yasumu koto mo chikara
Rest is also strength.
A substitute holiday after Golden Week is a reminder that recovery is not laziness. Rest is part of sustainable effort.
kawaii ko ni wa tabi o saseyo
Let them struggle so they grow.
Children’s Day is about hope for the future. Real growth comes not from removing every difficulty, but from giving children the courage to meet life.
yanagi ni yukiore nashi
Snow does not break the willow.
Greenery Day is a reminder that nature survives through balance. What bends can endure what rigidity cannot.
washite douzezu
Harmony without conformity.
Constitution Memorial Day is a day for values and principles. True harmony allows disagreement without destroying respect.
kuchi wa wazawai no moto
Words can create trouble.
Speech is powerful because it cannot always be taken back. Silence is sometimes the wiser form of strength.
kiku wa ittoki no haji, kikanu wa issho no haji
Ask now, or regret later.
A question may feel embarrassing for a moment. Remaining ignorant costs much more.
saru mo ki kara ochiru
Even monkeys fall from trees.
Mistakes do not erase ability. Even the skilled are human, and humility keeps skill alive.
onko chishin
Study the old, know the new.
Showa Day invites reflection on history, change, and memory. Looking back is not nostalgia when it helps us move forward.
koketsu ni irazunba koji o ezu
No risk. No reward.
The things worth having often sit on the other side of fear. Safety can protect you, but it can also limit you.
gei wa mi o tasukeru
Your skill will save you.
A skill carefully developed becomes more than a hobby. It becomes protection, possibility, and self-reliance.
katte kabuto no o o shimeyo
Stay sharp after you win.
Success is not the moment to relax your standards. Victory requires even more discipline than struggle.
ju yoku go o seisu
Soft beats strong.
Rigidity looks powerful until pressure arrives. Flexibility survives because it can adapt without breaking.
hana yori dango
Substance over style.
Beauty is easy to admire, but usefulness is what lasts. Choose what nourishes over what merely impresses.
ame futte ji katamaru
After rain, the ground hardens.
Conflict, difficulty, and discomfort can strengthen what is real. Some foundations are built only after storms.
shoshin wasuru bekarazu
Never forget your beginner’s mind.
The freshness of the beginning keeps pride in check. Mastery grows when humility survives success.
ishi no ue ni mo sannen
Stay long enough to see results.
Meaningful progress usually takes longer than enthusiasm lasts. Patience turns effort into evidence.
omoitatta ga kichijitsu
The best time is now.
Waiting for perfect conditions is often hesitation in disguise. Action creates the clarity that planning alone cannot.
senri no michi mo ippo kara
Start small. Go far.
Big goals become less intimidating when reduced to the next honest step. Momentum is built, not found.
nanakorobi yaoki
Fall seven times. Rise eight.
Resilience is not avoiding failure. It is returning again, with a little more wisdom than before.
ichigo ichie
This moment will never come again.
Every meeting, conversation, and ordinary day is unrepeatable. Treat the present as something you only get once.
suki na koto o tsuzukeru
Keep doing what you love.
Passion becomes meaningful when it survives ordinary days. Love plus consistency creates craft.
narau yori narero
Get used to it more than studying it.
Some things are learned only by doing. Practice turns theory into instinct.
hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu
Seeing once beats hearing a hundred times.
Experience teaches what explanation cannot. Go and see for yourself.
ichinichi ippo
One step each day.
Daily progress looks small from close up, but powerful from a distance. Keep moving.
sessa takuma
Polish one another through effort.
Growth sharpens in the presence of others who challenge you. Good rivalry can be a gift.
onko chishin
Study the old, know the new.
The future is easier to understand when you respect what came before. Innovation needs memory.
futou fukutsu
Unbending, unbroken.
There is a form of strength that refuses to be crushed. It does not need to be loud to be real.
meikyou shisui
A clear mirror and still water.
The calm mind sees without distortion. Stillness is not passivity; it is clarity.
makeru ga kachi
Sometimes losing is winning.
Not every battle is worth winning. Stepping back can protect the larger victory.
yanagi ni yukiore nashi
Snow does not break the willow.
What bends can survive what breaks the rigid. Softness can be a strategy for endurance.
kirei na hana ni wa toge ga aru
Beautiful flowers have thorns.
Attraction can hide difficulty. Wisdom admires beauty without forgetting discernment.