I survived the grueling due diligence period thanks to Ikebana — I founded a Bluetooth software company in November 2000. The dot com bubble already burst, but I managed to raise some venture funds. I hired engineers, salespeople, marketing people, an accountant, et al. I found a small office downtown in Seattle, and my company started to grow. Before starting my…

You have no problem living without one — So many business books and motivational videos talk about how to set a goal. Such books and talks make you feel you are a failure if you don’t set a goal. They almost make you believe that you can’t live without setting a goal. Yesterday I posted an article “I…

Continuing my Life ver.2.0 — Hi, I’m Akemi Sagawa. Nice to meet you! My Life version 1.0 I was born and grew up in Japan, and moved to the US in August of 1994. Remember a product called Microsoft Windows 95? I was transferred from Japan to Seattle to be part of the product launch group for the Asian…

Just like my life changed 40-some years ago — Tomorrow is a big day for me. Two students from TASK are flying into Seatac Airport tomorrow. Sponsored by Five Senses Foundation, the nonprofit organization I founded, these students will experience eight days of cultural exchange. …

Sogetsu School is avant-garde — Founded in 1927 by Teshigahara Sofu, Sogetsu School is well known for its free, avant-garde Ikebana style. Western magazines such as Time in the US and Le Figaro in France, appropriately called Teshigahara Sofu (1900–1979), the founder of Sogetsu School, “Picasso of flowers.” …

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 25 of 52 — For years I kept pursuing happiness. If I get good grades will I become happy? If I get a good job will I become happy? If I get promoted? If I get married? If I own my business? If I get rich? The moment I achieved my goal, it was…

My weekly reading review — Every week I encounter many Medium articles that teach me something new, inspire me, think, and give me different perspectives. These articles are nutrients, very important for my growth. Here is the list of such articles this week, so I can revisit them when I need them. The past week…

My visit to the campus percolated an idea — The “Open Campus” program offered by TASK (Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto) gave me another surprising opportunity in addition to making my own wooden pencil case. After a short presentation and a video introducing TASK, an instructor lead me and a teenage boy from the auditorium to the woodwork…

Tea utensils as financial and political tools — No, Oda Nobunaga 織田信長 was not crazy to forgo the opportunity to grab the whole state in return for the little tea caddy. Oda Nobunaga was the first samurai warlord who unified Japan. He took advantage of the valuable tea ceremony utensils and fervently collected them. He either bought them…