The Power of Chowa: Finding Your Inner Strength Through the Japanese Concept of Balance and Harmony

by Akemi Tanaka

For fans of Hygge and Lagom comes this inspiring guide, illustrated with beautiful artwork, that introduces the Japanese wisdom of chowa—the search for balance—to help us find harmony and peace in every area of our lives

The Japanese wisdom of chowa (pronounced like power) offers a fresh approach to being, showing us how to create space and symmetry at work, at home, and in our relationships. Chowa is an ancient philosophy and set of practices that enable us to discover what matters most in our individual lives, and help us transform our way of thinking about ourselves and others.

 By harnessing the power of chowa, we can learn to ignore the ephemera, focus on the important things, and cultivate a steady state of equilibrium and calm that gives us the confidence and fortitude to handle any challenge we may face. Following the practical steps in this empowering book, we can better balance our priorities and relationships and find inner strength and flexibility in times of change and stress.

 With The Power of Chowa, curious seekers can achieve wellness, happiness, and contentment every day.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Japan, Japanese Literature, Self Help, Spirituality, Asia

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2019

Reviews

[Emmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike other books of a similar vein, the author spends more time recounting her own life rather than guide or provide useful context for Chowa.
The chapter exploring environment and climate change was fantastic, but other chapters were difficult to continue reading through.
I wouldnt recommend this.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. Some parts are focused on creating balance and harmony in your life, but it seems like that was more of a cover for the author spending a significant portion of the book writing about her upbringing and Japanese culture in general. I feel like it was marketed as a Marie Kondo-esque book, but if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t it.

See more of my reviews: Blog // Instagram

[Rimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book manages to weave an insightful and lovely narration from the Japanese author about its customs and ways to use the principle of Chowa "balance" in the everyday. I especially like the personal tales she has included in the book, which are sometimes anecdotal and other times anthropological. It's pop-philosophy and has a pleasant flow to its writing.

[Norshafarina Faharuddin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is about finding your balance using the Japanese wisdom "Chowa" in every aspect of your life

[Gaili Schoen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this book about finding and maintaining balance in your life. I especially liked that it wasn't just about maintaining balance within, but also looking outward to the planet, and working to heal climate change and to lower our consumption of meat and other resources. The narrator sounded very Japanese in her phrasing, speaking slowly, deliberately and with a joyful tone. The Power of Chowa explained much about Japanese culture I have wondered about, for example why Japanese people don't say I Love You as often as westerners and why Japanese people always make a declaration when they arrive home, when they leave home, and before they eat. This is a book I will reread along with other similar types of books about Hygge, Sisu, Gross National Happiness, Meraki, Lagom, and similar books describing the positive cultural philosophies of other countries. It's a wonderful way to learn about the world, as well as learn ways of being in the world that are different from the American way, and perhaps better.

[Lindie ✦ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is good for those interested in a high level overview of Japanese culture. But it falls short for me as it’s full of repetitions and some spelling/formatting mistakes. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It is as if the same few themes were stretched as much as they could to make the book longer.

To make it worse, the author brings in too many unnecessary details about her divorce and new life in the UK. This did not contribute to any learning of the concept of chōwa, and frustrated me at each new mention.

Finished it in two days.

[Burak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book pictures traditional Japanese lifestyle through the writer’s eyes and memories. Easy to read, but also too much repetition.

[anusha_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE POWER OF CHOWA, AKEMI TANAKA


Invigorating and insightful, I feel energised when I read books on Hygge, Lykke, and Ikigai and now it is about Chowa. I love these concepts and no matter how old one is there is always something we learn from other's experiences and life, be it traditions, customs, or a way of life. In this book, Akemi Tanaka talks about Chowa, while quoting examples from the Japanese tradition and customs and her life. Chowa is a Japanese word which means the pursuit of harmony or the search for balance, a way of life.

The author talks about how humans splurge mindlessly, eat without thinking, and live without finding harmony within themselves and with others, and she talks about being mindful. It can be as simple as aligning your shoes in the direction of the door, so that you easily wear them and walk out, or a complex process of climate change.
It talks about people’s greedy urge to buy more and more particularly clothes etc. Helping people to find themselves, which not only is about living in harmony with others but is also a mutual mood elevator.
The Author has given sweet anecdotes from her life which are quite interesting and motivating.

I was enamoured by the term ‘ITADAKIMASU’ which somewhat means I humbly receive this food with respect. In this world where there are so many poor people, wasting food is a sin! Eating food with gratitude is a beautiful gesture, the food changes hands from the farmer to the seller to the cook and finally satiates our hunger.

Another phrase that I found interesting was ‘MONO NO AWARE’ – “an empathy towards all things”
SHO-YOKU, CHI-YOKU: small desire, wise sufficiency. She says less desire leads to satisfaction, which i totally agree.

“ICHIGO ICHIE”- a term that encapsulates the transient nature of things. She gives an example of a Japanese tea house and says that every meeting with people is special and that moment never returns, which is true. It is like reading a book for the first time and how many times we wish we could go back to that moment. So basically we must enjoy every moment of our life.
I feel some words are not the same when translated. This transformed word loses its beauty as compared to the original one.
Every culture has something unique to teach us. Indian and Japanese cultures exhibit intriguing parallels despite their distinctiveness, be it respect for tradition, spirituality, family values, rich heritages or cuisines.
This is a book for anyone who needs life lessons!

[Gayatri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing to read this book. I've been always fascinated by Japanese culture and philosophy.
I and one of my close friends met in London this year and decided to buy books as a memory. this was my choice

There are so many things I want to talk about here. The Starting from finding balance in our life, culture, food, and life experience.

One of my favorite sayings from the book is it doesn't happen by itself. We have to go out and actively do something to bring balance to our lives This is the most interesting line I have read. it may sound simple but a person who is trying to find pace in this busy life will understand what I'm saying. specifically introverts and those who want to change their lifestyle, somewhere afraid of the world to show what they've got

They say change is a constant thing. As humans, we are afraid of change, to be honest. Most of the time, we stay in the same situation out of fear, of what'll happen in the future. Sometimes we need to find the courage to ask ourselves what needs to change.

Another quote I fell in love with is Persistent is the power Finding out what you love and allocating time in the day to do that.
and it's the most rewarding thing for you. Trust me!

and there is other quote captured my eyes one time, one moment
I feel this line is saying to me, Please live in the present moment and appreciate what you've now :)

last but not least

You'll start applying those small lessons in your life gradually and will prepare you for your trip to Japan. I believe this will resonate with people who love to read about different cultures and their mindsets. If you ever get a chance to visit Japan, this book will help you to understand their culture!

Hope, you find this review helpful. my 1st time writing here!

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quite enjoyable Japanese wisdom book with a rather different perspective, that of a Japanese woman who at times comes across as the outsider, shunned in some ways by conservative Japanese society for standing up -- and standing out -- as an independent woman, while at the same time Akemi is very clearly a traditionalist in all the ways that truly matter.   At least that's the view i get on Akemi from these pages.

And why shouldn't strong-minded, independent women take the very best of tradition and leave the worse of it behind?   Surely that's the point of evolution, to take what is the best, that which benefits the most and to leave behind and slough off those very things that hinder, bind and stifle all of us ultimately; and in doing so build stronger and more resilient societies for the future.   Of course, there will always be tension between which side of this coin things fall on, the ultra conservative who blindly want to maintain everything, regardless of worth and value, while on the other side those who want to cast of everything they see as old and done.   Or maybe there's a middle way, a way of Chowa?

It's from these two different perspectives that Akemi takes us on this journey to discover Chowa, that balance and harmony within and without that we could all use a good dose of in our crazy modern lives.

Definitely another one of those books that i feel everyone who reads it with an open mind can find some small nugget to take away to help improve themselves, their lives and their environments.   I certainly feel it was worth the read and feel others will do so as well.

[Gino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look, if you like Japanese culture and aren't very well read on self-help literature this'll probably be a marvellous book. That being said I feel like the author honestly tried to put in well intentioned life lessons into a book but didn't know how to structurise the whole thing so she came up with an umbrella word or more like a philosophy to hang it all onto. The whole 'feeling' I get with this book is trying to stretch a teaspoon of butter on too much toast. It's just too superficial at one point. I really enjoyed learning about the Japanese customs and it's implications to life and how their traditions are deeper than it might look like on a superficial level but I sometimes get the feeling she wants to explain it so elaborately that it doesn't leave much ability for interpretation. Personally, I don't like that; but that's just an opinion. The last criticism I have for the book, I suppose, is that I read books to escape the whole mainstream media's messages on equality, sustainability, and #metoo but this book does a nice dip into the current world issues.

Honestly, give it a try but if you've read some self-help books you'll find most ideas have been presented plentiful in other books and are a bit redundant.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been busy lately from my life and work but I finally finished reading "The Power of Chowa" by Akemi Tanaka. I can’t remember when I bought this book! 😅
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This book explores the concept of Chowa, which emphasizes finding inner strength through balance & harmony. It gives insights on how we can live mindfully, maintaining the right balance in our daily lives & in our relationships with others & the natural world.
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My takeaway: I learned a lot from this book, on how to deal with my emotions, my relationship with difficult people on how to deal with them, about work, valuing friendships, etc. Additionally, I learned that as we grow older, we should never stop learning, & we need to grow into acceptance. In a sense, we need to bring balance where we can, but also to accept the natural harmony of the world: the way things are. We have to use our lives well and use our energy economically. The Japanese concept stated in this book was insightful & thought-provoking. It was a slow read because for each chapter, I had to internalize these lessons & apply them in life.
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Book rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Book genre: Non-fiction, Japanese Literature, Self-help, Philosophy, Spirituality
Reading Start Date: 3/9/2025
Reading Finished Date: 5/12/2025

[Lionel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers unique anecdotes based on the author's experiences growing up in Japan and moving to a Western country.

It felt like a touch-and-go book where there isn't a clear focus nor sufficient elaboration on each area that were brought up. The idea of Chowa was seemed to be repeatedly mentioned for the sake of being mentioned most of the time and is vaguely linked to the content written. It personally disrupted my flow of thoughts as I am unable to draw the links despite being a voracious reader of self-help books.

My takeaway is that it reminds us to be more mindful and conscious of our surroundings.

Nonetheless, I would recommend this to people who are interested in Japanese culture and philosophy .

[Joel Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF LIVING IN HARMONY WITH OTHERS IS OPENING OURSELVES UP TO THEIR PAIN AS WELL AS THEIR JOY.

WE GROW INTO ACCEPTANCE.

Chowa means the search for balance in Japanese.

Chowa is about being ready each moment to face the next - small acts that prepare us for an uncertain future.

There is an intimate relationship between cleaning your home and finding our balance.

Listening to Japanese is a test of your attention as the verb comes at the end of the sentence.

Students clean the schools in Japan.

If wanting something leads to dissatisfaction it is not a huge leap to suggest to feel more satisfied with life we should work on reducing the things we want to own.

Chowa means going with the grain of nature, not against it.

[Juliana Poh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting in the way she introduced various aspects of the Japanese culture, eg relationships between kimonos and seasons, Japanese tea ceremony procedures, colours in Jap food, etc. The word "chowa" in the Chinese form itself was explained very thoroughly and definitely useful as a reminder to aim to 调 to achieve 和. However, I found her examples somewhat abstract and difficult to relate to with respect to modern living. She tended to drift off to her personal experiences of being discriminated against in Japan because of her divorce and her business venture. It was repetitive at some sections. The Japanese zen sayings were refreshing but a bit hard to commit to memory.

[Viki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The number of times I've put down this book was ridiculous. I even thought of giving up. Whenever I start a book, I usually don't read any other book at the same time. But here, it took me months to finish it because I preferred to start and finish other books.

I always tend to read a bit more slowly with self-development/self-help books compared to fantasy books.

However, instead of being a self-help book (based on its description), it was more of an autobiography. That's one of the reasons why it took me so much time to finish it. I didn't expect, and I usually don't really read autobiographies. So be aware if you want to read this book; it's more of an autobiography.

[Juan Ignacio Soto (letras & té verde) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmm es un libro bastante peculiar. Si bien habla de la filosofía y el equilibrio japonés mientras leía pensaba que eran cosas súper básicas y obvias pero luego me puse a pensar… “será que aunque por muy obvias que parezcan, las llevamos a nuestro día a día? Y ahí me respondí solo. Al principio es bastante plano pero luego va avanzando en cada ámbito de la vida y da consejos buenos pero que uno ya los sabe pero repito, no los ponemos en práctica muchas veces por ende ese revés me provoco este libro. No es un mal libro pero influye mucho la mentalidad occidental en su entendimiento. Es bueno pero pudo sorprender más, tal vez yo tenía expectativas muy altas.

[Panda Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. It talks about every single major life topic on which you might need advice. It encourages you to be mindful, to pay attention to your emotions but also to others', to accept your individuality, but it also talks about hardships and how to deal with them. The author also talks about the harsh reality of the Japanese culture while also praising its good traits and beliefs. This book is a work of art in my opinion. You can learn a lot of things by reading it and gain new perspectives on life.

[Hasanah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asians have a rich heritage when it comes to living spiritually. A lot of Japanese ways of living - make fair sense and definitely worth learning. When I read about the part how a Japanese traditionally greets the family when he/she enters or leaves the house, it reminds me that Islam also has the similar concept of greeting peace when meeting and leaving each other, by the phrase Salam alaykum. Less is more...and talk about sustainability when Japanese was already practising it during the Edo period. Extremely sad to see how rich cultures in various Asian parts are increasingly diluted by Western's inferior civilisation.

[Heather Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to the concepts of chowa, very relatable and the author shares some impactful personal stories to really illustrate her points.

I must admit though, the part I liked best about this book was learning about Japanese culture and beliefs, more so than how I can incorporate them into my life. It was a nice window into a fascinating country from a very personal point of view.

Recommended for people interested in Japanese culture and looking for ways to make their lives more fulfilling.

[Cyn Libros y Vida · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the concept of balance across all of the areas in our lives and how the author guides you through the Japanese culture to understand this learning. I didn't like that by going into the extent of yourself, family, friends, parenthood, nature, food, etc it makes you feel an overwhelming scenario where balance sounds unachievable. She sounds very repetitive across chapters and goes from one area to another without a thread or storytelling. You get a glimpse of Japanese culture that makes the book valuable.

[Blagoi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the author's objectivity while comparing Japan with the West. Also she is presenting something that does not uplift Japan to pedestal, which was nice combining with the Chowa philosophy about balance and all the positive things from Japan. Sometimes she is telling some story and puts "like in Chowa". It was like she is putting the word "Chowa" in every piece of simple story. Nice one, but not right after you have read Ikigai.

[Daniela Daneva · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Силата на чова" е за традиционните разбирания в Япония, за преживяванията на авторката и за изводите и поуките, които си е направила от всичко до тук. Връщайки се в спомените си, съчетавайки ги с теоритични обяснения, тя дава съвети за по-важните аспекти от живота: как да намерим баласа в работата си, в модата, храненето, природата и любовта.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Agree with most of the reviews here - felt more like an overdue Wikipedia page on the author’s life and upbringing instead of a self-help / finding balance as the title said. It was disappointing and most of the pages can be quickly browsed through. Wouldn’t recommend as there are way better books of the similar genre out there.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️:
-how japanese incorporate love to their everyday language
-samurai principles to harmonize family role
-language as a tool for balance
-learning equilibrium
-Hello Kitty mindblowing fact
-tuning in with nature
-about love; west vs east
💔:
-the writing style feels like you're reading a school textbook, you could get bored at some points

[djcoochie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is entirely gentle, it feels like a friend recollecting and sharing their culture and perspective. It focuses on vulnerability, a practice it preaches. I really liked it, I’ve been working on mindfulness and reading this helped a ton.

Recommend if you are interested in something fresh and light, learning more about Japanese culture and mindset.

[Rachele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished The Power of Chowa and I’m glad I picked it up. It gave me a few fresh perspectives on Japanese lifestyle and mindset, and I really connected with the section that touches on grief. Even so, I don’t think it’s a book for everyone. I’d recommend it if you’re genuinely curious about Chowa, otherwise, it may not resonate as much.

[Dasagamabu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empecé a leer este libro a causa de una situación de estrés. Perdía recursos en mi equipo de trabajo. Me ayudaron las distintas reflexiones que se presentan, aunque algunas ya las conocía. Presenta superficialmente costumbres del pueblo japonés.

[Yasaman Mohammadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe that Japanese way of thinking and all of the minimalistic moves in their daily life can be a good key to maintain our balance in everyday life. It has some key steps and actual things to do to become balanced!

[Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learnt a lot about Japanese culture.