In this video, Nick Kemp explores how ikigai connects with one of the key elements of ibasho: time. He reflects on how ibasho provides a space to envision the future, much like the feeling of ikigai when you're progressing toward a meaningful, bright future.
Exploring two significant Japanese concepts
Nick: I've put a lot of reflection on these three elements and my experience of living in Japan, and actually one of my best friends who I had a business with in Japan, his oldest son really struggled with school, he actually developed mutism at school. So he just would not talk to anyone.
I guess he didn't feel very comfortable engaging in conversation and talking to people at school. And I think he spent much of his time in sickbay, or in the nurse's station studying by himself. So I was quite concerned about my friend's son, whether or not he was, you know, happy. And if he was surviving, but actually, he's done quite well, and now he's studying at a university in Tokyo.
So it sounds like he got through school, and he's studying computer engineering. So I think it was okay in the end for for him. And then I've discovered through my own business that ibasho can be a community. I guess I've developed an ibasho with my community.
And that's been through Zoom calls, and doing podcasts and things like that. So I have regular Zoom calls with my members in my community. And even though we're not in the same room, we still share and have engaging conversations and share aspects of our personal life. So it's become a virtual ibasho. And that feels really satisfying and really rewarding.
And then I really tied the time element to the ikigai concept. I think part of ikigai is feeling that your life is moving forward, and you have this bright future. Mieko Kamiya wrote in her book that one of the ikigai needs was to have a bright future. So yeah, that time element of thinking you have a positive future to look forward to seems really crucial to our sense of self, and where we belong in the world.Haruhiko: Ikigai is life, but at the same time ikigai is iku, iku means go.
Nick: That's a good way to remember that; so to move forward, to go. Perfect. I love these Japanese words, like ikigai or ibasho, they're not really special words in the context of the Japanese language. Japanese people don't really talk about ikigai, and probably, occasionally use ibasho. But they become these words of research, and I find it very fascinating.