Let's get really deep here. Is building apps giving you a sense of lifelong fulfilment?
Ikigai scholar, Michiko Kumano, found that the concept of ikigai (a reason for being)
is eudaimonic, not hedonic (AKA Shiawase). Meaning real ikigai is a state of well-being
Hi Product Hunt! 🌸
I'm the dev behind ikigAI. Nice to meet you all!
For a while, I was deep in the 9-5 grind, every day felt mundane, I was not happy, and I eventually lost the thread of why I was even alive. Maybe this sounds familiar to some of you. So, I went down the self-help rabbit hole. I eventually found ikigai, which enticed me because I am already ingrained in Japanese culture — but then I learned something that would later change how I build this product.
That popular 4-circle diagram you see everywhere for ikigai does not represent the true Japanese philosophy. It's a Western adaptation by a British man named Marc Winn that went viral. The actual concept is ancient but was scientifically pioneered in 1966 by Dr Mieko Kamiya, a Japanese psychiatrist who wrote *Ikigai-ni-Tsuite* (On the Meaning of Life), the first study on ikigai psychology. She treated marginalized leprosy patients in post-war Japan, alleviating their suffering with psychological frameworks based on what ikigai is really about, the felt sense that your life is worth living (Ikigai-kan); what gets you to wake up in the morning.
I built ikigAI on her authentic framework so users can finally discover what invokes their Ikigai-kan. The app skillfully utilizes the Western perspective for an overall more holistic and nuanced experience. The workflow is simple: Two distinct, introspective assessments, then your data is synthesized by a wise AI mentor trained on 60+ years of ikigai scholarship and positive psychology. The result? A beautiful Ikigai Scroll — a personalised, circa 5,000-word guide to what your ikigai is and a path forward in life.
No subscription. No hassle. Just pay once to generate your Ikigai Scroll and keep it forever.
I'd genuinely love feedback from this community:
- Do you feel like AI purpose/ikigai discovery could help you?
- Is the concept of the Ikigai Scroll satisfactory?
- Anything that breaks, confuses, or feels off?
I read every comment and reply the same day!
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