You’ve probably heard of the Japanese concept of “Ikigai” but are wondering how you can successfully apply it to your life. How do you start living a life of purpose, jumping out of bed, excited to face the day?
Join the Tokyo based, British born facilitator and coach, Jennifer Shinkai and her guests to hear real-life stories of how regular people found and integrated their ikigai. Be inspired by how they took their first steps and how their lives have changed.
Still don’t know what you want to be when you grow up? Looking for practical tips to find your ikigai? Then this show is for you.
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Activating Your Ikigai: Vision, Connection, and Paying It Forward with Lana Iwabuchi
Season 4 · Episode 4
Thursday, April 23, 2026 • Duration 50:49
In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, Jennifer speaks with Lana Iwabuchi, founder of Rocklit and creator of the Daruma Vision Workshop, reflecting on mentorship, being called “sempai,” and the idea of paying it forward. Lana shares her background of growing up in Japan from the age of 10 and how she began building connections in the foreign coaching community. She tells the origin story of the workshop, inspired by a trip with friends, manifestation, the Japanese tradition of “yoshuku” (pre-celebration), and discovering modern daruma dolls used to set and achieve goals by painting in their eyes. Lana describes the workshop flow—vision activation through visualization, embodying and sharing goals in the present tense, and anchoring them by painting a daruma—plus her decision to persevere through early failed launches and later expand the workshop with collaborators Monica and sound therapist Nanako. She explains Rocklit’s purpose of bringing spirit back into leadership and encourages listeners to be inspired and inspire others.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
Insights into the creation of the Daruma Vision Workshop
Reflections on mentorship roles and embracing change
Strategies for turning visions into reality through emotional intelligence
The impact of community and cultural richness in coaching
Inspiration for fostering connections and inspiring others
About Lana:
Lana Iwabuchi is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach and leadership facilitator based in Tokyo. She brings firsthand experience from corporate Japan—having worked at Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Amazon Japan—into her mission of bringing emotional intelligence to workplaces. Her approach blends Western science with Eastern wisdom, shaped by over 25 years in Japan and a rich, multicultural upbringing across five countries on three continents. Through coaching, workshops, and keynotes, Lana creates safe, inspiring spaces where people reconnect with themselves and others. By helping leaders rediscover their sense of purpose and presence, she reignites the human spirit behind leadership, one grounded in awareness, courage, and heart. Russian by roots and Japanese at heart, Lana’s work bridges emotion and logic, East and West, science and spirit—inviting all to live and lead with an open heart.
Awakening Your Ikigai: Unveiling Strengths with Hendrik Kwee
Season 4 · Episode 3
Thursday, December 18, 2025 • Duration 59:55
In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, I welcome Hendrik, a friend and professional contact since 2019, to discuss talents and strengths. We reconnect after several years and reflect on how their collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial for Jennifer's business survival. Hendrik shares his experience working at Manulife Japan, emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity and the positive energy at the Indonesian Pavilion Expo. We delve into Hendrik's journey to Japan, his struggles and learnings in a different culture, and his newfound passion for Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment. Hendrik highlights the importance of knowing one’s talents and leveraging them to live a fulfilled life, aligning this with the concept of Ikigai. We also discuss the potential pitfalls of overusing strengths and the paradigm shift required in corporate environments to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How Hendrik discovered his passion and Ikigai through the CliftonStrengths assessment, including his journey from Indonesia to Japan and his unique experiences in the Japanese workplace
The importance of focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, and how a strengths-based approach differs from trying to fix weaknesses
How leveraging individual strengths can boost workplace morale, enhance engagement, and improve overall quality of life
Practical steps to uncover and use your hidden talents in daily life
The crucial role that connections and community play in achieving professional success and finding purpose
32 CliftonStrengths team synergy sessions, 498 people over the last 2 years (Jan 2024 – Dec 2025)
Finding Yoyu & Cultivating Abundance in Your Life, with Marci Kobayashi
Season 3 · Episode 4
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 • Duration 57:09
Welcome to another episode of the Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai podcast. This week we are talking about yoyu, a Japanese concept conveying one’s capacity to handle or afford something. Author Marci Kobayashi joins us to discuss the concept of yoyu and her upcoming book, "Finding Yoyu: The Japanese Compass for Navigating Overwhelm and Cultivating Abundance in 7 Key Areas of Life." Listen to the episode to hear more about yoyu and how it links to ikigai!
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
What Yoyu is and how Marci came to learn about it
How Marci applied the concept of Yoyu to a challenging time in her life
About the importance of proactively taking time for yourself
About ‘tiny altars’ and how they make claiming space more manageable
How you can figure out what makes you feel a sense of yoyu
About Marci:
Marci Kobayashi is a writer, teacher, and business owner in Tokyo. Raised in the U.S., she arrived in Japan as a college student in the early ’90s and has lived there ever since. In 2002, she started a company to provide English-conversation programs and study-abroad advising, which evolved into assisting international organizations and entrepreneurs in improving their global reach online through web design and coaching.
Marci also has a dedicated spiritual practice, enjoys studying alternative-healing modalities, cooking a whole-foods flexitarian diet, and exploring Japan. She is the author of the upcoming book, "Finding Yoyu: The Japanese Compass for Navigating Overwhelm and Cultivating Abundance in 7 Key Areas of Life." She's also working on a memoir chronicling the five years she was the primary caregiver for her father-in-law, a WWII Japanese war veteran, as he navigated Alzheimer’s.
Obsessive Ikigai & The Healing Power of Self Love, with Elizabeth Hendrick
Season 3 · Episode 3
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 • Duration 55:33
This week’s episode contains general discussions of BDSM and torture.
Welcome to the latest episode of the Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai podcast. This week we talk to author Elizabeth Hendrick about her book EXODAI, a memoir about her struggles with her sexuality and the story of how she eventually learnt to love herself after a particularly toxic BDSM relationship with a Japanese dominatrix. For over a decade Elizabeth’s ikigai compelled her to write about her own experiences in order to help others who have been ostracised for being part of the LGBTQ+ community, and who have struggled with self acceptance, self love and healing.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
About Elizabeth’s memoir EXODAI and what compelled her to write it
How Elizabeth felt ostracised as a young LGBTQ+ person and struggled to reconcile her sexuality with her Christian beliefs
What made Elizabeth realise she lacked self love and how she decided to heal herself
How Elizabeth ended up in a torturous relationship with a Japanese dominatrix
About the dark side of ikigai and how it can be an obsession or addiction
Welcome to another episode of season three of the Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai podcast. On the podcast this week I got to sit down with Tengyo Kura, a self professed vagabond. Tengyo has a beautiful outlook on life that has propelled him around the world to connect with many people from different cultures, countries and experiences. Vagabondism is how Tengyo lives his life and is directly connected to his ikigai, and is a way for him to experience true connection to other people. Tengyo has some amazing insights to share with you all that will leave you truly inspired to seek out more true connection in your own life!
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How teaching languages to students made Tengyo realise he was a storyteller at heart
Why we can never truly understand each other completely, but how love and respect lead to true connection
What vagabondism means to Tengyo & what we can learn from people living a vagabond life
Tengyo’s advice for those interested in experiencing vagabondism for themselves
About Tengyo Kura:
Tengyo was born in 1972, and studied anthropology at a university in Tokyo.
Since 2001, Tengyo has been living as a vagabond (stranger) in various parts of the world.
Tengyo taught English at a university in Mongolia, was a language teacher at a law school in Sri Lanka and encountered the Tsunami in 2004. He was a lecturer of Contemporary Japanese Culture at a university college in Norway (2005-2009), and organized the Hiroshima A-bomb exhibition in cooperation with the City of Hiroshima and the Nobel Peace Committee in 2008. He was a Japanese language and cultural teacher at a secondary school in Latvia (2011-2012), and was nominated for the Best Teacher Award in the capital city of Riga in 2011.
Tengyo lived in India and other Asian countries and wrote stories for his storytelling work “Chronicle of Vagabondism” in 2013. He collaborated with Latvian artists for the EU Capital of Culture Commemorative Event in Riga, Latvia in 2014. He lived in several countries in South America and wrote stories for his storytelling work “Chronicle of Vagabondism” from 2014 to 2016. Tengyo also created a storytelling artwork "The Tokyo Vagabond x Ueno" in 2017. Tengyo was a storyteller of an exchange program for TURN, a big cultural project initiated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (2017-2020). He also worked with Cocoroom, an art NPO in the biggest Japanese homelessness community in Osaka City (2020-2022), and was appointed as a chief member of the NPO in 2022.
Unlocking Ikigai: Navigating Transitions and Emerging with Purpose with Adrian Francis
Season 3 · Episode 1
Thursday, February 22, 2024 • Duration 49:33
Welcome to Season 3 of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai!
Adrian Francis is the filmmaker behind the powerful documentary Paper City, exploring the impact of the firebombing of Tokyo in 1945 and the ongoing struggle for it to be acknowledged and remembered. Adrian was brave enough to come on the show at a point where he has not figured out his next steps yet. I thought this was an opportunity not to be missed: to hear from someone in the midst of a transition after completing a major project. If you are also going through a period of transition and haven’t got it all figured out, I think you will find much solace and inspiration in this episode. All those questions? Those hard to grasp ideas and concepts that feel so murky right now? Totally normal…in fact, an essential part of the process!
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How Adrian came to make a film about the firebombing of Tokyo
What happens when you finish a project that has been the main focus of your life
How you can find meaning for your next challenge
Flashing forward and backward in our lives to see what our values are independent of current circumstances
About Adrian
Originally from Australia, Adrian Francis has lived in Tokyo for 17 years, working as a teacher, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He majored in documentary film at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne University. Francis directed the award-winning documentary short, Lessons from the Night, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. He was invited to participate in the Berlinale Talents program at the Berlin Film Festival, where he began developing the project that would become Paper City—his first feature-length film. Paper City premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2021 and has screened theatrically in Japan, and internationally at festivals and through Al Jazeera's Witness series. It has won numerous awards, including the Audience Award at the Tokyo Documentary Film Festival, an ATOM (Australian Teachers of Media) Award for Best History Documentary, and Best Emerging Director at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. He recently gave a TEDxWasedaU talk on the bombing of civilians, . Most recently, Adrian has become interested in what we can do to take climate change action.
Finding Your Ikigai in the Midst of a Mental Health Challenge, with David Macdonald
Season 2 · Episode 21
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 • Duration 50:09
Content Warning: In this episode of the podcast David Macdonald and I have a frank discussion of mental illness, depression, suicidal ideation and suicidal thoughts.
If you are in Japan and want to talk to someone about these issues please consider contacting the Tokyo English lifeline at https://telljp.com/.
Today on the podcast we have a very important conversation with David Macdonald about mental health challenges. Originally from Canada, David is CEO of an independent advisory and consulting firm, focused on supporting Japanese companies go global, and global companies come to Japan, especially in media and tech. Whilst in the corporate world David experienced some mental health challenges that led to a diagnosis of depression and then later bipolar disorder. In this episode David and I discuss what ikigai means to someone for whom simply getting out of bed in the morning is their reason to get out of bed.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
What brought David to Japan in the 90s
What it was like for David to be succeeding in his corporate career while simultaneously experiencing depression and being diagnosed as bipolar
The importance of being honest at work and at home about the internal challenges you are facing
About the work of a Japanese firm, Tech Doctors, using data from wearable devices to improve diagnoses and therapies for various illnesses
What you can do if you think someone you know is experiencing a mental health challenge like depression
About David:
David is CEO of an independent advisory and consulting firm, focused on supporting Japanese companies go global, and global companies come to Japan, especially in media and tech. David brings decades of international experience, including strategic leadership, general management, culture development and talent strategy, and a rich multicultural background.
The Ikigai in Empowering Others to Have Fitness Autonomy, with Menya Hinga
Season 2 · Episode 20
Tuesday, December 26, 2023 • Duration 50:17
Happy Holidays everyone! This can be a time that tests our health and wellness goals, so this episode’s guest is here to help. Menya Hinga is an online health and fitness coach and co-founder of SOGO Fitness—Japan’s largest non-profit fitness community. Menya has helped hundreds of individuals and numerous organizations make better decisions related to fitness, habits and health. Listen to the episode to feel more empowered and confident in your ability to make changes in your life!
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How an online health and fitness coach is different to a personal trainer
What fitness autonomy is and why Menya strives to help his clients achieve it
What made Menya reassess his relationship to alcohol and drinking
The importance of your environment when making big changes in your life
How Menya empowers people to believe in their own ability to change
About Menya:
Menya helps high-performers who are struggling to manage stress and weight gain, learn to stress less, move more, and eat better in order to transform their health and performance.
As an expat, father of 3 (soon to be 4!), and personal trainer turned online health and fitness coach, Menya knows how difficult it can be to create work-life balance while wearing many different hats.
So for more than a decade he’s helped hundreds of individuals and numerous organizations make better decisions related to fitness, habits and health as a health and fitness coach, personal trainer, and co-founder of SOGO Fitness—Japan’s largest non-profit fitness community.
Connect with Menya:
Website:
The ikigai in fighting and filmmaking with Rionne McAvoy
Season 2 · Episode 19
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 • Duration 01:05:02
On this latest episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai I talk to Rionne McAvoy who I first came into contact with through their documentary film “The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan.” The film is an incredibly moving look at an often ignored aspect of life in Japan for many mothers and their children, as well as helping to improve their living conditions.
Listen to the episode to hear more about the documentary, as well as learning how Rionne found his ikigai in filmmaking, martial arts and pro wrestling!
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How Rionne got started in martial arts
What brought Rionne to Japan
About becoming a pro wrestler in his thirties
About Rionne’s love of filmmaking
What led Rionne to make The Ones Left Behind, a documentary on single mothers in Japan
About Rionne:
Rionne McAvoy is a documentary filmmaker originally hailing from the Gold Coast in Australia. Residing in Tokyo for almost 20 years, his documentary "The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan" is a shining light down the path of improving the living conditions for single parents both in Japan and around the world. His documentary delves deep into Japanese society culture and history to expose a side of Japan that many refuse to admit exists.
The COVID-19 lockdowns across the world were a very stressful time for a lot of us, but there were also a lot of stories of positive community building and support that came out of that time. One of those stories was that of Frock Up Friday, a facebook group started by friends Bev and Suzie in the UK. The page started as a place where they and their friends could get dressed up on a Friday night and post pictures of their fabulous outfits! After a few weeks the page had amassed thousands of members, well beyond Bev and Suzie’s intended group of friends and family. On the podcast I talk to Bev and Suzie about Frock Up Friday, the ways the group has promoted values like inclusion, compassion and self care, and how this all relates to their ikigai.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
What led Bev and Suzie to start Frock Up Friday
How the group has helped people feel more connected and less lonely
About how dressing up for fun on Fridays has led people to be more confident and creative
How the group brings different types of people together and lets them learn from one another
About Frock Up Friday:
In March 2020 during the lockdowns at the beginning of the COVID 19, two friends Bev and Suzie decided to dress up on Fridays, pretend like they were going out, and post their photos on a Facebook group page they created called Frock Up Friday. They invited their friends to join the group and share photos of their Friday outfits.
After just a few weeks the group had over 13,000 members worldwide.
Initially the group was just about dressing creatively and sharing styles but it’s become something so much more. Frock Up Friday for many people became an escape from the virus; from the impact of lockdown; from politics; and from anxieties of personal battles in health, mental health, body image and gender issues to suggest a few.
Frock Up Friday is about promoting inclusion and self care, sharing compassion, encouraging zero negativity, frocking up without costing the earth, and encouraging people to dress for dopamine!
About Hendrik:
Hendrik joined Manulife in January 2023 as Global Learning Partner, reporting into Asia Learning Lead and rolled up to Katherine MacNaughton`s organization. While sitting in the global team, Hendrik`s role is to build a learning culture in the Japan market. Hendrik ensures Japan programs are aligned with Manulife strategies & priorities while meeting the Japan market needs.
Prior to joining Manulife, Hendrik had similar roles and responsibilities in companies such as Philip Morris International and Bridgestone. Hendrik also performed an APAC regional role during his time in Bridgestone where he led regional talent management related projects covering 11 countries working in the Regional HQ of Bridgestone in Singapore. Hendrik`s background is in talent management and development areas.
Hendrik was awarded an MBA from Murdoch University in Singapore in 2018 and graduated with a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.
Outside of work, Hendrik is a father of 2 daughters.
ELIZABETH HENDRICK published her debut work, EXODAI, in September 2023. She was compelled to write about her struggles with her sexuality and narrate the story of how she eventually learnt to love herself as a lesbian woman, placing particular emphasis on her BDSM relationship with a Japanese dominatrix. Elizabeth believes her story will be of value not just to LGBTQ+ and BDSM/fetish communities, but to all individuals who have been ostracised during their adolescence and whose lack of self-love is sabotaging their adult lives. EXODAI is also an intriguing peek behind the curtain of Tokyo’s exotic and sometimes shocking BDSM underworld.
Elizabeth was born and raised in East Anglia. She graduated in mathematics from Durham University in 1994 and began a career in financial services in London. In 2004, she left finance to enter the risky world of entrepreneurial start-ups. During her first project to launch a film magazine, she developed the practice of keeping a diary of events. It was her cathartic response to dealing with the stress of heading up an underfunded start-up. Since then, she has kept records and written memoirs covering all her remarkable life experiences, including being a contestant on a reality TV show. In 2016, Elizabeth retired from the corporate world and moved into part-time business education, specifically to focus on her career as a writer. Over the course of her life, she has lived and worked in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Dubai. She currently works and resides in Tokyo, and she doesn't stop writing!
Ultimately, Elizabeth is keen to promote self-awareness in the realm of sexuality and bring solace to those who have been ostracised or who lack self-love and acceptance.
Tengyo resumed activities in Africa in November 2022, and introduced a Japanese concept of social inclusive programs to countries in the southern part of Africa. Tengyo is now carrying out various activities called African Jamboree 2025 that emphasize cultural exchange between Japan and some African nations until 2025.
A Canadian native with formative years in Germany and the UK, David came to Japan in 1995. Armed with a BA (Honors) in History and Politics (International Relations) and an MSc in East Asian Business, he also holds several qualifications in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Governance, and Cross-cultural Leadership and Management, and is a strong advocate of mental health awareness in the workforce, and is very open with his own struggles with bipolar disorder.
He helped pioneer NTT DoCoMo’s non-Japanese team in 1999, with the i-mode mobile internet service. His trajectory included key roles at major media and tech brands like Disney, Google (YouTube), and Discovery as GM and President for Japan. Much of his work at Discovery focused on transformation, and post-merger with Warner Media, he steered the Discovery business and served as VP for Networks.
He also serves as an Independent Director for Tokyo Prime traded KADOKAWA CORPORATION, as a member of the remuneration committee, and stewards diverse non-profits as a member of their boards.
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