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Eight Million Ways to Happiness
- Author
- Hiroko Yoda
- Narrator
- Hiroko Yoda
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 1 January 2026
- Run Time
- 16 hours 15 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'A timely and moving pilgrimage through Japan's spiritual traditions' RUTH OZEKI, Women’s Prize-winning and Booker Prize-shortlisted author
'A fascinating dive through hidden layers of the Japanese worldview' KATHERINE MAY, author of Wintering
Find your way to happiness with this wise, inspiring journey into the spiritual heart of Japan.
In Eight Million Ways to Happiness, Hiroko Yoda invites readers on a transformative journey into the traditions that shape Japanese life. While millions have found inspiration in ideas like ikigai or The Courage to Be Disliked, Hiroko reveals the deeper traditions that quietly infuse Japan’s culture, drawn from Shinto, Buddhism, and the mountain mysticism of Shugendo.
These aren’t abstract philosophies. They are living practices that integrate so seamlessly with modern secular life, even natives can forget they are there. Reconnecting with them helped Hiroko find light after profound loss – and realise that they offer powerful tools for anyone seeking meaning, connection or peace in their own life.
Through vivid storytelling and immersive experiences – dancing at Shinto shrines, climbing sacred peaks, and meeting mystics – Hiroko shows how Japan’s flexible approach to spirituality helps kindle gratitude, connection and kinship with nature. What emerges are practical insights and gentle guidance to spark joy, find balance, and discover what truly matters.
Whether you're grieving, searching, or simply curious, this book is a reminder: there are millions of ways to be happy. You just have to find yours.
Critics Review
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Eight Million Ways to Happiness is a timely and moving pilgrimage through Japan's ancient spiritual traditions. As she navigates the terrain of her own grief in the wake of her mother's death, Hiroko Yoda shows us how we might ease our own suffering and reawaken a profound appreciation of the beauty of the world
RUTH OZEKI, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of A Tale for the Time Being
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In her quest to get to grips with Japan’s spirituality, Yoda trains as a Shino shrine-dancer, hikes up mountains to meet mystics, and consults a fortune teller . . . This is an elegantly written book, full of insights about Japan
Mail on Sunday
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A fascinating dive through hidden layers of the Japanese worldview
KATHERINE MAY, author of Wintering
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A welcome new voice . . . Offers a series of personal and highly practical insights into Japanese life and spirituality . . . Hiroko Yoda makes for an excellent guide
New Statesman
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Yoda refuses to dole out a prescription for being happy but shares what she does in her own life. And what’s core to her message is this: happiness is a perspective . . . Which is refreshing when you consider that, in the West, we’re told that happiness comes from ticking off milestones – buying a house, getting married, landing that next big job
Grazia
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Vividly illustrated with anecdotes and explanations from the author’s own life, and it is this attention to detail and pacing which allow often weighty, existential topics to sink in . . . Crucially, this book is not prescriptive . . . It is simply a presentation of the many facets to what make up the topic of spirituality in Japan . . . Though this book is ultimately at its core an overview of Japanese spirituality, it is also in equal measures a deeply personal coming to terms for the author with the death of their parents, and how they processed that grief
Japan Society
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A beautiful exploration of Japanese spirituality. With wise insights and meditative personal stories, Yoda inspires us all to be more intimately connected with nature – and with ourselves
SHUNMYO MASUNO, author of Zen: The Art of Simple Living
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Hiroko Yoda dives into Japanese spirituality with an open heart and a lively, questioning mind. What she discovers is religion with a lowercase r: guidance rather than rules, generosity instead of judgement. Please know: No woo-woo spiritual blather here! Yoda's footing in cultural history and talents as a storyteller set this book apart and above
MARY ROACH, New York Times-bestselling author of Gulp and Stiff
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Transcendently intimate. A personal journey of remembrance and healing leads to a heightened exploration of the mystic realms of Japan. Yoda provides insights into Japanese spiritual lore as well as practical lessons in opening yourself to comforting unseen presences that can change your life
ALFRED BIRNBAUM, translator of Haruki Murakami
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Hiroko Yoda
- Narrator
- Hiroko Yoda
- Duration
- 16 hours 15 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 January 2026
- ISBN
- 9781526672155
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Shintoism, Memoirs, Self-help, personal development and practical advice
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Eight Million Ways to Happiness written and read by Hiroka Yoda'A timely and moving pilgrimage through Japan's spiritual traditions' RUTH OZEKI, Women’s Prize-winning and Booker Prize-shortlisted author'A fascinating dive through hidden layers of the Japanese worldview' KATHERINE MAY, author of WinteringFind your way to happiness with this wise, inspiring journey into the spiritual heart of Japan.In Eight Million Ways to Happiness, Hiroko Yoda invites readers on a transformative journey into the traditions that shape Japanese life. While millions have found inspiration in ideas like ikigai or The Courage to Be Disliked, Hiroko reveals the deeper traditions that quietly infuse Japan’s culture, drawn from Shinto, Buddhism, and the mountain mysticism of Shugendo.These aren’t abstract philosophies. They are living practices that integrate so seamlessly with modern secular life, even natives can forget they are there. Reconnecting with them helped Hiroko find light after profound loss – and realise that they offer powerful tools for anyone seeking meaning, connection or peace in their own life.Through vivid storytelling and immersive experiences – dancing at Shinto shrines, climbing sacred peaks, and meeting mystics – Hiroko shows how Japan’s flexible approach to spirituality helps kindle gratitude, connection and kinship with nature. What emerges are practical insights and gentle guidance to spark joy, find balance, and discover what truly matters.Whether you're grieving, searching, or simply curious, this book is a reminder: there are millions of ways to be happy. You just have to find yours.
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