Interview to Tomoo Matsuda

Matteo Belfiore:

The Italian writer Fosco Maraini wrote that the beauty in Japan is often kept hidden and need some effort to be discovered. I would like to know some example of hidden beauty you found during your trips.

Tomoo Matusda:

Hidden beauty is indeed a nice keyword. Most of the place I visited are "not so famous" small villages, town or cities if compared to crowded Kyoto. I have been contacting the mayors and critical persons who read my articles and have interests in reverse attendance shift. I think there are two approaches to find "hidden beauty". One is to believe your instinct and intuition.

Another is to ask the local people about it. For example, I visited a shrine on Iki Island. It is in the middle of the sea, and the access road shows-up only with the low tide. How sacred!

Hidden beauty is not only found in nature, shrines, temples, old houses, but it exists in the" local people". They are preserving their tradition and culture and trying new challenges. These attractive people, some of them are quiet, not talk too much but hiding their fire spirits in their mind. For me, the motivation to visit again is to "meet the person again", not only to see the beautiful sea, mountain, hot springs. Therefore, silent beauty exists not only nature but also in the local people.

Matteo Belfiore:

The last chapter of your book is entitled “Reverse shift as my lifework”. Many people would envy your job because it brings you to travel often and visit fascinating places in Japan. Could you tell me more about your lifework?

Tomoo Matusda:

The first keyword is "Platinum society". I'm a research director, and my expertise is local vitalization and active ageing society. As you know, Japan is the highest ageing rate with almost 28% (Italy with 23% is the second). Especially local and countryside areas in Japan are much higher, over 40% ageing rate. It looks like Japan's super-ageing society is a crisis. However, if we change the viewpoint, a disaster could become an opportunity. If we could solve problems proactively, Japan will change from a challenge "saddled" country to a problem "solved" country. My life work is to realize "Platinum society" by solving problems. Ageing society is called silver society because of the image of silver hair. But silver is getting the rusty, negative image. On the other hand, platinum is never getting rusty but always shining. And this is effective not only for the elderly but also for all the generations. Therefore, reverse attendance shift is one of the ideas to realize platinum society. This society is all around a win-win model where: #individuals are happy because of the work-life balance; #elderly will contribute to the community; #public, local areas are so glad for moving population, vitalizing the economy, consumptions, labour assist. #business find local innovation opportunity on 5G technology, building a new office, houses, mediation human resources.

The second key-word is "chemical reaction". As I mentioned in the epilogue of the book, I was born and grown up in Tokyo. Therefore, I had no experience to return to the countryside in the new year or summer in my childhood. But thanks to my research, I could visit so many places and meet people, I could look at the sky filled with stars and wake up listening to the song of birds. Meeting those attractive people make these places a kind of second home town for me. In areas where you don't have a chance to go in your daily life, you'll meet people you've never met before. In such new awareness, a chemical reaction in mind takes place, and the power of my own life emerges. Or I can offer a good chemical reaction to countryside people and city business person by reverse attendance shift. Reverse shift attendance is such an exciting experience, isn't it? I need more "chemical reaction" as my lifework, which will stimulate, empower me.

Matteo Belfiore:

In the book, you mentioned that reverse attendance shift could contribute to combining work satisfaction with economic growth. This strategy seems very promising in a country, Japan, famous for its workaholic culture and strictly traditional work style. However, things are slowly changing also here, and your book will be for sure a great incentive to the change. What do you think of the current workstyle culture in Japan? How and how fast the revers shift could help to change the old traditional corporate culture?

Tomoo Matusda:

Excellent question! It's been a long time since Japan is trying "Workstyle reform / Hataraki kata kaikaku" to change its workaholic style. But seems no progress, to say the least very small, very slow. However, we are facing the fight with coronavirus, telework and remote-work are spreading rapidly. This is happening not only at start-ups but also at big companies such as Mitsubishi Group. Most CEOs have realized that paying expensive office rent fee in the centre of Tokyo it's a waste of money. It is somewhat better to build satellite offices in local areas instead of increasing the office floor in Tokyo. By doing so, they can avoid the employees to commute a long time in crowded trains.

Therefore, a significant change is going to start by the shock of coronavirus: the crisis is going to be the opportunity to reform the old Japanese work style. To realize this significant change, "carrot and stick, incentive and duty punishment" are strongly needed. For examples, an incentive is as follows. If the company start the reverse attendance shift, the problem is the cost burden for the train, airplane, building satellite office, housings. The government will help with some grants money to the company or give corporate tax reduction. Or if the person will do another job in the countryside, their additional income tax can be reduced. And the government and economic organization should start the prize for the distinguished company which challenging the reverse attendance shift. The rewarded company's stock price would be increasing because it would appeal to investors for ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) and SDGs.

Another point "Duty" is as follows. In the Edo era, it was a strict duty that feudal lords had to show up to Shogun in Edo (Tokyo). If they skip or ignore, the feudal lords should accept the hefty penalty or be exiled. Japanese are obedient to duty, rules. Adapting it in the era, if we set up the standards that a big company must act reverse attendance shift from the viewpoint of SDGs, most of the companies will obey to these rules. If they don't keep the rules, they will be punished by high tax payment. Furthermore, if a competitor is starting the reverse shift, other companies will follow. It is a Japanese characteristic "I will follow because other people do". If we use effectively both incentive - tax reduction, grants, prizes and duty, synchronism - it will move fast and rapidly. I'm actively encouraging the government and business by advocating this reverse attendance shift by this book. Hopefully, this book will make a wave for a new lifestyle and quality of life in Japan.