rest of the country.

The program wanted to know what commonalities these elderly happy people had in their daily lives. So, it followed seven people in their late 90s and early 100s from morning till dawn, doing blood tests and other health check-ups.

They found it interesting that all seven people had exceptionally high levels of DHEA. This is a steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that many believe may be the miracle “longevity hormone.”

Interestingly enough, as the program followed those men and women around, they found one thing they all had in common: a hobby they practiced every day that they were really into. One woman in her late 90s was seen spending a few hours every day carving traditional Japanese masks, another man painted and another went fishing daily.

While the correlation between having a hobby you love and the increase in DHEA is yet to be proven scientifically, the program suggested that having one thing that keeps you interested and focused and gives you a sense of satisfaction in life may boost your youth DHEA hormone, thus leading to a longer and happier life.

Where Is Ikigai Practiced?

Okinawa, the southern island off of mainland Japan, is home to one of the highest ratios of centenarians to population. It is also a hotbed of ikigai ideology. Mild weather, a healthy diet and a low level of stress are also factors, but it’s the island’s active population of non-retiring, purpose-driven residents that links them to other long-living communities in Sardinia, Italy and Icaria, Greece.

In 2010, writer Dan Buettner released a book titled Blue Zones: Lessons on Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. In it, he studied areas in the world home to the longest-living residents (including Okinawa). What he discovered was that though they may have a different word for it, ikigai, or having a “purpose in life,” was a strong uniting link.

Hector Garcia, a writer who has released a number of books on this theory, including Ikigai: The Secret to a Long and Happy Life released in English in 2017, believes, however, that this ikigai shouldn’t just be linked to the elderly folks. In fact, it’s currently more popular than ever with younger people both in and outside of Japan.

What’s Your Ikigai?

In his book, Garcia says that studying the ikigai ideology has changed the way he shapes his day.

“I have improved my morning routine to start my days doing what is most important to me before getting busy with others.” In other words, he prioritizes the duties that give him purpose. “This means that I have a cup of green tea, do 15 minutes of easy yoga poses and then write for one hour. Before leaving home, I dedicate time to my health and do one of the activities that give ikigai to my life: which is writing books.”

Though it may sound career-focused, ikigai is not always about financial endeavors. Having a hobby that you can dedicate your time to, raising a family or being able to work and make steps towards diving deep into that passion project you’ve always fantasized about are all ikigai.

Finding Your Ikigai

If you’re feeling lost or unsure about your ikigai, there are several ways to refocus your mind and purpose.

“If you find yourself blocked because change is difficult, try adding some new thing to your life. This could be a new hobby, new circle of friends or a new job on the side,” Garcia suggests.

Tokyo-based neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster Ken Mogi argues in his 2017 book, The Little Book of Ikigai: The Essential Japanese Way to Finding Your Purpose in Life, that it doesn’t matter whether “you are a cleaner of the famous Shinkansen bullet train, the mother of a newborn child or a Michelin-starred sushi chef—if you can find pleasure and satisfaction in what you do and you’re good at it, congratulations you have found your ikigai.”

If you feel like you’re struggling, Garcia suggests that you “gain awareness of the current status of your life.”

Start by putting together a note of the top 10 things you have spent your time on this week. After writing them down, ask yourself if those things are adding purpose to your life. You can subdivide by asking yourself four questions:

Is it something that I love doing?
Is it something the world needs?
Is it something I’m good at?
Is it something I can get paid for? If not, is what you can get paid for a good trade-off for financially supporting your ikigai?

Why Ikigai Still Matters in 2025

In 2025, ikigai feels more relevant than ever. In a world that’s still adjusting after years of global uncertainty, many of us are prioritizing meaning over milestones. As hustle culture gives way to a desire for balance and intention, ikigai offers a refreshing alternative. With more people embracing hybrid work, slow living and mindfulness, ikigai helps guide both personal and professional choices. It’s not just about achieving big goals anymore. It’s about finding steady, daily purpose in the small things that bring us joy. Whether you’re recalibrating your career, focusing on mental wellness or simply seeking more clarity, ikigai remains a timeless and grounding tool for navigating modern life.

If this all feels a little too cemented and you have trouble committing, don’t sweat it! Research has uncovered that just like music taste, fashion and, opinions, a person’s ikigai can change and morph with age. So, chances are, they need a semi-regular checkup. The folks in Takeshi no katei no igaku had all picked up their new hobbies after retirement. If that’s not showing that it’s never too late to start enjoying life, we don’t know what is.

If you need some extra inspiration, check out our article about ikigai in practice to hear about real accounts of how people apply the concept to their lives.

Maybe in 2025, it’s time to refocus your New Year’s and Spring resolutions and embrace the larger picture: finding your ikigai.

This article has been updated and republished for 2025.