Japanese song that fills my heart :) "Sekaini hitotsudake no Hana" Lyrics and meaning

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Video from 野田愛実♪

I decided to collect good stories from Japan, and I want to introduce a very iconic song from J-pop music, "Sekai ni Hitotsudakeno Hana"=世界にひとつだけの花 or The only flower in the world.

After I started studying the lyrics of Japanese songs, it really represents our mindsets, and it might give hints to those struggling right now. So here is what the song lyrics mean. It might help internationals trying to study Japanese, too!

"Sekai ni Hitotsudakeno Hana" lyrics and meaning

You don't need to become a No.1, you should be the only one, which is more valuable
I was looking at the flowers lined up in a flower shop.
We all have our own favorite flowers, but they're all beautiful.

No.1にならなくてもいいもともと特別な Only one
花屋の店先に並んだ、いろんな花をみていた
ひとそれぞれ好みはあるけどどれもみんなきれいだね

Within these flowers, there is no competition
And in the bucket, they all proudly bloom
But why do we humans always compare with each other?
We are all unique in our own way, but why do we wish to be number 1?

この中で誰が一番だなんて争う事もしないで
バケツの中誇らしげにしゃんと胸を張っている
それなのに僕ら人間はどうしてこうも比べたがる？
一人一人違うのにその中で一番になりたがる？

We are one flower of the world, we come from different seeds
What you should focus on is blooming your own flower

そうさ 僕らは
世界に一つだけの花 一人一人違う種を持つ
その花を咲かせることだけに 一生懸命になればいい

There is a person who can't decide which flower to choose
Each flower went through a lot to bloom, it's beautiful so I feel the person
困ったように笑いながらずっと迷ってる人がいる
頑張って咲いた花はどれもきれいだから仕方ないね

The person finally came out of the shop and was holding a colorful bouquet,
with a profile of joy.
やっと店から出てきたその人が抱えていた
色とりどりの花束とうれしそうな横顔

Just like when I was with joy that day,
a flower that I don't know the name of, but it was blooming in a place where nobody would recognize

名前も知らなかったけれどあの日僕に笑顔をくれた
誰も気づかないような場所で咲いていた花のように

We are one flower of the world, we come from different seeds
What you should focus on is blooming your own flower
そうさ 僕らも
世界に一つだけの花 一人一人違う種を持つ
その花を咲かせることだけに一生懸命になればいい

Small to big, there isn't a single flower that is exactly the same
You don't need to be number 1, you should be the only one, which is more valuable.

La La La...

小さい花や大きな花 一つとして
同じものはないから
No.1にならなくてもいい
もともと特別な Only one
La La La...

Grow your unique flower. No need to be number 1.

In Japanese society, things are more about competition now. 

In order to measure who is number 1,the most simple is how much money people have.

Money is very important. But it’s just s part of the whole pie.

We definitely have more money now, but Japan is confused about what really makes happiness.

I thInk it was to improve yoursel fAnd the fact that you are little better than yesterday was what we cherished, which has a good chance of leading to more money.

The student I met in Vietnam

When I rode the local bus in Ho Chi Minh for the first time, a Vietnamese student helped me figure out how to make the payment.

To thank her, I asked her if I can go for a coffee with her, and she brought a schoolmate along.

When we were chatting the schoolmate told me she initially wanted to go to opera but failed the entrance exam. She is studying a comletely different major but her heart is with opera. She seemed to be confused with her current situation and whether it‘s going to lead to the right path for her.

I could relate to that situation. I went through something similar when I was younger and my mentors told me, "Just figure out a way to go with what your heart tells you."

So I wanted to pass that along to her, it was great advise. It wasn’t easy but sure helped me.

I played this song, "Sekaini hitsudakenohana"and as I go through the meaning of the lurics with het, I told her, "Keep on engaging with opera during your spare time for now. It would make me happy if you work to grow your own flower."

She smiled and it was very beautiful. People are already beautiful when they are focused on the life they want.

So I urge people reading this. "You should grow your own flower, too."


Why I started to share Inspiring stories from Japan

The Covid Pandemic was definitely not a pleasant period for me. It destroyed my projects and my business couldn't survive. People say it's the Great Reset, but I've met people that look forward and say
 it's a new renaissance.

Since I've been vaccinated I feel my body doesn't really function the same as before. I might live a long life, I might die today or tomorrow. What Covid taught me is I should live life to the fullest today and focus on things that make me happy.

So I hope what I share inspires you to focus on the things that make you happy:)

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