The first step toward "shifting your perspective"

When you think of a food-loving writer, who comes to mind? It probably depends on your generation, but for me, it's Kaitō Ken. His essays on delicious and exotic foods, written with an appetite that spanned the globe, make my mouth water. That same Kaitō-san once said, "(Japanese writers) don't deal with eating enough in literature." But he also noted, "Shishi Bunroku wrote a novel called 'Banana'. The whole thing is about eating." So I decided to reread this newspaper serial novel from the 1950s.

Banana (by Bunroku Shishi, Chikuma Bunko)

It's a romance novel and a slapstick youth story that begins with Ryoma, the son of a wealthy Taiwanese Chinese immigrant, and his girlfriend Sakiko scheming to make money in the banana trade after a chance encounter... Ryoma's father, Wu Tiantong, is a huge man with a commanding presence who finds his purpose in life through eating. His younger brother, Wu Tianyuan, is an energetic and capable businessman. The characterization is vivid and easy to grasp—like the chanson singer Eiji Nagashima, who comes across as a pretentious snob—and their interactions showcase the skill of a master humorist.

The descriptions of the cuisine are, as expected, meticulous. For instance, when Ryoma is treated to dinner by his uncle Tengen at a Chinese restaurant in Kobe, the menu includes: "Assorted cold dishes, braised bear paw in oyster sauce, shark fin, steamed rockfish in sake, simmered sea cucumber, roasted duck, and braised chicken with skin and Chinese ham." And for dessert? "Sanbu-n." Despite its chewy texture, this mysterious recipe clings to neither chopsticks, plate, nor teeth. Serving this egg dish, still hailed as a "phantom dessert" even in the 21st century, is simply delightful.

It seems to have been recently reprinted by Chikuma Bunko, and it truly was a charming book.

By the way, I'll be teaching a special management course at Meiji Gakuin University again this spring for six months. What I want to discuss with the students is "Thinking Methods to Challenge Conventional Wisdom" and "How to Create 'That's the Way to Do It!' Moments." Unlike school tests, the problems we encounter in society often have no single correct answer. We'll explore how to approach them effectively.

When this theme comes up, everyone's interest usually focuses on "how to create new perspectives." But there's another crucial point we mustn't forget: firmly grasping "what your current perspective is" and "what common sense you're trying to overturn." That makes sense. After all, "new" only exists because there is a "now (old)."

But "your current perspective" sounds so obvious, it's hard to know how to tackle it. That's why I recommend students develop the habit of regularly articulating their current perspective.

For example, before reading Bunroku Shishi's "Banana," I was drawn to Kaiko's line, "The whole thing is about eating," and expected a "gourmet novel." But that expectation was slightly off. While the lavish Chinese banquet I mentioned earlier was effective as a backdrop for Ten'gen explaining the wonders of Chinese culture to his nephew, the novel's theme wasn't "fine dining." Rather, the theme was the human drama revolving around "bananas" – a subject quite the opposite of gourmet cuisine. And what I personally enjoyed was precisely this aspect: its portrayal as a "humorous novel," brightly depicting the gap between a cheerful, reckless young man and a world full of deep desires and pockets.

To introduce this work, various perspectives exist—newspaper serial novel, romance novel, youth novel—and none are wrong. But it was only through the habit of verbalizing that I could understand my own feeling: "It was a miss as a gourmet novel, but a hit as a humor novel." And it was only after seriously considering the "gourmet novel" perspective that I realized I wanted to read a novel that didn't just list delicious-sounding dishes, but one that directly portrayed "appetite" – one of our fundamental desires – on par with "lust" (I haven't found one yet, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know). By consciously focusing on my "current perspective," a new interest expanded.

To gain ideas for shifting perspectives, alongside training in unique thinking, cultivating the habit of recognizing your "current viewpoint" is also effective.

Well then, a new semester. Since I completely overhaul the lecture content every year, I'm actually more nervous than the students.

Please, help yourself!