In Japan, there is a coming-of-age ceremony(成人式) . I did not attend that ceremony. I thought it was a silly ceremony. This ceremony is an important ceremony for many ordinary Japanese people, and Japanese people who can honestly participate in the coming of age ceremony without any discomfort would be contributing to Japanese society and economy.

The Japanese language has a word for working adults. There is no word in foreign languages that perfectly fits the Japanese word shakaijin. To be a member of society, one must be working in the real world, and this has become a breeding ground for discrimination in Japanese society.

It is important for salespeople to think about what they are in sales for, so that they can continue their work in sales. Making money is an obvious motive, but if that is the only motive, it will be difficult to remain a salesperson forever.

In Japan, artists who do not earn money are not recognized by society as artists. Whether art is a business or not is debatable, but this perception of art by the general public in Japan has trivialized people’s way of life and made it difficult to live in this society.

There is an expression in Japanese called “split one’s stomach”. This means to confide one’s true feelings, and doesn’t mean to commit suicide by harakiri. When working for a Japanese company, you should not hide your true feelings from the employees around you.

If a salaried worker is looking for a job, it is better not to leave the company. This is because if you quit your company, you will not receive the monthly salary you used to receive and at the same time, your talent value in the job market will decrease. There is an old saying that goes “Many kiss the hand they wish to cut off (面従腹背)”. Your boss must not know about your job search until you have received a job offer.

Different people have different views of work. In Japan, there's also freedom of thought. However, it is best to avoid expressing your views on work to those around you after you change jobs. This is because your boss may have a different view of work than you do. As with politics, differences in values can easily lead to conflicts, and you should be cautious about topics such as your views on work because you will not have your own supporters in the company immediately after you change jobs.

For many Japanese company employees, resignation can be a troublesome event. This is because those who leave a company are often viewed as traitors by the remaining employees.

It is not surprising that simply storing knowledge doesn’t produce anything of value. However, I believe that people today, who have received higher education, have a tendency to value books. Being all theory and no action will just make you big-headed. I have focused on Japanese chimpira and find a certain value in their empiricism. In order to prevent intellectuals from becoming over-read, it is good to appreciate the illiteracy of chimpira from time to time.

In the Japanese corporate world, the word “growth” is rather favorably perceived and used by people. This simple affirmation of growth has led to a variety of problems for both individuals and companies in Japan. In order to realize a sustainable society in the future, I believe it is necessary to question the concept of growth at least once.