"90% of life can be a waste": Naoki Prize-winning author Kageki Shimoda, who requires Level 5 nursing care. The "correct answer of taking the long way around" reached at age 86

"90% of life can be a waste." In an age where time performance is shouted from the rooftops, these words may sound overly luxurious and even cruel. Kageki Shimoda, a Naoki Prize-winning author who once colored the era with his eccentric fashion and free-spirited behavior, now lives in bed, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and certified as requiring Level 5 nursing care. However, his eyes, which should have been robbed of their freedom, are clearer than ever before. This is the state of mind of an 86-year-old who arrived here after a "long detour" that included over 20 jobs, from selling dog health insurance to working as a detective. What is the essence of life that resides within the waste?

── Mr. Shimoda, you turned 86 in March. You still update your social media every day, and your posts frequently become a hot topic. The figure of 420,000 followers is surprising, but with what thoughts do you continue to post?

Mr. Shimoda: As I answered various people's consultations on social media, the number of followers increased naturally. Right now, I tweet every day because I want to encourage young people. The consultations that come through social media vary by age, but what I want to convey now is that "your very existence is a bundle of possibilities." So, please do everything you want to do. I want you to challenge yourself a lot and fail a lot.

── Your tweet, "90% of life can be a waste," once received a huge response.

Mr. Shimoda: Looking back on my own life, I really think so. After graduating from university in six years, I wandered around, changing over 20 types of jobs until I was 29. I would look at newspaper ads, go to interviews at random, and sometimes quit the same day because I didn't like it (laughs). You could say all of that was just wasted time, but looking back, those days were fun.

I received the Naoki Prize for "Yellow Fang" in 1980, and this work is based on my experience as an "insurance investigator" from when I was wandering around. Experiences that seem like a waste are exactly what become the flesh and blood of my writing as an author.

── I heard you also experienced jobs like selling dog health insurance, being a cram school teacher, and working as a weekly magazine reporter.

Mr. Shimoda: That's right, I really did all sorts of jobs. It took me seven years from the time I aspired to be an author until my debut. There was a period when I got discouraged and thought, "I'll stop writing," because no matter how much I wrote, I wouldn't pass the prize selections. But the dream I once held never disappeared. If you don't lose sight of your dream, you will naturally get closer to it.

── Do you have any regrets about your journey so far?

Mr. Shimoda: I don't think there is a single "waste," but what I do regret is that "I should have built a more solid backbone." Because I lived optimistically, I neglected to properly realize and establish my strengths and what I was good at as "this is who I am." I didn't pursue "what is the axis of myself as a human being." I regret that.

── Even with a career as extensive as yours, you feel that way?

Mr. Shimoda: But I think you can build a backbone at any age, so I intend not to give up yet. I'm looking forward to what's next.

...

Kageki Shimoda, who laughs that "old age and illness are also a new stage," even while in a body restricted by Level 5 nursing care.

Before we knew it, haven't we been rushing to reach the correct answer by the shortest distance? Is there any time you have regretted as "a waste" until now, or any experience you thought was a detour, that you feel has become a part of what supports you today?

What do you feel now about the words "there is still more to come" gifted by this 86-year-old?