Yujiro Seki is a filmmaker with a BA in Film from the University of California, Berkeley. After obtaining a permanent US residency, he studied full-time in the Cinematography program at the UCLA Extension. Upon graduating, he embarked on the journey of making his first full feature documentary, “Carving the Divine: Buddhist Sculptors of Japan.” The film has been selected as an official entry in 30 film festivals across the globe, showcased in 22 countries, and earned 13 awards from various festivals worldwide. In this episode of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Yujiro Seki about Yujiro's ..read more

Sachiaki Takamiya is an author and sustainable life coach. He is the author of the Ikigai Diet and Ikigai Bio-Hacking: Bio-Hacking Based on Japanese Natural Health. He was a guest on episode 3 of the Ikigai Podcast - “What Ikigai Means to Japanese'' and episode 57 “The Benefits of Ikigai Bio-Hacking with Sachiaki Takamiya – Part 1”. In this episode of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick welcomes back Sachiaki Takamiya to discuss how Ikigai bio-hacking can benefit both personal well-being and the environment ..read more

Sachiaki Takamiya is an author and sustainable life coach. He is the author of the Ikigai Diet and Ikigai Bio-Hacking: Bio-Hacking Based on Japanese Natural Health. He was a guest on episode 3 of the Ikigai Podcast - “What Ikigai Means to Japanese.” In this episode of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Sachiaki Takamiya about applying ikigai bio-hacking to our daily lives to improve our quality of life ..read more

..read more

Jamila Rodrigues is an anthropologist focused on well-being and crisis management. She completed her Ph.D. in Dance Anthropology and Sufism embodied ritual practice at Roehampton University in London in 2017. She worked as a professional dancer and traveled to different countries, such as the UK, South Africa, and many other countries for 12 years. She is a visiting researcher at the Marine Climate Change Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. Her current research is on Embodied ikigai: Japanese women’s narratives on well-being in times of crisis. In this episode of the Ikig ..read more

Natasha Randall is a Ph.D. candidate in the Informatics Department at Indiana University. Her work focuses on human-robot interaction, specifically consumer-oriented social home robot design where she fuses elements of design, user experience, and market research.  Her interest lies in applying a strategic design approach to use cases meant for individual growth or social good, such as applications for improving mental health, social isolation, nutrition, habit information, and education. Additionally, she’s interested in how personal robots can be used to teach foreign languages, especi ..read more

Kiku Day is a shakuhachi player, a Ph.D. ethnomusicologist, and a world traveller from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work lies at the intersections of performance of traditional shakuhachi music, contemporary music and improvisation, ethnomusicology, history, politics, meditation, and writing. She studied shakuhachi with Okuda Atsuya, one of the foremost performers of jinashi shakuhachi, in Tokyo, Japan for 11 years before returning to Europe to study ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.  Moreover, she is a founding member of the European ..read more

Kiku Day is a shakuhachi player, a Ph.D. ethnomusicologist, and a world traveller from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work lies at the intersections of performance of traditional shakuhachi music, contemporary music and improvisation, ethnomusicology, history, politics, meditation, and writing. She studied shakuhachi with Okuda Atsuya, one of the foremost performers of jinashi shakuhachi, in Tokyo, Japan for 11 years before returning to Europe to study ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.  Moreover, she is a founding member of the European ..read more

Benjamin Boas is an American author, translator, and contemporary Japanese culture consultant. He is both the Cool Japan Ambassador for the Japanese government and a Tourism Ambassador for the Nakano ward in Tokyo. He is the author of From Cool Japan to Your Japan and two other Japanese-language books about intercultural education and has written for Studio Ghibli, The Japan Times, and many other publications. In this episode of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Benjamin Boas about the global visibility of Japan’s unique culture ..read more

Giving a voice to ikigai researchers, authors and Japanese, Motoki Tonn and Nick Kemp discuss the virtual ikigai summit they will be hosting in February 2023. Ikigai has become one of Japan's most misunderstood words and culturally appropriated concepts. It’s not a word from Okinawa. It’s not the Japanese secret to longevity. It's not a Venn diagram showing you how to find your bliss or become a successful entrepreneur. And it’s not the pursuit of a single life purpose.  The Ikigai Summit will bring together the knowledge of researchers, authors and speakers to offer various perspectives ..read more