5 Ancient Japanese Philosophies That Help Reduce Stress - by Justin Noppe

COURSE

5 Ancient Japanese Philosophies That Help Reduce Stress

With Justin Noppe

Ancient Japanese philosophies are so interesting because they offer such different thinking to popular approaches. From the concept of beauty to the concept of perfection, this course takes you through 5 Japanese philosophies that can help you re-examine and reframe very stressful situations.


Meet your Teacher

Justin is a resiliency coach for business professionals. His approach of tactical daily actions, emotional strategies as well as belief investigation, creates lasting habit change and the in-depth exploration of the self which helps his clients blast through their barriers and actualize their full potential.

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5 Days

1.3k students

4.8 stars

6 min / day

Stress

English


Lesson 1

Wabi Sabi

Wabi Sabi is the philosophy of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature. It is the striving for excellence not perfection, where excellence is being the best you can be for your level. Here are a few benefits coming from the Wabi Sabi philosophy: 1. Accept things as they are and as you are. 2. Appreciate your life. 3. Strive for excellence, not perfectionism. 4. Live your own life with all its beautiful imperfections.

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Lesson 2

Uketamo

An inscription which appears on a 17th century stone basin at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto is a visual pun in which each of four characters shares the same central square component.  It can be read many ways, including *"Ware tada taru wo shiru,"* or, "I know what 'just enough' is", “I only know plenty,” or “I only know contentment.” There is a concept contained within of "I am already complete". And it couples nicely with another Japanese philosophy; Uketamo. The literal translation is *“I humbly accept with an open heart.”, acceptance with no resistance.

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Lesson 3

Kintsugi

Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that is repairing broken objects, often pottery or glass, with gold mixed glue. The word kintsugi translates to "gold repair" or "gold joinery". A metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections. Looking at your "worst" trauma and how the healing of said trauma has defined you.

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Lesson 4

Kaizen

In the Japanese language the word Kaizen is derived from two Kanji, the first 'Kai' , meaning 'change,' and the second 'zen', meaning 'good. ' Hence the literal meaning of the word being 'change for the better'. So we can understand the word as a way to think about self-improvement.

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Lesson 5

Tsundoku

Tsundoku is the concept of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in your home without reading them. The word is also used to refer to books ready for reading later when they are on the bookshelf. It is a great reminder to feed the flames of our inquisitive nature and to slow down to satisfy our hunger for knowledge.

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4.8 (151)

Recent Reviews

Claudia

January 16, 2026

A very interesting series which taught me a lot about important Japanese philosophies, at least some of which we would do well to adopt here in the US.

Carol

January 15, 2026

A very relevant class for our times and all times. Wonderfully, helpful suggestions and practices.

Stacy

Stacy

December 20, 2025

I love the information in this course! Fun to listen to. Recommend!

Susan

December 5, 2025

Very stimulating. Need to listen again - many times

Wendy

Wendy

November 20, 2025

What a lovely and thought-provoking course. It deeply inspired me to bring these traits into my life and I’m already enjoying the contemplative approach. Thank you!

Donna

Donna

October 4, 2025

Very informative and thought-provoking, Justin. I appreciate insight into the wisdom of other cultures, past and present. Your descriptions of 5 Japanese ideas for achieving personal insights and goals clearly explain the rationale behind the ideas and provide basic approaches to implement them. Thank you! Donna

Joan

October 2, 2025

Thanks for the easy frame work!

Matt

Matt

August 31, 2025

This was an incrediblely thought-provoking course. It is one that I will listen to again. Thank you for your wisdom.

Cheryl

June 1, 2025

Love all of these ‼️Thank you🩵

Elizabeth

Elizabeth

May 7, 2025

Very intriguing and I learned so many new inspiring ideas

Chad

Chad

April 4, 2025

Wonderful Course enjoyed it and learned some new things . Thanks You🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

saphia

saphia

March 15, 2025

Really insightful. Easy to adopt in my day to day life.

Jeannie

Jeannie

March 11, 2025

Thank you. Every one of these concepts were impactful to me. It is so eye opening to hear things from a different viewpoint!

Liza

February 24, 2025

I am interested in Japanese culture and found this course really helpful. Justin explained complex concepts very clearly and in a practical way. I am looking forward to going back over the course to think about how I can apply some of these ideas to my daily life. Many thanks Justin!

Philip

February 23, 2025

Awesome speaker and teacher!!

Lisa

February 10, 2025

Awesome! Bitesized sessions but super deep. Thank you for some timely reminders🙂

Anne

Anne

August 2, 2024

Very comprehensive and informative course. Looking forward to the next course

Lou

Lou

July 29, 2024

Insightful course. I found each session ended abruptly . It was just done!! I would have liked a recap at the end of each philosophy.

Barbara

Barbara

July 27, 2024

Really enjoyed this course. Plan to revisit. Helpful & practical.🙏🏻🪷

Jim

July 27, 2024

Justin is a truly professional presenter. He breaks down interesting topics into digestible form.

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