[Reading drama will be broadcast on radio! ] Thinking about
“Elementary school students and work.” “The wonders of the world are probably made of someone else’s work. ” Interview with author Masatomo Tamaru.
Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. Press release: October 3, 2024 [Recitation drama will be broadcast on radio! ] Thinking about “Elementary school students and work.” “The wonders of the world are probably made of someone else’s work. ” Interview with author Masatomo Tamaru. “Stories of fictional jobs” provide an opportunity for children to think about work. What did Masatomo Tamaru want to convey through his work? Gakken Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa, Tokyo/President: Tatsuya Nanjo), a group company of Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa, Tokyo/President: Hiroaki Miyahara), “The wonders of the world are surely created by someone else’s work.” are. ” (released on July 18, 2024) It has been decided that the reading of the recorded work will be broadcast on the radio on October 13, 2024 (Sunday). ■I want to know the changes in the ranking of “Occupations that elementary school students want to have in the future” over the past 10 years! According to the “Survey on Daily Life and Learning of Elementary School Students” (“White Paper for Elementary School Students Web Version”), which was conducted by the Gakken Educational Research Institute in 2023 on 1,200 elementary school students. “Ranking of occupations that elementary school students want to have in the future” (Gender-neutral, comprehensive) is… 〇1st place Pastry chef (cake shop) 〇2nd place Internet broadcasters such as YouTubers 〇3rd place police officer 〇4th place: Athletes in sports other than baseball, soccer, and swimming 〇5 Doctor/Dentist 〇5th place Nurse It became. In the previous year’s survey (2022), “patisserie chef” and “Internet streamer such as YouTuber” were ranked in the top two. These can be said to be the “two most popular jobs” that elementary school students today want to have. In addition, 7th place is an engineer/programmer, 8th place is a driver, singer/idol, and 10th place is a professional soccer player and a nursery teacher/kindergarten teacher. By the way, what were the results of the latest survey “5 years ago”? 2018 survey results Looking back… 〇1st place Pastry chef (cake shop) 〇2nd place Professional soccer player 〇3rd place Internet broadcasters such as YouTubers 〇4th place Police officer 〇5th place Doctor/Dentist The lineup of jobs in the top 5 hasn’t changed much, but “professional soccer player”, which was ranked 2nd in 2018, will fall out of the top 5 and fall to 10th in 2023. There seems to be a big difference. In fact, the fact that “athletes” other than baseball, soccer, and swimming are included in the rankings may be a point of interest. However, Shohei Otani is currently playing an active role in the Major Leagues, and even children admire him. In the future, there may come a day when “baseball players” are ranked again. Also, In both 2023 and 2018, the number one job ranking for elementary school students is “pastry chef”! It can be said that “Pastry Chef” is a job that has withstood the changing times and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Now that we’ve looked back at the latest “rankings of occupations that elementary school students want to have in the future”, this time we’re introducing an everyday fantasy story for middle to upper grades of elementary school that depicts imaginary work sites that support “mysterious” scenes. “The wonders of the world are probably made of someone else’s work. ” ( Gakken), author of We spoke to Masatomo Tamaru about this story and “Elementary School Students and Work”!
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“Fushigoto” (hereinafter referred to as “Fushigoto”) and the theme of “work.” “Fushigoto” is a collection of short stories containing eight stories, and each story features a different “mysterious job.” Why did you choose to write this work on the theme of “work”? Masatomo Tamaru (hereinafter referred to as Tamaru) I’ve written a lot of works related to fictional and mysterious jobs, but I’ve never had one as a theme for an entire book, so I wanted to write about it. Recently, with the rise of AI, there has been talk of “existing jobs
disappearing,” and I have always thought that there would be more opportunities to think about new jobs and ways of working that don’t exist today. All of the jobs that appear in this book are mysterious, and I hope this story provides an opportunity to enjoy and think about work. –Certainly, the jobs that appear in this book are jobs that don’t actually exist, such as “living voice trainer” and “digital trash collector.” However, I think that the stories told by adults who work in various jobs about the “rewarding” and “difficult” aspects of their jobs, as well as the “reasons” that led them to choose their jobs, provide hints for children to think about their jobs. . So today, I have prepared data from the “Gakken Elementary School Student White Paper”. This is the recent “ranking of occupations that elementary school students want to have in the future.” Is there anything you feel or notice when you look at this? Tamaru YouTubers definitely catch my eye. I think it’s important whether children can see the way you work and information about your occupation. I think the future will be interesting if more new jobs and ways of working that didn’t exist before are included in the rankings. By the way, when I debuted, there was no such profession as “short-short writer”. I’m dreaming of being ranked in the future. ――Short shorts are becoming more popular among children, so the profession of “short short writer” may be added to the list in the future. Tamaru I also thought that it might be a good opportunity to think about jobs if we all thought about jobs that don’t exist right now and created a “hypothetical job ranking.” To get started, why not create a ranking of the mysterious occupations that appear in this book? (lol) –Now, I would like to ask you about the creative process of this book. This book features a variety of fictional occupations that children (and in some cases adults as well) experience. Is it? Tamaru First of all, I wanted to use objects and scenes that are common in everyday life as subject matter. The “other side of the world” that appears in the work is fictional. However, after reading the book, I wanted them to look at things around them and think, “Maybe this has some kind of secret?” and their imagination would jump out of the book, leading to various things. For example, the “blue sky” is something we take for granted all around us, but I thought, “What if there was someone who dyed the sky blue?” and I came up with the profession of “sky dyer.” I also thought, “What if the characters depicted in the paintings were actually played by someone else?” and I thought about the profession of “painting actor.” There are also other ideas based on existing occupations. It’s called “Living Voice Trainer,” which was created from the existing profession of “Voice Trainer.” Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/2535/6777/2535-6777-8f2a7e63b02a2c6fdf2f2911b3d32cea-1024×752.jpg ▲“Sora dye craftsman” was born from the imagination of “What if there was someone dyeing the sky blue?” –I see! How do you then incorporate the “seeds” of ideas that are born in this way into your work? Tamaru In this work, I first thought about “occupation” and made a list. At that time, in addition to the work content of the “mysterious occupation,” I also thought about the rewarding and difficult aspects of the job, as well as scenes that give a glimpse of the worker’s way of thinking and philosophy. –When you created the list, did you intentionally choose different occupations for the eight occupations? Or perhaps some kind of “common element” was established? ▼ “The wonders of the world are surely made of someone else’s work. ” Jobs that appear in “ ・Sky dyeing craftsman ・Creature voice trainer ・Digital garbage collector ・Shadow Stitcher ・Wind Keeper ・Painting actor ・Conflict firefighter ・Flowering cheering group Tamaru I thought about “making something impossible” as a common element in each job. In fact, I wrote about jobs that may exist in the near future in a series called “Future Short Shorts” in the magazine “SF Magazine,” but in “Fushigoto,” I would like to share with the readers’ children, In our desire to “encourage ideas to fly further,” we have made “the impossible” a common element. –Among the eight jobs, do you have any particular “occupations,” “scenes,” or “lines” that you are particularly fond of? Tamaru I value all the professions and stories, but if I had to choose one, it would be the final episode, “Kaisei Cheerdan.” This is a story about a job called a flowering cheering group, where people can make flowers bloom through cheering, and many aspects of it reflect my own view of work. –That’s very surprising…! The “Kaisei Cheer Team” goes outdoors and cheers on the team with loud voices and movements, which is a far cry from the image of “short-short writers” who write silently indoors. I feel like it. Mr. Tamaru, could you tell us more about how your work philosophy is reflected here? Tamaru For example, in a scene where the main character is told how to prepare for supporting flowers, the leader of the cheering team says, “When cheering, it is important to bring out the power of flowers,” “Don’t get too excited about yourself cheering,” and “Don’t support.” He talks about points such as “don’t impose things unilaterally.” This is something I value in my own activities as well. This is because, in parallel with my writing activities, I have been holding short-short writing courses all over the country for over 10 years. In terms of age, from 1st grade to seniors. Events are also held at juvenile detention centers and companies. In that course, I feel like the imagination that is dormant within the participants is brought to life, and what I value at that time is the way of thinking I mentioned earlier. Also, the leader of the Kagai Cheer Team believes that he continues to do this job because he is happy. This is also a reflection of myself. –I see! So instead of being a “blooming cheering group,” I am a “leader of the short-short writing cheering group.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/2535/6777/2535-6777-b4da7f81e063c387739b4d6df9fa6472-1025×753.jpg ▲It is said that Mr. Tamaru’s work philosophy is reflected in the “Kakai Cheerdan.” Tamaru By the way, there are 8 occupations included in this book, but I was considering 10 occupations in the list. The two characters that didn’t appear this time were “Playground Equipment Excavator” and “Dream Scriptwriter”, but if I have another chance, I would like to complete them as a work. ――Are you a “play equipment excavator” or a “dream script writer”? Just hearing the name makes you wonder what kind of job it is. Earlier, we talked about whether children can see information about people doing work and occupations, but the children in our readers don’t have much of an image of jobs or occupations that they don’t see. I think there are some parts that I don’t understand. What do you hope to convey to children about work in this work? Tamaru What I wanted to do with this book was the “Mysterious Occupation” version of the TV programs “Jonetsu Tairiku” and “Professional Work Style.” I like these two programs and watch them all the time. One of the reasons I like them is because they are interesting because you can learn aspects of the job that you didn’t know about. Another reason is that you can get a glimpse of a way of life that goes beyond “work” and it gives you a warm feeling. Regarding the latter in particular, I don’t think there’s any chance of me getting that job in the future, but I am very inspired by his life. Being exposed to his work philosophy has given me an opportunity to reflect on myself, and has given me energy and courage, reminding me that I need to do my best as well. Even though this book is a story about a mysterious job that shouldn’t exist, there are things that can be felt from the way people live their lives, and I hope that it will lead to various stimulations in the real world.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/2535/6777/2535-6777-740d0482022b1d4a7726ce30a71de1d1-1236×914.jpg ▲You can also get a sense of “life” from stories about jobs that don’t exist. –Now, this question is exactly like the one from the TV program “Professional Work Style”, but Mr. Tamaru, what do you think makes work “rewarding” and “fun”? mosquito? Tamaru I believe that the sense of fulfillment and enjoyment in work really varies from person to person. Therefore, I did not want to impose a single way of thinking or values throughout this book. On top of that, speaking about my own work, as a short-short writer, I feel that when I come up with an idea, when my work is completed, and when I receive a positive reaction from someone who has read it. I feel happy in these three things. Even though I have to go through the pain of giving birth every day, I continue to do it because it’s fun. ――I think imagination and creation are accompanied by the pain of childbirth, but from there, you may find yourself thinking, “It would be fun if there was a job like this (even though it doesn’t exist now)” or “I wish there was a service like this.” This idea of “I think it will become popular,” may actually lead to new businesses being started. Could you give me some hints on how to come up with ideas (fantasies) for various jobs, either as a theme for a novel or as a starting point for making that idea a reality? Tamaru There is nothing more gratifying than being able to have a positive impact on the real world through your imagination. There are jobs lined up that are impossible to do directly, but I hope that there is something that can be conveyed indirectly and that the future will be wonderful. When thinking about a new job, I think there are some differences depending on whether it’s completely imaginary or real, but I think it can be helpful to take a close look at everyday things. . When thinking of something new, we tend to turn our attention to somewhere other than here, but at this very moment, there are many hints lying around us. In order to make sure you don’t miss out on it, we recommend that you carefully observe your daily life. I also think it would be helpful to try to find out what makes you feel happy or happy. My own work as a short-short writer began when I faced myself and thought deeply about what truly makes me happy. ――Now, please give a message to the children who are our readers. Tamaru Although the occupations that appear in this book are impossible, I hope that you can feel something from the lives of the workers and find it energizing. I also hope that this book will give you an opportunity to think positively about jobs that don’t exist right now. Speaking of the real world, I think that if you try to make a living with a job that doesn’t exist, you will probably meet a lot of opposition, as I myself did. Of course, there are definitely some voices that are right on target, and I think it would be a good idea not to listen to them at all, but I would like them to continue to open up new ways of thinking, without being bound by common sense in the negative sense. I think so. –I’m sure the future is near when short-short writers will be ranked in the “ranking of elementary school students’ desired future occupations”…! Finally, please tell us about your future plans. Tamaru First, a children’s book aimed at lower grades of elementary school, “Gakken: A Very Strange Research Institute for Rare Species” (Gakken), was published in September. This is the story of Dr. Unerin, the director of the research institute, and his friends who encounter rare species such as the “continental cow” and the “cleaning chameleon.” The book is divided into panels like a manga, and you can enjoy the novel along with all-color illustrations, so even children who aren’t used to reading books can read it easily, and I hope this will help them fall in love with books.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/2535/6777/2535-6777-5deebbea300bd9267289d640308ddf96-796×1127.jpg ▲“Henchinken: A very strange and rare species research institute” And, “The wonders of the world are definitely made by someone else’s work.” The reading of “Digital Garbage Collector”, the third recorded work of “Digital Garbage Collector”, will be broadcast on Nankai Broadcasting Radio’s “The Mysterious World of Short Short Author Masatomo Tamaru”. “Digital Garbage Collector” is a story about Hayato, a young man who aims to become a professional musician, who ends up working part-time in “digital space” to collect deleted data from PCs and smartphones. This is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, October 13, 2024 from 5:00 pm. Please give it a listen.
–Thank you very much for today!
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/2535/6777/2535-6777-302065af1ea92336a0c75634d60499d6-1024×752.jpg ▲From “Digital Garbage Collector” read aloud on the radio.
＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋ “The mysterious world of short short story writer Masatomo Tamaru” This is a radio program in which Nankai Broadcasting announcers and others read Masatomo Tamaru’s works. *Broadcast: 2nd Sunday of every month from 17:00 to 17:15 *Program official website: https://www.rnb.co.jp/radio/short-short/ ☆The recitation of “Digital Garbage Collector” will be broadcast Sunday, October 13, 2024 from 17:00! ＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋ [Product Overview]
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/2535/6777/2535-6777-5a4b4ca4d33e83b3b1fb4721fa821e86-800×1174.jpg ■“The wonders of the world are probably made of someone else’s work.” ” Author: Masatomo Tamaru Illustration: Furukawa Mamoru List price: 1,100 yen (tax included) Release date: July 18, 2024 Format: 46/230 pages ISBN: 978-4-05-205990-2 Gakken Publishing Site: https://hon.gakken.jp/book/1020599000 [Click here to purchase] ・Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4052059905/ ・Rakuten Books: https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/17881095/ ・Kindle：
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0D9BF6DX1/ ・Rakuten Books:
https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rk/8a642cb0f4cf3ba28c8e9c36f355fba8/ ■Gakken Inc. https://www.corp-gakken.co.jp/ ・Representative Director and President: Tatsuya Nanjo ・Date of establishment: January 13, 2009 (trade name changed on October 1, 2022) ・Capital: 50 million yen ・Address: 2-11-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8416 ・Business content: Publishing/content business, global business, medical/nursing publishing content business, Expanding garden/school/professional personnel business, classroom -related business, EC/online business, and advertising business ■GAKKEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
https://www.gakken.co.jp/ ・Representative Director and President: Hiroaki Miyahara ・Date of establishment: March 31, 1947 ・Capital: 19,817 million yen ・Sales: 164.1 billion yen, 75 consolidated subsidiaries (September 2023) Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market Information (Stock Code: 9470) ・Address: 2-11-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8510 ・Telephone number: 03-6431-1001 (main) ・Business description: Holding company that develops education and medical welfare related businesses, founded in 1946 Education field: Classroom and cram school business including “Gakken Classroom”, Publishing and content business such as learning materials, School business, etc. Dementia group home business, “ Global: Activities and business development in more than 150 countries