I used to feel trapped in waiting rooms, long lines, or traffic. Now I do my Ignorance Scan. Suddenly the ceiling tile pattern becomes interesting. Why are they arranged that way? Who installed them? What is their story?
Shiranai koto, shiritai koto.
Shiranai koto (I don’t know you).
Why? Because we kill curiosity with quick answers. Google gives us facts but steals the slow pleasure of wondering. By holding the question, you let your imagination play. Later, you can research—but first, just be in the state of shiritai . The wanting-to-know is itself a kind of knowing. I have been practicing this for three years now. The changes are subtle but profound.
When you actively seek out what you don’t know, you get comfortable with not knowing. You stop pretending. And that is freedom. The anxious grip of needing to be the expert loosens. You can say, “I don’t know—but I’d like to find out.” That sentence is a key to every locked door. But Isn’t This Just… Being Curious? Yes. And no. shiranai koto shiritai koto
This is the shiranai without the shiritai . We walk through a world full of unknown things, and we feel nothing. Or worse, we feel anxious. Because to admit “I don’t know” in a culture that prizes expertise feels like failure.
Shiranai koto. Shiritai koto.
I realized I had been living as if the world had already revealed all its secrets. I was waiting for big news, dramatic events, travel to exotic places. But Nakajima found mystery in her own commute. She didn’t need a new river. She needed new eyes.