1 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,013 (Japanese) Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,013 --> 00:00:12,686 How are you? 3 00:00:12,686 --> 00:00:13,929 Once again. 4 00:00:13,929 --> 00:00:15,359 How are you? 5 00:00:15,359 --> 00:00:17,619 Ok, that's all the Japanese. (Laughter) 6 00:00:17,619 --> 00:00:20,119 I have a question for you. 7 00:00:20,119 --> 00:00:21,829 And here's the question. 8 00:00:21,829 --> 00:00:23,599 What inspires you? 9 00:00:23,599 --> 00:00:25,009 Or that is, 10 00:00:25,009 --> 00:00:28,989 what is it about Japan, Japanese culture that inspires you? 11 00:00:28,989 --> 00:00:31,049 Whether you are Japanese or not Japanese, 12 00:00:31,049 --> 00:00:32,539 I'm sure you could answer that. 13 00:00:32,539 --> 00:00:34,019 How about the guys from Dubai? 14 00:00:34,019 --> 00:00:35,474 Thanks for coming, by the way. 15 00:00:35,474 --> 00:00:38,552 What inspires you? What brought you to Japan? 16 00:00:38,552 --> 00:00:40,082 (Audience) It's a long story. 17 00:00:40,082 --> 00:00:42,992 It's a long story. This is TEDx. We don't have time for that. 18 00:00:42,992 --> 00:00:45,702 Ok, let me tell you my story. 19 00:00:45,702 --> 00:00:48,132 For me, it's nature. I mean, there are many things. 20 00:00:48,132 --> 00:00:50,033 And of course family is most important. 21 00:00:50,033 --> 00:00:53,203 But the close second is the nature in Japan. And it's gorgeous. 22 00:00:53,203 --> 00:00:57,223 Even Japanese who move away from Japan always talk about, you know, 23 00:00:57,223 --> 00:00:59,428 "I really miss the nature." 24 00:00:59,428 --> 00:01:02,238 And they also say, "I miss the Onsen (hot spring)." 25 00:01:02,238 --> 00:01:04,738 So it's not just nature, but the special connection 26 00:01:04,738 --> 00:01:08,398 that Japanese have developed over hundreds of years with nature, right? 27 00:01:08,398 --> 00:01:10,868 You can see that in this picture here. 28 00:01:10,868 --> 00:01:13,488 And of course historically, a traditional culture, 29 00:01:13,488 --> 00:01:15,778 it's changed after World War II, things changed. 30 00:01:15,778 --> 00:01:17,398 Now we are kind of going back, 31 00:01:17,398 --> 00:01:21,268 but traditional architecture didn't deny nature. 32 00:01:21,268 --> 00:01:22,258 It brought it in. 33 00:01:22,258 --> 00:01:24,080 It says, "We are connected to nature". 34 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:25,410 The materials are natural, 35 00:01:25,410 --> 00:01:27,460 and we want to see nature and bring it in. 36 00:01:27,460 --> 00:01:30,321 And if you look at the traditional Zen arts, of course, 37 00:01:30,321 --> 00:01:32,625 Sado (tea ceremony), Sumie (Indian-ink drawing), 38 00:01:32,625 --> 00:01:34,725 Ikebana (flower arrangement), and on and on. 39 00:01:34,725 --> 00:01:37,725 These are all about nature, very much inspired by nature. 40 00:01:37,725 --> 00:01:40,002 The subject is often nature. 41 00:01:41,186 --> 00:01:42,954 And, in the martial arts as well. 42 00:01:42,954 --> 00:01:45,365 I know some of you study some of the martial arts. 43 00:01:45,365 --> 00:01:48,033 Aikido is the one that's closest to me. 44 00:01:48,033 --> 00:01:51,647 And if you study the martial arts, the masters always talk about the nature. 45 00:01:51,647 --> 00:01:55,594 How we can learn from nature, nature is always speaking to us. 46 00:01:55,594 --> 00:01:58,494 Of course this isn't my phrase. 47 00:01:58,494 --> 00:02:02,689 This is Ueshiba Sensei (Master) who you may know better 48 00:02:02,689 --> 00:02:04,825 as Ou Sensei who invented Aikido. 49 00:02:04,825 --> 00:02:07,634 As he says, "Nature is always speaking to us." 50 00:02:07,634 --> 00:02:09,824 For example, he said, 51 00:02:09,824 --> 00:02:13,101 "Everything, even the mountains, rivers, plants, and trees - 52 00:02:13,101 --> 00:02:15,263 everything should be our teacher." 53 00:02:15,263 --> 00:02:18,643 He talked about the stream in the mountain, for example. 54 00:02:18,643 --> 00:02:22,433 It winds its way through the rocks. It finds its way. 55 00:02:22,433 --> 00:02:24,063 It's shapeless. It's formless. 56 00:02:24,063 --> 00:02:25,383 But without complaint, 57 00:02:25,383 --> 00:02:28,453 somehow it finds its way down the mountain, right? 58 00:02:28,453 --> 00:02:31,443 "You should be like water" as Bruce Lee said. 59 00:02:31,443 --> 00:02:33,053 "Be like water, my friend". 60 00:02:33,053 --> 00:02:34,873 And of course this is my favorite one. 61 00:02:34,873 --> 00:02:37,153 He said, "Study the teachings of the palm tree". 62 00:02:37,153 --> 00:02:38,553 Oh sorry, not the palm tree. 63 00:02:38,553 --> 00:02:41,855 Sorry, I used to live in Hawaii. Well, but the palm tree is good, too. 64 00:02:41,855 --> 00:02:44,945 The pine tree, and the bamboo. I should come to rehearsal. 65 00:02:44,945 --> 00:02:46,275 And the plum blossom. 66 00:02:46,275 --> 00:02:48,475 These are called the three friends of winter. 67 00:02:48,475 --> 00:02:50,275 Maybe you've heard of it this way. 68 00:02:50,275 --> 00:02:53,045 For example, the plum blossom is hardy and elegant. 69 00:02:53,045 --> 00:02:55,155 It comes out early before spring has come, 70 00:02:55,155 --> 00:02:56,452 it's actually out there. 71 00:02:56,452 --> 00:02:59,052 Like a leader saying, "Spring is coming, don't worry." 72 00:02:59,052 --> 00:03:00,782 "I'm here now and I'm beautiful". 73 00:03:00,782 --> 00:03:04,059 And then, of course the pine tree which is actually all year around. 74 00:03:04,059 --> 00:03:06,169 It's beautiful like trusted friend, 75 00:03:06,169 --> 00:03:09,049 it's sturdy, and it's always there. 76 00:03:09,049 --> 00:03:12,269 So I really think that nature is a great teacher for us. 77 00:03:12,269 --> 00:03:15,099 It is the best teacher actually, that I found. 78 00:03:15,099 --> 00:03:16,841 That's what Japan has taught me. 79 00:03:16,841 --> 00:03:20,971 So if I can go back to the slide that I screwed up before. 80 00:03:20,971 --> 00:03:25,181 It is the bamboo, to me, that is the one element in Japan I think, 81 00:03:25,181 --> 00:03:28,606 that sort of represents what the Japanese spirit is, 82 00:03:28,606 --> 00:03:32,800 what the Japanese spirit has taught me through art and many other things. 83 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,787 So let me tell you why I think that. I used to live in Osaka. 84 00:03:35,787 --> 00:03:38,667 Anyone from Kansai? Kansai-jin? 85 00:03:38,667 --> 00:03:41,107 Bochi-bochi yana (dialect in the region). (Laughter) 86 00:03:41,107 --> 00:03:43,347 I'm from Osaka, is a big city if you don't know, 87 00:03:43,347 --> 00:03:45,873 watching from around the world, bigger than New York. 88 00:03:45,873 --> 00:03:46,848 It's a massive city. 89 00:03:46,848 --> 00:03:47,580 We like to say, 90 00:03:47,580 --> 00:03:49,960 "Kitanai machiyakedo". (Although the city is messy) 91 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,310 But it's great, I love living there. But we moved. 92 00:03:52,310 --> 00:03:54,600 We built a house in Nara in the mountains. 93 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,940 It's sort of like moving from Manhattan to Connecticut. 94 00:03:57,940 --> 00:04:01,110 But there is more bamboo, and fewer volvos. 95 00:04:01,110 --> 00:04:04,080 And we have a lot of deer, but that's another presentation. 96 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:05,250 That will be next week. 97 00:04:05,250 --> 00:04:06,850 I don't want to talk about deer. 98 00:04:06,850 --> 00:04:08,290 I want to talk about bamboo. 99 00:04:08,290 --> 00:04:10,870 This was my view for many years from my home office. 100 00:04:10,870 --> 00:04:13,860 I work from home a lot of the time. It has its own inspiration. 101 00:04:13,860 --> 00:04:16,960 A lot of people out there. So I went from that to this. 102 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,770 This is a picture as we are still constructing our house. 103 00:04:19,770 --> 00:04:21,780 And that's the view outside my office now. 104 00:04:21,780 --> 00:04:26,740 There are no people there, just bamboo. So it's been a couple of years. 105 00:04:26,740 --> 00:04:28,560 I've always been interested in bamboo, 106 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,040 but in the last couple of years I really began to talk to the bamboo. 107 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,670 So this is what it looks like out around our house. 108 00:04:34,670 --> 00:04:38,150 I go jogging through here, go hiking, sometimes just standing 109 00:04:38,150 --> 00:04:40,490 and speaking with the bamboo. 110 00:04:40,490 --> 00:04:43,870 So, I have 10 lessons from bamboo, but actually this is TEDx. 111 00:04:43,871 --> 00:04:46,680 So I don't have much time. So just nine. 112 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:48,880 See me in the break for the others. (Laughter) 113 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,730 Ok, the first one is to remember what looks weak is actually strong. 114 00:04:52,730 --> 00:04:54,320 Bamboo is incredibly strong. 115 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,300 Pound for pound, stronger than steal, in terms of tensile strength, 116 00:04:58,300 --> 00:05:00,170 stronger than concrete in many ways. 117 00:05:00,170 --> 00:05:02,910 This is not Japan by the way but in many Asian countries, 118 00:05:02,910 --> 00:05:03,910 you can use it as scaffolding. 119 00:05:03,910 --> 00:05:05,390 It's amazingly strong. 120 00:05:05,390 --> 00:05:09,060 This is a little video I took in my backyard just to show. 121 00:05:09,060 --> 00:05:11,420 This is small bamboo but it's very very hard, 122 00:05:11,420 --> 00:05:14,220 and yet flexible and hollow as you can tell. 123 00:05:14,220 --> 00:05:17,010 But in the western world at least where I grew up, 124 00:05:17,010 --> 00:05:19,190 the idea to be strong is you have to be big. 125 00:05:19,190 --> 00:05:21,820 Like the redwood. "Be big and powerful and strong". 126 00:05:21,820 --> 00:05:25,460 But as we know and I learned in 1980 if you remember. 127 00:05:25,460 --> 00:05:27,570 when Yoda says "Size matters not", right? 128 00:05:27,570 --> 00:05:29,466 (Laughter) 129 00:05:29,466 --> 00:05:33,210 "Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?" 130 00:05:33,210 --> 00:05:35,650 "Hmm?" (Laughter) 131 00:05:35,650 --> 00:05:39,380 "Anyway you should not.", right? That was 1980, some of you remember that. 132 00:05:39,380 --> 00:05:42,110 But you know, I grew up in Oregon in the United States. 133 00:05:42,110 --> 00:05:45,640 So there's a lot of tree Karma in me. And a forest is great. 134 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:49,040 But the forest is kind of a dark and scary place, too. Right? 135 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:50,990 Kind of weird things can happen there. 136 00:05:50,990 --> 00:05:53,100 Your parents say, "Be careful in the forest". 137 00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:55,900 But the bamboo forest is different. It lets in the sun. 138 00:05:55,900 --> 00:06:01,010 So metaphorically, this is the idea "finding strength in light". 139 00:06:01,010 --> 00:06:04,260 So there's strength and kindness and compassion and cooperation. 140 00:06:04,260 --> 00:06:08,570 This is very much an Eastern idea. Particularly a Japanese idea, I think. 141 00:06:08,570 --> 00:06:12,100 You have to be strong to cooperate. 142 00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:15,440 The second thing is, of course bamboo bends, but does not break. 143 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,840 And we should be like that as well, shouldn't we? 144 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:20,760 So this is the video I took again. There you can see. 145 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,910 This is not a very windy day but even on a very very windy day, 146 00:06:23,910 --> 00:06:27,170 the bamboo would just kind of go with the flow. And so should we. 147 00:06:27,170 --> 00:06:30,580 That's something that Japanese culture has taught me through the years. 148 00:06:30,580 --> 00:06:32,680 If you try to fight against it, of course, 149 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,660 then the results are not always good. 150 00:06:35,660 --> 00:06:38,516 Number three is to be deeply rooted yet flexible. 151 00:06:38,516 --> 00:06:41,484 So I can talk forever about this, but you see the baby bamboo. 152 00:06:41,484 --> 00:06:44,540 Their roots are already very very deep and wide. 153 00:06:44,540 --> 00:06:48,140 This picture is in my neighborhood. As you can see, surrounded by bamboo. 154 00:06:48,140 --> 00:06:50,060 So the bamboo is there. 155 00:06:50,060 --> 00:06:54,740 It's flexible, but the metaphor is we need to establish roots in our community. 156 00:06:54,740 --> 00:06:56,070 We are losing some of that. 157 00:06:56,070 --> 00:06:59,690 But in the old days, even before the formal schools, we had education. 158 00:06:59,690 --> 00:07:01,310 That was the job of the community. 159 00:07:01,310 --> 00:07:03,790 So I think this is something bamboo teaches us. 160 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:05,470 Be deeply rooted in your community. 161 00:07:05,470 --> 00:07:09,650 And also you can remain flexible and creative and international. 162 00:07:09,650 --> 00:07:11,770 Also if you go into the bamboo forest, 163 00:07:11,770 --> 00:07:14,090 you will learn to slow down your busy mind. 164 00:07:14,090 --> 00:07:18,320 which is ever more important today when we have so much information. 165 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,630 The Taoist wisdom says, "We cannot see our reflection in running water. 166 00:07:22,630 --> 00:07:25,820 It is only in still water that we can see". 167 00:07:25,820 --> 00:07:29,690 And when I go into to the bamboo, or when you go into the bamboo forest, 168 00:07:29,690 --> 00:07:31,210 you can find inspiration there. 169 00:07:31,210 --> 00:07:33,070 This is where great ideas come from. 170 00:07:33,070 --> 00:07:35,980 Shaun Clee, says "We do know where great ideas come from, 171 00:07:35,980 --> 00:07:37,800 but they don't come from your laptop". 172 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,150 So I'm very happy to see no laptops are open here. 173 00:07:40,150 --> 00:07:42,630 That's amazing. No one told you that? I don't think. 174 00:07:42,630 --> 00:07:44,640 That's great. If you go to some companies, 175 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:46,740 I won't mention names, like Google and so on. 176 00:07:46,740 --> 00:07:49,780 But if you go there to present, every laptop is open. Right? 177 00:07:49,780 --> 00:07:52,061 So I think this is great. This is the TED sprit. 178 00:07:52,061 --> 00:07:53,831 Be here now, be somewhere else later. 179 00:07:53,831 --> 00:07:56,441 And the bamboo teaches us that. 180 00:07:56,441 --> 00:07:57,931 Sorry Google. (Laughter) 181 00:07:57,931 --> 00:08:01,421 Anyway, number five, Bamboo teaches us to always be ready. 182 00:08:01,421 --> 00:08:03,361 So this is a quote from Furuya sensei. 183 00:08:03,361 --> 00:08:07,811 He passed away, but he was a great Aikido master from Los Angels, actually. 184 00:08:07,811 --> 00:08:10,741 As he said, "The warrior -" that is the warrior of peace - 185 00:08:10,741 --> 00:08:13,401 "like the bamboo, should be ever ready for action". 186 00:08:13,401 --> 00:08:16,551 So through practice, through education, we make ourselves ready 187 00:08:16,551 --> 00:08:19,431 for any situation that we may find. 188 00:08:19,431 --> 00:08:22,121 The sixth thing is to find wisdom within emptiness. 189 00:08:22,121 --> 00:08:24,121 Now, Zen talks all about emptiness. 190 00:08:24,121 --> 00:08:27,171 We can be here until the cows come home, talking about emptiness. 191 00:08:27,171 --> 00:08:30,631 So, I just want to talk about one aspect so I can quote Bruce Lee. 192 00:08:30,631 --> 00:08:33,161 As he said, "Empty your cup so that it may be filled". 193 00:08:33,161 --> 00:08:34,557 Too many of us are like this. 194 00:08:34,557 --> 00:08:37,617 We are already filled up with preconceived notions and prejudice. 195 00:08:37,617 --> 00:08:41,487 We can't learn anything new until we first empty our cup. 196 00:08:41,487 --> 00:08:46,707 And of course, my favorite master, master Yoda said the same thing. 197 00:08:46,707 --> 00:08:50,097 So let's all say this together in the Yoda voice. Se-no, 198 00:08:50,097 --> 00:08:54,577 "You must unlearn what's you have learned." 199 00:08:54,577 --> 00:08:57,657 Hm, that's very good. (Laughter) 200 00:08:57,657 --> 00:08:59,657 Ok. Number seven, 201 00:08:59,657 --> 00:09:03,317 and this is something in Japanese culture you learn very early on, 202 00:09:03,317 --> 00:09:08,637 is the idea of committing yourself to continual growth and personal renewal. 203 00:09:08,637 --> 00:09:13,547 For example, if you look at the bamboo, it can grow sometimes up to a meter a day 204 00:09:13,547 --> 00:09:15,807 if you can believe that, some kinds of bamboo. 205 00:09:15,807 --> 00:09:18,787 Over 100 feet, over 35 meters or so. 206 00:09:18,787 --> 00:09:21,787 And this is not Japanese. This is a Chinese Kotowaza (Proverb). 207 00:09:21,807 --> 00:09:24,757 But I think you can understand the Kanaji (Chinese character). 208 00:09:24,757 --> 00:09:28,047 It says, "Even a 100 foot stock of bamboo can progress one more step". 209 00:09:28,047 --> 00:09:32,168 So the Japanese idea is, "If you think you have arrived, 210 00:09:32,168 --> 00:09:34,521 You've already begun your decline". 211 00:09:34,521 --> 00:09:35,831 You are never satisfied. 212 00:09:35,831 --> 00:09:39,511 If you ask these great Zen masters, or a martial arts master, 213 00:09:39,511 --> 00:09:42,541 "Oh, you are so great," and he'll say, "Not yet". 214 00:09:43,071 --> 00:09:46,391 This is a very powerful lesson, I think for many of us from the West. 215 00:09:46,391 --> 00:09:49,291 Never be satisfied. To always try to get a little bit better. 216 00:09:49,291 --> 00:09:51,661 Then of course, the bamboo is wonderful 217 00:09:51,661 --> 00:09:54,521 for expressing its usefulness through simplicity. 218 00:09:54,521 --> 00:09:57,261 And as Furuya sensei says the same thing. 219 00:09:57,261 --> 00:10:00,491 The bamboo does this. We should do it. The world is so complicated. 220 00:10:00,491 --> 00:10:04,731 We can differentiate ourselves and be more useful if we simplify things, 221 00:10:04,731 --> 00:10:05,961 which isn't easy to do. 222 00:10:05,961 --> 00:10:07,501 You know this Kanji, right? 223 00:10:07,501 --> 00:10:09,471 This is one form of simplicity. 224 00:10:09,471 --> 00:10:12,811 This here, that's Take, bamboo at the top. 225 00:10:12,811 --> 00:10:14,567 So, actually in Kanji, 226 00:10:14,567 --> 00:10:17,678 there are hundreds of characters that have bamboo in it. 227 00:10:17,678 --> 00:10:19,250 But this is the essence. 228 00:10:19,250 --> 00:10:21,562 Bamboo is very much associated with simplicity. 229 00:10:21,562 --> 00:10:25,420 You see the bamboo here, right, and the whisk of course and the mat. 230 00:10:25,420 --> 00:10:27,916 Bamboo is absolutely everywhere in Japanese culture 231 00:10:27,916 --> 00:10:29,752 and in Asia in general. 232 00:10:29,752 --> 00:10:32,940 I just took this picture a few days ago. This is my friend's scarf. 233 00:10:32,940 --> 00:10:34,385 We were talking about bamboo, 234 00:10:34,385 --> 00:10:36,414 she took off her scarf from Italy, 235 00:10:36,414 --> 00:10:39,025 100 percent bamboo - it's absolutely everywhere 236 00:10:39,025 --> 00:10:40,725 and of course this is my neighbor. 237 00:10:40,732 --> 00:10:42,890 I don't know where he got the bamboo legally. 238 00:10:42,890 --> 00:10:45,528 Anyway, he's making a fence. (Laughter) 239 00:10:45,528 --> 00:10:47,159 I noticed something was missing. 240 00:10:47,159 --> 00:10:50,921 Even making a fence with bamboo - it's amazingly useful and it's beautiful. 241 00:10:50,921 --> 00:10:52,378 We should be like that. 242 00:10:52,378 --> 00:10:57,992 The final thing is bamboo teaches us to unleash our power to spring back. 243 00:10:57,993 --> 00:11:01,175 This is very very important now more so than ever. 244 00:11:01,175 --> 00:11:02,435 Here you can see a photo. 245 00:11:02,435 --> 00:11:04,314 This is bamboo in the foreground, 246 00:11:04,314 --> 00:11:09,166 lots of heavy snow, it bends over as it accumulates ice it'll bend, 247 00:11:09,166 --> 00:11:13,049 sometimes it'll bend even all the way over and touch the ground on the other side 248 00:11:13,049 --> 00:11:16,041 but in the spring it bounces back. 249 00:11:16,041 --> 00:11:17,166 We should be like that. 250 00:11:17,166 --> 00:11:20,511 Many people right now are going through a kind of winter of their own. 251 00:11:20,511 --> 00:11:23,511 This reminds me of this Kotowaza. Everyone knows this one? 252 00:11:23,511 --> 00:11:26,141 How many people can actually read this? 253 00:11:26,141 --> 00:11:28,560 Seino "Nanakorobi yaoki". 254 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:31,499 Wow, this is great audience! It didn't work in Paris, I tried. 255 00:11:31,499 --> 00:11:33,169 (Laughter) 256 00:11:33,180 --> 00:11:35,286 But this is really the essence of the bamboo. 257 00:11:35,286 --> 00:11:38,098 This is the essence of what Japanese culture has taught me. 258 00:11:38,098 --> 00:11:42,056 And this reminded me of the great American philosopher 259 00:11:42,056 --> 00:11:44,640 Rocky Balboa. (Laughter) 260 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:48,080 (Music: Theme of Rocky) 261 00:11:48,084 --> 00:11:51,072 You can put your hands together. It's alright. 262 00:11:51,072 --> 00:11:54,776 (Clapping) 263 00:11:54,776 --> 00:11:56,180 All right. 264 00:11:56,181 --> 00:12:00,947 Rocky said, this was in his latest movie, Rocky 37 or whatever it was. 265 00:12:00,947 --> 00:12:01,777 (Laughter) 266 00:12:01,777 --> 00:12:04,110 He said, "It ain't about how hard you can hit, 267 00:12:04,110 --> 00:12:05,960 it's about how hard you can get hit 268 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:07,323 and keep moving forward, 269 00:12:07,329 --> 00:12:09,480 how much you can take and keep moving forward. 270 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,530 That's how winning is done." 271 00:12:11,530 --> 00:12:13,871 That's kind of Zen in it's own way. 272 00:12:13,871 --> 00:12:15,361 That's the American version of 273 00:12:15,361 --> 00:12:18,821 "Fall down a thousand times, get up a thousand and one, 274 00:12:18,821 --> 00:12:20,827 but never never ever give up." 275 00:12:20,827 --> 00:12:23,721 All right, so what are the lessons from the bamboo then? 276 00:12:23,868 --> 00:12:27,493 First of all, flexibility and adaptability. 277 00:12:27,493 --> 00:12:29,704 When you asked me what is Japanese character 278 00:12:29,706 --> 00:12:31,582 these words come to mind. 279 00:12:31,582 --> 00:12:33,632 And this boils down into one single word 280 00:12:33,648 --> 00:12:37,535 which to me describes bamboo and describes Japanese character 281 00:12:37,543 --> 00:12:41,183 which is resilience and to never never give up. 282 00:12:41,184 --> 00:12:43,793 So be like the bamboo, my friends. 283 00:12:43,793 --> 00:12:45,751 Be like the bamboo. 284 00:12:45,755 --> 00:12:48,182 Japanese: Thank you very much. 285 00:12:48,182 --> 00:12:51,290 (Applause) 286 00:12:51,290 --> 00:12:52,058 Thank you.