By : Ali Syarief
Writing a book is a deeply personal endeavor. It is a reflection of thoughts shaped by lived experiences, cultural encounters, and the courage to interpret the world beyond one’s borders. Yet the journey of publishing Why Japan Matters: A Foreign Perspective—now preparing for its Japanese edition—has become far more than a personal milestone. It has unfolded into an extraordinary cross-cultural experience that I could never have anticipated.
This second phase of the publication process—critical evaluation and revision—marks not only a step forward in refining the manuscript but also in reexamining my own thinking. It is a phase driven by humility, insight, and, above all, an unwavering commitment to intellectual precision. What makes this journey even more profound is that it was initiated by Mr. Kenshi Suzuki, whose vision and dedication brought together a remarkable team of reviewers.
To my great honor, those who are now closely reading and discussing my book include distinguished academics from both Japan and the United States, as well as professionals from other fields of expertise. Their approach is nothing short of meticulous. Each sentence, every punctuation mark, every nuance of meaning is examined with care and seriousness—something I had previously encountered only in Indonesia when studying or discussing the Qur’an.
This level of precision and respect toward written work speaks volumes about Japanese culture. In Japan, readers are not merely consumers of information—they are guardians of quality. Books must meet a high threshold of clarity, logic, and integrity before they are deemed worthy of their attention. To prepare a book for the Japanese readership is to engage in an intellectual discipline that treats language as sacred space. That, to me, is a powerful cultural revelation.
What moves me most is not only the depth of the corrections, but the spirit in which they are offered: not to diminish, but to elevate. To be treated with this degree of seriousness as a foreign author is a rare privilege—and it reflects the profound respect that the Japanese intellectual tradition extends to ideas, regardless of their origin.
This process is reshaping not just my manuscript, but also myself—as a thinker, as a writer, and as a cross-cultural communicator. I am reminded that the most meaningful dialogue between cultures happens not in loud proclamations, but in the quiet, precise work of reading, correcting, and understanding.
It is a deep honor to walk this path. And for this transformative experience, I am sincerely grateful.
