A line in life that Asuka Wakida, Takehisa Sato, and others hold dear

Karibu Suzuki (Director of Young Fish Aquarium)

There are times when we just get carried away by the people around us. At times like that, I remember these words. In order to go with the flow, we need to be able to read the environment and atmosphere around us. It's not that we lack a core of our own, but rather that it is an excellent ability to survive among people. I find these words encouraging, as I sense a commonality with the way young fish live, riding ocean currents to make long, energy-efficient journeys.

Saito Zombie (horror planner)

One day, a depressed boy entered a haunted house I had created. He spoke loudly and seriously to Santa, who was trying to commit suicide, and succeeded in persuading him. When the boy came out, he had written these words on a feedback card. When I read them, I was moved by the vast possibilities that haunted houses hold, and it gave me the determination to continue exploring them. These are the most unforgettable words of my 20-year career.

Sakura Fukatsu (ghost storyteller)

This is a line from a song about the gaze directed towards a secret story. As a ghost storyteller, I have felt while interviewing people about their mysterious experiences that everyone has a story in their heart. Stories support people, whether they tell them or not. I too have stories inside me that I never tell others, and when I recall them from time to time, I look upon them as a person who is slowly changing.

Yoshitsugu Kobayashi (dinosaur researcher)

While studying abroad in the United States, I realized that I lacked the skills to achieve my goal of becoming a researcher, and I was feeling hopeless when this Latin phrase struck me. The succession of "nows" creates the flow of time. I realized that it is important to walk firmly in the present, and that life is about continuing to mark the succession of presents. Even now, I continue to walk on my own two feet and grasp the passage of time.

Asuka Wakida (graphic designer)

From the time I first encountered design until today, I have never grown tired of creating every day. I don't believe I have natural talent, but I do believe I have the talent to take design seriously, enjoy it, and continue to explore it. I think the reason I can think this way is probably because of something a classmate who studied design at the same atelier casually said to me:

Takehisa Sato (Photographer)

Gurdjieff, the great mystic of the 20th century, was a mysterious thinker. I believe his philosophy centered on a critique of human automaticity (unconscious inertia). When faced with a difficult choice, people intuitively choose the easier option. He said that it is precisely at times like these that we should choose the more difficult path that our intuition rejects. This also applies to travel and photography; when it's too difficult to go and you think you should give up, interesting results await.