Slow Life Can Be Good: Governor of Iwate, Japan, Shows How

Slow life can be good, is the fascinating true story of a Japanese province governor who actively promotes a laid-back kind of life, the getting back to nature and giving renewed attention to social affairs. In sharp contrast with Tokyo's rapidly-paced lifestyle, the province of Iwate and its governor, Masuda, want to find value, if not actual profit, in the pleasure and beauty of life. This is a wonderful short true story that has made many rounds around the world, and has already been translated in a few different languages. I myself have gotten it from a friend who recommended me via email. The story came from an Italian newspaper (La Repubblica), but the original essay had been published just a few days earlier by the Wall Street Journal itself. What's interesting is that real people, in a very rigidly structured and conservative society, as Japan is, have taken public step to defend what they finally realized is the greatest asset in appreciating any aspect of life: slowing down, and paying close attention to the details. That's where paradise is.