*“Yesterday, I Went to Mars ♡”*

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference. Like Apple’s Universal Clipboard — copying on one device and pasting on another without thinking. It’s simple, almost invisible, yet it quietly makes daily work lighter and smoother. Real usability isn’t about flashy features; it’s about comfort — the kind that lets your mind breathe and your hands move naturally.

Sometimes the body speaks before the mind notices. When stress lowers HRV, it’s not weakness—it’s a quiet sign to slow down. Breathe, listen, and let the numbers remind you how to live gently.

Just recently, I listened to Mizuki Tsujimura’s Asa ga Kuru (Morning Comes) on Audible and wrote in my blog that it was “an extraordinary novel.” That experience left such a deep impression on me that I couldn’t stop there. From yesterday to today, I listened straight through Yamihara — and it was, once again, incredible.

A quiet reflection on the difference between living fast and living fully. It’s not about rushing to achieve more, but about breathing, slowing down, and giving your best to each day. Because a life without regret isn’t found in speed — it’s found in presence.

Sometimes all it takes is a small change — a different street, a new café, an unexpected conversation. When we move, even just a little, life has a way of meeting us halfway. Good coincidences don’t wait at home; they begin the moment we step outside.

I listened to Asa ga Kuru by Mizuki Tsujimura on Audible. It’s not horror in the usual sense—no ghosts, no crimes—yet it quietly reveals how fragile a “normal” family can be. As a father, I found it deeply unsettling and painfully real. Sometimes the scariest stories are the ones that could happen to anyone.

After 17 years of running an eyewear business, I’ve learned that staying on the same path as everyone else only leads to exhaustion. The moment you step off the paved road — even just a little — the air changes. There’s no one to compare yourself to, no race to win. You start creating your own rules, your own rhythm. In this episode, I talk about the quiet freedom that comes from stepping away fro...

Sometimes what we call kindness might just be fear — fear of being disliked, or blamed, or left out. After a small moment with my son, I started to notice how often we, as adults, say “I’m sorry” too quickly, agree too easily, or avoid conflict just to keep the peace. Maybe real kindness isn’t about avoiding pain. Maybe it’s about staying open, even when it’s uncomfortable.

It started with a few small, round stones my wife found in a shop — she thought they were cute, so we brought them home and placed them on the bathroom shelf. Later, I looked up their meanings — Tiger’s Eye for luck, Amethyst for peace, Lapis for truth — and decided to rearrange them “properly.” That’s when my wife said, “I just put them there because they looked cute.” A small story about stones,...

In this episode, I share a small but vivid memory from a morning in Paris — a side of the city that rarely makes it into the postcards. While we often picture Paris as all croissants, cafés, and quiet walks along the Seine, the truth is that its mornings can be just as chaotic as Tokyo’s. I still remember nearly missing my flight, caught in a packed RER train full of commuters. It was messy, human...

A small moment with my son made me think about how hard it is to say “I’m sorry.” When he accidentally made a friend fall, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize — just looked down, silent. On the way home, I told him that even if he’s not great at studying or sports, I want him to be someone who can say “thank you” and “I’m sorry.” But then I realized — even adults struggle with that. Saying “I’m...

This episode reflects on the idea that kindness isn’t a permanent trait — it’s something that depends on having space. When life feels tight, patience and empathy fade. Kindness needs room to breathe. It’s not about being endlessly good, but about noticing when we’ve run out of space and taking time to restore it. Even doing nothing can be an act of care. True kindness isn’t just a feeling — it’s...

A reflection from my visit to Disneyland Paris — where I realized the “magic” didn’t quite work the same way it does in Japan. In Paris, the real world outside the park — the Seine, the cafés, the city’s quiet beauty — feels more magical than the fantasy inside. It made me think: perhaps magic and wonder don’t come from perfection, but from contrast — from how reality makes the extraordinary shine...

While reading about Intel’s massive cash burn — losing the equivalent of ¥170 million every hour — I couldn’t help but think about how even giants must risk everything to survive. Intel’s struggle isn’t just about semiconductors; it’s about how fragile “stability” really is. Even the biggest companies face extinction if they stop adapting. Watching that reminds me: in business, and in life, we hav...

A line from Airbnb’s Brian Chesky to Sam Altman stayed with me: “When information is missing, gossip fills the gap. The worst thing is to be feared. The antidote to fear is to share information.” People fear what they don’t understand. Whether it’s AI, business, or relationships — ignorance breeds anxiety. But when we meet, talk, and share what we know, fear often turns into understanding. Transpa...

During the flight back from France, I watched Escape from Kabul , a French film about the fall of Afghanistan’s capital and the people trapped between survival and abandonment. It reminded me how fragile the idea of “saving everyone” really is—when chaos takes over, the circle of people you can protect narrows to those within your reach. From the quiet safety of a plane, I realized how temporary p...

A quiet reflection after a week in France. Traveling isn’t about escape — it’s how I learn, observe, and stay connected to the world. From local eyewear shops to daily life in cafés and trains, every small experience teaches me something new about business, culture, and myself. Each trip becomes both an education and an investment — not in things, but in perspective. That’s why I keep traveling: t...

While returning a rental car in Paris, I discovered how different city returns can be. Unlike airport locations, where staff check everything carefully, downtown branches in France often work on a self-service system — no staff, no inspection, just drop the keys in a box and hope for the best. It was confusing at first, circling around Montparnasse Station trying to find the right spot. But in the...

In this episode, I reflect on an unexpected discovery beneath the Arc de Triomphe. After returning my rental car, I stopped by the monument and noticed what looked like absolute chaos — cars honking, cutting across lanes, and seemingly ignoring all rules. But soon I realized it wasn’t reckless driving at all — the traffic rule itself is reversed here. Unlike most roundabouts, the one at the Arc de...

A short reflection on driving in Europe — and why full coverage insurance is worth every cent. Roads in Europe can be unexpectedly narrow, especially in old towns where streets were built for horse-drawn carriages. Even careful drivers can end up with a few scrapes. After learning this the hard way in Italy, I’ve realized that paying a little extra for full coverage isn’t about fear — it’s about p...

A short reflection from France — where too much wine, espresso, and jet lag caught up with me. My HRV and body battery dropped sharply, reminding me that at 47, the body doesn’t recover like it used to. A small lesson from the trip: even joy needs balance. Next time, one glass, one cup, enjoyed slowly.

While driving through Normandy this morning, I heard an Aimyon song with a line that made me smile: “I’m not going to suddenly become a better man tomorrow.” It was a gentle reminder that change doesn’t happen overnight. We don’t wake up perfect the next day just because we tried hard today. Growth is slow, often invisible, but it builds through small steps. Sometimes, simply recognizing our imper...

’m at Mont-Saint-Michel now, more than 15 years after visiting on my honeymoon. Back then, buses lined the causeway, and the island felt more like a parking lot than a sacred abbey. Honestly, we were underwhelmed. Since 2012, cars have been banned, and in 2014 the new Pont-Passerelle bridge restored the vision of an abbey floating in the sea. Today, instead of buses, sheep graze along the approach...

While staying in Paris, I found myself thinking again about one of the small but surprisingly tricky parts of traveling: tipping. With services like Uber, I’ve noticed that leaving tips regularly makes it easier to get rides quickly—it almost feels like an investment. The same goes for restaurants or shops I visit more than once during a trip: a tip at the beginning often makes the whole experienc...

It’s been 17 years since I started Makoto Eyewear. The business is stable, but I feel drawn to new fields like AI and AR—and yet, I hesitate. Maybe it’s fear of leaving stability behind, or the thought that I’m “too old” to begin again. But small steps matter. If I don’t start now, I may look back with regret.