Kaki Okumura: "Wa, the Art of Balance" Author

I’ve been doing the Now and Zen podcast for exactly 3 years. That’s 80 episodes with many great guests, wonderful stories, fascinating insights, and I’m often asked, who was my favorite guest.  That’s a lot like asking a parent, who their favorite child is, it’s obviously a tough choice and one best not publicly announced. However I can say one of my favorite episodes was number #48 from October 2021 with Kaki Okumura.  So it’s with much pleasure that I introduce today’s guest, once again Ms. Kaki Okumura. Kaki is Japanese but was born in the US, lives in NYC and was visiting Japan over the New Year holiday when we sat down again to record another awesome episode.  We discuss her passion for writing about “Japanese Principles to Live a Longer & Happier Life”.   Her insightful, logical, and empathetic writing style is so refreshing to read and is actually changing peoples lives. So much in fact, her writing caught the attention of international literary agents and she will be publishing her first book in March of 2023. We talk about healthy living inspired by Japan, guilt-free snacking, how to overcome self-doubt, and of course her new book titled “Wa, The Art of Balance”.  Other topics we discuss:

• What she means by “Learn to be healthier inspired by life in Japan” 
• “Health” is not just about diet and exercise but also feeling comfortable in mind and body
• Cultural differences between moderation and portions when dining in Japan vs. the West 
• The psychology behind why Japanese are so healthy 
• Japanese empathy (and phrase) toward boredom snacking and the concept of having a “Lonely mouth”  
• Personal empathy and the connection of living guilt free through moderation and being kind to oneself 
• The importance of counting memories not calories 
• Kaki’s challenges of being a successful writer while maintaining her “own voice” 
• Celebrating baby steps and taking on a playful mindset when setting goals 
• Explaining “YDK” a Japanese slang term for “Even a child can do it” or “Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained” being an important mindset 
• The inspiration and back story behind writing her first book “Wa, the Art of Balance” 

Kaki"s Website: http://www.kakikata.space
Kaki's Blog: https://kokumura.medium.com/

More Now and Zen episodes: https://www.nowandzen.jp/
Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life