In a 2001 research paper on ikigai, co-author Akihiro Hasegawa, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Toyo Eiwa University, placed the word ikigai as part of everyday Japanese language. It is composed of two words: iki , which means life and gai, whichdescribes value or worth.

For Japanese workers in big cities, a typical work day begins with a state called sushi-zum e, a term which likens commuters squeezed into a crowded train car to tightly packed grains of rice in sushi. The stress doesn't stop there.

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Ikigai: A Japanese concept to improve work and life

Ikigai: A Japanese concept to improve work and life

Ferdy Boughjess