I recently learned the Japanese saying ‘Even a road of thousand miles begins with a single step’. In Japanese it reads ‘Senri no michi mo ippo kara/ 千里の道も一歩から。’ I picked it up watching the dorama ‘Massan’ that is currently airing on NHK.
We are currently in that time of year where everyone evaluates the past year and makes plans for the coming year. In that context, the saying seems especially appropriate. No matter what difficulties we might be facing, if we just focus on taking step after step, we will steadily advance and eventually overcome them.
This idea of not giving up despite adversity and thus overcoming the difficulties in one’s life is a recurring theme in many Japanese dorama (soap opera) and anime. The optimism and perseverance that many anime characters display often inspires me.
The saying especially reminded me of the anime Hajime no Ippo. It tells the story of a boy, named Ippo, who is bullied at school, but finds confidence and a sense of purpose when he joins a boxing gym. As he climbs the ranks in the boxing community, every new fight poses a challenge for which he has to give his all. While I had no previous interest in boxing whatsoever, the anime was so captivating that I really became interested in boxing.
The title of the anime ‘Hajime no Ippo’ is a play on words that also refers back to the saying of ‘senri no michi mo ippo kara’. Since the name of the main character is Ippo, the title may refer to ‘the beginning of (the story of) Ippo’. But it could also mean ‘the first step(s)’.
So let’s take inspiration from this beautiful saying and consider every new day a chance to take our own (first) steps on the road that lies ahead of us.
The Japans 
i like a play on words. i find it to be used frequently in chinese and japanese writings. i suspect it has to do with the language.
I agree, Japanese lends itself very well to plays on words. I wish I was better at Japanese, so I could understand more of those puns. I’ll do my best to keep studying!
Beautiful!!
Thank you!