Happy on Her Own at 102

by Tetsuyo Ishii, Chugoku Shimbun

In 2020, at the age of 100, Tetsuyo Ishii was interviewed by her local paper in Hiroshima. Her positive outlook, wholesome lifestyle and connection to her community instantly captured the hearts of readers. In this charming book, Granny Tetsuyo shares the optimistic principles by which she lives her life, and the simple daily rituals that sustain her.

After retiring from her job as a local teacher and sadly losing her husband, Granny Tetsuyo has learned to live a fulfilling life in solitude. Whether she's attending the friendship club she has held for nearly twenty-five years, or tending to her garden, Granny Tetsuyo continues to share her generosity with the world.

Filled with personal stories, advice, traditional Japanese recipes and photo diary entries, this is a snapshot of a life well-lived and a guide to finding joy in every day.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

Reviews

[Piya ⏾]

saw this book on a random page and the title immediately caught my attention. i’m really into japanese nonfiction and this book was so beautifully written that it almost felt like fiction. tetsuko’s wisdom gave me a fresh perspective, one i needed most at this point in my life. the way she lives is truly inspiring and it’s something i hope to incorporate into my own life as well.

[Heather Leila]

A short and charming read with some valuable insights from some one living a long life full of love and gratitude.

[Josie]

Your heart brings the rest of your body along with it. I think it's really important not to let your heart weigh heavy.

I can only hope I'm as spry at the age of 102 as Granny Tetsuyo, but I did wish there was a little more to this book. I couldn't help comparing it to The Swedish Art of Ageing Well by 90-year-old Margareta Magnusson, which I personally found more engaging, as it contained memoirs of Magnusson's childhood, funny anecdotes, and mini essays with advice about aging well -- all things that I wish had been included in this book, especially the childhood memories.

By contrast, Happy on Her Own at 102 was very brief, and the majority of it consisted of little snippets from Tetsuyo's diary detailing her everyday life. The subtitle is a bit misleading as this isn't really a guide to living a long and happy life -- apart from a couple of interviews/letters where she directly talks about her habits and opinions, the advice is mostly incidental. There were some pearls of wisdom (mostly boiling down to "keep busy and work hard") and Tetsuyo sounds like an admirable woman, but the short descriptions of her daily gardening tasks were a bit humdrum. At one point she talks about going to view the cherry blossom, saying simply, "It was a lovely day." No shade to the author herself, I think she's incredible (side note: she's now 105 years old!), but I wanted more from a published book.

If you accept things as they are, your heart will feel lighter. There are many things I can't do now that I am 102, but I find joy in what I can still do. Even if the result isn't so beautiful, I think it's important to find satisfaction in accomplishing it.

No one lives forever. Maybe that's why I want to be satisfied with this precious time as each year passes by.

[Bidasari]

Buku yang heartwarming tentang Tetsuyo Ishii yang berusia 102 tahun, hidup seorang diri, bersemangat dalam melaksanakan aktiviti harian dan menghargai setiap hari yang dilaluinya.

Jadual hariannya bermula dengan mengemas futon.
Kalau kita mengemas katil/tilam.
Masak.
Berkebun.
Membaca.
Mencatat journal.
Berkebun.
Tidur pengsan.

Dalam jadualnya ada ditetapkan perjumpaan dengan kawan-kawan dan jiran-jiran yang kebanyakannya muda 20 tahun hingga 30 tahun daripadanya.

Sentiasa berfikiran positif.
Pastikan otak sentiasa berfikir/bekerja - menulis journal, membaca buku, buat silang kata, main muzik macam piano, dsb.
Berlapang dada.
Melepaskan apa yang perlu.
Terima hakikat semakin bertambah umur ada perkara yang kita tidak boleh buat sebab kudrat semakin kurang.
Berkomunikasi dengan sahabat dan jiran.

Membaca buku ini mengingatkan kita sederhana itu bahagia.
Sentiasa menghargai setiap perkara yang berlaku di dalam hidup.

Pada Mac 2026, beliau telah berusia 105 tahun.

[Em's Adventures]

What a lovely little book about a sweet old lady who talks about her daily life and the joy she finds from many simple things. I very much enjoyed reading about, because I too am finding joy in all the little things, letting go of all worries (to God) and have found that even in little tasks like cleaning I can be very happy.
This means a lot to me now because I used to fill my life with collectables and to "fill the void" I would spend a tremendous lot of time thinking about how happy I was going to be when I could buy this or that. Then I shifted to food and begun to eat to fill the void. Bottom line is that you can't buy your way to happiness. When I shifted my focus to gratitude, started playing The Glad Game- Pollyanna and most of all when I started seeking Jesus throughout my life I really found true contentment and joy.

[Anne (Of Green Gables?)]

Boring but in a soothing way

[Cathy]

3.5⭐️