Yuya Hasegawa's Ardent Shoeshine Dojo Part I

Starting with this issue, we will be presenting a series of "Yuya Hasegawa's Ardent Shoeshine Dojo". In this memorable first installment, Yuya Hasegawa talks about the "mental attitude" when it comes to shoeshine. Yuya Hasegawa will talk passionately about it.

Yuya Hasegawa's Ardent Shoeshine Dojo" will begin as a series from this time. Back in the old days, before I started Brift H, when I was still doing shoeshine on the street, I ran a website called "shoeshine.com" and provided information on shoeshine. The site was closed a long time ago (16 years ago), but I wrote a blog on the site called "The Passionate Diary of a Young Shoeshiner," which is still talked about as a legendary blog by some enthusiastic shoeshiners (I am exaggerating a little).

With the renewal of our online store, I will be writing about shoeshine with the same passion, or even more passion, as I did back then, so please stay tuned!

So, as the first part of this article, I would like to talk about the mental attitude before I talk about the technical aspects of shoeshine. Polish your shoes, and then polish yourself" is a famous saying by Olga Berluti, the fourth generation head of Berluti, and I strongly agree with this saying. Polishing shoes is not only about polishing shoes, but also about polishing oneself through shoes. I believe it is to make a person shine through his/her shoes.

Whether it is your own shoes or someone else's, polish them to make them look their best. This includes the design of the shoes, the quality of the leather, and the color of the shoes, as well as the situation in which the shoes are worn, how they match with clothes, and how you want to wear the shoes or how you want them to be seen.

We must observe the shoes carefully and polish them so that they become the ideal pair of shoes. Before polishing, you must first have an image in your mind of the finished shoe (goal setting), arrange the necessary tools (tactical planning), concentrate on polishing (practice) while actually loving the leather, and finish the shoe (power to complete). And while polishing this pair of shoes, I use my hands and mind to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and enter a world akin to meditation. This will surely refresh your mind, and the shined shoes will give you energy for tomorrow.

As you continue to polish your shoes, you will also polish yourself and your life will shine. If you want, you can make not only your own shoes but also the feet of your family, friends, and others around you shine and make them happy. Shining shoes may be more eloquent than any beautiful words to convey your thoughts and feelings.

To sum up Part One, I would like to talk about the mindset before polishing shoes. I hope you will try to put it into practice as soon as you read this. Stay tuned for the next part, part two! Thank you!