-- Below is the English rendition of my blog post "本田健さんのすごさを垣間見る" on Nov 8, 2023 --
Upon arriving in the United States, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Honda Ken for the first time last night, and two remarkable things immediately struck me. I also have a special video attached, which I believe will quickly convince all of you.
One thing I must emphasize is his exceptional English communication skills. Yesterday, during his inaugural lecture on the Big Island of Hawaii, there was no interpreter present.
He spoke entirely in English and did so with remarkable ease. Ken engaged with the audience, including those he had just met, incorporating light-hearted jokes. His pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammatical prowess were all outstanding, embodying the ideal English speaker that many Japanese aspire to be.
For those who have attended Ken's Japanese seminars, imagine that same atmosphere seamlessly carried over into his English communication.
What really impressed me was how effortlessly Ken connected with everyone. It felt like I was just having a casual chat with friends at home. The participants came from places like the Big Island, the mainland U.S., and Canada, and he conducted the seminar in English in such a friendly yet professional way. It was something else!
I've got a short 30-second video clip that I secretly recorded yesterday, and I wanted to share it with you all. (No worries, I have permission to share it.) Please take a look!
And the second thing that left me in awe happened right before the seminar began.
On my Facebook post, a former student left a comment: "I hope this comment catches Mr. Honda Ken's attention‼️"
When I showed that comment to Ken, he immediately said, "Let's record a video." He said it so quickly that I had a moment of "What video?" in my mind.
Then I realized, "Ah, he means to send a video message." I was truly impressed by his swift decision-making and action.
Here are the original message on my post and Ken's video message:
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"I've also felt that letting go of obsessions can take courage, but it can open up new worlds!
Now, I have something to apologize and express my gratitude to Mr. Honda Ken 😆 I had no personal connection with Mr. Honda and knew him only as a well-known author, and 30 years had passed without any interaction.
One day, a few pages of a survey arrived addressed to my father from Mr. Honda. The content was about success in life and work, but as a young and far-from-successful corporate employee, I found it interesting and took the liberty to answer it on behalf of my father and sent it back to Mr. Honda 🤣🤣🤣 I'm really, truly sorry 🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️ Despite my hasty and unthoughtful response, Mr. Honda later sent a signed copy of his book.
What further touched me is that after almost a decade had passed and I had completely forgotten about it, Mr. Honda sent a signed copy of his new book, along with his thanks. I was deeply moved by his kind gesture, recalling a small favor from years ago, and taking action to express gratitude. At the time, I should have immediately expressed my thanks and apology, but I ignored it, thinking he was a distant, well-known author.
As Mr. Ishiwata's post started to mention Mr. Honda, my desire to convey my apology and gratitude grew stronger. I hope this comment catches Mr. Honda Ken's attention‼️ I really was disrespectful on that occasion 🙇♀️ and thank you very much 😊"
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Here is Mr. Honda's video message in response to this comment.
Ken is someone who travels the world for seminars, yet he manages to write a book in no time. And he's always so relaxed and kind to readers and fans. I've witnessed that part of his secret lies in his ability to take swift action.