The first hardship that I’ve encountered was the bankruptcy of our old family business in silk industry. I just graduated from high school and had no skill or knowledge to survive in the real world. I didn’t know what to do with my life. Three of us – my mother, brother and I – built a small bungalow by the river out of scrap from a factory. Near the bungalow, we started a shop that sold noodles and Oden (Japanese hotpot) in order to make living. However, the idea of going out to eat was not that common back then. We only had customers in summer or when people stopped by on the way back from the mountain. It was not profitable at all.

Several years passed by. One Autumn, our bungalow was swept into the river on the night a massive typhoon hit our region. During a grieving period, my father passed away from a heart attack. The day after his funeral, there was a fire from the alter that burnt down our old house. I was 28 years old. I felt that my life was falling apart.Perhaps, I was looking for salvation. I heard that “zazen-kai” （a Zen meditational retreat）was held every week at a temple in the mountain, about fifteen minutes from where I lived. I decided to go. After the session, I had an opportunity to speak with a monk. I told him about what happened in my life and he said:“You’ve been through tough times. However, there is a word that says ‘burning for prosperity’. Don’t look for things you don’t have. Instead, start focusing on what you have. Dig the soil beneath where you stand

It didn’t make sense to me at that time. I went back home and looked around. I saw an old warehouse, a bamboo forest, a river and mountain vegetables. I thought that I might be able to utilize what I had, which I hadn’t noticed before. I also realized that I didn’t have to compare my life to others. It could be something trivial but I thought I should set a goal to achieve.Making something out of what we have in the region is the original idea of the restaurants that I own – Kurochaya, Toutouan and Ichukyo. In order to do so, I have to focus on what I have and put a value on it. Where I am has so much to offer. I would like to continue to promote the Japanese culture and tradition through business.By the way, someone told me later that the monk who gave me an advice was quite famous in the Buddhist world of Japan. I don’t know why but he visits all the way to the small temple in the middle of the mountain once a month.