people-from-tokyo

"Every worm to his taste; Some prefer to eat nettles."

"You are being very demanding indeed. Where, I wonder, will we find the woman to satisfy you? You really should have stayed single — all woman-worshippers should be single. They never find the woman who answers all the requirements."

"The older we get the more we seem to think that everything was better in the past. Old people a century ago wanted to go back two centuries, and two centuries ago they wished it were three centuries earlier. Never has there been an age that people have been satisfied with. But in recent years the pace of progress has been so precipitous that conditions in our own country go somewhat beyond the ordinary. The changes that have taken place since the Restoration of 1867 must be at least as great as those of the preceding three and a half centuries."

"Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of the secrets of shadows, our sensitive use of shadow and light. For the beauty of the alcove is not the work of some clever device. An empty space is marked off with plain wood and plain walls, so that the light drawn into it forms dim shadows within emptiness. There is nothing more. And yet, when we gaze into the darkness that gathers behind the crossbeam, around the flower vase, beneath the shelves, though we know perfectly well it is mere shadow, we are overcome with the feeling that in this small comer of the atmosphere there reigns complete and utter silence; that here in the darkness immutable tranquility holds sway."

"In the mansion called literature I would have the eaves deep and the walls dark, I would push back into the shadows the things that come forward too clearly, I would strip away the useless decoration. I do not ask that this be done everywhere, but perhaps we may be allowed at least one mansion where we can turn off the electric lights and see what it is like without them."

"Children retain a great deal, and when they grow up they start going over things and rejudging them from a grownup’s point of view. This must have been this way, and that was that way, they say. That’s why you have to be careful with children — some day they grow up."

"All these hundreds of years, from the days of the oldest poetry collections, there have been poems about cherry blossoms. The ancients waited for cherry blossoms, grieved when they were gone, and lamented their passing in countless poems. How very ordinary the poems had seemed to Sachiko when she read them as a girl, but now she knew, as well as one could know, that grieving over fallen cherry blossoms was more than a fad or convention."

"Such is our way of thinking — we find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates."

"My mother was remarkably slight, under five feet I should say, and I do not think that she was unusual for her time. I can put the matter strongly: women in those days had almost no flesh. I remember my mother's face and hands, I can clearly remember her feet, but I can remember nothing about her body. She reminds me of the statue of Kannon in the Chuguji, whose body must be typical of most Japanese women of the past. The chest as flat as a board, breasts paper-thin, back, hips, and buttocks forming an undeviating straight line, the whole body so lean and gaunt as to seem out of proportion with the face, hands, and feet, so lacking in substance as to give the impression not of flesh but of a stick — must not the traditional Japanese woman have had just such a physique? A few are still about — the aged lady in an old-fashioned household, some few geisha. They remind me of stick dolls, for in fact they are nothing more than poles upon which to hang clothes. As with the dolls their substance is made up of layer upon layer of clothing, bereft of which only an ungainly pole remains. But in the past this was sufficient. For a woman who lived in the dark it was enough if she had a faint, white face — a full body was unnecessary."

"Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty."

"Our ancestors made of woman an object inseparable from darkness, like lacquerware decorated in gold or mother-of-pearl. They hid as much of her as they could in shadows, concealing her arms and legs in the folds of long sleeves and skirts, so that one part and one only stood out — her face. The curveless body may, by comparison with Western women, be ugly. But our thoughts do not travel to what we cannot see. The unseen for us does not exist. The person who insists upon seeing her ugliness, like the person who would shine a hundred-candlepower light upon the picture alcove, drives away whatever beauty may reside there."

"There are those who say that when civilization progresses a bit further transportation facilities will move into the skies and under the ground, and that our streets will again be quiet, but I know perfectly well that when that day comes some new device for torturing the old will be invented."

"The quality that we call beauty...must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty's ends."

"We Orientals tend to seek our satisfactions in whatever surroundings we happen to find ourselves, to content ourselves with things as they are; and so darkness causes us no discontent, we resign ourselves to it as inevitable. If light is scarce then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty. But the progressive Westerner is determined always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamp, oil lamp to gaslight, gaslight to electric light — his quest for a brighter fight never ceases, he spares no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow."

"Contemporary discourse underscores the significance of non financial statements. From a financial standpoint, there’s a notable shift towards evaluating investments in human capital and intangible assets such as brand equity and organizational robustness. Within the hotel industry, gauging customer response, satisfaction, employee morale, and corporate social and environmental responsibility are pivotal metrics. Attentive listening to customer feedback and subsequent business enhancements are pivotal. *Organizational success hinges on fostering diversity, both in terms of employee demographics and customer base. Given the discerning nature of Tokyu Hotels’ clientele, accommodating diverse needs necessitates a workforce that appreciates and celebrates individuality, a facet integral to our success."

"There are two key initiatives. Firstly, our sustained investment in talent development over the medium to long term stands out. With a clear focus on enhancing operational capabilities, we anticipate direct growth trajectories. These cultivated human resources serve as catalysts for innovation, fostering partnerships and collaborations with external entities."

"Fujita Kanko, primarily a hotelier with a focus on the food and beverage sector, shares historical ties with Tokyu Group. Such partnerships, especially with entities sharing similar backgrounds, serve as conduits for embracing diversity. Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, originally a Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts property, underwent a transformation, reflecting the dynamics of foreign capital management. By exchanging insights gained from such experiences, mutual learning thrives."

"In pursuit of sustainable development goals (SDGs), we’ve collaborated with Kaneka Corporation, a chemical company, to introduce plastic free guest room amenities, leveraging their technology. Additionally, through a strategic human resource alliance with MOL (Mitsui OSK Lines LTD), we now have the capacity to recruit international talent. Our outward looking approach to business alliances consistently yields innovative outcomes."

"How his foot aches! And then the Christ in bronze speaks to the priest: "Trample! Trample! I more than anyone know of the pain in your foot. Trample! It was to be trampled on by men that I was born into this world. It was to share men’s pain that I carried my cross.""

"No doubt his fellow priests would condemn his act as sacrilege; but even if he was betraying them, he was not betraying his Lord. He loved him now in a different way from before. Everything that had taken place until now had been necessary to bring him to this love. "Even now I am the last priest in this land. But Our Lord was not silent. Even if he had been silent, my life until this day would have spoken of him.""

"Even now I am the last priest in this land. But Our Lord was not silent. Even if he had been silent, my life until this day would have spoken of him."

"He was distracted by the tormenting pain of the rope which bit into his wrists whenever he moved his body, but what grieved him most was his inability to love these people as Christ had loved them."

"You make yourself more important than them. You are preoccupied with your own salvation. If you say that you will apostatize, those people will be taken out of the pit. They will be saved from suffering. And you refuse to do so. It’s because you dread to betray the Church. You dread to be the dregs of the Church, like me." Until now Ferreira’s words had burst out as a single breath of anger, but now his voice gradually weakened as he said: "Yet I was the same as you. On that cold, black night I, too, was as you are now. And yet is your way of acting love? A priest ought to live in imitation of Christ. If Christ were here...?" For a moment Ferreira remained silent; then he suddenly broke out in a strong voice: "Certainly Christ would have apostatized for them."

"There are neither the strong nor the weak. Can anyone say that the weak do not suffer more than the strong?"

"His pity for them had been overwhelming; but pity was not action. It was not love. Pity, like passion, was no more than a kind of instinct."

"Sin, he reflected, is not what it is usually thought to be; it is not to steal and tell lies. Sin is for one man to walk brutally over the life of another and to be quite oblivious of the wounds he has left behind."

"In order to pile weakness upon weakness he was trying to drag others along the path that he himself had walked."

"Man is a strange being. He always has a feeling somewhere in his heart that whatever the danger he will pull through. It’s just like when on a rainy day you imagine the faint rays of the sun shining on a distant hill."

"The wisdom of peasants shows itself in their ability to pretend that they are fools."

"We priests are in some ways a sad group of men. Born into the world to render service to mankind, there is no one more wretchedly alone than the priest who does not measure up to his task."

"The reason why darkness is terrifying for us, he reflected, is that there remains in us the instinctive fear the primitive man had when there was as yet no light."

"When you suffer, I suffer with you. To the end I am close to you."

"I tell you the truth—for a long, long time these farmers have worked like horses and cattle; and like horses and cattle they have died. The reason our religion has penetrated this territory like water flowing into dry earth is that it has given to this group of people a human warmth they never previously knew. For the first time they have met men who treated them like human beings. It was the human kindness and charity of the fathers that touched their hearts."

"Christ did not die for the good and beautiful. It is easy enough to die for the good and beautiful; the hard thing is to die for the miserable and corrupt."

"Already twenty years have passed since the persecution broke out; the black soil of Japan has been filled with the lament of so many Christians; the red blood of priests has flowed profusely; the walls of the churches have fallen down; and in the face of this terrible and merciless sacrifice offered up to Him, God has remained silent."

"What do I want to say? I myself do not quite understand. Only that today, when for the glory of God Mokichi and Ichizo moaned, suffered and died, I cannot bear the monotonous sound of the dark sea gnawing at the shore. Behind the depressing silence of this sea, the silence of God. ... the feeling that while men raise their voices in anguish God remains with folded arms, silent."

"Lord, why are you silent? Why are you always silent...?"

"If we did not believe that truth is universal, why should so many missionaries endure these hardships? It is precisely because truth is common to all countries and all times that we call it truth. If a true doctrine were not true alike in Portugal and Japan we could not call it 'true'."

"I did pray. I kept on praying. But prayer did nothing to alleviate their suffering. Behind their ears a small incision has been made; the blood drips slowly through this incision and through the nose and mouth. I know it well, because I have experienced that same suffering in my own body. Prayer does nothing to alleviate suffering."

"Dialogue of action, if it is to be truly effective, must be nourished by every other form of dialogue - dialogue of theological discourse, dialogue of religious experience, dialogue of life. Only then will religion touch deeply the lives of people, answer their deepest needs and thus fulfill its own true function."

"Peace never occurs in isolation. It is the fruition of a good life for all. For that reason, working for peace is considered to be a highly esteemed spiritual value. Peace is the greatest blessing of God to a people. Working for peace should be a central concern of the Church."

"I believe that "the other me" exists in everyone's heart. It may be your ideal self that awaits you to reach it."

"Moving on in time, if you look at today’s world, faith, religion, race, as well as due to territorial rights and various other reasons, among countries in mutual relationships, there are still wars or ethnic disputes. It is not rare that the Gods who are supposed to save people’s hearts have ignited the flames of war."

"In the past, I've always heard that aojiru is tasteless, but when I actually tried it... The latest ones are easy to drink and tasty. I'm addicted to them!"

"So I went back to my atelier. As I was about to put it on my desk and restart it… “bzzzzzzt”. Frozen. “Maybe the one who is just not suited for CG… is me.” Restart! Frozen! Restart! Frozen! “This PC…!!” *screeching* When I kicked my computer, I sprained my big toe, and for three weeks, had to visit an osteopatic clinic. I’m not sure what I was sometimes thinking but there were times when I tried to dump my computer into the bathtub."

"My unhealthy everyday life led to me throwing up 200 cc of blood and collapsing in the midst of serialization. So at midnight, an ambulance rushed over and brought me to the hospital. If I remember correctly, that was around the time I was drawing the Pharaoh leading his priests into the fight against Bakura in the village of Kul-Elna. The stress caused me to suffer from a stomach ulcer. The doctor back then told me that at the time, I was lacking a third of the amount of blood a regular human being was supposed to have, and not only should I have been very hazy, but also unable to even stand. And now that I was told I realized it was true, I did feel rather hazy during the process of drawing. It was thanks to everyone visiting me at the hospital and buying me yakitori liver, that I secretly hid and ate at the hospital room at midnight that I made a speedy recovery after only three nights, and was able to be discharged. 日頃の不摂生な生活がたたり、連載中に２００ccの血を吐いてブッ倒れ、深夜、救急車で病院に担ぎ込まれた事がありました。たしか、クル・エルナ村での王率いる神官団とバクラの闘いを描いている頃だと記憶しています。ストレスによる胃潰瘍でした。医者の話では、当時のボクは普通の人の３分の２程度しか血液が無く、通常ではボーッとして立っていられない程だとの説明を受けました。そう言われてみると、たしかに絵を描きながら、ボーッとしていたのです。早速、入院三日目、見舞いの者に頼み、大量の焼き鳥のレバーを買ってきてもらい、深夜の病室で隠れて食べたりもしたおかげで、その後、元気を取り戻しすぐに退院する事ができたのです。"

"However, when the ambulance had rushed me into the hospital, I realized that I might end up dying. The Pharaoh’s Memory arc had reached a rather grand scale in my mind, however, due to my hospital stay, I began to have second thoughts on whether I would truly be able to completely finish the story I had envisioned, and grew worried that I might die before I could complete my manga, and the prospect of that felt very troublesome to me, not to mention the popularity of my work had dropped considerably compared to the card battle segments, so my editor had approached me, giving me another half a year for the serialization, telling me to put a closure to the manga in due time. しかし、救急車で運ばれた時は、もう死ぬかと覚悟した程でした。ボクの中で ” 王の記憶編 ” の構想は、かなり壮大なものだったのですが、その事がキッカケで 「物語を最後までキチンと描けるだろうか？完結させる前に死んだら困るしなぁ…」 などと不安になり、カードバトルを描いていた時より人気も落ちていた事もあり、編集の方に、あと半年で連載を終え、物語を完結させたいとお願いしたのです。"

"It's quite interesting to look at the American version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! comics' sound effects. For example, "Boom!" is translated as "CHOOM"!!"

"My very first Shonen Jump manga editor, Mr. Takahashi, passed away. How unfortunate. My condolences."

"I heard that sniffing lavender during insomnia can promote sleepiness. I gave it a try and it worked well. I also wonder about the nightcap."