A Journey through My Diverse Perspectives

Over the past several decades, criticism of Japan for lagging behind other advanced countries in various aspects, including the social system and lifestyle, has been popular among Japanese intellectuals. There has been a trend where individuals expressing such critical opinions are portrayed as cool and possessing excellent insights, as promoted by the media. Consequently, a self-deprecating view of Japan has gradually infiltrated society without people realizing it. However, following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the brighter aspects of Japan and its people have been reevaluated and recognized by the general public or the silent majority. This change is due to the attention of foreign media, which commonly highlighted the positive qualities of Japanese people, such as honesty, organization, adherence to rules, cooperation, and resilience. These days, excessive self-deprecating thoughts have begun to shift, albeit slowly, towards the opposite perspective, particularly among

There is a Japanese quote, “Ko wa oya no senaka wo mite sodatsu,” which can be literally translated into English as “Children grow as they look at the back of their parents.” This suggests that parents should lead by example, both in their words and actions, when raising their children at home. In this context, reflecting on my experiences at work from the perspective of my personal growth, I believe I have learned much more from observing my bosses' actions and attitudes than from their verbal advice. Returning to the Japanese quote, from my own interpretation, the reason it uses “the back of their parents” rather than simply “their parents” is to emphasize the importance of actions over words. In this sense, I am now pondering whether I can serve as a good role model to my younger colleagues by setting an example through my own actions.

During my childhood in the 1960s, I frequently enjoyed watching the Japanese animated TV hero series 'Astro Boy,' which was broadcast in over 50 countries. Astro Boy is a humanoid robot of the future, powered by atoms and possessing an electronic brain (Artificial Intelligence) capable of discerning between good and evil. Additionally, he has the ability to fly by rocket propulsion (similar to a drone). Surprisingly, even today, Astro Boy remains an admired benchmark for engineers developing humanoid robots. In this context, there is a Japanese venture company in Tokyo called Tsubame Industries Co., Ltd. that has recently developed the first robot named ‘ARCHAX.’ This robot is designed for use on construction sites and in post-disaster construction efforts. The team behind this innovation has maintained a sense of longing for creating and operating another animated robot hero since their own childhoods. It serves as a wonderful example of a childhood dream coming true through u

The Japanese term 'Kotodama' is typically translated as 'Spiritual powers dwelling in words,' a belief that has persisted among the Japanese people since ancient times. In our contemporary era, however, there are quite a few individuals who view it as nothing more than an old and insignificant superstition, even as they unconsciously strive to avoid using ominous words and numbers. In this way, Kotodama has become deeply ingrained in our values and culture. Due to this influence, it is suggested that Japanese people may not excel at crafting strategic scenarios because they tend to omit worst-case scenarios without much thought, instead trying to convince themselves that such events will never occur. This may be a well-known observation outside of Japan. Additionally, Kotodama often pertains to the subconscious usage of ominous words rather than positive ones.

Mitsuo Aida is a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as the Poet of Zen. Please see the following (Title: Michi (The Paths)), one of my favorite works among his many: “In your long life, there are paths you must traverse no matter how much you wish to avoid them. When this happens, you should walk these paths in silence. Don't complain or whine; just walk without saying anything. Be quiet and don't show tears in your eyes. That's the moment when the roots of your life as a human are deeply set.” When facing difficulties, repeating this poem can be helpful in getting through tough times.

  The other day, I received a message from one of my social media friends saying, “I have just retired, and to be honest, I do sometimes feel a lack of purpose.” Immediately after reading these words, I felt sympathy for his despondent mood because I have been through a period of experiencing a sort of burnout syndrome, even though I eventually found relief from heavy work stress. During that time, I learned from another social media friend that it is very helpful to ask oneself three questions to create a bucket list for post-retirement life. These questions are as follows: 1.     What have you enjoyed doing the most? 2.     What have you been doing that made you shine the brightest? 3.     What things have you left behind so far? Surely, asking these three questions worked effectively and enabled me to discover new reasons for living in the rest of my life.

This year, the world's population has finally exceeded 8 billion, which is double the number from the 1974 level. Among them, over 1.5 billion people use English daily on a practical level. In other words, if we acquire some degree of English proficiency, we are able to communicate with one out of every 5 people around the world. One of the reasons why I have been committed to communicating in English on social media is because I simply want to share, exchange, and learn various thoughts and perspectives on life and current topics with as many people as possible. Thanks to this, learning from people around the world has become one of my important "Ikigai" (reasons for living). Lifelong learning is truly an enjoyment of life.