No.14 英語版
Ichigo Ichie: From Tokyo to India
A few days ago, I met a man from India in Tokyo.
He works for Siemens in India.
If you ask whether I speak perfect English, the answer is simple: not even close.
My English is a unique combination of junior-high-school vocabulary, enthusiasm, and hand gestures.
Yet somehow, smiles seem to speak a universal language.
“Where are you from?”
That simple question opened the door to a wonderful conversation.
In Japan, we have a beautiful phrase: “Ichigo Ichie.”
It means, “Treasure every encounter, because it may never happen again in exactly the same way.”
Perhaps life itself is a collection of Ichigo Ichie moments.
The teammates I met on rugby fields.
The friends I met while studying rugby in England.
And now, a new friend from India whom I met under the Tokyo sky.
If I had decided not to speak because my English was imperfect, this photo and this memory would never have existed.
At 52 years old, I have learned something important.
The greatest risk in life is not failure.
It is allowing fear to prevent us from meeting new people.
To be honest, my knowledge of India is still limited to curry, cricket, and Bollywood.
But thanks to this encounter, I have become curious about Indian movies and music.
Who knows?
One day I may be attempting Bollywood dance moves and causing serious concern among my family members.
If that happens, please be kind.
The world is vast.
Yet the distance between people is often much shorter than we imagine.
Sometimes all it takes is one simple word:
“Hello.”
And suddenly, the world feels a little smaller and a lot warmer.
Ichigo Ichie.
A once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
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