Because Life Happens Only Once

I traveled to Osakikamijima, an island floating in the Seto Inland Sea that is not connected by any bridges, for what I called a retreat.

Title image photo: "Because Life Happens Only Once." I encountered this stone monument. Today, I am thinking about this.

Osakikamijima Retreat

This is my second visit to Osakikamijima. The first was in April 2025. You can read about that experience in the article below.

I reunited this summer with Hideki Matsumoto of Shiki Farm, whom I met in the spring. And on this island, I encountered a certain phrase.

"Because life happens only once"

Hideki-san taught it to me. After meeting a collie named Shiki at his home on Osakikamijima,

"I often take walks here. It's a pleasant place," he said. While walking through the village, we came upon a large stone placed quietly in a peaceful spot. On its surface, the words were carved powerfully and serenely.

For a moment, time seemed to stop, and I felt as if everything had gone silent. It was probably only a few seconds, but after that, I could hear the sound of the wind blowing through, the chirping of birds, and the sound of cicadas. It was a mysterious moment.

This encounter with the stone monument was not planned. It was a product of pure chance.

We were relaxing and having tea at Shiki Farm. For the sake of the elementary school child who accompanied me, he suggested,

"There is an excellent school called Eichi Gakuen; would you like to go see it?"

With that invitation, we visited the Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Eichi Gakuen in his car. We enjoyed watching the high school girls frolicking on Ogushi Beach right in front of the school, and then we visited Hideki-san's home. Furthermore, we visited Ohara Shrine, which is said to grant any wish.

It was then that he said, "There is a wonderful stone monument on my walking route; would you like to see it?" and that is how I came face-to-face with this monument.

Shiki Farm

Shiki Farm is located on Osakikamijima, an island in Hiroshima Prefecture in the Seto Inland Sea. They cultivate, sell, and process citrus fruits, vegetables, and olives, and also do botanical dyeing using vegetables and fruits.

He told me that he was captivated by the island, which is rich in nature and surrounded by the mild climate and calm seas of the Seto Inland Sea, and moved there from the Kansai region in 2019. Having previously worked busily in an urban area, he fell in love with Osakikamijima, and it is a place where he cultivates fields with his own hands, welcomes people, provides a space for encounters and gatherings, and shares "rich time" with others.

I felt that his way of life itself truly embodies the phrase, "Because life happens only once."

Do not be chased by time, but live with time.
Do not conform to others, but live by your own principles.
It is easy to say in words, but difficult to put into practice.
However, his back quietly told that story.

How would I continue it?

"Because this life only happens once..."

So, what???

What words would I follow that with?

Because this life only happens once...
・I want to keep smiling
・I want to avoid missing small moments of wonder
・I want to walk on my own two feet
・I want to be someone who can gently push others forward

Various words came to mind and then faded away.

I would like to hold a workshop.

I was with 10 friends for this retreat. The next day, I had them look at this stone monument as well. It was impressive to see each of them reading it quietly, as if savoring the words.

"Because this life only happens once..."

So, what???

I would love to hold a workshop on how to continue this sentence.

Because this life only happens once...
"You have to take risks"
"Let's stop comparing ourselves to others"
"I have to do what I want to do"
"Let's act without regrets"

By the way, Shinmin Sakamura says the following.

I believe it is important for everyone to find their own answer, not in words forced upon them by someone else, but in their own words. Even though each person has a different answer, they are all undoubtedly their own 'true feelings'.

Words exist in harmony with their surroundings.

Reading the phrase 'Because life happens only once' through a screen—in other words, those of you reading this note—are in that very situation. We read it in front of a stone monument on Osakikamijima Island. 'Because life happens only once' had a completely different resonance there.

The blazing sun, the scent of the tide, the sounds of nature, the wind against our skin, the smell of the earth. The time spent facing words while surrounded by these elements is a precious experience rarely found in daily life.

We had an exchange where Hideki-san read my book The Fear of Quitting Your Job and the Happiness Found After Overcoming It multiple times and emailed me the passages he had highlighted.

From those interactions, a second visit, the Osakikamijima Island retreat project, was launched. It was a retreat project bringing along 10 participants—lost lambs struggling with their future lives.

It was through that sequence of events that we encountered the stone monument 'Because life happens only once.'
Is this a coincidence? Or is it destiny?

The difference in impact between reading words through an iPhone and reading them on a stone monument made me feel that words truly exist in harmony with their surroundings.

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