#sparkchamber 032023 — Kaki Okumura
Time flies and our #sparkchamber alumni always make the very best use of it! Last week, writer Kaki Okumura [check out her stupendous Japanese Wellness Blog] dropped a marvelous new book, Wa — The Art of Balance: Live Healthier, Happier and Longer the Japanese Way. Wa is a Japanese cultural concept usually translated into English as harmony. It describes a central tenet at the heart of the Japanese belief that to live well is to live in balance. The sincerity of Kaki’s words and charm of her illustrations are themselves in perfect harmony with the primary message of the book. She shares the practices and psychology behind Wa, and the Japanese health secrets that allow anyone, at any point in their life, to improve and sustain their health. Her method to bring Wa into your life is based on four pillars: Nourish, Move, Rest, Socialize. Rather than enforcing restrictions or relying on willpower, the pillars are gentle, timeless, and easy to adopt, ensuring that improvements to health and wellbeing are long-term and effort-less. A holistic solution to gaining vitality in all aspects of life, her book will revolutionize how you care for yourself, leading to greater peace, fulfillment and, ultimately, contentment.
In celebration of the book’s release last week, we offer Kaki’s thoughts on the creative process, originally posted just about two years ago on March 29, 2021:
Times are stressful, but who’s kidding who? They always are and always will be. It’s up to each of us to find the way though. In that regard, the perfect guide graced #sparkchamber today when writer [and illustrator] Kaki Okumura dropped in for a chat. Kaki is Japanese, but born in Dallas, Texas. Shortly after, she moved to New York, then to Tokyo when she was 12. In her own words:
“My life has been a constant balancing of these two different identities, but I really value my dual experience and want to bring these two different cultures and ideologies together.
I used to struggle with both my physical and emotional wellbeing, but using the lessons I’ve learned from and experienced in both my Japanese and Western upbringing, I’ve managed to help myself by following a philosophy based around wellness and health. I strongly believe that good health is not just beneficial, but incredibly essential to living a fulfilling and rich life.
I still have a ways to go but my goal is to empower others with the strength that they can control their own well-being.”
Kaki’s Japanese Wellness Blog is a welcoming, engaging expression of how to use Japanese principles to live a longer and happier life. There are plenty of free resources including cooking videos, and a weekly newsletter with topics like what to cook when it’s too hot, how the curious stay young, Japanese wisdom on how to prevent mindless snacking, making food a source of joy and connection not stress, Zazen Buddhist meditation for times of uncertainty … really so much good stuff! She also writes at Medium, well worth a visit! And, for daily encouragement, follow Kaki on Instagram.
1.] Where do ideas come from?
Through communication with others, but nurtured with sleep.
2.] What is the itch you are scratching?
Everyone has a right to living a fulfilling and rich life, but this begins with good health. How can I help others get there?
3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?
I exercise, stretch, and eat something good for my body every day. I keep a list of things to do in a day, an endless note on good and bad ideas I have, and am attentive to spending time with other people [it makes a huge difference in motivation and creativity]. If the weather's nice, I try to spend some time feeling the sun — it reminds me that life can be kind, slow, and playful.
4.] How do you know when you are done?
When I read my work top to bottom and there is a sense that something important was taught and [hopefully] learned.
