I like writing.
I have always liked it.
I actually like writing on squared note pads with thick B4 pencils.
The allure of Japanese language is there in the touch of the pencil, and in the joy of writing each letter. Unfortunately, in nowadays, articles are sent by e-mails, so I no longer use the squared note pads. But I still do wish that one day I could go back to writing on those beloved squared note pads.
When I was a child, I used to write about my inner thoughts in my diary. The diary that I didn’t want anyone to see, scribbling down my secretive feelings, my happiness, things that hurt me, my smallest worries, my strongest anger, and by writing them down, I felt refreshed.
Obviously, lot was to do with the violin, I wrote down my ideas of practicing methods and new ideas on expression.
I think it was when I was about 22 or 23 years old when I started writing something that was to be read by the others. I was asked to write essays, and little by little I searched for my own style of writing. I used to hand write on note pads and sent them by post.
There is one memory of being trained so hard in writing. That was when I worked as an anchor person on NHK-TV’s big news show “World Network－The World Now“ , for the cultural news. I visited abroad for 10 days every month for the news show, for 2 years.
In every visit, I met people who I would never meet and went to countries where I would never go if I was just being a violinist. I had the chance to meet and interview people from various, different genre. And I always had homework to do, which was to write reports to the TV producer of NHK. The reports that I wrote and sent were often used as the basic script for the show, and also were published on NHK’s monthly magazines.
Each time, on my return flight to Japan in those monthly visits, I had to write around 15 to 20 pages (400 words per page) on my thoughts, what I felt and what I thought the problems were in the places that I visited. At first it was a very tough task, but I think by doing that, I was able to be objective about my own thoughts and find contradictions, which lead to my self-improvement.
As a matter of fact, writing is very good for oneself.
Your mind gets sorted out. You can calmly overlook your thoughts.
And there are things that you notice only when you are writing them down.
It is important to write down information that you have gathered from outside.
Moreover, you can confront with yourself directly and teach yourself too.
Writing is of course, a wonderful way of communication to convey and express your message and thoughts to so many people.
So, I have decided to start this essay called “The Sound of the Heart”.
Because, I would like to be connected to YOU more!