Japanese work culture is made up of several concepts that are meant to champion collaboration, communication and productivity, all with varying results. One of the most prominent is gemba, which has its origins in lean manufacturing.
Translating to ‘the actual place’ gemba has several dimensions that will be explored in this article.
Continue reading “Gemba – The Science Of Japanese Productivity”
The thing about Japanese idioms is that they are always more than what is said on the surface. It’s why they are useful for exploring in the context of mental health and desire. Specifically, drunken life, dreamy death is a phrase I’ve thought about for the last few years and how it’s applied to my own life.
It’s a Friday night. You’ve had a long week at work and you’ve already eaten plenty that day. But you have a craving for pizza, even though you know you’re full in the sense of getting all your calories and basic human needs satisfied. You know you aren’t ‘hungry’ in the ‘I’m-starving-not-actually-starving-life-or-death’ kind of way that gets said so much it’s a first world cliche (especially if you’re from the UK).
You order the pizza anyway because the craving demands it. And once you’ve finished, all you can think is why did I eat that goddamn pizza? I wasn’t even hungry.
If that sounds familiar, then maybe it’s time to embrace the concept of kuchisabishii. This Japanese concept roughly translates as ‘lonely mouth.’ But rather than it being a damnation of mindless eating, kuchisabishii offers a reframing of why we eat when we’re bored or sad.
Continue reading “Can We Develop Healthier Eating Habits With Kuchisabishii?”
Japanese wellness and mental health concepts have a certain mythology about them, both inside and outside the country. Often, in the cases of concepts like ikigai and wabi-sabi, they are viewed as romantic and completely holistic. But we have to be careful with seeing only positive connotations and not viewing a concept in the context of its culture.
A bad example is when things like ikigai are appropriated, stripped of their original meaning and hailed as the next big wellness trend by productivity bros with a hard-on for selling business courses that at best only scratch the surface of what the concept was in the first place, and at worst, offer no value, provide inaccurate information and further damage the mental health of the people they’re selling to.
That’s not to say that these concepts aren’t helpful (when they are properly understood). And in the spirit of balance, this is the first of ten essays about Japanese mental health constructs.
My aim isn’t to offer mental health ‘advice.’ It’s to show the different interpretations of how these constructs manifest in daily life through my own subjective experience. So, let’s explore the first concept – Gaman.
Continue reading “Toxicity In Context: The Double-Edged Sword Of Gaman”
From the outside, Japan feels like a place of healthy living and forward thinking policies. The esoteric, romanticised ideals of wabi-sabi and ikigai pervade Western interpretations of good mental health practices. With that in mind, the actress Yuko Takeuchi should’ve been living a charmed life. She’d won several awards for her acting talents and celebrated the birth of her second son in 2020.
But on the 27th September 2020, Takeuchi was found dead in her home. She’d hanged herself. This tragic incident isn’t isolated. Other Japanese celebrities like the wrestler Hana Kimura took her own life in the same year. She was 22. Then there’s the actor Haruma Miura who killed himself at the age of 30.
Japan’s relationship with suicide is a complex subject. It needs to be talked about and addressed so perspectives change and more is done to make suicide prevention stronger in the country.
This article explores the reasons behind suicide in Japan and initiatives that are trying to make a difference.
Continue reading “The Dark Side Of Mental Health In Japan: Addressing The Suicide Epidemic”
Can I?
I ask myself this everyday
Can I?
Be someone proud
Can I?
Be someone who goes to Japan
A dream within a dream
Living outside
An existential crisis
Can I?
Live with being me
A contradiction
Up and down
Travel or no
Paralysed
Frozen inbetween
Can I?
Be a father
A man to lead generations
Children who look up
To the guy who was meant to lead the way
I don’t know
I’m drowning
In indecision
I’m shattered
Pick myself back together
Can I?
Survive the pandemic
Living alone
It’s scary
I feel the weight
Unknown shadows
On my shoulders
Can I?
Be the man
Inside my mind
Samurai
Connection to culture
Can I?
Keep moving
Uncertainty
I cry
Can I?
Breathe
I’m suffocating
Can I?
Live with myself
Can I?
Not be drunk
Making excuses
Can I?
Listen to myself
Find the answer
Can I?
Bear the pain
Move beyond suicide
Can I?
Explore Hokkaido
Eat ramen in an izakaya
Drink sake in a brewery
Be the gaijn in Roppongi
Dance awkwardly to K-pop
Dive into Kyushu
Drinking shochu
Can I?
Lie on a beach in Okinawa
Speak of the habushu myth
In bars with old men
Still trying to get it up
Can I?
Sip awamori
See kame
Melded before me
Can I?
Accept the things
That can’t be controlled
I don’t know
I’m trying
Forgive me
I will
One day
I see the dawn
Rising
Can I?
I can
Completed
A dream
Reality
The life I’m living
At last
I’m here
Peace
I’m living
A feeling
Without fear
Amazing
Clear eyes
Blue skies
The future is bright
The great lockdown of 2020 shocked the world, and will forever leave a mark on those living through this iconic time. The rate at which COVID-19 spread, caused many people around the world to live under social restrictions to avoid unnecessary human interactions. An almost impossible task, while living in the 21st century, but not for everyone.
Japan’s hikikomori are those who shut away from the normalities of life such as work, school, friends, hobbies, and socialising in general. It translates to ‘pulling inward’ and often referred to as ‘modern-day hermits.’
A cherry blossom
precious as mental health
must be treated with care
Discovering new hobbies is a great technique for developing a positive mental health routine and in my case it’s been sake. Since setting off on my journey into the world of nihonshu, I’ve found it’s been a positive experience during times of poor mental health and I wanted to share four ways in which it’s helped.
Continue reading “4 Ways In Which Sake Has Helped My Mental Health”
When developing a positive mental health routine for yourself, it’s worth looking to other cultures for inspiration. Japan has various philosophies that can help to make life brighter and more enjoyable. Whether it’s learning to appreciate small pleasures or choosing to be kinder to yourself, here are five Japanese concepts that promote positive mental health. Continue reading “5 Powerful Japanese Concepts For Creating A Positive Mental Health Routine”
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