Have you hugged your local business recently?

It’s hardly a new trend that small mom-and-pop stores and services are largely being replaced by large-scale businesses who themselves are now feeling the squeeze by the rise of e-commerce.

And with this trend comes an increasing disconnect with our providers of goods and services. When a big-name operation like McDonald’s or Yo-Kai Watch shuts its doors, very few people are deeply affected. On the other hand, when Daiichi Cleaning – whom most have never heard of – announced its closure, people all over Japan were shedding tears of warmth and joy.

The posted message in the image reads as follows:

I originally came by train alone from Kagoshima to work for my uncle who was my predecessor at Daiichi Cleaning Shokai.
I was 15 then.
I was clumsy and couldn’t do anything else.
All I did was focus on this job and kept at it. 
Life is just a moment, isn’t it?
This year I turn 80.
I think I will hang up my long-time partner, my iron, around these parts.
Thanks to your continued support I am well enough that I think I can just enjoy the rest of my life with my wife.
Thank you very much for using this shop for such a long time.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Unlike many store closures in which a business could not support itself any further, the proprietor of Daiichi Cleaning has simply accomplished what he set out to do and retired. Moving into the community with no skills and no foreseeable future, he provided people with his steadily improving services for 65 years and managed to raise a family while doing so.

Many online where touched by this sincere gesture of thanks. Especially young Japanese people, filled with anxiety about their own work and life, saw a great deal of hope in this modest success story.

“Job well done down that 65-year road. Have a happy life with your wife.”
“The way ‘御’ is written, it looks like he got a child, maybe his grandson or granddaughter to do it.”
“‘My partner the iron,’ that’s so sweet.”
“Although I never met them, I won’t forget the Daiichi Cleaning couple and wish them well.”
“I never thought I would be moved by a store closing announcement.”
“I have no idea who this guy is, but I want to tell him ‘thanks’ too.”
“I hope I will be able to write a sign like this someday too.”

It’s doubtful any movies will be made of Daiichi Cleaning, but to a lot of people his story is more powerful than those of the most daring and ingenious titans of business. It reminds us that success isn’t something to be gotten – it’s what we make it.

In a world of hazardouly rampant overwork and harassments that cross well over the border to the absurd, it’s important to remember that knowing what your prize really is is more important than keeping your eyes on it.

Source: Twitter/@tkasuga1977, My Game News Flash
Featured image: Twitter/@tkasuga1977