About The Ikigai Diet
The Ikigai Diet, the diet eaten by Japan’s centenarians and young naturalists, is a high fibre, largely plant-based diet, rich in what the West would consider superfoods.
When we think of Japanese centenarians, the residents of Okinawa come to mind thanks to books like The Okinawa Way and, more recently Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. It was back in the 1980s when Okinawa was regarded as an island of longevity. The truth is Okinawa is not the only prefecture to have a high concentration of centenarians in Japan.
There are many healthy centenarians living in all prefectures of Japan. More recently prefectures such as Nagano and Shiga, have held the highest concentration of centenarians.
It’s Not a Blue Zone. It’s A Lifestyle
Contrary to popular belief, there is no one “Blue Zone” in Japan but rather a unique diet and lifestyle practised in the rural areas of most of Japanese prefectures that results in the local residents living into old age with healthy bodies, sound minds and happy hearts
This lifestyle is known as Satoyama Living.
Satoyama Living
Like much of Japan’s traditional culture Satoyama living is an ancestral lifestyle that has lost its significance in the modern age. Fortunately, though, there are groups of Japanese who have returned to this way of living. These people are called Shizenha, young naturalists who have moved to rural areas of Japan, choosing to lead a more sustainable way of living.
They have adopted a Satoyama lifestyle like the Japanese of old; growing their own rice and vegetables through organic farming, making fermented foods at home, bringing up children surrounded by nature and recovering the traditional Japanese diet. Not only have they inherited the natural culture; they have also upgraded it to a way applicable to the modern age.
The Ikigai Diet
The ikigai diet offers you the opportunity to embrace a healthy diet inspired by the wisdom of Japan’s centenarians and the knowhow of the Shizenha, Japan’s emerging naturalists.
Through my blog I aspire to help you live a long and healthy life.
Sachiaki Takamiya
Sachiaki Takamiya is a writer and the creator of Ikigai Diet and Ikigai Bio-Hacking. He has authored a range of books, with one of his better-known works being the spiritual adventure novel, Ten-jo-no-Symphony, published in Japanese by Kodansha in 2006. His contributions in English include The Ikigai Diet, Ikigai Bio-Hacking, and Natto Unleashed.
He embraces a sustainable lifestyle in a serene town in Shiga Prefecture, growing his own vegetables and crafting fermented foods. In 2018, he innovatively translated this lifestyle into a diet, thus birthing the Ikigai Diet. In 2022, he further enriched this diet, transforming it into a holistic health approach called Ikigai Bio-Hacking.
Homemade natto has been a staple of his diet for nearly a decade, holding a central role in the Ikigai Diet. Embracing this passion for natto, he donned the moniker ‘Natto King’ in 2022 and began disseminating natto-related insights via his YouTube channel, the Ikigai Diet.
His health-focused lifestyle has certainly paid dividends. Despite being in his early 60s, he consistently receives clean bills of health.