People we encounter in our difficult and unpredictable lives,
Everyday scenes, each day like a miracle
Honest and heartwarming stories imbued with Hoshino Gen's humor and life philosophy.

The latest essay, "From the Window of Life," by Hoshino Gen, one of Japan's most popular entertainers today, including musician, actor, talent, entertainer, radio DJ, and writer, and a male solo singer with unparalleled popularity, has been published by Minumsa.
"From the Window of Life" is a heartfelt echo of Hoshino Gen's story as he overcomes a long illness, crosses the line between life and death, and returns to the stage.
The self who built a wall and acted like a loner for fear of rejection and criticism from others, the dreams that were given up on early on without even trying, the trivial, shabby, and poor inner self, the opportunities and relationships that were regrettably missed due to misunderstandings and prejudices, the wondrous fortunes that came to him like a spring sprout that struggled to grow from frozen ground, the seasons he didn't want to lose, the comforts he didn't want to forget, and even the feeling of constant gratitude...

Through this book, we can fully experience the warm and affectionate face of Hoshino Gen, a man rarely seen before due to the dazzling stage lights and roles.
A man who passionately dominates the concert hall, acts with such natural intoxication, makes witty and nasty jokes, yet fidgets when talking to his friends his age, and quickly retracts his hand from petting his beloved Shiba Inu because he thinks it would be rude, that is Hoshino Gen.
It is now our turn to approach the sincerity of Hoshino Gen, who shut himself up in a small room, humming a song under his breath, shouting, “My heart, come through!” and telling us not to give up on our dreams out of needless fear, and not to turn away from precious relationships and brilliant days with narrow thoughts.

Consciousness flies inside the window.
My robot, my hands and feet, please move well.
Outside the window, there is me, talking, moving, and acting as I please.
The talker left me alone and looked around.
amazing.
Until recently I was looking at the hospital ceiling, and now I'm talking loudly in front of an audience of 1,300 people.
They say life is a journey, and I think that's really true.
If I compare my body to a locomotive, the view outside this window is surprisingly interesting.

--- From the text

The act of venting anger is so full of negative energy that it can greatly shake the mind of the person receiving it.
But if you just keep it in, your mind will become increasingly unstable and it will have a negative effect on your body.
So, we need a way to express it in a fun and enjoyable way.
When I pause while talking or get caught up in an unreasonable incident, I try to reenact my reaction and make an appropriate facial expression so that the other person can laugh happily and say, "That's too much!"
There is no need to add unnecessary stories.
--- From the text

Late at night, when I couldn't sleep, I always wrote songs.
As I wrote the lyrics and composed the song, I hoped that this song would reach someone.
This tiny song, inaudible even in the next room, must have traveled somewhere like a radio wave and reached someone! I was strangely convinced it had happened, without any particular reason.
(……) At that time, the radio waves that I sent out with the thought, ‘Please convey this to someone.’ were neither illusions nor self-intoxicated delusions.
Over the years, it has slowly, very slowly, flown up and reached many people here and was delivered safely.
The wind that I thought was useless was connected here.

--- From the text

What did I see? What scenery moved my heart? What was that emotional movement like? What did I think about it?
No matter how trivial the task, when I can express it well in writing, my mind becomes clear and organized.
I felt refreshed, as if I had just stepped into a freshly cleaned bathtub and washed my body clean.
“Why do you write, Mr. Hoshino?”
Honestly, I'd like to answer, "Because I feel so good," but that would be a long explanation, so I might just keep answering, "Because I admire Matsuo and Miyazawa."
The challenge for the future is to write more concisely, freely, and yet convey my true feelings to the other person.

--- From the text

I realized how much I had been smiling throughout my life.
When I was watching television, talking to someone, telling a taxi driver my destination, I could become conscious of moments I had never been aware of before, and say, "Oh, I just laughed."
Looking around, I am reminded that people really do smile a lot in their daily lives.
When greeting someone, saying “Thank you for your hard work” as we say goodbye, when we make a mistake, when we discover music we like, when we taste delicious food, people generally smile or laugh.
When I was in elementary school, I didn't laugh much.
As I wrote in my past essays, it wasn't just that I couldn't laugh out loud, it was that I couldn't smile or show my emotions outwardly.
In this way, a smile is an essential element in everyday life, and is important for communicating and confirming one's intentions.
So, I thought about my role and how lonely it would be for a person to not be able to laugh.
(……) The heart is saved by such little things.
If you're sulking all day, you'll get mentally exhausted no matter how much you act.
But if someone just says a word, the poison goes away and he can maintain his usual Hoshino Gen.

--- From the text

One day, when I was a guest on a radio show, I suddenly felt embarrassed when I introduced myself as “shy.”
I was a little angry at myself for talking about it as if it was a disease, as if there was nothing I could do about it.
Until then, I had such a strong desire to be loved and not hated that I gave up on communicating.
If you fail to communicate, you will neglect your efforts to learn and grow in human relationships.
Saying to the other person, “I’m shy…” as if you were the victim is no different from making an overtly shameful declaration, “I’m a person who doesn’t try to communicate, so you should be careful.”
I haven't felt shy in a few years.
I always tried to keep the door of my heart wide open.
I wanted to let the person I like know that I like them.
(……) There is no need to deliberately try to become a loner.
Since we are all human and alone, we need to hold hands and communicate more fervently.

--- From the text

I love Shiba Inu so much.
Small build.
I almost spit out my coffee.
Oh, so cute.
From my seat, all I could see was the back of my head, my back, and my buttocks.
But that's enough.
If you come this way, I have to pet you.
Of course, if you caress someone you have never met before, that is a crime.
Eventually, I came to declare that my favorite dog was a Shiba Inu.
Maybe it's because I searched the internet for a video of a Shiba Inu leisurely lounging by the fireplace at home.
Perhaps, I felt my heart being healed not by a dog barking in a kennel, but by a Shiba Inu lazing around indoors.

The Shiba Inu wagged its tail next to its owner.
The meat sauce pasta just arrived.
Did he say "good" because he wanted to eat with the Shiba Inu? I want to take a picture.
But if you take a picture of someone you've never met, that's considered hidden camera.

--- From the text

The act of "imagining myself concretely, having persevered through difficult times," is like a warm-up exercise for truly realizing the simple law that everything must end.
The more difficult the situation is, whether it's an impending deadline, homework, a sudden illness, or a disaster, the more likely it is that you will immediately change your mind and say, "Then let's work hard with a positive attitude!"
I can't get a handle on it.
Instead of wasting time worrying and being nervous every moment, saying things like, “It might not work out,” or “I might fail,” and encouraging myself, if you truly feel that something is coming to an end, you can focus on what you need to do right now, saying, “The end will come eventually.”
If you can concentrate, time will seem to pass quickly.
If you think, "I hate it so much," time passes slowly, but if you focus completely, it's as if you've suddenly warped over mountains and time, and the painful period ends quickly.

--- From the text

I want to cherish the 'heart that feels the seasons'.
The relationship between busyness and seasons is like that between the sun and the moon.
The busier you are, the less visible the seasons become, and conversely, the more leisurely you are, the more familiar they become and the more boring they become.
(……) In my early twenties, when I was free and broke, I felt spring, summer, fall, and winter very close to me, as if I was always carrying the spirit of the seasons on my shoulders.
It's a gloomy feeling in its own right.
Now that I've barely escaped that state, and am living day by day, I rarely feel the seasons, no matter how cold or hot they are.
(……) A feeling of well-ventilated air, with no physical abnormalities, no anxious thoughts, and the window of the chest opening and the seasons passing through it.
The scenery of the complex, which was bleak and not particularly beautiful even for a formal greeting, became a surprisingly beautiful sight.
Suddenly, I felt like holding someone's hand.
I felt like kissing, hugging, or rubbing skin.
I thought, this is when love is born.
I looked at my watch and saw that the time for the appointment was approaching.
I hurried back home.
On the way back, I had a feeling that “everything will definitely be okay now.”

--- From the text

I used to stay up all night often since I was a child.
When my parents are all asleep and it's quiet, I open the window and feel the empty street.
I wondered if there was someone out there who, with a certain inexplicable certainty, looked upon the world as tranquilly as I did.
At that time, my frequent fantasy was of myself singing and dancing vigorously on a large stage.
I never had the slightest intention of revealing that dream.
It was such a far-fetched imagination from me at the time that I didn't even bother to think about whether it was real or not, nor did I even try to erase it.
Not only that, I didn't even particularly take it to heart.
Whether such imaginations or premonitions are right or wrong, they can be a force that changes reality and creates the future.
Imagination and narcissism are different.
This is something that didn't exist when I was young, but even if someone criticizes me for being 'insensitive' or ignores me for being 'middle schooler's syndrome', I shouldn't give in to such trivial words and keep fantasizing.
Because imagination is mostly the source of creating reality.

--- From the text

There are moments when you feel, 'I am not alone.'
I'm glad you can feel that way.
From my teens to my twenties, I always thought of myself as a loner.
Every time, I was so lost in my sadness that I couldn't see the countless people around me and I was completely confused.
He turned his back on reality and pushed himself to pursue only terrible ideals, preventing himself from feeling happy.
I couldn't accept myself as I am and couldn't learn without decorating myself.
Before someone ignores you, you put yourself down first and say, “I know,” to prevent them from getting hurt.
It's pathetic.
If you live with that attitude, you will never feel happy, even if there is no happier life than that.
I don't think about that at all now.
A person who is happy and yet still longs for more is the real one.
I was able to feel likes and dislikes without having to deceive my heart.
If you don't like something, try to keep it to yourself and try not to say it out loud.
When someone ignores me, I smile and say, “Is that so?” but inside I feel hurt just like everyone else.

--- From the text