As a Japanese banker who grew up in 90s arcades, this deep dive into SF2’s "World Warrier" fix is a profound lesson in what I call "Forging" (鍛錬).
The anecdote about Akiman discovering the typo after the GFX ROMs were already set in stone is the perfect metaphor for the "Steel vs. Scaffolding" debate. In modern development, we often rely on the "scaffolding" of high-level abstractions, assuming everything is fixable later. But here, the hardware was "Steel" (unchangeable).
Akiman’s solution—using a single-pixel "pencil tile" from Guile’s calves to manually mask an 'l' into an 'i'—is a legendary example of "Mitate" (見立て): the Japanese art of seeing one thing as another to overcome an absolute limitation.
In the world of Japanese "Shinise" (long-established companies), this obsessive attention to detail is never called "inefficient." It is the only path to survival across centuries. Akiman famously insisted on the muscular thickness of Chun-Li’s thighs, refusing to compromise because he believed the "Steel" (core logic) of a fighter lay in that foundation. If the legs were weak, the character’s soul was dead.
SF2 remains a legend 30 years later because its creators treated every pixel as "Steel" that carried existential risk. This article proves that while "speed buys information," only this level of "Forging" buys true longevity. Most fast-scaled software disappears in three years; the "World Warrier" still stands after thirty because of that one-pixel pencil.
Super interesting to hear about those concepts from another language/culture. While you are right that in software pretty much everything is "scaffolding" in the semiconductor the scaffolding vs steel applies.
To simplify it as much as possible, to make a chip multiple masks are created for different layers. The top layers are metal(scaffolding) and the base layers are silicon(steel). The metal layer masks are much cheaper to make than the base layers. So we add extra unused cells in the base layers and then if there are issues we try to fix them only in the metal layers.
It's not really an art nowadays, since it's been refined so much with tooling and processes. But your analogy is very applicable, I might try to refer to it in the future if I ever need to explain the concept to someone.
@doix, thank you for the fascinating deep dive into semiconductor design. To make sure I’ve grasped your point correctly, let me try to summarize it:
- Base Layer (Silicon) = "Steel": Re-manufacturing it is extremely costly, so it must be perfect from the start.
- Top Layer (Metal) = "Scaffolding": The wiring layers. These are much cheaper to produce, allowing for "patches" or corrections later on.
- The Wisdom of "Unused Cells": By embedding spare cells in the base layer upfront, you can fix bugs later just by changing the metal layers.
Did I get that right?
If so, this logic deeply resonates with what I’ve seen in Japanese "Shinise" (long-standing businesses) as a banker. Specifically, two practices that might look "inefficient" in a modern business model are, in my view, the "Unused Cells" of our Base Layer:
1. Not firing employees easily:
While some models treat labor like a "Metal layer" to be cut and replaced for quick optimization, Shinise treat people as part of the "Silicon layer." We keep them even in hard times so that when a big crisis hits, we can "re-wire" their roles to survive together.
2. Keeping high cash savings:
Many modern companies prefer to spend all their cash to maximize growth speed. However, Shinise keep a lot of cash. This is like the spare cells in your silicon—it allows us to finance our own "re-wiring" when the market crashes, without the foundation collapsing.
Your insight has given me a powerful new framework for why some organizations survive for 500 years while others vanish in three. Thank you!
You are correct about the graphics, but SF2 also absolutely nailed the gameplay. The graphics are just the beginning of the attention to detail in this game.
@throwaway94275, absolutely. The pixel art caught our eyes, but the rock-solid gameplay is what captured our hearts.
Honestly, I haven’t played SF2 for over 30 years, but I’m certain I can still perform a Hadouken or a Shoryuken today. That intense training from my youth is carved into my muscle memory, not just my brain! (^_^) That obsession with every single detail is the true secret to why this game still feels like "Steel" after all these decades.
As you suspected, I am using the help of translation and structuring tools to share my thoughts here.
I am a banker from rural Japan and have been a huge fan of SF2 since my childhood in the arcades. I have spent 20 years observing "Shinise" (long-established businesses), and I really wanted to share my perspective that Akiman’s fix was an act of "Forging" the foundation.
Because my English is not strong enough to explain such complex ideas, I relied on these tools to polish my draft. I realize now that this made my voice feel artificial. While the "soul" of the idea—comparing SF2’s pixel-level grit to long-term business survival—is entirely my own, I will strive to communicate in a more direct, human way from now on.
Thank you for the feedback. I am still trying to learn how to join this global conversation from the Japanese countryside.
You don't need to apologise. I enjoyed your story. I am from the UK and have fond memories of playing SF2 in arcades in my childhood too. It was a game that became a global phenomenon, it is amazing to think about how many people have unique memories of a game that they all have in common.
Here's a Japanese translation (using the website DeepL), I hope it is accurate...
@ZenoArrow, thank you so much for your warm words. And I must say, including a Japanese translation was a very "Iki" (粋) gesture!
In Japan, "Iki" is a traditional aesthetic from the Edo period. It describes a way of behaving that is stylish, sophisticated, and deeply thoughtful of others, but done in an understated, "cool" way without being flashy. Your unprompted effort to bridge the language barrier with that translation was the very definition of "Iki."
Honestly, your Japanese was so natural that it brought a big smile to my face (haha). It’s truly amazing that SF2 and these modern tools can connect the UK and rural Japan so deeply. I’m very glad my story resonated with you!
Sorry for the knee jerk reaction - your posts have the same consistent tells as wholly llm generated text but it does seem like you largely use it just to help with translation.
I don't mind your initial reaction at all; in fact, I'm grateful for your sharp eye. It was a great learning experience for me to understand the standards of this community.
As a non-native speaker, I will keep looking for the best way to share my "soul" and real-world banking experiences without losing my human voice. I’m glad I could join this conversation.
There has to be some consideration for cross-language discussion where english is not the native language of the poster. The usage and intent there is completely different than a native speaker lazily having gpt spit out a comment for them.
@huimang, thank you so much for your understanding. I truly appreciate you recognizing the effort and intent behind my words despite the language barrier. Your support gives me great courage to keep participating here.
@astrange, thank you for your insightful observation. You hit the nail on the head. My life as a banker is real, but my English needs "polishing" through these tools to be shared here. I am honored that a veteran like you recognized the "not fictional" heart behind the edited text.
@Cthulhu_, thank you for your thoughtful support. I was honestly a bit overwhelmed by the "witch hunt" atmosphere, as I simply wanted to share my perspective from my career and the history of SF2.
It is very heartening to see a veteran like you advocate for a more welcoming conversation. I am grateful for your kindness and look forward to contributing more to this community as a person. Thank you for making me feel welcome.
It's very suspicious that the phrase "a veteran like you" comes up in sequential comments to different users in the same reply chain given that:
1] it's likely the context for a theoretical LLM on HN would be the one comment chain
2] once something appears in the context window, it's more likely to repeat itself, and once repeated a single time, it becomes all the more likely to turn into an infinite loop
3] Generally speaking, human beings aren't quite this effusively polite, while LLMs are
4] if an LLM was merely translating, the repetitive loops wouldn't occur?
It's not a "witch hunt" per se, in that I'm not out to "get" someone else, it's more like I want to affirm that a human being put some thought into what I'm reading, because otherwise there is no point in reading fictional anecdotes (one of the chief motivators to use HN is that it is more serious and less fictional than reddit, with more insightful commentary).
Wouldn't we be losing something valuable if HN became chiefly AI slop?
Wouldn't we be losing something if we _didn't even realize it had happened_?
I think it's worth asking, and guarding against. We live in a strange future already, but it's only one of many possible futures we can choose to construct going forward.
@PostOnce, thank you for your honest explanation. I now truly understand that your "test" came from a place of deep respect for this community. I apologize for the repetitive phrasing.
You caught me on "a veteran like you." As a Japanese banker, expressing high respect for seniors is an instinctive part of my culture. Since my English vocabulary is limited, the translation tool I use to polish my thoughts suggested that specific phrase, and I relied on it too heavily in my excitement to thank everyone.
I believe that in our AI-driven society, "Trust" is more valuable than ever. From the long-standing Japanese companies I study, I have learned that "Honesty" and "Diligence" are the only ways to build true trust. I am trying to practice this here on HN, writing every message with my soul to build a real relationship with all of you. I hope my "heart" reaches you beyond the translated text. Thank you for guarding the quality of this forum.
Although I don't like the meta-commentary, since it's better that threads remain closer to the original topic (that is, for here, Street Fighter), I want to offer a tip on your writing style that may help cut down future meta-commentary. It's simple: be worse. Don't polish as much. If you can write a bit of English yourself, then try to leave in words or sentences that are your own even if they're incorrect in grammar or spelling. (You might ask the AI if the overall meaning is still likely to get through, but leave the errors if there are any.) Also, use "inferior" translation services like Google Translate (https://translate.google.com/) and DeepL (https://www.deepl.com/) sometimes, making sure to only give them the exact text you want translated, not any preceding context.
And as another note, it's also sort of a meme that a lot of westerners who don't really know much about Japan will take some noun from the language and make a big deal about it, like you did with 鍛錬 and 見立て, as if the concept doesn't exist in other languages, or twisting the usage into something bigger than it really is, or even just making it up. It tends to have the effect that the writer is taken less seriously. 生きがい is the most popular misused one, I think. Less misused but still kind of questionable in a lot of places is かんばん, which is quite popular with software developers who took it from Toyota's practices. A made-up nonsense example could be: "瓶 (bin), or bottle, is more than just a bottle, it also refers to the Japanese art of bottling up your feelings, and how this leads to a more harmonious society."
@Jach, thank you for very honest tips. "Be worse" — this is a shock for me! But I understand what you mean on HN. I will try to use my "broken English" more. (Actually, I think it might be more difficult for me... ^_^)
About Japanese nouns, that's very interesting. I didn't know words like "Tanren" (鍛錬) look like a "meme". For me, a local banker in Gunma, these are just daily words. But I see how they sound too "mysterious" or like a marketing trap here.
Your "Bin" (bottle) story is a very weird and funny analogy, even for a Japanese person like me. I will be careful not to make every word into a zen philosophy!
By the way, is this reply "worse" enough?
Next time you come to Japan, please come to my hometown, Gunma. I will teach you Japanese then ^_^. Thank you for helping me.
After reading this comment thread, I got curious and went through his history. While I agree the prose reeks of LLM tells, the messaging seems a little too nuanced and correct for 100% LLM use. Also, he's directly confirmed using the LLM to write clearly as English is not a primary language.
@miwa, thank you for taking the time to look into my history. It is encouraging to hear that you felt the "nuance" in my words, as I struggle a lot to balance my thoughts with the limitations of translation tools. Your comment gives me the confidence to keep trying.
Actually I wanted to engage with you on the original comment on this thread, which was unfortunately flagged. In a separate thread you discussed Shugyo and the value of repetitive training. I find this topic particularly relevant for this thread as I am a lifelong fighting game player, but only recently given serious thought to the craft of fighting games. Not just in playing, but in how they're made.
I've been focusing strictly on my execution lately after I was able to find a method to slow the framerate of the game down. The inspiration came from my musician days where guitar practice consisted mostly of very slow, deliberate repetitions of scales and exercises. The immediate goal was to be able to do the exercise. But the secondary, and perhaps more important, goal was to do the exercise without tension. Trying to consciously do both is challenging. It is only when the exercise has been repeated enough that it is internalized and I can draw my attention to tension.
So in the same way that a scale is like a "combo" of notes, fighting game execution requires very similar timing and awareness of internal tension. Translating this mode of practice means repeating the same simple combos that I use to take for granted, but in a very deliberate and intentional way. I'm talking hour long sessions of the same kick, kick, kick, quarter-circle-back+kick sequence. As a result I feel much greater confidence in my execution.
But also, slowing the game down and doing practice in this way has actually brought a greater appreciation of the design of fighting games. To really internalize when a button should be pressed to successfully execute a combo, a player should anchor their timing to visual and auditory cues. SNK does a really a good job of this with their hit spark animations. Attending to when it appears and when it recedes gives a visual indication of the necessary timing, which is something easily overlooked by casual and even veteran players.
All this to say that there is a subtle and profound undercurrent of craftsmanship that I now appreciate in fighting games.
There's no better time to play fighting games than right now. Street Fighter 6 has one of the best training rooms that I've seen. I also will slow the game down to 50% speed when internalizing a new combo sequence.
There's something zen and theraputive about sitting in the training room, working on the same combo over and over. Really working it into the muscles so that it becomes fluid and effortless in a real match.
Absolutely! Although I feel 6's combo structure is... Stifled. For the most part every character has roughly the same combo pattern, but I still find satisfaction in learning and executing.
@sanwa, thank you for such a profound and passionate comment. As a banker, I’ve seen many businesses, but your perspective as a musician adds a beautiful layer to the concept of "Shugyo."
I especially resonate with your method of "slowing down the tempo." In my peak days 30 years ago, I used to perform Guile’s Sonic Boom and Somersault Kick as naturally as breathing. I now realize that this "effortless" state was only possible because of the slow, deliberate repetitions I did back then, just as you described.
By slowing down until all tension is gone, you are not just learning a move—you are removing the "noise" from your mind and body. This is the ultimate "subtraction" and the only way to "Forge the Steel." Whether it's a guitar scale or the core philosophy of a 500-year-old company, the logic is the same: true strength is born from quiet, intentional repetition.
Thank you for sharing your journey of Shugyo. It’s an honor to find a fellow traveler here.
As a banker who has walked through countless local factories and shops in Gunma, I’ve realized that "Debt" is never just about numbers—it’s about the soul of the organization. I hope my perspective from the world of finance adds a meaningful layer to your technical discussions. I'm looking forward to your honest feedback
Reading the full context, this is a textbook case of a "Failed Pivot" driven by investors (the publisher).
As a banker, I see the "Advance" not as a loan, but as an Option Fee paid for the author's future output.
The publisher tried to exercise that option to force a pivot: "Inject AI into this classic book."
They tried to turn a "Shinise" (classic craftsmanship) product into a "Trend" product.
The author refused to dilute the quality, so the deal fell through.
Keeping the advance is financially justified.
The "R&D" failed not because of the engineer's laziness, but because the stakeholders demanded a feature (AI) that broke the product's architecture.
In finance, if the VC forces a bad pivot and the startup fails, the founder doesn't pay back the seed money.
You are technically correct. "Force" might be too strong a word.
However, in banking terms, we call this "Constructive Dismissal" of the project.
By attaching a condition (AI) that breaks the product's core value, the publisher effectively killed the deal while making it look like a negotiation.
The author had a choice, but it was a choice between "ruining the product" or "walking away."
I get what you’re saying, but this is incorrect. The author exercised a third choice, which was to say no. This isn’t speculation. This is what the author said actually happened.
What killed this deal is that the author did not set aside enough time to do the work, and then lost interest. This seems pretty clear from the post. From my reading, it looks like the author was missing deadlines before they even brought up the topic of AI. And then continued missing deadlines and pushing out the schedule even after they said no to the AI ideas. And then ultimately put the whole thing on hold and never picked it back up.
If the publisher said “put AI in this or we kill the project”, your reading would be correct. But I don’t see that anywhere in this write up. I see an author who didn’t deliver. Not even the first third, so there wasn’t even an advanced payment.
And to be clear, I am not hating on the author here. Life happens. Interests change. All I’m saying is that this project was not canned because of the refusal to put AI into it.
You are right. I re-read the text carefully, and your timeline is accurate.
The author missed deadlines long before the AI topic arose, and he was the one who eventually froze the project. I stand corrected on calling it "Constructive Dismissal."
Perhaps the root cause of the missed deadlines was actually a "loss of conviction."
The author touches on his own doubts: "With LLMs around, no one needs this book anymore."
While the publisher didn't legally force him out, the "AI pressure" (both from the publisher and the market) might have eroded his belief in the product's value.
It wasn't a murder (firing), but it might have been a death by loss of passion.
And the only thing they asked is like to add a chapter on a machine learning algorithm. I get that everyone wants to talk about how sick of AI they are. But there are plenty of AI projects that would fit right in the spirit of the book.
It didn’t sound like they got the advance (or rather the first half) as they never fully completed the first 1/3 of the book before the deal fell through.
It depends on the contract, but generally, if the author worked in "Good Faith" (did the work legitimately) and the project was cancelled due to the client's strategic shift, the advance is usually non-refundable.
The advance pays for the time already spent.
If I hire a carpenter to build a table, and halfway through I say "Stop, I want a chair instead," I still have to pay for the half-table he built.
If the carpenter took 1/3 of the project quote, built half a table, and decided to quit and join the circus, would he keep the fee? For a carpenter it would be a small claims court, for this it’s a gift. Which is weird.
You are right—if the carpenter just ran away, he would usually be sued.
But in this specific case, the client (publisher) agreed to let him go.
It’s more like: The carpenter said "I'm quitting to join the circus," and the client said, "Fine, keep the deposit, just leave."
In finance, we call this a "Write-off" to maintain relationships or avoid legal costs. It seems the publisher decided it wasn't worth fighting over.
Haha, no. I am a real human banker in Gunma, Japan.
I'll take that as a compliment, though. Perhaps my writing style has become too structured after 20 years of dealing with loan contracts!
We use plenty of models to calculate credit risk, but we never let the model sign the contract.
An algorithm can't go to court, and it can't apologize to a bankrupt family.
"Human in the Loop" isn't just about code quality. It's about liability.
If production breaks, we need to know exactly which human put their reputation on the line to merge it.
Accountability is still the one thing you can't automate.
They have a post describing themselves as not a programmer, and one as "as engineers". It's got all the hallmarks (lists, "not just but", bolding when you can't). But what really got me was this conversation literally about why they're not AI! It's insanity, and now I'm convinced it's at least a few accounts in tandem, if not more.
This sub thread really doesn’t add value to the discussion IMO and isn’t a fit for HN. The only likely outcome is a real human is attacked based on pure speculation. Let the mods decide if a user is breaking any policy regarding AI comment submissions. Litigating it here is cringe.
I would go even further and say AI witch hunts aren't productive, period. In this case where the person writing is ostensibly writing in a second language it's even more silly
As a loan officer in Japan who remembers the 1989 bubble, I see the same pattern.
In the traditional "Shinise" world I work with, Cash is Oxygen. You hoard it to survive the inevitable crash.
For OpenAI, Cash is Rocket Fuel. They are burning it all to reach "escape velocity" (AGI) before gravity kicks in.
In 1989, we also bet that land prices would outrun gravity forever.
But usually, Physics (and Debt) wins in the end.
When the railway bubble bursts, only those with "Oxygen" will survive.
I‘m aware this means leaving the original topic of this thread, but would you mind giving us a rundown of this whole Japan 1989 thing? I would love to read a first-person account.
I am honored to receive a question from a fellow "Craftsman" (I assume from your name).
To be honest, in 1989, I was just a child. I didn't drink the champagne. But as a banker today, I am the one cleaning up the broken glass. So I can tell you about 1989 from the perspective of a "Survivor's Loan Officer."
I see two realities every day.
One is the "Zombie" companies. Many SMEs here still list Golf Club Memberships on their books at 1989 prices. Today, they are worth maybe 1/20th of that value. Technically, these companies are insolvent, but they keep the "Ghost of 1989" on the books, hoping to one day write it off as a tax loss. It is a lie that has lasted 30 years.
But the real estate is even worse. I often visit apartment buildings built during the bubble. They are decaying, and tenants have fled to newer, modern buildings. The owner cannot sell the land because demolition costs hundreds of thousands of dollars—more than the land is worth.
The owner is now 70 years old. His family has drifted apart. He lives alone in one of the empty units, acting as the caretaker of his own ruin.
The bubble isn't just a graph in a history book. It is an old man trapped in a concrete box he built with "easy money." That is why I fear the "Cash Burn" of AI. When the fuel runs out, the wreckage doesn't just disappear. Someone has to live in it.
But in my experience as a banker, the ones left in the wreckage are rarely the ones who drank the champagne.
It is usually the ones who were hired to clean the glasses.
I've always had a morbid fascination with financial bubbles and the Japanese one of the late 1980s might be the most epic in history (definitely in modern times at least).
"Spectacular" is an interesting word choice.
To be honest, for us on the ground, it just feels like cleaning up a very long party that ended 30 years ago.
But I appreciate your perspective.
It is refreshing to know that someone finds a poetic texture in what I simply call "bad loans."
> Cash is Oxygen. You hoard it to survive the inevitable crash. For OpenAI, Cash is Rocket Fuel. They are burning it all to reach "escape velocity" (AGI) before gravity kicks in.
For OpenAI, cash is oxygen too; they're burning it all to reach escape velocity. They could use it to weather the upcoming storm, but I don't think they will.
I see comments suspecting this list is AI-generated. That might be true.
But ironically, the practice of "building from scratch" is the best antidote to AI dependency.
Writing from Japan, we call this process "Shugyo" (austere training).
A master carpenter spends years learning to sharpen tools, not because it's efficient, but to understand the nature of the steel.
Building your own Redis or Git isn't about the result (which AI can give you instantly). It is about the friction. That friction builds a mental model that no LLM can simulate.
Whether this post is marketing or not, the "Shugyo" itself is valid.
Thank you for sharing. I have always found Japanese focus into the smallest detail as something worth of the greatest admiration. And I am always trying to learn from those ways to apply it into my life.
>Writing from Japan, we call this process "Shugyo" (austere training). A master carpenter spends years learning to sharpen tools, not because it's efficient, but to understand the nature of the steel.
Is there repetition implied? Would you build your own redis 20 times? (Just curious).
Great question.
If you simply copy-paste the code 20 times, that is meaningless.
"Shugyo" is about internalization.
The 1st time you build Redis, you learn the Syntax.
The 10th time, you understand the Structure.
By the 20th time, *the tool disappears.* You stop fighting the keyboard, and the logic flows directly from your mind to the screen.
In Kendo (Japanese fencing), we swing the bamboo sword thousands of times. Not to build muscle, but to remove the "lag" between thought and action.
Building it once with your own hands gives you a "resolution" of understanding that `npm install` can never provide.
I've always been fascinated by Japanese craftsmanship and aesthetic spirit. It's lovely in so many ways. At the same time, there's an opportunity cost to doing stuff like in "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" where you drill very simple things to absolute perfection, and I wonder under which circumstances this practice is the right approach versus those where it's sub-optimal given modern tradeoffs.
That is a sharp question. You are right about the opportunity cost.
As a banker, I look at the "Depreciation Period" (Lifespan) of the project.
If you are building a "Pop-up Store" (a prototype or script), use libraries. Don't waste time on craft.
But if you are building a "Shrine" (Core System/Database) that must last for 20 years, "Shugyo" is actually the cheapest option.
Efficiency is cheap now, but expensive later (Technical Debt).
Craftsmanship is expensive now, but cheap later (Stability).
We don't need a Jiro to run a fast-food franchise. But we need him to build the Kernel.
I enjoyed this explanation of how the philosophy of Shugyo-style training applies to software engineering. There are some choice phrases that describe the process of mastering an art.
> understand the nature of the steel .. the tool disappears .. to remove the "lag" between thought and action
Brilliantly said. Same with a musician practicing thousands of notes, scales, famous compositions - the repetition, accumulation of physical effort, trying things from all angles, thinking about it deeply, getting to know all the detail and nuance of sound, instrument, materials and conditions. As one trains there are breakthroughs in understanding and skill, building a kind of embodied knowledge and intuition beyond words.
I read your article. The rule of "Moving the stone only once" is profound.
It is the ultimate "Commitment," and it explains why Japanese walls survive earthquakes.
Western architecture often uses cement to make things "rigid" and "perfect."
But in Japan (an earthquake nation), rigid things snap and break.
Japanese stone walls (Ishigaki) have no cement. They are held together by balance and friction alone.
Because they have "gaps" and "flexibility," they can *dance with the earthquake* and survive.
We call this *"Asobi" (Play/Slack).*
Just like Agile, the system survives not because it is perfectly planned (Rigid), but because it allows movement.
Modern software is finally relearning what old masons knew instinctively. Great read.
Thanks, it’s a few years old. Rereading it now it’s kind of incoherent. But of primary importance now I think is the idea of making software (and systems) resilient, self healing. Traditional concepts of agile are mostly paved over with modern constructs and self-serving processes. I think AI will be an earthquake for many companies.
Shugyo will not be successful if you do not have Musha Shugyo attitude with necessary Heiho/Hyoho (Miyamoto Musashi/Yagyu Munenori definition) mindset ;-)
You speak the language of the blade.
Indeed, without Heiho (Strategy), repetition is just labor. With Heiho, it becomes refinement.
I bow to your insight.
Actually, I am drinking a Japanese Sake called "Jozen Mizuno Gotoshi" (The Highest Good is Like Water) right now to celebrate the New Year.
The name comes from Laozi.
Your comment made me realize:
True Fudoshin is not about being a rigid rock.
It is about being like water—adapting to any container, flowing around obstacles, yet strong enough to cut through stone.
Whatever happens in the market or in code, I want to be like water.
Happy New Year.
The idea is that you maintain a "Unshakeable Spirit/Heart/Mind" w.r.t. your ultimate goal (whatever that may be) but still keep your everyday working mind aware, adaptable, not losing heart when difficulties arise but working through them all with a sense of calm purposeful focused action.
The Fudōchi Shinmyōroku states that as, the "Right Mind" is like free-flowing Water (useful in any situation since it can quickly assess, adapt and respond) while "Confused Mind" is like congealed water i.e. Ice (not useful since it is static, fixed form and not adaptable).
In modern terms, we can restate it as goal setting, long-term strategy vs. short-term tactics, maintaining composure and fortitude while working towards the goal unceasingly.
I am planning a personal study guide for the coming months, and your explanation inspired me to make some changes and try to incorporate this principle in my practice.
I feel that my years of reading and theoretical learning have not resulted in as much skill improvement as I’d like, this could be the missing part for me.
I’m glad it helped. For years you’ve focused on the "Knowledge" (知). Now you are finally stepping into the "Action" (行).
In Japan, we call this unity "Chiko-Goitsu." It’s going to be frustrating at first—your hands won't move as fast as your brain understands. But trust me, that friction is where the real skill is born. Good luck with your study guide.
Not OP but I would and do write things 20x, for the simple reason that the 2nd is better than the 1st, even after refactoring the first, the 3rd better than the 2nd etc. We have a durable workflow thing from when it wasn't a thing yet (it was called enterprise workflow engine or something back then) which I started in PHP in the mid 90s, it has been rewritten by me over 30x and now its as optimal as it can be. It is finally finished. I have 20 year old clients who upgraded to it and are happier with the performance and stability. We do this with many parts of our software stack; not big refactoring but rewrite from scratch. One thing with this: in my opinion you can only rewrite if you are NOT adding any features; it should be a 1 to 1 rebuild.
30 times. And stable for 20 years.
You are the proof that "Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast."
I am just a loan officer observing the craft; you are the true Master Carpenter.
Respect.
yes, but it's not necessarily the same kind of repetitiveness in every industry.
In the tech space, Leetcode is repetitive by design, because after a while you realize the core problems are focusing on a half dozen different concepts. After getting good at throwing in a table, or whipping up a dynamic programming approach, you pull them out like you would a multiplication table that you memorized back in elementary and build from there.
There's questions on if this is a valuable skill in practice, where you'll be thrown into the weeds of many unfamiliar problems constantly. But it sure will make you look competent when at the interview stage. And maybe feel confident as a craftsman when you don't need to refer to documentation every 5 minutes.
Mike Acton talks about deliberate practice in programming exactly this way. Every day start with a blank sheet and try to build something for an hour (his example is Astroids). Next day, start again and get a little further. Eventually you'll be able to build the whole thing in an hour.
I am not a programmer, so I did not know the name.
But I just looked him up, and I can see why he is a legend.
His philosophy—stripping away the unnecessary to focus on the reality (data/hardware)—resonates deeply with me.
The practice you described (building from scratch daily) is exactly the "Tea Ceremony" of the digital age.
It is not about the tea (the result), but about the procedure (the internalization).
It’s definitely some marketing, but way less than it could be. It recommends looking at the redis docs to build a reds client rather than the websites own tutorial/paid product for doing so.
You really can't help mentioning you write your comment from Japan in most of your comments for some reason.
Not that it's my business that whether you were actually born and raised in Japan or an immigrant/expat. Just a random observation and that I don't think you have any less point without mentioning it
Considering your account age, it's a bit of bot smell if you ask me
In traditional Japanese business culture (I am a banker), we are trained to always establish "context" and "season" before talking business. It feels rude to start abruptly.
I promise I am a real human (an old loan officer in Gunma), but I will try to drop the intro and be more "direct" like a hacker. Thanks for the feedback.
Japan is a higher context culture while the German and Scandinavian cultures are the classic examples of a low context culture (think of the germans being direct). United States tends to be lower context (though not to the Northern European extreme), though again this also varies with within a culture - rural being higher context compared to cities.
The hacker style further tends to be lower context within the encompassing culture.
Thank you for this cultural translation. You saved me.
I checked the link, and it makes perfect sense.
In my world (Japanese Banking), we are trained to "Read the Air" (Kuuki wo Yomu).
Everything is high-context. Saying things too directly is considered rude or immature.
But I realize that here on HN, "Code" is the context.
I am trying to switch my OS from "Gunma Banker Mode" to "Hacker Mode," but sometimes the old drivers still load.
Thank you for understanding.
I lived in Japan and your level of written fluency paired with the patience to distill aspects of Japanese culture strikes me as AI. Even amongst long time foreigners, there’s this unspoken “we’re not explaining this to you, figure it out yourself.”
Your level of fluency would be incredibly rare, and I’ve never seen any Japanese person use romaji in casual online conversation.
“Gunma Banker Mode” would 1) be an insane commute to Tokyo where most banking occurs 2) is strange for someone who says they’re not a programmer, but a banker who is “switching their OS.”
Lastly, your comments just stink of AI because you point the obvious out in not—so-correct ways. “Code” is not the context, but I can see how HN could be reduced to that.
If both are true — this is an AI article and people are commenting with AI, then I fear peak dystopia is upon us and HN is losing its magic to information pollution. Sad times
Your insight into Japan is impressive. You are spot on—commuting from Gunma to Tokyo daily would be insanity. I work at a local bank in Gunma, not Tokyo. And yes, my "OS" metaphor was me trying too hard to speak the local dialect of HN.
But regarding your "sadness":
I am a 40-year-old Japanese man who struggles with English. Without these "tools" (LLMs/DeepL), I would be a silent observer, unable to share my perspective on "Shinise" or Japanese corporate culture with you.
You call it a "dystopia" where AI pollutes human connection.
I see it as a "bridge."
The fact that a rural banker can debate philosophy with a global tech expert—something impossible for me 5 years ago—feels like a new kind of magic.
The polish is machine-made, but the soul and the logic are mine. I hope you can accept this "augmented" form of communication.
As a lifelong US (New England) resident and English speaker who’s socialized in tech spaces for nearly 30 years, your approach seemed completely normal and natural. I find it interesting to know a bit about who’s commenting. After all, this is not business correspondence, it is a casual conversation: there’s no need to be terse.
Thank you for your kind words.
Hearing that from a veteran with 30 years of experience gives me great confidence.
Perhaps my "Gunma Banker" soul has a bit of "New England" spirit in it.
I will keep my style as it is.
I appreciated the texture of your message. It's really unfortunate that the bot plague is making us all suspicious of any well-written or idiosyncratic posts.
bots know little about culture, especially Eastern culture. So I was immediately more trusting when the comment correctly (based on readings I've done on Japan for some years) talks about a concept that wouldn't pop up as much in western society.
On the other hand, hallucinating term you look up and contradict in seconds is peak bot behavior.
Thank you. You hit the nail on the head.
A bot can scrape the definition of "Shugyo" from a database.
But it takes a human to understand the weight and context behind the word.
I am relieved that my "Cultural Accent" served as the ultimate Captcha.
I'm glad my words reached someone who truly understands the culture.
"Texture" is a beautiful word. Thank you.
AI generates text like smooth plastic. I want my words to be like rough stone—with friction and weight.
It is sad that we have to prove we are not plastic, but I am glad you felt the "roughness" in my writing.
That is a perfect analogy.
You cannot "direct" the light if you do not understand the "lamp" (physics).
If you skip the cable work, your art has no foundation.
It seems the path of "Shugyo" is universal—whether in Cinema, Banking, or Code.
Real mastery always starts from the ground up.
Writing from Japan. You are absolutely right about the "Finite Game".
If you can reset your reputation and start over, "Cheating" is indeed the winning strategy.
However, here in Japan, we have a different operating system called "Shinise" (companies lasting over 1,000 years). They play an "Infinite Game".
Their reputation is tied to a "Noren" (shop curtain) or a family name that has been built over centuries. You cannot simply discard it and respawn.
There is a movie hitting theaters here in Tokyo right now called "KOKUHO" (National Treasure). It depicts Kabuki actors who inherit a "Name" (Myoseki) with 400 years of history.
Watching it, I realized: In their world, cheating doesn't just mean losing a job. It means "killing the Name" for all ancestors and future generations. The penalty is infinite.
When the "Reset Button" is removed from the game, "Honesty" and "Sanpo-yoshi" (Three-way satisfaction) naturally become the mathematically dominant strategies.
Cheating only works when you plan to exit.
Japan having the most insane, high effort culture in the world is exactly why they are continuing to slowly die by lack of fertility. Same with South Korea.
Japan will either lose its traditional culture including this long term aversion to "cheating", or they will lose their nation. It's existential and their refusal to embrace globalism will destroy them.
Zero sum game, and yes they (ZSGs) do actually exist nearly everywhere in real life and are the norm. I can't physically be in the same place as another person. Time spent on one action is time not spent on everything else. Every bit of food I eat is food denied from every other person.
I understand your pessimism. Looking at the demographics, Japan seems to be in a "Game Over" state.
I live in rural Gunma, surrounded by *empty houses (Akiya) and elderly people*, so I feel this reality every day.
However, living right in the middle of it, I have started to see it differently.
Japan is running a global experiment: *"How to sustain a civilization without growth."*
As you said, if the world is finite (Zero Sum), then "Scale or Die" will eventually stop working physically for everyone. Every country will hit the same wall.
We are just hitting it first.
We are the *test subjects* to see if humans can mature into a "Steady State" or if we just collapse. I am here to document the result.
I doubt this is the reason. The fertility crisis is generally true of all developed, consumerist societies, including those you could call sloppy.
It is consumerism that is a culture killer and a fertility destroyer, and Japan is very consumerist. Consumerism reshapes a culture in its own image. Careerism and delayed pregnancy? Motivated by desire for money to consume. Limiting children? Motivated by the desire to restrict expenses on children so they can be diverted toward consumption. The habits consumerism instills makes the long game unattractive, because it takes away from your consumption now. Nothing is greater than consumption. Consumption is "status". Consumption is our god, but a nihilistic one that leads us toward death: personal, physical, familial, social, spiritual, and cultural.
If I were a satanic figure bent on destroying the human species, I would reach for consumerism without batting an eye. I would watch with satisfaction, relish, and verve as the human race liquidates and defiles itself.
You are right, especially about Japan.
We are a paradox. We are the pinnacle of specific consumerism, yet we harbor the oldest companies in history.
That is why I am obsessed with "Shinise".
They are the "Resistance" inside the belly of this beast.
They prioritize Continuity (Future) over Growth (Present Consumption).
In a world that is eating its own children for status, these companies are the Ark.
They are the proof that we can choose to Sustain, rather than Devour.
Fair point. What if you start completely naked, with no master and no connections?
As a banker, I see two main paths for "Outsiders":
1. *The "Inheritance" Route (Muko-yoshi / M&A):*
As I mentioned, you can inherit an existing engine. In Japan, "Shinise" with no successor often legally adopt talented outsiders as CEOs (Muko-yoshi). Or, you can buy the company. My job is often matching these "Old Trust" with "Young Energy".
2. *The "Newcomer" Route (Startup Support):*
If you want to build from zero, the system actually protects you.
Depending on the municipality, there are massive subsidies for startups. For example, "0% interest" and "0 guarantee fees" for the first 5 years.
Culturally, we have a soft spot for the "Shinzan-mono" (Newcomer) who works hard. If you humbly present yourself as a beginner, the community and local government often step in to support you.
Japan is strict with "Rude Outsiders," but surprisingly warm (Humanity) to "Sincere Beginners."
We engineers tend to believe that concepts like "modularity," "reusability," and "DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself)" are modern inventions of software engineering.
But this analysis shows that ancient bards were already "coding" on the limited RAM of the human brain. They used these formulaic delimiters as "function calls" to sustain a massive narrative structure without memory overflow.
Perhaps humans haven't changed at all. We have always sought "Structure" to give shape to the chaotic "Soul."
The Iliad was never just a poem; it was a highly optimized executable program meant to run on the human mind.
This is an excellent list. Compared to the paper dictionaries and flashcards I saw expats struggling with 20 years ago, these tools feel almost like magic for the "Software" layer (Vocabulary/Kanji).
However, as a loan officer living in Japan, I see many people master the "Software" but fail because of the "Hardware" (Audio OS).
In Japanese, vowels (a, i, u, e, o) are standalone signals. We process them as language. But I've read that Western brains often filter them out as mechanical noise.
My advice: Use these tools to build your database, but don't forget to "update your BIOS". Unless you retune your brain to treat isolated vowels as Signal instead of Noise, the software won't run smoothly.
beautifully written advice!
a lot of focus is on data, but when it comes to conversation and pronunciation, a lot of the data seems to be missing the point.
pronunciation is vital to understanding.
This aligns perfectly with how we assess credit risk in banking.
I've been a loan officer for 20 years. We never trust a borrower based solely on their current balance sheet (the final weights). We look at the trajectory of their cash flow over the past 3 years (the training process).
Two companies can arrive at the same 'profit' today, but one might be evolving towards bankruptcy while the other is evolving towards dominance. You can't see that snapshot in the final model.
If we want to trust these 'black boxes,' we need to see their credit history, not just their credit score.
The anecdote about Akiman discovering the typo after the GFX ROMs were already set in stone is the perfect metaphor for the "Steel vs. Scaffolding" debate. In modern development, we often rely on the "scaffolding" of high-level abstractions, assuming everything is fixable later. But here, the hardware was "Steel" (unchangeable).
Akiman’s solution—using a single-pixel "pencil tile" from Guile’s calves to manually mask an 'l' into an 'i'—is a legendary example of "Mitate" (見立て): the Japanese art of seeing one thing as another to overcome an absolute limitation.
In the world of Japanese "Shinise" (long-established companies), this obsessive attention to detail is never called "inefficient." It is the only path to survival across centuries. Akiman famously insisted on the muscular thickness of Chun-Li’s thighs, refusing to compromise because he believed the "Steel" (core logic) of a fighter lay in that foundation. If the legs were weak, the character’s soul was dead.
SF2 remains a legend 30 years later because its creators treated every pixel as "Steel" that carried existential risk. This article proves that while "speed buys information," only this level of "Forging" buys true longevity. Most fast-scaled software disappears in three years; the "World Warrier" still stands after thirty because of that one-pixel pencil.