Five good stories
Yoshie Doi
Photo taken on January 6, 2025. The only roasted sweet potato left.
The chat while we are standing at the store where I always shop.
“The meat here is very tasty and cheap, so it’s a big help. Anywhere do you have your farm ?”
“There will be times when you have a bad things, so just let us know if that happens,” the store clerk said.
At the store where I usually buy sushi, I happened to bump into a sushi chef at the sales counter.
“Thank you for always making delicious sushi! Which one is the best deal today?”
“It might snow today, so we’ll add fatty tuna to everything for a special deal”
“Everything is a good deal!”
At the store where I always buy roasted sweet potatoes, I tell him, “I always eat delicious sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes. I said, “Until now, therewas one hard potato ,” and he gave me the potato, saying, “Take this home with you!” “No, no, that’s not what I meant, so it’s fine.” “It’s just how I feel, so if you don’t say so, take it home with you!” These three stories show that the seller has love and treats the customer with gratitude. After all, this is how a business that caters to customers should be.
I once asked a department store where the best sardines were caught. The head of the fresh fish department came out of his way to talk to me for about 20 minutes. He will explain things to you in detail at any sales area.
For the past 15 years or so, there is someone who always contacts me at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year. He is a Kyoto fan, and when he happened to be walking along the Philosopher’s Path, he asked a passerby, “I want to study Kyoto in depth, so please tell me where is a good place to study.” At that time, he was commuting from Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture. The passerby said, “You should study at Kyo-Suzume.” This has been about 15 years ago.
After that, he participated in a Kyo-Suzume event and passed the Kyoto Test Level 1. Furthermore, he compiled a thesis as a special researcher at Kyoto Sangyo University. This year, he turned 91 years old, and having overcome a serious illness, he sent me a message of good health at the beginning of the year. He currently lives in Tokyo, but he and his wife always visit Kyoto on important occasions and I meet. At the beginning of the year, he vowed to watch over Kyoto with Kyoto fans from all over the country and the world, and to help them make further discoveries and pass on Kyoto culture.
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Translated by Masami Otani
