Have You Found Your Ikigai
I was part of the high-level private sector delegation during the state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Japan in February 2023. It was a smashing success as the trip produced numerous commercial deals and defense and political arrangements between the two Asian nations.
One of the 35 letters of intent and agreements signed during the productive trip was between the Villar Group and Mitsubishi Estate Corporation. This was an agreement that expands our existing partnership with MEC which started in 2022. We have formed a 60:40 joint venture that will develop a mixed-use, high-rise condominium along the Taft University Belt—home to 100,000 collegiate and post-graduate students, faculty members and administrative personnel, and with at least 13 universities and colleges over a four-kilometer stretch.
I have always admired Japan and the Japanese people. The country is beautiful and one of my favorite destinations to visit. Japan has this ability to balance tradition and a more modern and cosmopolitan lifestyle. And who does not love the Japanese people? They are hardworking, punctual, polite, and just by looking at them, they seem so poised, cultured and at peace with their world.
The key word, I think, is balance. And this is the key element in the the Japanese concept of “ikigai”. It comes from two Japanese words: ‘iki,’ (which means life) and ‘kai,’ (which means result/worth/benefit). Combining the two results in what appears to be the secret to a long and happy life: “life purpose,” or, our “reason for living.” This, at least was the conclusion of authors Héctor García and Francesc Miralles in their book, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.
In the book, the authors essentially assert that based on their study of Japanese centenarians from Okinawa, the reason why Japanese people live the longest in the world is because of their ikigai. It is all about that delicate balance between pursuing one's professional goals and living life. The key is to discover your ikigai or simply, something worth living for. What is it that you love the most? What do you love doing in your life? What can you do to make your world, our world, a better place? Once you have discovered your ikigai, then you can spend your life doing what you love.
It seems very simple, even naive. One might say, “I cannot always do what I love! I have bills to pay!” Well, that certainly is a legitimate concern. And I do not think the Japanese are saying that finding your ikigai is easy. The philosophy of ikigai is telling us that there is a way to live our lives more meaningfully. As that famous quotation says, “Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.”
This Japanese concept of ikigai was very critical in our conception and design of the Kizuna Heights, that Taft condominium that was the product of our partnership with Mitsubishi Estate Corporation. Kizuna means the enduring bonds between people, that close relationships forged through mutual trust and support. This was not just a collaboration between two corporations, this was also an alliance between two countries and its people.
When I was in public service, I worked hard to preserve and sustain this alliance between Japan and the Philippines. So when the Government of Japan announced in 2022 that they have chosen me as the recipient of The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, I was very happy and proud, not because of the accolade itself but because it came from the country and people that I consider as an ally and a friend. It is one of the awards that I truly treasure.
Kizuna Heights will rise along Taft Avenue, the epicenter of academic and social life in Manila. I imagine many students, faculty members and other academic staff of the many universities and colleges there will be the future residents of Kizuna Heights. But beyond that, this condo development is not just a place where young Filipinos can start searching for their ikigai but also a symbol of our enduring friendship with Japan and its people.
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