January 1, 2026

Happy New Year.

If I don't write down "2026" here and there, I'll forget what year it is. That's even more true for the Japanese era name. This year is Reiwa 8.

I usually go back to my hometown for the holidays, but this year I'm spending them at home.
Since I finished work early, I went to BOOK OFF to sell about 50 books as part of a decluttering effort, but I ended up buying about 20 new ones.

The types of books I pick up have changed significantly over the past year.
Two or three years ago, I often read business books on management theory, organizational theory, and marketing, but I feel that last year I shifted toward books on politics, economics, social science, and philosophy.

One book I read in one sitting right at the very end of 2025 was
"Music and Life" by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Shinichi Fukuoka.

I bought this book in 2024 and had left it sitting on the shelf.
If I had read it back then, I probably wouldn't have been as impressed. I believe it was precisely because it was the end of last year that I was able to understand it deeply and gain insights and learning from it.

Once again, I think reading is all about timing.
In the continuous flow of learning, curiosity connects like synapses. That curiosity might extend in a new direction, or it might connect with past memories to become even stronger.

That is different for everyone.
But one thing I can say for sure is that "reading just one book won't change your life on its own."

In what direction will my curiosity extend this year?
What kind of input will I take in, and what kind of output will I produce...

I hope to spend another year enjoying change.