I have read all of Akiko Ikeda's works, so here is a rough introduction

First, about the person Akiko Ikeda.

Akiko Ikeda was a philosopher who wrote many "philosophical essays" that contemplate the essence of things, using a writing style that avoids philosophical jargon.

In Japan, 99% of people called philosophers are professors or researchers at universities or academic institutions, but Akiko Ikeda could be called an "independent philosopher" who did not belong to any institution and continued to write philosophical essays throughout her life.

I own all of her works and have read them all, but since it would be too long to list them all here, I will introduce some characteristic ones selected from her entire body of work.

I will include links to Amazon and Rakuten, but please understand that some items may be temporarily out of stock or out of print and difficult to obtain.

I hope that even one of Akiko Ikeda's books will be widely read.

First, the two books in the 14-year-old series.
"Philosophy for 14-Year-Olds: A Textbook for Thinking"
"To You at 14: How to Think and How to Live"

View on Rakuten(Philosophy for 14-Year-Olds: A Textbook for Thinking)

View on Rakuten(To You at 14: How to Think and How to Live)

Although written in a style that even a 14-year-old can understand, the content itself is not age-dependent and is rewarding for adults to read as well. Or rather, those who can read this fluently are people who have already been thinking quite deeply.

For those who have only ever thought about things in terms of loss or gain, both may seem like boring content, but in reality, it is those very people who need to think about the essence of things.

Both of these are philosophical essays, but "Philosophy for 14-Year-Olds: A Textbook for Thinking" is a bit more formal, while "To You at 14: How to Think and How to Live" is softer. The content is similar, so I suggest choosing based on your preference.

Next are two books that are like collections of quotes gathering Akiko Ikeda's words.
"Philosophy for Living in Despair"
"Philosophy for Dying Happily"

View on Rakuten(Philosophy for Living in Despair)

View on Rakuten(Philosophy for Dying Happily)

These two books were compiled and published after Akiko Ikeda passed away, and the author herself was not involved in these books.

They are like books of quotes that collect words in fragments from all her works, so to get a broad and shallow understanding of Akiko Ikeda's philosophy, it might be good to start with these two.

The source books for the quotes are listed, so if you find a quote you like, I recommend choosing the original book and reading it more deeply. While you can understand the author's philosophy even from fragments of text, it is ideal to savor them within the context of the surrounding text.

Philosophical books are actually similar to music, and I want you to remember somewhere in your heart that they are things to be read in a "flow".

The Socrates trilogy, "Socrates Returns," "Socrates, Ask the Shrew," and "Goodbye Socrates," are all included in "Invincible Socrates".

View on Rakuten(Socrates Returns)

View on Rakuten(Socrates, Ask the Shrew)

View on Rakuten(Goodbye Socrates)

View on Rakuten(Invincible Socrates)

The content involves Socrates being revived in the modern age and engaging in dialogue with people from various genres. It is said that Socrates refuted many people in Athens, and this book makes it very clear that it must have been exactly like this.

Since it is in a dialogue format, it is easy to read, but because the person you are talking to is Socrates, you inevitably end up getting wrapped around his finger.

You can clearly see how invincible the 'knowledge of ignorance'—knowing that you do not know—is. Ultimately, it converges on the point of 'not knowing'... that is the essence of philosophy.

Next are some philosophy essay collections that were relatively easy to read among her works. By the way, the author is the type who is not particular about titles, so you don't need to worry too much about them.

View on Rakuten(Philosophy of Living)

View on Rakuten(The Truth of Life)

View on Rakuten(Cruel Life Theory)

View on Rakuten(Only Obvious Things)

The books introduced below are for a slightly more niche audience. This is the one that left the biggest impression on me personally.
"Living with Death: Prison Philosophical Dialogues"

I felt that this book had the most effort put into it out of all of Akiko Ikeda's works.

The content is about a death row inmate named Masashi Mutsumida who happened to read Akiko Ikeda's writing in prison, was so moved that his personality changed as the essence of things became clear to him, and sent a letter to Akiko Ikeda telling her how he had changed, which led to a correspondence between the two.

As a result, they exchanged letters until his execution, and the entire collection is included in this staggering work. Seeing a person who had lived only for their own selfish desires change into a personality that seems to have attained enlightenment just by reading writing that touched on the essence of things fully conveys how important philosophy is to human beings. Personally, this is the one I would most like to recommend, but it is not a book you can read with a light heart, so it is a book that depends on the reader.

View on Rakuten(Death and Living: Prison Philosophical Dialogue)

This is another book for enthusiasts.

This book is a compilation of Akiko Ikeda's thought notes into a single volume. The content is quite fragmentary, and I am sure 99% of people will give up on it, saying they have no idea what it means. However, for those who have read Akiko Ikeda's writing, it is incredibly enjoyable, as it feels like looking at the raw gems of her thinking.

Although this is the starting point for Akiko Ikeda, you won't understand anything if you start reading from here, so I want this to be read by those who have already fully absorbed her philosophy.

View on Rakuten(Remark 1997-2007)

In conclusion

I have recommended various things, but if you read what you are intuitively drawn to, that is the best thing.

It might seem strange to say this after introducing books, but reading books is not the most important thing; what is most important of all is to think firmly with your own head.

We tend to accept given information and knowledge without thinking or doubting anything, and feel as if we have 'known' something, but unless you think with your own head, you cannot 'know' in the true sense.

Akiko Ikeda, whom I introduced here, was a person who thoroughly practiced this throughout her life, and I believe the author's way of living and thinking is a required subject for life.

Please, do give it a read.

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