An initiative inspired by that "Shoten" begins

Learning that the long-running national program "Shoten" (Nippon TV network) was celebrating its 50th anniversary, I applied for tickets to its public recording at Korakuen Hall and was fortunate enough to be selected. This gave me the chance to experience live, the very stage I had watched on TV since childhood.

Moreover, during that day's recording, Master Katsura Utamaru, the host, announced his retirement. I witnessed the historic milestone of Mr. Shoten—who had been a regular cast member since the very first episode, for 50 years—graduating from the program. This occurred during the recent Golden Week holiday.

Starting late May, I'll be teaching a class titled "Ideas Oogiri Like Shoten" on "schoo WEB-campus," an online video learning service for those working in the web industry. I'll even be playing the role of Master Utamaru myself, albeit presumptuously. Since I'd wanted to see him perform in person to learn from him, I couldn't help but feel it was a strange twist of fate...

This new endeavor was born from a casual chat with a junior colleague

Once again, I'm honored to be taking charge of a new serialized project starting this time: "Brain Exercises." This project isn't limited to serialization in "Dentsu Inc. News"; it's a new experiment running simultaneously across media platforms, including an online class with the same title on the aforementioned schoo WEB-campus.

It all started with a casual chat I had with a junior colleague from Dentsu Digital Inc. (DDH) when we reunited after a long time following the publication of my book, " Improving Your Mental Constitution " (Nikkei Publishing).

Me: The idea-generation sessions at Dentsu Inc., whether in practice or training, feel just like the comedy segment on "Shoten," don't they?

Junior Colleague: While only the final results get out into the world, doesn't the process itself seem like it could be content?

Me: This daily Oogiri session is like training for our planners' minds—a stretch or exercise to keep our thinking flexible.

Junior: How about we make Dentsu Inc. style Oogiri public in the classes at schoo WEB-campus, which DDH invests in?

Me: Sounds great~. Instead of just showing it, it might be interesting to introduce the know-how for developing idea generation skills under the banner of 'Brain Exercises'.

Junior: Since we're doing this, let's reach out to Dentsu Inc. News too and expand it cross-media!

Thus, under DDH's production, starting this week on May 27th and every fourth Friday of the month until October 28th (7-9 PM), we'll be taking over schoo WEB-campus under the title " FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: schoo × Dentsu Inc. × DDH." As one program within this, we're launching " Brain Exercises," which became a collaborative project with Dentsu News.

If using your brain is your livelihood, maintenance is essential

Why can the rakugo performers on "Shoten" consistently produce such quick-witted answers in the Oogiri segment? While some undoubtedly possess natural talent, that alone can't explain it. As professional entertainers, they never skip practice. They approach daily life with constant awareness and consciousness, sensing and thinking about things far more deeply than the average person.

This is a bit of a tangent, but the other day my family and I went to an adventure playground. For my wife and me, it was our first time there in decades. Our first-grade daughter breezed through the various play structures (things like monkey bars combined with jungle gyms) with sharp, agile movements.

Meanwhile, I felt like a clumsy version of my childhood self, utterly unable to control my body. It was both pathetic and sad... My wife, however, was enjoying the equipment with a lightness that rivaled our daughter's.

What accounts for this difference? My wife makes it a daily routine to jog every morning and stretch every night. She doesn't do any special exercise or sports, nor does she train at a gym. It's just a few dozen minutes each day, but she prepares her body to function properly. You could say this difference showed itself when it mattered most.

I believe the mind is just like the body. Like the story on "Shoten," professional comedians maintain their minds daily. Professional athletes surely never skip their physical training, stretching, or exercises. If using your mind is your livelihood, as a pro in that field, you should maintain your mind daily. Doing so will definitely help when you're suddenly asked for an idea.

"Mental Gymnastics" to Clear Away Experiences and Knowledge That Hinder Imagination

The source of idea generation is imagination. As you can see by recalling your own childhood or interacting with children, it's a capacity humans should inherently possess. Therefore, anyone should be capable of generating ideas. However, as we age and accumulate experience and knowledge, opportunities to use our imagination become extremely rare.

Thoughts like "That's just how it is," "It's set in stone," "It's impossible to begin with," or "There's no way" take precedence, hindering the workings of imagination. As mentioned earlier, if you don't use it, it deteriorates. That's why we need to prepare for when it's needed by regularly doing mental exercises to forcibly set aside the experiences and knowledge that get in the way, allowing imagination to flourish.

In schoo WEB-campus's online classes, we'll live-stream and freely share an idea battle featuring me and three planners from Dentsu Inc. We'll pick ideas born there and introduce them in this series too. Of course, both go beyond that, explaining the basic framework of mental exercises each time.

While it can't compare to the greatness of radio calisthenics as a physical template, I hope you'll try these brain exercises that anyone can start practicing tomorrow.

See you in the next installment. If you're interested, please check out schoo WEB-campus too.