Losing Face But Gaining Honor in Japan
Meet VOICE’S most popular session provider, given her stats 28 years into the history of Japan’s most popular seminar company.
And maybe, just for fun, see a few YouTube videos I made… Helped by a Japanese interpreter. (Pretty awkward, but fun.)
Think You’ve Ever Been Embarrassed?
Try going from America to Japan, say 13 round trips, teaching workshops and giving personal sessions for the politest people in the world. Pretty soon you’ll receive a rich-and-varied education into losing face. Can’t be helped.
In this article I’ll share one of my funny stories about that. (Funny now, at any rate.) Mostly, though, I’ll share a very human tale about gaining honor. An extremely human tale.
Extremely human. And if you don’t yet know what I mean by that mysterious term, you just might… by the end of this article.
Hint: Keep reading especially if you’re an entrepreneur. Or launching a startup. Also, keep reading if, like me, you collect Life Lessons and/or you care about Self Improvement.
Losing Face But Gaining Honor in Japan. Starting in 2005
From 2005 until 2011, I taught Energy Spirituality workshops in Japan. In addition, I gave personal sessions.
Usually I worked with interpreters in Tokyo. Once I went to Osaka — considered an honor since I was only the third Western teacher sent there. But let’s back up here, to explain “Western teacher.” Plus, why would “third” count as some kind of big honor?
During those years I just mentioned, Japan was crazy-in-love with Self Improvement. Many upward-striving people would take a seminar every weekend. Most likely, they’d take a seminar offered by VOICE.
America Has Never Had the Equivalent of VOICE
In order to appreciate the influence of this Japanese success story, here’s an equation for you:
Esalen + The Learning Annex + Hay House + Disneyland = VOICE, the premier seminar company in Japan.
Founded by the brilliant entrepreneur Masumi Hori, decade after decade, VOICE sponsored an average of two teachers weekly. Most noteworthy, these were Western teachers. Among them were the cream of the crop in fields like:
- New Age Energy Healers
- Psychics
- Hypnotists
- Experts at Neuro-Linguistic Programming
- Animal Communicators
Always scouting for new talent, somehow VOICE found me. A one-off workshop giver, book writer, aura reader, and aura healer. After I checked out the offer, yes! I made my first trip to The Land of the Rising Sun. Following that, I came back whenever I could.
VOICE sponsored me. Although they’d never seen anything like this founder of Energy Spirituality, and haven’t since. Bringing along her 10 trademarked systems. Bringing loads to teach in workshops, and also a wide variety of ways to help clients.
How many Japanese clients benefited from VOICE offerings? The company steered clear of media. Never even scored a Wikipedia page. Yet here’s one statistic to give you an idea of the enterprise.
After I gave a weekend workshop on this Energy Spirituality specialty (video), guess what? Mr. Hori (Hori-san) casually mentioned to me, “We made $10,000 this weekend.”
Losing Face But Gaining Honor in Japan. Worse than “Was My Face Red”!
And speaking of Hori-san, here’s that story I promised you.
Picture a very hot day in June. On the day after my 13-hour flight from America, I was jet-lagged but game. Several trips into working for VOICE, by now, I could do the walk nearly in my sleep. Which was helpful!
Eventually I made it, the mile-long trek from my condo over to VOICE’S main office in Nishi Azabu. One of my huge, black wheelie suitcases was now repurposed for carrying dozens of my paperbacks. Pulling that heavy load, I clunked my way over to VOICE headquarters.
Probably more sweaty than I knew, I deposited those books with my handler for this trip. Then I walked over to Hori-san’s desk, eager to say hello to the most brilliant businessman I’d ever met.
No bowing required. This was good. Since it took about 10 trips to Japan before my bowing wasn’t really-truly terrible. Like totally clownish.
Sweetly, Hori-san gave me a warm hug, matching his warm words of welcome. Only what happened after I stepped back from the hug? Uh-oh, I saw it. Being considerably shorter than the Japanese executive, my head had reached him mid-chest. Sadly, the makeup I’d worn to impress the world… Now it was smeared all over his impeccable jacket and collared shirt.
Yes, I’d literally lost face on my boss’s super-expensive clothing. No doubt ruining it. Literally losing face, or at least, smearing off a ton of makeup — that was my dignity-shredding experience.
Still, overall, working for VOICE was a privilege. Definitely a high point for someone who’d served as a spiritual teacher for decades.
Gaining Honor by Helping a Lotta People
Turned out, Masumi was very gracious about the wreck of his garments. On the other hand, I helped VOICE to make a lot of clients very happy. Over the years I gave loads of weekend seminars, including ones on my trademarked systems about Aura Reading (video) and how to cut cords of attachment (video).
How I loved working with my brilliant interpreters! And I really-really loved helping those clients with emotional growth and spiritual awakening.
Teaching for VOICE was such an honor. I hardly cared that it cost me money — in the sense that I would have made much more money by staying home. With the various expenses VOICE had to take care of (or maybe Hori-san’s need for profit), I earned $80 per session. While back home my fee was $125, and later $150.
At one point my interpreter Yumi-san asked me, “Aren’t you curious what people pay to take your sessions?”
Suddenly I became curious. Then she told me: “$400 per hour.”
Still, I hardly cared.
Seems like, my personal sense of honor could rival that of many a Japanese person. In fact, clients and interpreters often told me, “It’s odd. You seem more Japanese than a lot of Japanese people.”
Except, of course, for lacking the ability to say a single complete sentence in Japanese. Or having the power to read a single one of their alphabets.
Losing Face But Gaining Honor in Japan. How about “No Face”?
And by “No Face” I mean, no official presence! This happened in the oddest way.
You see, one sponsorship at a time, the popularity of my sessions increased. Back home, it was no big deal for me to facilitate six Energy Spirituality sessions each day. Usually I did that seven days a week, unless I was giving a workshop.
Regarding my personal sessions in Japan, over the years my schedule expanded. Eventually an interpreter told me that clients were being turned away from making appointments with me. So I spoke to management.
According to staff, it was vital that I never embarrass the other experts sponsored by VOICE. However, after some discussion, management agreed to add “Secret Sessions” to my schedule. Although not listed publicly, clients could ask for them. And get them. Thus, my schedule swelled to five personal sessions each weekday.
At the end of that sponsoring from VOICE, what did my handler tell me? “You just set a record. VOICE has been in business for 27. On this trip, you did more sessions than anybody we ever sponsored.”
And the following year, my handler said, “You just set another record. Only this time it’s for the most sessions than anybody in our 28-year history.”
Nonetheless, What an Honor!
Why nonetheless? Due to the total lack of fanfare, of course.
My secret honors. So as to never upset any of the other VOICE sponsorees, never a peep. Not in the glossy magazines sent to the huge VOICE mailing list. Not on the website. No public honoring of any kind.
So now I have a question for you, since you’ve been reading my Teaching Tale. What do you think? Does a big honor count… if nobody in the public ever knows?
Here’s why I still feel those two records for VOICE are a great honor. One of the biggest honors of my life, actually.
Because I earned those records. That’s why.
You know, we live at a time of huge hype. When “shameless self-promotion” is supposed to be a good thing. Maybe even required for success.
Personally, I find all that hype to be cringe-worthy. I’ll do what it takes to spread the word about Energy Spirituality. Personal motto: To reach the people I can reach, and teach the people I can teach.
In short, I aim to do just what it takes to promote my work, no more.
Personally, here’s what I believe about needing recognition: God knows and I know. Ultimately, that’s enough.
In Conclusion
Suppose that you’re an entrepreneur. Or launching a startup. Maybe you simply have a passion for collecting Life Lessons. And you care about Self Improvement.
Do you require some big public recognition for what you achieve?
Or maybe it’s enough to live with honor. Since you know about much of the good you have done. And also God knows.
