Winning the "#CheersToThatSummer" contest gave Kaede Sato the confidence to keep writing #noteCreatorFile
#noteCreatorFile introduces creators who are active on note. This time, we spoke with Kaede Sato, a writer living in New Zealand.
Sato won the judge's award from Sui Sui in the "#CheersToThatSummer" submission contest, a collaboration between Kirin and note. Sui Sui also highly praised her in the results announcement article.
Ever since I first read this piece, this "that summer" has existed in my memory, and my hippocampus is confused. It was outstandingly the best.
Additionally, an essay she submitted to the "#TravelAndI" theme project by TABIPPO and note will be included in a book scheduled for release by Rights Corp next spring.
She also writes short stories and essays on note. Her down-to-earth writing, based on her own experiences—such as her daily life in New Zealand, records of her daughter's growth, and her relationship with her husband—resonates with many. We spoke with her during her recent visit back to Japan.
Starting note after being encouraged by someone who keeps writing
Sato started note in April 2018. It was shortly after she had sold the restaurant she and her husband ran in New Zealand and had just begun working as a writer.
"I started working as a freelance writer in February 2018, working for Japan while living abroad. I started by registering on a crowdsourcing site, but I also wanted a place where I could write my own articles. I had known about note since around 2016, but until then, I thought it was just for celebrities and creators, and that it didn't really have anything to do with me."
Around that time, she read an article about writer and essayist Saki Yoshitama using note as a portfolio, which encouraged her to start. Initially, she posted a few times a month, mainly focusing on records of raising her children abroad. After watching the first #noteSakaba held in December 2018 online and seeing note users interacting in person, she began reading more, and note became a more familiar presence to her.
"Even so, I live abroad. I didn't have any real-life connections, and one day, while I was writing quietly by myself, freelance writer Shonen B quoted my writing on note. With so many people writing in the vast ocean of the internet, it was a shock to find someone who liked my writing. It was a first for me, so I was incredibly happy, and it gave me the strength to keep writing."
In May 2019, at the dawn of the Reiwa era, Sato decided to take on the challenge of "updating note every day." She says she was encouraged by the notes of fellow overseas residents like Italian-based illustrator Shinobu Wada and designer Ponzu, who continued to update daily.
After 100 days of daily updates, I made "friends" who write on note
Sato, who started updating note daily after being supported and influenced by others on the internet through note.
"It was just fun to write. There were times when it was difficult to manage my time between childcare and work, but when you write every day, the hurdle for writing gets lower, and you get into a good rhythm. It's good muscle training."
What she unexpectedly gained after continuing for 100 days was a connection with "friends" who write on note.
"Since I started updating daily, I began reading other people's notes more often, leaving comments, and receiving them. As we shared each other's articles on Twitter, I naturally connected with people who write on note, and it became like a place where I belonged."
She began participating (via the internet!) in unofficial projects and meetups, not just official note contests, and connections were born. During this trip back to Japan for the first time in two and a half years, she met with friends she made through note, including going out with four families in Osaka and having meals in Tokyo both day and night.
"Even though it was the first time we met in person, because we already knew each other by reading our notes, I wasn't nervous, and it didn't feel like a first meeting at all (laughs). It feels like we've been friends for a long time. Actually, a major purpose of this trip back was to meet the friends I made on note."
A single note showed me scenery I didn't know and gave me the confidence to keep writing
Sato-san reflects that her recent trip back to Japan from New Zealand with her family, and her solo trip to Tokyo from her parents' home in Osaka, was sparked by winning the "Cheers to That Summer" submission contest.
"While the prize money helped cover travel expenses, the win itself became the driving force for me to meet people I wanted to see in person. That one note showed me scenery I had never known before."
Her jury prize-winning piece, "8-Minute Summer Train," was her first short story, posted after a two-week break following her 100-day daily update streak. She wrote it in about six hours, spent about a week reviewing it until she was tired of it, and finished it with advice from creative director Satoshi Iriya (illy) via Twitter.
"From the moment I published it, my note friends reacted to it, and people like Suisui-san and Masahiko Katsuse shared it, which made me so happy. When the contest results were announced, I cried looking at the comments coming in on Twitter. For the first time in years, I shed tears of joy for myself."
"What I gained from winning the award is confidence. Until then, I would compare myself to others and feel jealous or down, but in an era where anyone can write, I've come to believe that it's okay for me to write my own stories. I feel like I've been placed at the starting line to keep creating."
It has been about a year and a half since she started writing on note. Sato-san says, "I want to keep writing and enjoying it from here on out."
"It is truly a joy to have a place where I can keep creating and connect with others."
Please take a moment to meet and connect with Sato-san, who continues to create on note.
■ Kaede Sato
Writer. Lives in New Zealand with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. ▷ On note, she writes about parenting, life abroad, relationships, and ways of living. ▷ Won the Jury Prize in the Kirin x note contest #CheersToThatSummer. ▷ Writing genres | HR, recruitment, work styles, etc. For work inquiries, please contact via Twitter DM.
note:@830kaede
Twitter: @nzkaede
