Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being." It lives at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

How do I find my ikigai?

Use the four-circle reflection: list what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The overlap is your ikigai. The Ikigai Discovery Tool on this page guides you through 20 questions.

Is ikigai a religion?

No. Ikigai is a cultural philosophy from Japan, particularly Okinawa. It is practiced as daily attention to small purposes — gardening, friendship, work, craft.

What is hara hachi bu?

Hara hachi bu means "eat until you are 80% full." It is one of the strongest dietary signals correlated with Okinawan longevity.

A moai is a small social circle, traditionally of 5 friends, who commit to support one another for life — financially, emotionally, and practically.

Ikigai · The 80% rule

Hara Hachi Bu.

Eat until you are 80% full. The 20% you don't eat is the gap between long life and disease.

Why this small rule has such large effects.

The body's "I'm full" signal arrives 10–15 minutes after you actually have enough food. By the time you feel full, you have already overeaten. Hara hachi bu trains you to stop one bite earlier — at the 80% mark — and then let satiety arrive on its own.

Compounded over a lifetime, this is one of the strongest single behaviours correlated with Okinawan longevity.

The simple practice

Before your next meal, look at the plate. Decide: this is 100%.
Eat slowly. Put the fork down between bites.
When you sense you are almost full — stop. That is 80%.
Drink water. Wait 10 minutes. The wave of fullness will arrive.
Notice your energy at 9pm tonight.

Note: Hara hachi bu is a sensing practice, not a diet. It is not for people with disordered-eating histories. If counting hurts you, throw the calculator away and keep the script.

Your 80% target

A rough single-meal calorie envelope.

Age

Weight kg

Height cm

Sex

Activity