My Favorite Stationery | Shohei Onishi (Dean of the Graduate School of Health Management)
April 24, 2008
I'm quite fickle and have never been one to cherish things, especially stationery, for a long time. However, looking back on my elementary school days, I was unusually particular about my pencil case. If you were to ask me why, I'd be at a loss for an answer, but I was a boy with a blatant ego who wanted things that no one else had. And I still am.
It's not stationery, but of course, there are things I have cherished. When I was in my first year of junior high school, I heard "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" on Mr. Yasuo Abe's guitar lesson program, which was broadcast on NHK Educational TV, and I decided to switch from piano to guitar. I then pestered my mother into buying me a 20,000-yen classical guitar, though I'm not sure what the monetary value was back in 1965 (Showa 40). I practiced with this guitar almost every day and gave concerts in high school. And I still have it with me today. It's still in active use. However, perhaps due to over-practicing, I developed tendonitis in my wrist. Even after undergoing surgery, the pain prevents me from playing for more than 15 minutes at a time.
As for stationery, there is one item I am particular about now: a fountain pen. It's not an expensive one, but I feel that the act of writing on vertically ruled manuscript paper gives me time to express my feelings honestly. In this age of word processors, which seem to have only advantages—they are faster to write with and easier to edit—I believe that writing by hand is the best way to think while savoring a leisurely moment.
(Date of publication: April 24, 2008)