It's hard to tell if it's cold or warm, but the lovely scent of osmanthus has somehow vanished, and it feels like neither autumn nor winter, yet here we are in November.
As I always say, "Is it already November?" or "Is it still November?" - it really depends on your perspective.
I prefer to think, "It's still November, I have two more months. I want to accomplish what I haven't done yet in these two months."
When you truly feel "growth!", every day becomes enjoyable, and realizing that you're still growing as you age fills you with immense joy and gratitude.
I believe growth means constantly challenging yourself and never ceasing to learn. Honestly, growth is a tough process.
You confront your own shortcomings, get knocked down repeatedly, but then you stand up, saying, "Okay, okay!" and strive to improve those areas.
I'd like to be more stoic about it, but why, oh why, do I have so much to do? Lol. There's simply not enough time to do everything I want to do.
Alright, that was the long introduction.
lol
I'm always a positive person. How about everyone else?
(Positive about what...?
L.O.L.
Lately, I've really come to believe that "love" is the most important thing. People cannot live alone. People don't live alone. So, there's no doubt that love is everything.
Money is everything! Love can be bought with money!
I think that's a big mistake. Humans have an innate sense for whether someone interacts with love or not. When genuine love overflows from the heart, it shows in one's attitude, words, and even in their eyes.
As I often mention on my podcast, humans cannot live alone.
Even this keyboard I'm using right now exists because someone made the parts, someone assembled them, and someone packaged it before it reached my hands. Many people have various jobs and roles, and that's how society functions.
We must never forget that. (I tell myself this and give myself a pep talk.)
I still consider myself to be in training (exaggeration), and I can't really speak loudly about it. I'm still under-informed about politics, and sometimes I'll grumble "What the heck!" and later regret it, but my fundamental belief remains unchanged.
"I hope Japan becomes a better place."
That's what I think.
I hope not only Japan but also the world and society as a whole become better, but first, we need to improve our own country. So, I start with things close to home.
There are so many things, so how can things improve? But from any angle, I'd be happy if things just got a little better.
Whether it's the economy, vitality, or anything else, it doesn't matter. If problems can be solved even a little, if the chilly atmosphere can become more energetic, and if people feel motivated and happy, that's enough.
Even if you don't feel the chill in the air, watching the news often reveals only sad and angry stories, a constant stream of negativity. Sometimes, it's hard to know where to find hope. There must be feelings that cannot be resolved by one person alone.
That has always been the case in every era. It's not limited to the present.
But, "I hope Japan becomes a better place." I think that's also my current dream. That's why fundamentally I speak about "love" and "inner peace."
If there are even a few people who agree, I believe things will gradually change.
The reason I started KOBINAI was to convey a message. At that time, it felt like society wasn't quite as open to self-expression as it is now. While "KOBINAI" (meaning "don't flatter") is common now, back then, although the word existed, making "not flattering" the norm was a bit questionable.
I think there was also a tendency to be overly concerned with how others perceived you. So, to make it easier for everyone to express themselves, to empower them to bravely voice what they felt inside, I put words and images onto clothing.
The reason I chose clothing was because it's wearable, and most people wear clothes every day, so I thought they could "wear their mindset."
I believed that little by little, society would change.
I can say what I want to say. Even at a drinking party where I feel I have to go along with others, if I decide "I don't want to flatter," I'll leave the party.
I don't use flattery. That's why life is difficult. There are times when it's hard, painful, and tough.
You might think being honest makes life easier, but I believe nothing is harder than being honest. However, that doesn't mean I carelessly say things that hurt people. If I were to truly say whatever I wanted, it would just be "selfish" or "arrogant."
However, it seems I had the courage to express my "opinions," regardless of whether they were famous or unknown. That's why I was able to continue KOBINAI.
And I wanted to share that little bit of courage.
Instead of stabbing someone with sharp words like a sword, wouldn't something change if we had a little courage to speak our minds and voice our opinions firmly?
I thought that if we could act less solely for our own benefit and cultivate even a little more empathy for others, the word "peace" might just take on a tangible form.
I created KOBINAI with these feelings. Of course, I didn't do it alone; I walked this path with many CREW members and, of course, with everyone. There must also be people who supported it because they found it cool or cute, without knowing these deeper feelings. I am grateful.
Returning to the topic, "KOBINAI" (not flattering) also refers to not flattering people, but I realized something early on.
"KOBINAI" means "to live honestly without lying to oneself."
If you keep compromising your true feelings, you'll eventually lose sight of who you really are. So, by living honestly with yourself, you won't lose your "self."
I am weak, but strong.
I often tell my CREW members, "Don't be the kind of person who can be knocked down with a pinky finger!"
That's right, we shouldn't be weak. We should be strong. As humans, it's better to have strong wills and strong feelings.
Of course, there are times when we become timid, because we are human and can't always be strong.
But if you want to be strong, you can become strong. You can switch your mindset.
"Weak but strong" means
There's still weakness. Because I'm human. But I believe I have the strength to turn weakness into strength. I believe that strength comes from "persistence."
That's why I strongly disagree with people who say "effort is useless" or "you don't have to do things you don't like."
So, the reason I'm talking about all this is that my dream is to create many "strong people" (in terms of will, thoughts, and feelings), so that Japan can become vibrant, enjoyable, and change for the better!
For that dream,
The time has come for me to start changing and moving again, little by little, to see what I can do.
My dream. A collection.
Hello, how are you?
It's hard to tell if it's cold or warm, but the lovely scent of osmanthus has somehow vanished, and it feels like neither autumn nor winter, yet here we are in November.
As I always say, "Is it already November?" or "Is it still November?" - it really depends on your perspective.
I prefer to think, "It's still November, I have two more months. I want to accomplish what I haven't done yet in these two months."
When you truly feel "growth!", every day becomes enjoyable, and realizing that you're still growing as you age fills you with immense joy and gratitude.
I believe growth means constantly challenging yourself and never ceasing to learn.
Honestly, growth is a tough process.
You confront your own shortcomings, get knocked down repeatedly, but then you stand up, saying, "Okay, okay!" and strive to improve those areas.
I'd like to be more stoic about it, but why, oh why, do I have so much to do? Lol.
There's simply not enough time to do everything I want to do.
Alright, that was the long introduction.
lol
I'm always a positive person.
How about everyone else?
(Positive about what...?
L.O.L.
Lately, I've really come to believe that "love" is the most important thing.
People cannot live alone. People don't live alone.
So, there's no doubt that love is everything.
Money is everything! Love can be bought with money!
I think that's a big mistake.
Humans have an innate sense for whether someone interacts with love or not.
When genuine love overflows from the heart, it shows in one's attitude, words, and even in their eyes.
As I often mention on my podcast, humans cannot live alone.
Even this keyboard I'm using right now exists because someone made the parts, someone assembled them, and someone packaged it before it reached my hands.
Many people have various jobs and roles, and that's how society functions.
We must never forget that. (I tell myself this and give myself a pep talk.)
I still consider myself to be in training (exaggeration), and I can't really speak loudly about it.
I'm still under-informed about politics, and sometimes I'll grumble "What the heck!" and later regret it, but my fundamental belief remains unchanged.
"I hope Japan becomes a better place."
That's what I think.
I hope not only Japan but also the world and society as a whole become better,
but first, we need to improve our own country. So, I start with things close to home.
There are so many things, so how can things improve? But from any angle, I'd be happy if things just got a little better.
Whether it's the economy, vitality, or anything else, it doesn't matter. If problems can be solved even a little, if the chilly atmosphere can become more energetic, and if people feel motivated and happy, that's enough.
Even if you don't feel the chill in the air, watching the news often reveals only sad and angry stories, a constant stream of negativity.
Sometimes, it's hard to know where to find hope. There must be feelings that cannot be resolved by one person alone.
That has always been the case in every era. It's not limited to the present.
But, "I hope Japan becomes a better place."
I think that's also my current dream.
That's why fundamentally I speak about "love" and "inner peace."
If there are even a few people who agree, I believe things will gradually change.
The reason I started KOBINAI was to convey a message.
At that time, it felt like society wasn't quite as open to self-expression as it is now. While "KOBINAI" (meaning "don't flatter") is common now, back then, although the word existed, making "not flattering" the norm was a bit questionable.
I think there was also a tendency to be overly concerned with how others perceived you.
So, to make it easier for everyone to express themselves, to empower them to bravely voice what they felt inside, I put words and images onto clothing.
The reason I chose clothing was because it's wearable, and most people wear clothes every day, so I thought they could "wear their mindset."
I believed that little by little, society would change.
I can say what I want to say.
Even at a drinking party where I feel I have to go along with others, if I decide "I don't want to flatter," I'll leave the party.
I don't use flattery.
That's why life is difficult. There are times when it's hard, painful, and tough.
You might think being honest makes life easier, but I believe nothing is harder than being honest.
However, that doesn't mean I carelessly say things that hurt people.
If I were to truly say whatever I wanted, it would just be "selfish" or "arrogant."
However, it seems I had the courage to express my "opinions," regardless of whether they were famous or unknown.
That's why I was able to continue KOBINAI.
And I wanted to share that little bit of courage.
Instead of stabbing someone with sharp words like a sword, wouldn't something change if we had a little courage to speak our minds and voice our opinions firmly?
I thought that if we could act less solely for our own benefit and cultivate even a little more empathy for others, the word "peace" might just take on a tangible form.
I created KOBINAI with these feelings. Of course, I didn't do it alone; I walked this path with many CREW members and, of course, with everyone. There must also be people who supported it because they found it cool or cute, without knowing these deeper feelings.
I am grateful.
Returning to the topic, "KOBINAI" (not flattering) also refers to not flattering people, but I realized something early on.
"KOBINAI" means "to live honestly without lying to oneself."
If you keep compromising your true feelings, you'll eventually lose sight of who you really are. So, by living honestly with yourself, you won't lose your "self."
I am weak, but strong.
I often tell my CREW members, "Don't be the kind of person who can be knocked down with a pinky finger!"
That's right, we shouldn't be weak.
We should be strong. As humans, it's better to have strong wills and strong feelings.
Of course, there are times when we become timid, because we are human and can't always be strong.
But if you want to be strong, you can become strong. You can switch your mindset.
"Weak but strong" means
There's still weakness. Because I'm human.
But I believe I have the strength to turn weakness into strength.
I believe that strength comes from "persistence."
That's why I strongly disagree with people who say "effort is useless" or "you don't have to do things you don't like."
So, the reason I'm talking about all this is that my dream is to create many "strong people" (in terms of will, thoughts, and feelings), so that Japan can become vibrant, enjoyable, and change for the better!
For that dream,
The time has come for me to start changing and moving again, little by little, to see what I can do.
Thank you for reading to the end.
Thank you!