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This week, I found myself thinking about what it really means to remember, to build, and even to consume, in ways that are more intentional than they might first appear. We spent part of our weekend at the Colma Japanese Cemetery, volunteering alongside the community to prepare the grounds for Memorial Day. It was our second year returning, and that alone made it feel different. Less like a one-time act of service, more like stepping into an ongoing relationship. As we washed headstones and cleared paths, I kept thinking about the people who came before us, many of them early immigrants whose stories could so easily fade if no one chose to tend to them. What stayed with me was how respect shows up in quiet, repeated actions. Not in big gestures, but in the willingness to return, to care, and to remember again. That idea of long-term thinking showed up again for me in a completely different setting at the Japan Texas Economic Summit. After writing about the connections last week, I spent more time reflecting on the content itself. What struck me most was how grounded the conversations were, especially around workforce development, space collaboration, and energy. I was particularly caught off guard by how tangible AI becomes when you start talking about power generation. It is easy to think of it as abstract until you hear about the sheer infrastructure required to sustain it. Listening to discussions about energy resilience, including insights from JERA, made it clear how much long-term planning and contingency thinking are shaping the future. There was also a strong sense of confidence throughout the summit, a belief in building at scale that felt both bold and very real. And then, in a much lighter but equally revealing way, I had a small realization about my own habits. After reading about so-called catnomics in Japan, I started to connect a few dots from my time living there. All those cat-themed purchases I happily made over the years were not random. They were part of a much larger cultural and economic ecosystem that places cats gently but very effectively into everyday life. What makes it so powerful is that it never feels forced. You simply come across something delightful and before you know it, you are holding a small cat-shaped object and smiling. Understanding the system behind it does not make me any less susceptible, but it does make me a bit more self-aware the next time I find myself in front of a shelf of cat souvenirs. Different moments, different settings, but a common thread this week. Whether it is tending to a place of memory, investing in future infrastructure, or participating in cultural economies, so much of what we experience is shaped by what we choose to return to, to support, and to notice more closely. If this resonates, I would love for you to join an upcoming Lunch and Learn I am hosting together with Quick USA on June 17. We will be talking about finding, integrating, and retaining talent in companies with Japanese DNA, and sharing some practical insights from our work with clients in the US. Scroll down to the event section to sign up! Warmly,
Saskia
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