The First Two Words I Learned In Japanese Were Wrong
But they were the modus operandi for everything I did
When I was around 12, my dad excitedly told my siblings and me about an exciting concept he had learned at work. Some Japanese trainers had come to work to teach them the importance of cleanliness on the work floor and how that improved efficiency. He had a little pamphlet with literature and Japanese pictures explaining the concept.
I don’t know why we found it particularly interesting. Was it because we were introduced to a foreign language we could brag about or the fact that it was a dad and kid moment, or we intuitively believed in it?
Whatever the reasons, it appealed to us.
As kids, we were introduced to cleaning and keeping our things organized and independent at a young age. Mum and Dad worked and we did the chores.
Dad taught us that the Japanese concept of cleanliness meant that the most important thing was to look at the mess and sort it out. That was the first and most crucial step.
Sorting meant looking through the mess or stuff or sieving what was essential and not necessary. According to this concept, there was a high chance that things not used for six months or more would never be used -and there was no point in keeping…
