[Happy Writing Marathon 6] What is a book you read between high school and age 22 that you found to be good?

Greetings

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read this.

To everyone who follows me, thank you as always.

I am participating in Ken Honda's "Happy Writing Marathon."

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"What is a book you read between high school and age 22 that you found to be good?"

The book I consider "good" is Kenji Miyazawa's "The Restaurant of Many Orders".

You might be thinking, "Huh?" After all, it is a work that is even included in elementary school textbooks. In fact, I read it in class when I was in elementary school (though, according to young O-chan back then, it felt like I was "being made to read it"... haha). However, this work remains strongly in my heart even now as a book that gave me important realizations when I had just entered society.

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At the time, I was a young person who had just entered society. I was a young man who was full of himself, lacked confidence, yet avoided interacting with others as much as possible and clung to cheap pride. Although I worked hard as a new employee, I was far from being someone who brought profit to the company.

When I first started working, I mainly read books about self-improvement, but at that time, the content of none of those books really resonated with me.

While I would temporarily agree with expressions like "You should do this" or "This is what is important," I often didn't gain a deep understanding or a sense of it taking root within me.

About half a year after joining the company, I was ordered to transfer to Iwate Prefecture.

I was bewildered by my first time working in the Tohoku region, but thanks to the warm watchfulness and guidance of my seniors, although I didn't become capable at my job, I was somehow able to keep myself together.

Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture is known for having the high school that Major Leaguer Shohei Ohtani attended, but it is also the place where Kenji Miyazawa was born and raised. I visited the Kenji Miyazawa Memorial Museum in Hanamaki City several times by car as a way to clear my head.

The moment I stepped into the museum for the first time, the world of Kenji Miyazawa—such as the poem "Strong in the Rain," "Night on the Galactic Railroad," and "The Nighthawk Star"—was beautifully recreated, and I was instantly drawn into that world.

And so, about 10 years after reading it as a child, I picked up "The Restaurant of Many Orders" once again.

Reading it as an adult, I realized that within the easy-to-understand and exciting development for children, there were themes essential for living in society skillfully woven in, which young O-chan could never have noticed: human greed, arrogance, the importance of observing things well,, and a humble heart. These were things that could be felt from deep descriptions that questioned the reader through the figures of the characters, rather than direct words like "this is how you should be."

As I read on, the arrogance I had at the time, the way of thinking that perceived things superficially, and the attitude of not being able to honestly accept teachings from others began to overlap with the gentlemen in the story.

Triggered by that realization, I began to consciously review my words, actions, and how I interact with others little by little from then on.

Thirty years have passed since then.
It is a work that still provides many insights even when I reread it now.

"The Restaurant of Many Orders" continues to shine quietly and powerfully in my heart even today.

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Through this prompt, I realized that
books are entities that transcend time, bringing various insights depending on the reader's situation and state of mind.

Thank you very much.