“What Kind of Sensei Are You?”— The Origin Story of KaradaNaoru (Part 11)

“Sensei, what kind of sensei are you, exactly?”

A client asked me that question the other day.

In Japan, the word sensei can refer to many different kinds of teachers, practitioners, experts, and professionals—not only medical doctors.

And honestly, it was a fair question.

I describe what I do as bodywork or holistic treatment, but I don’t hold any formal medical license.

I’m not an acupuncturist.

I’m not a physical therapist.

I’m not a chiropractor.

I’m certainly not a physician.

So what am I?

To be honest, sometimes I’m not entirely sure myself.

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Another client once told me:

“You’re actually very difficult to explain to other people.”

Back when I used a device called CS60, it was easier.

People could simply say,

“Oh, he’s the practitioner who uses that device.”

That was enough.

But now?

There is no device.

I sometimes work remotely.

Sometimes I work from photographs.

Sometimes I simply observe.

Explaining what I do has become much harder.

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One client even said:

“It’s difficult to recommend you to my friends.”

“Why?” I asked.

He laughed.

“Because people might think it’s a religion. Things actually change when they come here.”

That answer created an entirely different problem.

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My wife has repeatedly told me:

“Just get some kind of official qualification.”

At one point she even ordered brochures from an acupuncture school for me.

I’ve studied anatomy.

Nutrition.

Psychology.

Hypnosis.

And countless other subjects.

But I have never pursued a professional credential.

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The simple reason is that I never felt I needed one.

That doesn’t mean I have anything against qualifications.

On the contrary, they are useful.

They help people understand who you are.

They provide objective credibility.

They show that you’ve invested time and effort into learning a discipline.

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It’s just that, for me, the priority has always been elsewhere.

If I were in my twenties, I would probably enjoy going back to school.

If I’m fortunate enough to reach my sixties or seventies with more free time, I may very well enroll in a university and study something entirely new.

I genuinely enjoy learning.

Deep study suits my personality.

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But right now, I want to focus on the people in front of me.

I want to spend my time serving those who continue to visit me and place their trust in me.

Priorities change depending on the season of life.

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People often think self-employment means freedom.

In some ways it does.

But in another sense, you’re working twenty-four hours a day.

Work isn’t limited to the moments when money is being earned.

I think while walking.

I think while driving.

I think while sitting in the bath.

Ideas appear everywhere.

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Over the years, I’ve started all sorts of projects.

I built a platform that connected Japanese interpreters overseas with businesses.

I obtained a liquor license and imported Mexican spirits, eventually selling hundreds of bottles.

I founded an online English school.

Looking back, I’ve done quite a few different things.

And honestly, I’ve enjoyed all of them.

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KaradaNaoru itself continues to evolve.

What it is today is very different from what it was when it began.

And I suspect it will continue to change.

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So when someone asks me,

“What kind of Sensei are you?”

the most honest answer I can give is:

“I don’t really know.”

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What I do know is this:

Every day, I think about how I can help the person in front of me feel a little lighter, a little healthier, a little more like themselves.

That’s all.

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Over the next ten years, I hope to leave behind a clearer answer to the question:

“What is KaradaNaoru?”

Something simple.

Something true.

Something that people can immediately understand.

And perhaps that answer lies far beyond qualifications, titles, and professional labels.

Perhaps it lies somewhere deeper.

And perhaps I’m still searching for it.