Why Do Japanese People Say, “Put Yourself in the Other Person’s Place”? — Moving the Observation Point: A Cultural Pattern Found in Japanese Language and Classics
Why do Japanese people say, “Put yourself in the other person’s place”? Exploring Japanese language, classical literature, Yohaku, Wa, and Musubi, this essay reveals a cultural pattern of moving the observation point—from self to other, past to future, and Entity to Relation—and considers what it may offer for the civilization of the future.
A Ghost Story That Shaped a Nation’s Words — Learning Bushido Beyond the Sword
How a classic Japanese ghost story shaped modern Japanese language and revealed a side of Bushido beyond the sword—restraint, responsibility, and balance in an age of endless voices.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: A Blueprint of a Civilization That Chose to Let Go
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter reveals a uniquely Japanese vision of civilization—one that survives not by possession or conquest, but by understanding limits and knowing when to let go.
Rethinking Hinkyū Mondōka: A Forgotten Warning from 1,300 Years Ago— Why Okura’s Poem Was Never About Japanese Peasants
A fresh historical reading of Yamanoue no Okura’s Hinkyū Mondōka reveals that the poem depicts the suffering of former Japanese subjects in Kaya under Silla rule—not domestic peasants. An essay on history, daily life, and the moral philosophy Okura sought to convey.