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–Introduction–

“Wasabi Stories” is a quotation and summary of a column which touches ones heart or not found on the internet.

It is a Japanese famous person’s story extracted from the NIKKEI news paper.

The purpose in posting the column in JAPAN Style is to cheer you up and to make you feel “it’ was worth reading!”

Wasabi (Japanese horseradish or mustard) is spicy and stimulate your nose and make you teary.

The columns in “Wasabi Stories” hopefully spice your heart and sometimes make you teary!

The stories were originally sent as E-mail Newsletter in Japanese. Some are a little old but we’ll eventually catch up with new ones.

“Before Telling What to Do, Show Good Example”

Today’s story teller is a natural-life specialist, Noriko Sakou.

“It’s still cold, but why only kids have to wear short sleeves?”

To her 6th grade daughter, school policy that the students have to wear short sleeves gym uniforms even during winter doesn’t make sense.

Since teachers wear long sleeves, Sakou thought, she can understand her daughter’s feeling.

Before she said anything, her daughter said, “…but my teacher wears short sleeves and shorts too, so there is no choice.”

One day, Sakou went to her school and got surprised to see her teacher in short sleeves was running around the school yard with students including her daughter.

Because Sakou had heard her daughter said “playing in the school yard during recess is childish”, it was almost unbelievable scene to Sakou.

“Just telling what to do doesn’t work. To play around with children in short sleeves. That’s how the teacher showed example to the students.” Sakou says.

While she giving her daughter a lecture like, “don’t do text messages so much, read books” or “go to bed early”, she herself checks text message in train, and leaves TV on.

When you tell someone to do something, you have to show example.

It’s a simple thing but Sakou is thankful to the teacher who made her realize that.

The Nikkei March/13/2008 by Noriko Sakou (Natural-life specialist)

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