Tokyo and Los Angeles are too busy cities, and it’s hard to find time to do things, whether my brain is linked to that or not. I receive many PDFs of proposals and video links every day as part of my job. I have to look at them, and I guess the truth is that I am not in the mood for reading.

The other day, on the plane to Miami, I started reading Tsunetaro Sugiyama’s new book, “Advertising Work: About Advertising, Society and Hope” (Kobunsha Shinsho 1229), a great senior, and couldn’t stop. Intellectual excitement! That’s what I mean. I immediately contacted Mr. Sugiyama via in-flight WiFi, and we agreed to meet after our return to Japan.

I would say that the following book is a must-read for those in the advertising and marketing industry, but this book is a book of ideas that transcends the boundaries of such industry professionals with impunity. The distance between oneself and society, and the unique way of perceiving that distance. It is written with humor. I hope young people who aspire to become start-ups will read this book.

Mr. Sugiyama told me that “effort” is no match for “enthusiasm. No matter how hard you try, you cannot beat someone who is absorbed in what he or she is doing. Well, that’s a great saying.

Now, how do we find our “passion”? I often get this question in the Q&A session when I speak to college students and young business people. My answer is, “Can’t I also like what people I like are doing and get absorbed in it?” They are convinced as if they have a clue. He adds, “Sometimes what I’m crazy about suddenly cools off one day. But that’s totally OK,” he adds. Effort” and “infatuation” are similar in that they both dislike compulsion.

After reading this book, I am once again convinced that the joy of life comes from trusting one’s five senses and doing what one loves as much as one loves.

Look for the interview with Mr. Sugiyama next month!

P.S.: More new books have been published since then. This will be enjoyed in Okinawa at the end of the year.

Brand Advertising That Changed the World” (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing)