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Thanks my mum and dad, because of you I can always feel that I'm myself.
Reading A Geography of Human Life by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, he is the first president of Soka Gakkai (in its inception, it's called Soka Kyoiku Gakkai) and one of the most unrecognized scholars in Japan in spite of his excellence. In the book, he argues the importance to keep it in our mind that our world is always embraced, or protected, by nature and the influence is very tremendous. Myself as a Japanese, I could look upon Mt Iwaki from the room I've grown up. It's not as high as Mt Fuji, but in terms of beauty, I prefer Mt Iwaki. When I'm walking or driving in my hometown, I can't help looking at the Iwaki and be still. Everything in my hometown has to reminisce something on me, there is a memory on every corner of the street whether exciting or annoying, they are all I remember and the source of smile.
What I've found by coming to this far land is ironically how much I love my hometown. Different culture, different language, different people, most of the things are different, yet, people are people. Each person is very unique, but simultaneously, very similar as well. This is actually a bit harder to directly feel in Japan, since Japanese are sometimes culturally too close and intertwined, which is something we sometimes forget its uniqueness and preciousness. It is relatively easy to understand each other among Japanese, so its economic resurrection after the war was realized amazingly fast and smooth. Now Japan is a bit too fat to be flexible, too much money to handle for limited number of people and land, the inefficiency is an element of stagnation. I'm very sure that the time has come years ago, the time to go outside the country and expand their life (I don't want to say territory because it sounds too political to me), but it's not realized in satisfactory extent. There are so many reasons and one of them is that they've forgotten their roots. Japan has developed so rapidly, because it succeeded to concentrate labours in some limited regions like Tokyo for efficiency. Increasing population and economic liquidity made city administration more complex but also optimistic. The location of economic activity has gotten larger meaning as the urban population soar. Japanese land is very mountainous, so people cannot do anything else but living very densely. The proximity is the foundation of the sensitivity in their usual living. No loud noise, no to roomy house, no too many cars whether or not they can afford. If this happens in English cultural sphere, some immigration will increase, but the difference is the introversion of Japanese. Politically, geographically, culturally and historically, Japan is very closed and introverted. They prefer being confined and having their personal time, than exploring and sharing their life, and this is my stereotype. The introversion has long been my source of annoyance, I love to share my idea and experience, I love to talk, I love to explore new places and things. And more than anything, I love to improve. However, this annoyance is about to be overcome by my personal growth.
This is also what I learned by living far from my home land, 'local context' is most of the time, to come to the first concern. By understanding entity, we can comparably understand the rest. Also, by understanding the flow, or relationship, we can understand how we can genuinely put our efforts. This might be very sincere reason that I think the birth land is precious, no matter where we are. Civilized people's mind including mine, get brainwashed by urban type of short-sighted aspiration, which seems more achievable and easier, compared to rural, arduous life. I couldn't resist the temptation as I was deciding my university. In urban area, competition is generally more harsh and intense. It seems there is no mercy or such thing. Although lots of people come in, lots of people also choose to leave. To me, Tokyo was exciting place. There were some attractive mixture of people and ideas. I never lost something to entertain myself. Eventually I spent four years in Hachioji, Tokyo, went back to my home town. After having some fun in city, the town seemed very comforting. I didn't need to introduce myself to anyone but few people my parents introduced, and the food was absolutely good.
By knowing an entity of the whole, we know more about the relationship and the network, which is the ecology of local life. Devotion and commitment are something spontaneously come up in mind. Because in the most familiar land and community, we do not bother anything except self-made obstacles. The fusion between self and the land is probably very desirable state of us, and it is not something fixed, but we need internal adjustment and innovation, which come from faith toward the connectedness. Every person has unique faith, we rarely talk about it, and it is as unpredictable as the nature. I once have sensed, that I disliked my home land, because I had to face up to myself. Everyday, different ego, different desire, different motivation, different compassion, different feelings come up inside me, it is very tedious to deal with. As we can't solve problems without working on them, each solution is also very unique, sometimes we utilize the strategy unconsciously, sometimes with some surprise, the mystery of life is always inconspicuously happening.
Reading A Geography of Human Life by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, he is the first president of Soka Gakkai (in its inception, it's called Soka Kyoiku Gakkai) and one of the most unrecognized scholars in Japan in spite of his excellence. In the book, he argues the importance to keep it in our mind that our world is always embraced, or protected, by nature and the influence is very tremendous. Myself as a Japanese, I could look upon Mt Iwaki from the room I've grown up. It's not as high as Mt Fuji, but in terms of beauty, I prefer Mt Iwaki. When I'm walking or driving in my hometown, I can't help looking at the Iwaki and be still. Everything in my hometown has to reminisce something on me, there is a memory on every corner of the street whether exciting or annoying, they are all I remember and the source of smile.
What I've found by coming to this far land is ironically how much I love my hometown. Different culture, different language, different people, most of the things are different, yet, people are people. Each person is very unique, but simultaneously, very similar as well. This is actually a bit harder to directly feel in Japan, since Japanese are sometimes culturally too close and intertwined, which is something we sometimes forget its uniqueness and preciousness. It is relatively easy to understand each other among Japanese, so its economic resurrection after the war was realized amazingly fast and smooth. Now Japan is a bit too fat to be flexible, too much money to handle for limited number of people and land, the inefficiency is an element of stagnation. I'm very sure that the time has come years ago, the time to go outside the country and expand their life (I don't want to say territory because it sounds too political to me), but it's not realized in satisfactory extent. There are so many reasons and one of them is that they've forgotten their roots. Japan has developed so rapidly, because it succeeded to concentrate labours in some limited regions like Tokyo for efficiency. Increasing population and economic liquidity made city administration more complex but also optimistic. The location of economic activity has gotten larger meaning as the urban population soar. Japanese land is very mountainous, so people cannot do anything else but living very densely. The proximity is the foundation of the sensitivity in their usual living. No loud noise, no to roomy house, no too many cars whether or not they can afford. If this happens in English cultural sphere, some immigration will increase, but the difference is the introversion of Japanese. Politically, geographically, culturally and historically, Japan is very closed and introverted. They prefer being confined and having their personal time, than exploring and sharing their life, and this is my stereotype. The introversion has long been my source of annoyance, I love to share my idea and experience, I love to talk, I love to explore new places and things. And more than anything, I love to improve. However, this annoyance is about to be overcome by my personal growth.
This is also what I learned by living far from my home land, 'local context' is most of the time, to come to the first concern. By understanding entity, we can comparably understand the rest. Also, by understanding the flow, or relationship, we can understand how we can genuinely put our efforts. This might be very sincere reason that I think the birth land is precious, no matter where we are. Civilized people's mind including mine, get brainwashed by urban type of short-sighted aspiration, which seems more achievable and easier, compared to rural, arduous life. I couldn't resist the temptation as I was deciding my university. In urban area, competition is generally more harsh and intense. It seems there is no mercy or such thing. Although lots of people come in, lots of people also choose to leave. To me, Tokyo was exciting place. There were some attractive mixture of people and ideas. I never lost something to entertain myself. Eventually I spent four years in Hachioji, Tokyo, went back to my home town. After having some fun in city, the town seemed very comforting. I didn't need to introduce myself to anyone but few people my parents introduced, and the food was absolutely good.
By knowing an entity of the whole, we know more about the relationship and the network, which is the ecology of local life. Devotion and commitment are something spontaneously come up in mind. Because in the most familiar land and community, we do not bother anything except self-made obstacles. The fusion between self and the land is probably very desirable state of us, and it is not something fixed, but we need internal adjustment and innovation, which come from faith toward the connectedness. Every person has unique faith, we rarely talk about it, and it is as unpredictable as the nature. I once have sensed, that I disliked my home land, because I had to face up to myself. Everyday, different ego, different desire, different motivation, different compassion, different feelings come up inside me, it is very tedious to deal with. As we can't solve problems without working on them, each solution is also very unique, sometimes we utilize the strategy unconsciously, sometimes with some surprise, the mystery of life is always inconspicuously happening.
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