7 days ago
VOX POPULI: Living abroad was miserable, but one thing made it bearable
Philosopher Tomonobu Imamichi (1922-2012), a graduate of the University of Tokyo, was around 30 years old when he became a university lecturer in France in the 1950s.
Japan was still poor then and so were the Japanese people. With his low pay, Imamichi struggled to make ends meet in the European country.
There was a bistro he frequented for supper. Before payday, he always ordered only an omelette because it was the cheapest item on the menu. But he would 'explain' to the waitress that he was 'not really hungry' or 'just tired.'
One day, the waitress wordlessly placed on his table enough bread for two people. When he tried to pay for the double portion, the waitress refused to charge the extra: She put her finger to her mouth, signaling him to say nothing.
'That's all there was to it, but recalling it still brings tears to my eyes,' Imamichi wrote in a book he authored late in his life, titled 'Imamichi Tomonobu Waga Tetsugaku wo Kataru' ("Tomonobu Imamichi: Discussing my philosophy").
On an especially cold day, he also recalled, the waitress brought him onion gratin, saying she got his order wrong.
How warming the dish was, and how delicious. He was brought to tears.
Life in France was miserable and he went through many unpleasant experiences. But because of those memories mentioned above, he 'just could not hate France.'
An act of human kindness is all the more touching when one encounters it in a foreign country.
How does present-day Japan treat foreigners? Am I hearing too many hate-filled words being hurled at non-Japanese people, essentially telling them to just go away?
I am deeply troubled by this present reality of humans, living their ordinary lives in this country despite their diverse nationalities, turning against one another with malice and fanning mutual fear.
Imamichi had this to say in his book: 'Act with a beautiful heart. The world will become all the more beautiful for that, and the beauty will be passed on to posterity.'
—The Asahi Shimbun, July 15
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
