Hi Everyone,
As you might know, Japan closed the country for 300 years, from the 17th century to the 19th.
Japan will close the country again.
But this time, for one month.
It seems that people get back to normal life these days.
So I was hoping to see more tourists in 2022, and I am still hoping so.
Prime Minster Kishida made an announcement yesterday to close the country for one month.
Prime Minister Kishida san.
Though he was raised in Tokyo and NY for a while, his father came from Hiroshima and he is representing Hiroshima City as a senator.
He went to the best high school whose graduates occupy Tokyo University.
Yet, he failed the entrance exams for Tokyo University three times.
In Japan, 20% of high school graduates choose to spend one year (or more ) to prepare for a university exam.
We call those students ‘Ronin’ which literally means ‘Samurai with no job.’
Nowadays, ‘Ronin’ means a student who is preparing for an university exam.
Yes, they have a huge pressure.
But I call them ‘ the most spoiled children in the world.’
Does any other country give 18 year-old students one year or two off with money?
It is not really ‘off,’ because they study days and nights but parents pay for a prep school (about 10,000 USD per year for school tuition+ living expenses).
In return, students ‘study’ and ideally pass an exam for a school they want to enter.
I say this because I wasted my parents’ money.
My high school time was my dark age.
I lost my motivation not only to study but also to do other things.
Naturally, I did not go to a university and preferred to do ‘nothing’ by the name of ‘Ronin.’
Kishida san tried to pass Tokyo University three times. And he was not successful.
He ended up with Waseda University that is also a prestigious school.
But, having a father who went to Tokyo University and became a politician, he must have suffered a huge setback.
My case is not as dramatic as his,
but,
when I take a long bath and get relaxed, my ‘dark age’ memory comes back from time to time.
But, you see, this negativity is a great motivation to do things.
I still survive and life goes on.
I suspect Kishida san also lives on his dark age and changes it into a good energy.
I hope ‘closing the country’ will work well in a longer term.
Thank you for reading,
Toshiya