Today, at our atelier on Mount Hiei, Master Idaki Shin created ceramics. I painted designs on mugs and small vases. As Christmas approaches, I suddenly felt that mugs suit this season perfectly, and an image came to mind of welcoming the year’s end with a warm cup of coffee in a mug that gently warms both the heart and the body. Such small moments enrich the heart and give rise to the strength to move toward the future. I always feel grateful that my living space is filled with art pieces and marbling-dyed curtains that express inner light, making daily life deeply rich. Today, however, I inhaled the surrounding atmosphere, and my heart closed and grew dark. Gradually it became painful, and by the time I arrived in Tokyo, my heart was completely weighed down. After speaking with Master Idaki Shin, I understood why this had happened. I sensed the darkness and heaviness of the surrounding conditions and unconsciously became the same. Recently, I have often wondered why things feel this way. Ever since the period after the COVID-19 pandemic, I have continued to feel troubled by the fact that people have stopped moving. During the pandemic, we all understood that it was better to avoid unnecessary outings or meeting others, but even after it passed, the same state has continued, which has caused me to feel anxiety and even fear. It is because I clearly see that if human beings do not move, we come to an end. I believe that moving forward and heading toward a new world is what it means to survive. When we move to encounter different cultures and worlds and allow creation to arise, a new wind blows. We breathe new air and encounter new landscapes. In those moments, many ideas arise, and moving on becomes joyful. With the wish somehow to set stagnant air in motion, I am always thinking about expressions to do that. There is no experience like Master Idaki Shin’s concerts, where your inner state opens and you can undergo a sudden transformation and take flight. I wish to continue expressing this so that people will first and foremost come to the concerts. The next opportunity is Master Idaki Shin’s piano concert on the 17th at Komae Ecorma Hall. As this is an irreplaceable and precious concert where you can have the most essential experience for living, I sincerely hope you will join us no matter what lies in your way. I look forward to welcoming everyone from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.