Aug 23, 2019
Finding my ikigai in Japan
When it comes to work, there’s a Japanese concept I've seen a lot about in recent years that I really love, called ikigai. The concept centers around finding what makes your life worthwhile, and focuses on four main factors - what you are good at, what the world needs, what you love, and what earns you money. Finding your ikigai would mean ultimately finding your dream job, your vocation, and a true passion for getting out of bed in the morning.
When I was a teenager I worked in fast food, like many people my age did. Definitely not my ikigai! Yes - it earned me money, and yes, the world does need to eat. Was I good at it? Sure, I guess. Was it something I loved, though? No way! It was a means to an end - a way for me to enter the workforce while I was still at high school, learn some valuable skills about being a team player and how to work in a fast paced environment, and how to manage my time effectively.
After university, I worked in finance as a fraud analyst. Again, it’s something the world needs - we all don’t want to see money disappearing from our bank accounts! It’s something that earned me money, and I do think that overall I was good at my job. It still wasn’t a job that I’d define as my ikigai, though.
Then enter Japan. I flailed about for a bit, not knowing what I really wanted to do or how I'd find satisfying work in a country where I didn’t speak the language competently. I tried English teaching for a short period of time, but just didn’t feel like I was good at it - so there was no ikigai potential there!
I’ve fallen into a line of work though that I finally feel captures my ikigai. I work part time managing the social media for a travel agency in Japan. The agency caters to people visiting Japan from all corners of the globe, so I get to post in English - there's no need for me to have mastered Japanese! I get to promote things I’m really passionate about since I love to travel, and particularly traveling here in Japan. I’m up to 44 out of 47 prefectures myself, so having a job that allows me to utilize what I’ve learned throughout my travels is rewarding.
How about you? Discovered your ikigai yet?
3 Comments
TonetoEdo
on Aug 25
I'm happy for you! You're proof that foreign residents in Japan can achieve ikigai. My thoughts - In the general sense, working education as I do satisfies all four of the circles in the ikigai diagram. I enjoy it, I'm reasonably good at it from years of experience, I get properly paid and receive great benefits for it, and judging from the response from most of my students, it makes their worlds better by opening a window onto a whole world of information and allowing them to express themselves freely. However, the situation in which I work, the English language department of a private high school, the things that I'm good at are not entirely honored. This is a problem of the test-driven curriculum that doesn't yet allow teachers like me to help young people become "global citizens". It's a shame, really, because the expertise of experienced and skilled teachers is here. But then I think about my role here in an even broader sense - in Japan, I receive a good salary, perhaps the same or better than my home country, and I can pursue a lot of interests that I enjoy because I have a lot of financial security. One of those interests is writing about Japan for various outlets in English, which gives back to community and the economy, satisfying the "mission" and "what the world needs" part of the ikigai diagram. I don't get paid a whole lot for this other work, but it's something I'm getting better at, and I enjoy it. And then there is the biggest part of the diagram that I'm working towards. I've been a student of a Japanese art for over two decades, and have gradually come to a position where I can teach it. With time, I hope to achieve better coverage of that ikigai diagram. I could only do it here in Japan. The focus of the four circles can grow and change as we gain experience and pick up skills. Thanks for reminding me of the ikigai in the center!
genkidesu
on Sep 5
@TonetoEdo teaching to me is without a doubt one of the most admirable professions out there. You're shaping people's lives - I know the teachers I had growing up made a huge impression on me. I hear you about the writing. I've always loved writing (funnily enough it's how I met my husband - we were pen-pals!) and I do a lot of it here. I'm not as technically proficient or eloquent with my words as so many other writers out there, but I'm glad I have outlets to put my thoughts on paper (or words on a screen, so to speak!). I liked what you said too about the circles changing as we grow and develop. What might be my ikigai right now may completely change in five or ten years. I like the idea that we're never "stuck" as humans!
TonetoEdo
on Sep 8
@genkidesu I think your title says it all - finding your ikigai. It's a process of discovery.