Athlete Brains: Dai Tamesue's "Fluid Pacing" vol.20

A serialized interview column where Mr. Dai Tamesue freely discusses "things on his mind right now." The only set theme is "What is autonomy? What is tolerance?" Faced with unreasonable questions from a mysterious "interviewer," Mr. Tamesue shares his thoughts on various "things on his mind." Well then. What kind of stories will emerge this time...? Stay tuned.

──We've covered various topics under the theme "How should people face aging?" and this is our final installment. For this last part, rather than focusing on individuals, we'll explore the broader question: How should companies and society confront "aging"?

Tamesue: When it comes to companies, Japan has an overwhelming number of firms that have been around for over 100 years—more than anywhere else in the world. Another thing I find fascinating is the system of "Sengū" at the Jingu Shrine. That's pretty amazing too, I think.

──Um, I'm not quite following the connection here... (laughs).

Tamesue: What I mean is, the Japanese approach is to "maintain the exterior while periodically replacing the interior." Western buildings, for example, are typically preserved for 200 or 300 years, right? The Japanese do it differently. They tear things down quickly and build new houses.

──I've heard that. The average lifespan of a Japanese house is about 60 years.

Tamesue: During the Edo period, it was probably even shorter. After all, they were constantly hit by fires and natural disasters. Yet the townscapes were maintained. That continues to this day. Every town still has its blocks laid out just as they were in the Edo period.

──I see.

Tamesue: In other words, we maintain the exterior while constantly changing the interior. I think that's a characteristic of the Japanese people. Like an amoeba.

──That's precisely why we can achieve things like post-war reconstruction, disaster recovery, and COVID countermeasures, right?

Tamesue: Put negatively, it's just patching things up. Put positively, it's flexibility. I think this Japanese characteristic should be leveraged much more across all kinds of fields. In sports, in business, in the world of politics.

──That's certainly true. We've long pursued the goal of catching up to and surpassing the West, especially America. Yet for some reason, the West seems to have hit a wall. Even their COVID response hasn't been smooth. In contrast, Japan appears to be managing somehow. Experts are reacting with "Why is that?"

Tamura: Exactly. In sports, the phrase "breaking away from the Japanese mold" used to be the highest praise. My generation was like that too—we were desperate to show jumps like Jamaican athletes, trying to shake off that inferiority complex toward foreign competitors. But when you see someone like Shohei Ohtani, it's different. He's showcasing the best of Japan to the world. Even in something as simple as etiquette.

──I see. That's what makes him so remarkable. Previous superstars felt distant, Americanized or Westernized. But his play somehow gives courage even to a 53-year-old guy like me.

Tametsu: Japan is a culture of "form." There's beauty in that, and a sense of security. But it can also breed inertia and complacency. He changes the substance without breaking the form. That's precisely why the world is captivated by his play, and why everyone from elementary school kids to the elderly gains courage and confidence.

──And just like that, we've come full circle back to "aging" (laughs).

Tamesue: If you see aging as just physical and mental decline, there's no hope left. But if you think, "I'll use this body, nurtured by Japanese culture, to try something new," you can feel positive.

──To conclude the interview, I'd like to ask about "desire." As people age, their desires diminish, right? Appetite, sexual desire, ambition... Even looking at myself, I think, "Wow, I've become so unambitious." It inevitably makes me feel pathetic, like "I'm getting old." How should we confront this?

Tamura: That's a tough question, but I think it's best to consider that "I've become able to control my desires." When we're young, we're "controlled by our desires," right? That goes for work and romance. We're driven by surging desires, trying to get our hands on everything. But as we get older, we become able to calmly choose where to "invest our desires."

──"Where to invest your desires"? Like the marketing term "selection and concentration"?

Tamesue: Exactly. As long as we're alive, humans have desires. Athletes are no exception. But as you get older, you start letting go of that "I want this and that" kind of desire and instead focus your energy on specific things. And that desire gradually shifts from something like "I want to show off myself" to "What can I do for people and society? I want to be useful in some way."

──That, you believe, is the true beauty of "aging."

Tamesue: That's what I believe.

──People and companies desperately try to stay young or rejuvenate, but we shouldn't get too caught up in that, right? Thank you for sharing such wonderful insights again.

Tamesue: Thank you very much. I look forward to our next interview.

(Interviewer: Web Dentsu Inc. Editorial Department)

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From the Athlete Brains Production Team, Hibi

Part 3 of "Aging." From the aging of companies and society, the conversation concluded with the topic of "controlling desire." Top athletes, precisely because they have thoroughly confronted their own minds and bodies, possess practical wisdom regarding "all human emotions" (previous theme: beauty, current theme: aging). This interview conveyed that sense.

While focusing solely on one aspect of "Aging" might emphasize physical and mental decline, the discussion also touched upon the profound beauty that "Aging" brings. We sense that Athlete Brains may have opportunities to contribute when fundamentally re-examining human "emotions."

Athlete Brains Production Team Dentsu Inc. / Akinori Hibi (3CRP) · Kohei Shiraishi (Business Co-creation Bureau)

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Athlete Brains, centered around Dai Tamesue.
For details on this team that connects the knowledge cultivated by athletes to solving challenges in the world (businesses and society), please see here.