Well-being Guided by "Beautiful Ways of Living": Connecting with Nature

This series, produced by the Institute for Beautiful Ways of Living (*), reexamines practices and philosophies long embedded in Japanese daily life. It proposes ways to adapt these traditions for contemporary acceptance through various activities, exploring what constitutes a "beautiful way of living."

Having experienced a global pandemic, our lifestyles have changed significantly over the past year or two. In this third installment, we decided to examine the reality of "beautiful ways of living" present in today's life amidst such changes.

While interpretations of "Beautiful Living" vary, a free-association survey on what people actually imagine when thinking about it revealed three major keywords: "living thoughtfully," "feeling (and caring for) nature," and "simplicity."

Therefore, based on the survey results, we report on the awareness, reality, and receptivity of consumers regarding "living carefully," one of the components of "Beautiful Living."

*For more information about the Beautiful Way of Living Research Institute, click here

 

Over half show interest in "living thoughtfully"

First, regarding awareness and recognition of "living thoughtfully," 34.8% of respondents "believe they are practicing it," indicating that one in three people perceive themselves as living thoughtfully. Furthermore, among the remaining 65.2% who answered "do not recognize themselves as practicing it," 30.9% "want to strive for a thoughtful lifestyle," accounting for 20.2% of the total. Combining those who practice a mindful lifestyle with those who aspire to it exceeds half of the total population, revealing a high level of interest in mindful living.


What kind of people are those who believe they practice a mindful lifestyle? Let's examine their characteristics.

Those who practice a mindful lifestyle tend to use things for a long time and enjoy the seasons

When asked about their daily life awareness and values, those who "practice a mindful lifestyle" showed strong awareness of concepts like "wanting to use things I like and that suit me for a long time" (90.9%) and "wanting to enjoy Japan's seasons and the changing nature" (86.1%). The percentage of those who actually purchase seasonal ingredients or enjoy seasonal flowers is also high, suggesting they enjoy the seasons in their daily lives.

Lifestyles that don't rely on electrical appliances, such as "hand fans/folding fans," "kettles," and "brooms"

When asked about household tool usage, those "practicing a mindful lifestyle" use appliances like vacuum cleaners and rice cookers, yet also show high usage rates for "hand fans/folding fans" (81.8%), "kettles," and "brooms" (75.6%). This suggests they lead lives that avoid over-reliance on convenience, embrace time-consuming efforts, and consider environmental impact.

A mindful lifestyle brings calm and happiness

When asked why they practice a thoughtful lifestyle, the most common reason was "it makes me feel calm" at 64.6%, followed by "it makes life easier" and "it leads to a richer life." This shows they pursue this lifestyle for its daily mental benefits.


Notably, while mindful living aligns with the recently emphasized "environmentally conscious lifestyle," only 28.7% cited "it's good for the global environment" as their reason. Rather than adopting mindful living primarily out of environmental awareness, it seems people naturally choose it for themselves, and this approach consequently benefits the environment.

Furthermore, the happiness level ("I feel very happy now" + "I feel relatively happy") among those practicing a "careful lifestyle" was high at 77.0%. The proportion in the top box ("I feel very happy now") was 18.7% among practitioners versus 6.4% among non-practitioners, a roughly threefold difference. This suggests that practicing a "careful lifestyle" may lead to a more mentally enriched and happier life.


While household chores that consumed significant time half a century ago have become simpler due to the spread of appliances, choosing not to rely on them and instead putting in the effort may be providing enjoyment and richness.

For women in their 20s and 30s, specific "lifestyle" suggestions may be effective?!

Finally, let's examine characteristics by gender and age group.

The percentage of people who "want to strive for a thoughtful lifestyle" (combining "strongly agree" and "somewhat agree") was 46.0% among women in their 20s and 44.0% among those in their 30s, slightly lower than the overall average of 52.8%.
Conversely, among women in their 20s and 30s, items like "buying seasonal flowers to display," "growing herbs and medicinal plants for cooking in a home garden," "making homemade salad dressing," and "enjoying the cool breeze with wind chimes" were more frequently cited as things they'd like to try, even if they can't currently practice them, compared to other age groups. While this generation may not respond to the vague concept of "careful living," proposing specific "lifestyle cultures" or "ways of living" might spark their interest and lead to action.


A key point emerging from the overall survey results is that while society increasingly demands sustainable living and improved well-being, a "careful lifestyle" that is enjoyable and achievable within reasonable limits may contribute to solving social issues. Perhaps what is needed is not just emphasizing the necessity of sustainable living, but providing opportunities to start with and learn about a "careful lifestyle" that is manageable and enjoyable.

Next time, we will report on the reality of annual events, which can also serve as a catalyst for this "careful living." Annual events, where humans and nature converse in tune with the changing seasons, and their forms have been passed down and developed within communities and households. We will share, based on our survey, how many people currently practice them.

[Survey Overview]
・Survey Method: Online survey
・Survey Participants: 600 men and women aged 20–79 nationwide
・Survey Implementation: Dentsu Inc. Macromill Inc.
・Survey Period: December 3-6, 2021

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Beautiful Living Research Institute
We rediscover practices and philosophies long embedded in Japanese daily life, proposing "Beautiful Ways of Living" through various activities. These include "living in harmony with nature," "embracing inconvenience and effort while valuing process and attitude," and "cultivating personal wisdom and skills"—all presented in forms relevant to modern times. Our calendar app "Kurashi no Koyomi," which introduces and proposes seasonal lifestyle culture aligned with the "Seventy-Two Seasons," has reached 770,000 cumulative downloads, while the book "Kurashi no Koyomi" is a long-selling title with 10,000 copies sold. https://www.kurashikata.com/
Download the "Kurashi no Koyomi" app here. https://www.kurashikata.com/app/