A Mindful Week 39: The "Japan" Issue
A dive into getting smarter every day with the Japanese concept of Kaizen, timeless wisdom by Nobel prize writer Kawabata, & hidden gems by street fashion maverick Jun Takahashi
Hello Makers,
How can I become wiser?
Reading old masters helps me bend my thoughts to reflection spaces I would not usually look to.
Being in Tokyo, I am revisiting the books of Nobel Prize-awarded Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata.
When I was 15, I read his book “The Master of Go.” The book has never left me.
It is time to take a closer look at the words that impacted teenage me.
Here are 10 of the wisest quotes by Nobel Prize-awarded Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata.
“The true joy of a moonlit night is something we no longer understand. Only the men of old, when there were no lights, could understand the true joy of a moonlit night.”
“People have separated from each other with walls of concrete that blocked the roads to connection and love, and Nature has been defeated in the name of development.”
“Time flows in the same way for all human beings; every human being flows through time in a different way."
"Because you cannot see him, God is everywhere."
“A secret, if it’s kept, can be sweet and comforting, but once it leaks out it can turn on you with a vengeance.”
“Put your soul in the palm of my hand for me to look at, like a crystal jewel. I’ll sketch it in words...”
“The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sāla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline.”
"Time was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on."
"After he became the Master, the world believed that he could not lose, and he had to believe it himself. Therein was the tragedy."
“Long accustomed to a life of self-indulgent solitude, he began to yearn for the beauty of giving himself to others. The nobility of the word 'sacrifice' became clear to him”
Reading Kawabata is to become aware.
Kawabata's writing offers a glance into the beauty found in transient things.
Reading him is a masterclass in paying attention to the fleeting quality of experiences, the silent communication between the environment and the individual, and the serene complex beauty of life's quiet moments.
I wish you a week of subtle beauty and fleeting emotions,
ニコラス (Nikurasu)
Kaizen, a Japanese concept to apply in your life today:
*Kaizen (改善) is the practice of continuous improvement in work and personal life. To apply “Kaizen” is seeking ways to improve and making small, incremental changes that add up over time.
Go Kaizen: seek small, incremental changes that add up over time.
PS: I will be sharing more stories on Kaizen on other platforms this week (Instagram | LinkedIn)
The Man who brought Steve Jobs the turtleneck: Issey Miyake helped us wear the future
"I believe that we must understand the 'texture' of the times we live in.", visionary designer Issey Miyake once said. And he delivered: you can spot his textured clothes miles away.
Issey was obsessed with using the latest technology whilst prioritizing making things by hand. He bridged the ancient and the modern.
Learn to let go with this visual masterpiece: Okuribito - Departures
Okuribito (Departures) is a movie about a young man learning the art and beauty of the Japanese funeral ceremony. It’s a movie that is as beautiful, and moving as it is surprisingly funny.
It is a little marvel that the movie exists in the first place. Modern Japanese culture has strong taboos on anything related to death. The movie does the impossible: it shows the beauty and honor of the "one last act of compassion" in a country that would rather ignore the topic altogether.
I bow to the many heroes out there helping others in their departure from this world to an unknown one.
Playlist: Jun Takahashi’s playlists are hidden gems
Jun Takahashi is renowned for his street fashion brand Underground and his use of weirdly fitting references, ranging from flower bouquets, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, and Japanese Manga art. Jun influenced Japanese street clothing with a blend of bondage, gothic, baroque, and grotesque aesthetics embodying the spirit of rebellion in fashion.
His playlists also have cult status. Jun explains that they were created for drives from his home to his atelier in the mountains. Each playlist is around 120 minutes in length; the time it takes him to get each way.
一 Mind Travel I:
Application for next year’s meditation retreat is open. As usual, it will be an intimate group of fewer than 12 participants, which is unusual and rare in meditation retreats.
The next retreat will be on the topic of “wise, compassionate leadership”. It will take place in May, set at a lake outside of Berlin.
I wish to create a space of care, nature, food, science, and deep training for you to cultivate your beautiful mind. If you want to join, write me a message about why you should be the one joining.
に Timetravel:
If you are the nostalgic type, or if you are new - here you find the last „Mindful Week“ inspiration letters. Let me know what you want to read next.
Quote, I’m reflecting on:
"It's like we're all playing some endlessly boring game on our cell phones, even though we hate the game."
Ryu Murakami
Want more…
Here are some portals into the Nikolas Konstantin Multiverse:
Training the Theory and Art of Meditation: A Beautiful Mind Course
You asked me if I could pack the meditations and lessons of my workshop into a portable format.
Here is my clumsy attempt at distilling the feeling, models, and mental training into something that could work for the online world.
If you want to train your mind but also want to understand the theory from science and meditation traditions, this one is for you: So far, I have included The Guide to the 3 Styles of Meditation E-Book, 4 hours of theory, 10 + Meditations & Retreat Mode (create your own silent retreat with my retreat recordings). Join and let me know what to record next.
The Best of Management and Leadership: Founder Playbooks
As a founder coach, I scan the best of leadership literature, Harvard Business Review, and mindfulness so you can focus on what matters most—building a thriving organization.
Some of that theory makes it into my library, featuring the best of management and leadership theory. So far, I have made those "Founder Playbooks" only accessible to my coachees. But I decided to open it for you. Join the club and tell me what I should write about next.
About
A Mindful Week is an almost punctual newsletter about living a reflected life curated by executive coach & meditation teacher Nikolas. If you like what you read, share it with a friend.
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