The Book of Ichigo Ichie

The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way

By: Héctor García, Francesc Miralles

Narrated by: Louis Ozawa Changchien

Find happiness by living fully in the present with this definitive guide to ichigo ichie - the Japanese art of making the most of every moment - from the best-selling authors of Ikigai.

Every moment in our life happens only once, and if we let it slip away, we lose it forever - an idea captured by the Japanese phrase ichigo ichie (pronounced itchy-GO itchy-A). Often spoken in Japan when greeting someone or saying goodbye, to convey that the encounter is unique and special, it is a tenet of Zen Buddhism and is attributed to a 16th-century master of the Japanese tea ceremony, or "ceremony of attention", whose intricate rituals compel us to focus on the present moment.

From this age-old concept comes a new kind of mindfulness. In The Book of Ichigo Ichie, you will learn to...

• appreciate the beauty of the fleeting, the way the Japanese celebrate the cherry blossoms for two weeks every April, knowing they'll have to wait a whole year to see them again;
• use all five senses to anchor yourself in the present, helping you to let go of fear, sadness, anger, and other negative emotions fueled by fixating on the past or the future;
• be alert to the magic of coincidences, which help us find meaning among the disconnected events of our lives;
• use ichigo ichie to help you discover your ikigai, or life's purpose - because it's only by learning to be present, to be tuned into what catches your attention and excites you in the moment, that you can identify what it is that most motivates you and brings you happiness.

Every one of us contains a key that can open the door to attention, harmony with others, and love of life. And that key is ichigo ichie.

A Penguin Life title.

©2019 Héctor García and Francesc Miralles (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A hopeful and practical guide to relishing everyday experiences and living in the moment.... Filled with anecdotes, parables, and lessons, this [is a] reassuring handbook.” (Publishers Weekly)

embrace the moment

Everything in life is fleeting, so it's important to take a breath and commit unique moments to memory. Sometimes I get busy and lose sight of this, so I listen to this book and others like it to remind myself. I'm on my second listen with this book, it has delightful stories that back up ichigo ichie concepts and great narration.

Another great!

Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles tell themselves once again. I find that this is now one of my absolute favorite books and I have recommended it to many. If I could buy one and hand it to each of my friends, I would.

Enjoyed the book!

The book was very good. Easy to listen to. Great concepts and direction to live in the moment. Ichigo Ichie for every moment is a once in a life time experience

Ichigo Ichie

Very good. Will lead to life changes. Remember to enjoy the present moment. Thank you.

Powerful, Inspiring

Loved it!! I will listen to this endlessly! The beauty and power is in it's simplicity. Narrator is easy to listen to. Highly recommend on so many levels!

The loveliness of simplicity

A book that helped me love the moment and embrace my love for detail . Treating each moment as a once in a lifetime event ♥️

Love it!

Me encanto! Fue ameno y facil de escuchar mientras guiaba. Estoy pensando en volver a escucharlo. Lo recomiendo!

Perspective

This book gave a good perspective on life on trying to change your mind set. It was my first self help book and loved it

Important Japanese philosophy

Everyone all over the world should embrace this philosophy in order to enjoy every moment as it happens rather than thinking about the past or present, with a goal of happiness every single day.

Beautiful

Listen to it more than once! Ichigo Ichie to you! Narration is great and just put in your library now