Zen Japanese (from Kyoto) – From the First Step to Unexpected Doors

Every Journey Begins with a Single Step

Zen is quietly woven into everyday life in Japan.

Even today, ancient teachings continue to live gently in our hearts.

My best friend lives at Myoshinji Temple in Kyoto, the largest Zen temple complex in the city.

Every month, she shares a teaching displayed at the temple gate with people around the world who love Japan.

This month, she shared another teaching with us.

This Month's Teaching

千里の行も足下より始まる　老子

せんりのこうもそっかよりはじまる

"A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet."

No matter how far we wish to go, every journey begins with a single step. Those small steps eventually take us to places we could never reach otherwise.

Today, I would like to share this message with those who are interested in Japan or Japanese communication.

The reason is simple.

When I was 17 years old, I had one dream:

"I want to connect with people around the world."

That dream changed the course of my life.

If you also hope to deepen your connection with Japan, I hope this story might become the first step in your own journey.

Sometimes we spend a long time waiting.

Not because we lack motivation.

Not because we lack ability.

Simply because life is busy.

Work takes time.

Projects demand attention.

There is always something more urgent.

So we tell ourselves:

"I'll do it when things calm down."

But looking back, many of the opportunities that changed my life appeared because I took a small step before the perfect moment arrived.

They happened after I took the first step.　

After more than twenty years of teaching Japanese and Japanese cross-cultural communication, I have learned something important.

The future often begins to change the moment we choose to take the first step forward.

A willingness to understand others and an understanding of the principles of communication can become the first step that opens “unexpected doors”.

When I saw this Zen teaching, I immediately thought about Harwell Japan Day, where I was recently invited to speak.

I was fortunate to present alongside my student, Samuel.

Today, he has developed partnerships with Japanese companies and expanded his work beyond Japan into other parts of Asia, including Singapore and Taiwan.

At Harwell Japan Day, he spoke about the journey that brought him there.

But that journey did not begin with a major business opportunity.

It began with a single email.

That email was the first message he sent to me.

Before his first business trip to Japan, he contacted me for support.

We only had three lessons because, like many professionals working internationally, he is an extremely busy CEO.

Knowing that we had very limited time, I focused only on what I believed would make the biggest difference: helping him communicate in a way that would connect with Japanese people on a deeper level. Those essentials formed the first step of what I now teach in Japanese Cross-cultural Communication Essentials.

Later, when I heard that he had successfully formed a partnership with a Japanese company during that first trip, I was absolutely delighted.

Since then, he has continued to strengthen those relationships and expand his work.

Watching his journey unfold has reminded me why I chose this path in the first place. Looking back, his first step became my first step too. It was the first step towards what I now teach in Japanese Cross-cultural Communication Essentials.

As I listened to his presentation, I found myself reflecting on my own journey.

I began learning English when I was 17 years old.

At the time, I could barely speak English.

I had almost no opportunities to meet people from other countries.

Yet one thought remained constant:

"I want to connect with people around the world."

That dream eventually led me to become an English teacher.

Looking back, I realise that what I was really pursuing was not English itself.

It was a future where Japanese people could connect with the world.

Later, I thought it would be nice if I could help Japan lovers around the world through teaching Japanese.

And I started with volunteer lessons as a Japanese teacher in my hometown.

My first learner was a woman from Taiwan.

I was not full of confidence.

Many times I wondered whether I was teaching her in the right way.

But I hoped she would enjoy communicating with Japanese people.

I hoped she would feel more positive about her life in Japan.

If I was able to help her even a little, that was enough.

I truly appreciated that she had chosen a life in Japan, and I wanted to support her in building meaningful connections with Japanese people.

Without that first lesson, I would not be where I am today.

Eventually, I chose the UK to continue my life journey as a Japanese language teacher.

Only a limited number of people can study in Japan.

I wanted to create opportunities for people to learn Japanese and connect with Japanese people without having to move across the world.

That desire led me to establish Arai Academy of Japanese Studies.

Since then, I have continued developing courses and teaching methods.

Because what many people truly seek is not simply Japanese.

What they seek is connection with Japanese people.

More than twenty years have now passed.

And when I look back, I realise that the thing I cared about most was never language itself.

Not English.

Not Japanese.

What I cared about was always this:

Communication that connects people.

When I was 17, I dreamed of connecting myself to the world.

As an English teacher, I dreamed of helping Japanese people connect with the world.

As a Japanese teacher, I dreamed of helping people around the world connect with Japan.

In many ways, I have simply been pursuing the same dream all along.

Watching Samuel's journey taught me something.

When he first contacted me, I never imagined that one day he would stand on a stage at Harwell Japan Day and speak about building bridges between Japan and the UK.

Yet that future began with a single email.

Sometimes life does not begin to move when we finally feel ready.

Sometimes it begins to move when we simply take the first step.

That is why I do not believe special talent is required to build meaningful connections with Japan.

What matters is taking that first step.

And taking it in the direction of understanding.

Samuel became a visible example of what can happen when someone does exactly that.

A professional with no previous experience working with Japan built trust, created partnerships, and became someone who now connects two countries.

Seeing that journey strengthened my belief once again:

Communication has the power to connect people.

And when people become connected, countries can become connected too.

As I listened to Samuel speak, I remembered the beginning.

The first email.

The three lessons.

The hope that he would succeed.

The excitement when I heard about his first partnership in Japan.

Step by step, that journey continued.

Today, I can see where those steps have led.

When I learned that Samuel had been invited to speak at Harwell Japan Day, another thought became stronger in my mind.

What if the lessons that helped Samuel could reach people around the world?

People who are too busy to attend regular lessons.

People who live far from Japan.

People who want to build deeper connections with Japanese people.

That idea became the first step toward creating Japanese Cross-cultural Communication Essentials.

For me, this course feels like the culmination of a journey that began when I was 17 years old.

Every dream.

Every lesson.

Every learner.

Every connection.

They all led here.

It has been a long journey.

There have been challenges along the way.

But looking back, there was never a secret shortcut.

There was only the first step.

Then the next step.

And the one after that.

Samuel's journey began with a single email.

My journey began with an English textbook.

When I look back, the moments that changed my life always came afterwards.

I could not see the future.

I had no confidence.

I simply took the next step that was in front of me.

That step led to another step.

And another.

New doors appeared.

New connections were formed.

Paths opened that I could never have imagined at the beginning.

That is why this Zen teaching resonates so deeply with me.

Every great journey begins with a single step.

Whatever dream you may be pursuing today, I hope you will treasure that step.

If you would like to deepen your communication with Japanese people, Japanese Cross-cultural Communication Essentials might be helpful.

It was created with one simple wish: to help more people build meaningful connections with Japanese people.

Created with busy professionals in mind, each lesson video is less than ten minutes long, making that first step easier whenever and wherever it fits your schedule.

If you would like to deepen your connection with Japan, this could be our first step together.

The course opened on 5 November and represents a new step in my own journey.

If your new step and my new step happen to meet through this course, I cannot imagine anything more rewarding.

I look forward to the new connections that may grow from it and to continuing this journey with people around the world.

Explore Japanese Cross-cultural Communication Essentials

Let’s grow together!

Mineko Arai

Japanese Cross-cultural Communication Specialist