月: 2017年9月

Are you happy with your life now? Are you satisfied with your house, your bicycle, your clothes, and your things? Maybe you are, or maybe you are not. Maybe you need something new, like a new bicycle, or new shoes. Maybe you would like to have a nice bag, or have some nice clothes. That is completely okay. It is okay to want to have something nice. It is okay to want something new.

When you are a student here at Otemae, you need a lot of things. So, your mom and your dad help you. They have a home for you to live in. They give you food. They buy your school things. They buy your shoes, computer, cell phone, bag, bicycle, and many other things. That is your parent’s job. They need to help you, support you, and take care of you. I have kids too, so I must do the same thing like your mom and dad. I like to be a dad, and I think your parents like it too.

But as you get older you begin to see that there are two types of people. There are people who take. And there are people that give. We can call them “takers” and “givers”.

People who are “takers” try to take as many things as they can from others. They take other people’s time. They take other people’s money. They take other people’s energy. They are usually not so kind. They think only about themselves. They are selfish, and many times they cannot make a good human connection to other people.

People who are “givers” are different. They help other people. They are kind. They smile. They think about how to make life fun and enjoyable. They work hard for other people. They don’t think money is the most important thing in life. They have a sense of humor. They often love living things. They often believe that time is very important, and sharing time with others is the greatest joy in life.

Every week I have a chance to meet your teachers here at Otemae. Your teachers are surely people who are “givers”. Your teachers give their energy to you. They give their knowledge. They give their talent. They give their care, their attention, and their love for students. For you.

They give you their time. And maybe this is the most important thing that your teachers give to you.

Otemae teachers often give students their Sundays and holidays. Your dance coach, soccer coach, tennis coach, badminton coach, baseball coach, basketball coach, iaido coach, brass band teacher, kendo coach, table tennis coach, and all other coaches give you their time. Sundays disappear, the same for Golden Week, Spring and Summer vacations, national holidays, and even through the winter break your teachers give their time to you.

But they do so with a smile and a good heart. It is a beautiful thing. Here at Otemae you will surely receive a top class education. You will master your science and math lessons. You will be good writers and thinkers. You will learn history and language and art and music.

And you will also learn how to be a good human. You will learn about how to give to others and how to contribute to people. Your teachers who stand here all around you are great examples for how to live.

There are many important inventions we can see in history. Inventions change our lives. Inventions change history. We read about inventions in our history and science classes. We need to know about inventions so that we understand the world. We need to know about inventions so that we can work to the future and think about the new inventions we need later.

You may know about the invention of the telephone, the light bulb, medicine, the radio, the airplane, television, the first computers, and the Internet. You may know the names of great inventors too. Maybe you know about Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin. They did many things to help the world become modern. Many of these inventions first came to the world through Europe and America but there are also many interesting and unique inventions that are made only in Japan.

Of course we know that Japan is the creator of many traditional elements and cultural things. Kimono, the koto and shamisen, kendo, karate, sumo, judo, and iaido are all traditional cultural areas. Japan invented the katana and the samurai world. The creation of tea, haiku, and development of Buddhism are all very unique and special to Japan.

But there is more, much more, and not only old traditional things and ideas.

Japan has made many inventions in medicine. Many of these medicines have saved many lives all over the world. Japan created the kei car, the hybrid electric car, and the first hydrogen car. Japan invented the shinkansen and wristwatches. The company Seiko is famous all over the world. Japan made the video tape recorder, flash memory, the compact disc, blue-ray technology, and also some very cool spaceships.

Japan is the leader in robotics. From the karakuri ningyou to modern robots like Pepper, Japan is a great inventor of robotics. In the entertainment market, Japan is the leader in karaoke technology and game software too. Japan is also the inventor of canned coffee and ramen.

There are many new things being discovered and invented every week all over the world. Inventions usually come from a need, and the future of our world will have many new unique needs and problems. We need to continue to study both history of the past and the social problems of today. The more we know and understand, the more we can do to keep our future safe and good.

When we watch the news, especially about North Korea and America, we may want to think that the world is dangerous and we are in big trouble. But I believe that these things will pass in time. There are many things for us to do. Presidents and leaders come and go, come and go. We will have more problems in the future, and it is important that your country be active in making creative answers to fight the big problems that come to our world.