The note that won the Creative Award 5 years later was born in a stranger's family home

A note I wrote five years ago won the Note Creative Award 2024. It is a story about how I, a workaholic, came to realize the importance of "living" during my travels.

It is quite a miracle, considering it was one of eight works selected from over 26,000 entries in the essay category.

However, looking back, the circumstances that led to writing that note were also like a miracle. When I tell people, "Actually, this happened and I wrote that note," they usually say, "You're kidding, right?" No, I'm not kidding.

So, with gratitude to everyone who read that note, I would like to share a little behind-the-scenes story and an update as a follow-up.

25 days before the Indian's note went viral

I was in Israel. And my computer broke, leaving me at a loss.

In 2019, I was traveling around the world with just a backpack. I left Japan in February, visited several countries heading west, and in August, I crossed the border from Egypt into Israel by land and was staying in the holy city of Jerusalem. Writing it like this sounds romantic, but at the time, it was more accurate to say I was "working while moving" rather than "traveling."

In the midst of all that, my computer suddenly broke.

The screen went black and it wouldn't respond at all. I was in trouble. There is no Apple Store in Israel. When I took it to a local repair shop, they said, "It needs a part replacement and it will be fixed soon. But we don't have the part right now. We need to import it from the EU. Well, it will take about 4 weeks."

I couldn't wait that long. When I looked into it carefully, I found that an Apple Store in Japan could fix it in just one day. Japan is amazing! It had been about half a year since I left. I was also missing Japanese food. Alright! I'll interrupt my world trip. I'll go back to Japan for a bit!

I am indecisive, but this time I strangely decided to return to Japan immediately. Since I was coming all the way back, I decided to enjoy summer in Japan for a while, so I posted a tweet asking, "Are there any recommended places in Japan?"

Then, I received this DM from someone whose face and name I didn't know.

“How about Kikai Island in the Amami Islands?”

They said their family home is on Kikai Island. Their parents were away on a long trip. Because of that, their pet dog and cat were lonely. They would be happy if I lived in their family home while taking care of the dog and cat. If I took care of them, I wouldn't need to pay rent.

Ah, this is suspicious...!

Could an invitation from a southern island really arrive so conveniently?

I could understand if it were someone I had interacted with on Twitter, but this was a sudden message from a complete stranger whose face and name I didn't know. Honestly, I was surprised. Is this okay? Is it a new type of scam? However, as I continued to exchange messages, I realized they had sent the message out of pure goodwill.

“The house is an old wooden one that looks like it could be in Totoro (it's not exactly a lovely place, though...).”
“My father's hobbies: classical, jazz, opera records, and huge speakers are there.”
“I think the internet is fiber optic.”
“However, the toilet is not a flush toilet, it's a pit toilet...”

The feeling that they were a good person seeped through the text. Besides, when I thought about it, the person trying to invite a strange traveler into their family home was taking a much bigger risk. What if I were a thief or a pervert? This person must be a very happy and unusual person!

I felt like a wonderful story was about to begin, so I agreed to go to Kikai Island without hesitation and returned from Israel. As soon as I arrived in Tokyo, I fixed my broken computer and headed toward Kikai Island while traveling through Shikoku and San'in.

7 days before the Indian's note went viral

I arrived at Kikai Island by ferry at 4:30 in the morning. As I was walking along the dim road waiting for the sunrise, a car that was about to pass me called out, "Where are you going?" When I told them my approximate destination, they said, "I'll give you a ride," and an unexpected passive hitchhike was established. I was convinced that I had come to a wonderful island.

I was dropped off at the approximate location of the address and proceeded down an unpaved private road facing a large street. After walking for a while, a stranger's family home finally appeared. Just as I had heard, it was an old wooden house, like something out of Totoro, yet it was charming.

Stepping into the entrance, there was a tatami living room immediately, and the walls were densely decorated with four of this year's calendars, family photos, pictures of people met on trips, and New Year's cards from years past, making it clear that the owner of this house cherished people and the seasons.

Inside the house, there are notes left everywhere—on the refrigerator, the toilet, and all over the place.

It is a strange house, but please use it as you like.
The toilet (pit latrine) is in the back left, and the room with the futons is in the back right!
Please feel free to use the insect repellent and such.
If the circuit breaker trips, it is on top of the refrigerator.

There were also instructions regarding the pet dog and cat.

Zoro seems lonely, or maybe it's because of the heat, but he looks sad and has lost his appetite, so he won't eat much. He ate a lot of boiled chicken breast the other day, though... Zoro's food and such are in the shelf outside. I would be happy if you could show him some love.

Zoro (the dog) and Neko (the cat, literally called 'Cat') are both elderly and seem to be lacking energy. Both of them move slowly and didn't make a fuss even when I, a stranger, approached. They are friendly, and when I called their names, they wagged their tails and came over to me.

Starting today, I will be spending some time in a stranger's family home while taking care of these little ones. Even though it's a stranger's house, there is a strange sense of security, as if the whole house is saying 'Welcome home!' to me. The fatigue from the late-night ferry melted away all at once, and I decided to take a rest in the bedroom.

4 days before to the day the Indian's note went viral

After arriving on the island, it was a storm of welcomes.

First, a female relative of this house came over to walk Zoro, then her younger sister came to check on things, and then the uncle, the younger brother of the house's owner, also came to check on things. They even brought me mandarin oranges. It was heartwarming.

I had initially thought I would do some serious work at a house with Wi-Fi, but every time I was welcomed, my motivation to work dwindled further.

There isn't even a convenience store within walking distance.

I used to work in Tokyo and almost always ate out. I was a convenience store addict who went to one at least three times a day. I was a person with a sky-high Engel coefficient, spending about 100,000 yen a month on food.

Seduced by the island's atmosphere, I found myself spending several days living a life of walking Zoro, cooking for myself, reading, napping, walking Zoro, and cooking again.

And then, to my surprise! I had absolutely no time to work.

Walking the dog, making food, eating, reading a book, walking, making food, eating... wait? The day just ends while I'm living my life. It's a shock. When I was in Tokyo, I worked from morning until night, right? If I live my life properly, I can't work!

While that shock was still fresh, another shock hit me.

Let me show you around the island.

The next day, the man came to check on me again. He said he would show me around the island today.

Since Kikai Island is a production area for white sesame seeds, the man took me to a sesame field. I had no idea it was a sesame field, and I was just thinking about how many white flowers were blooming there, when...

"White sesame?"

The man said, picking a pod and showing me the inside. It was packed with white sesame seeds.

"What!? Is this, by any chance, sesame!?"

I exclaimed in surprise. To my shame, I truly didn't know that this is how sesame is made. That sesame could be inside such flowers, like this.

There was also an elderly woman in the field, bent over working. I couldn't help but bow my head.

Oh my, this is a problem. This is more than just about sesame. Does this mean that everything I've eaten until now has been taken care of by someone like this? And I've been eating it all this time without realizing it, without a second thought?

Good heavens.

I had been living my life by "outsourcing" it. I had been paying others to do everything related to my life. And I was doing it unconsciously!

At that moment, I heard the sound of dopamine rushing through my synapses. Like a brilliant firework, I suddenly remembered the words of a man I met in India two years ago.

Ah, so that's what it meant.

Honestly, I didn't quite get it when he said those words back then. But after living at the island's relaxed pace, cooking my own meals, and visiting the field, I felt like I finally understood what that Indian man was saying.

For whom do I produce what, what kind of consumption do I engage in, and who is supporting me? What kind of story lies in the background of what is in front of me? By constantly thinking about these things, I can cherish both myself and those around me.

For example, when eating sesame, if I can remember the scenery of that field, I can be grateful for even a single sesame seed. For example, when throwing something away, if I can imagine, "What kind of person will be processing this at the end?" it becomes harder to dispose of things carelessly. If you pay attention to the process, the choices you make in life may change.

Mindfulness must have meant exactly that.

That is what I wrote in this note. It was a hit at the time, with over 160,000 views and 4,000 likes. It has continued to be read slowly and steadily, and now it is a long-running hit with over 250,000 views and 8,000 likes. I am impressed by how universal the wisdom of the Indian man is.

If my computer hadn't broken in Israel, if I hadn't returned to Japan at that time, if I hadn't been using Twitter, if I hadn't gone to Kikai Island, this note would never have been born. And to think that 5 years after writing it, it would win the Creative Award 2024. It's like a miracle, isn't it?

Afterword

Five years have passed since then.

Over the past five years, I have thought about how to avoid neglecting my daily life, and I have actively worked on reaching out from the consumer side to the production side.

I established an incorporated association and created a community where consumers can participate in production activities. Together, we grow rice, raise soybeans to make miso, and engage in urban beekeeping.

I started getting involved in operating a service related to gibier in Nagano. This is also my fourth year of operation. This service received a Good Design Award and was selected as a model project for a Cabinet Office subsidy. I have also become able to help a little with the butchering.

I have also had many opportunities to visit various primary production sites, such as slaughtering chickens with my own hands before eating them, and diving into the sea at seaweed farming sites. Today, I am turning exactly 36 years old.

I am not following the career path I envisioned when I was in the IT industry, and there are times when I feel like I haven't built anything up. Even after seeing primary production sites, there are times when I easily neglect my daily life. There are times when I just eat cup noodles, and there are still plenty of days when I am just busy with work.

However, I am less unaware than I was back then.

I have developed a habit of paying attention to processes, such as thinking, 'I'm eating cup noodles today,' or 'How was this made?' At the same time, I have become able to pay attention to my own heart, such as asking myself what I want to do now.

It's different from what I thought my 30s would be like when I was in my 20s, but I think it's much, much better than becoming a 30-something who mistakenly thinks they are a 'full-fledged adult' by unconsciously earning and spending money.

I am still not able to be mindful of everything at all, but I want to continue to explore living, especially the way of urban life, from here on out.

Finally. I would like to thank the Indian person who changed my life and everyone who took care of me on Kikai Island. Let's meet again for sure.