Hello, I’m Ayu Uzuki, a book reviewer. I’ve been right-handed ever since I could remember, and I’ve lived my life without really thinking about it. One day, I heard that using only the right hand causes imbalance, so I tried brushing my teeth with my left hand, but I didn’t know how much pressure to use, and the toothbrush almost went through my cheek (lol).
I have some friends who are left-handed, and they usually get angry when I say, “Left-handed people are kind of cool, aren’t they?” “I don’t care if it’s cool or not, it’s quite difficult,” he said. In a world where right-handed people are the mainstream, it is important to be aware of the struggles left-handed people have.
Left-handedness explained by the founder of the Japan Left-handed Association
The new book I am introducing this time is “left handed saying” (written by Naoya Oji/PHP Shinsho). The author, Naoya Oji, is the founder of the Japan Left-Handed Association. While he was in the UK, he encountered a store specializing in left-handed people, and his curiosity about handedness blossomed. After returning to Japan, he worked hard to find related articles and literature, and published a book on left-handedness. His books include “The Invisible Left Hand” (Sangokan) and “Let’s go left-handed!” ” (Felissimo Publishing).
Automatic ticket gates and ATMs continue to be a struggle for left-handed people
This book is filled with information about left-handed people around the world, the brain and body of left-handed people, and the history of left-handed suffering. The prologue, “How many left-handed people exist and why are they born?” introduces the proportion of left-handed people in humanity. Researchers have examined artistic expression over the past 5,000 years and found that about 8% of works were created using the left hand.
However, there are regional differences in the percentage of people who write with their left hand; a study of university students found that in Canada, the percentage of men who write with their left hand was 9.8% and 7.7% of women, while in Japan it was 1.9% of men. , 0.9% for women. Does education have a big influence? You can see the uniqueness of Japan.
So, what kind of things do left-handed people feel stressed about? Chapter 1 is “The hardships of being left-handed.” The theory that “left-handed people have a 9-year shorter lifespan” was all the rage in the 1990s, but have the living conditions surrounding left-handed people improved compared to the end of the 20th century?
The first example is automatic ticket gates. At the end of the 20th century, the magnetic ticket slot was on the right side in the direction of travel, so left-handed people had to cross their arms to insert the ticket. Even when it comes to touching an IC card, hold it over the right side. Mr. Ohji says that while the number of left-handed people who grow up without having experienced hand correction continues to increase, dissatisfaction with automatic ticket gates, which can be called the devil, continues.
Bank ATMs often have buttons on the right side, and finger vein authentication readers are also usually on the right side. Even though technology has evolved so much…I feel that it is unbalanced.
From chapter 2 onwards, topics related to left-handedness include the view of left-handedness in the Edo period as revealed by haiku, an examination of whether using the left hand can develop the right brain, and stories about left-handed and ambidextrous greats such as Shiki Masaoka and Leonardo da Vinci. Full of things. If you’re left-handed, you’ll empathize with the story by saying, “Oh yeah!”, while if you’re right-handed, you’ll feel closer to it as you read along while remembering your friends and acquaintances who are left-handed.
The key point of this book is that it specializes in one theme: left-handedness, but it is also voluminous and structured in an easy-to-read manner. Ohji says that by simply raising awareness about left-handedness and, by extension, handedness, there will be more opportunities to “realize” that right-handed people are “the majority of people who don’t even realize it.” Knowing what left-handed people say may be a step closer to realizing a diverse society.
[Book introduction]
left handed saying
Author: Naoya Ohji
Published by: PHP Institute
There are many inconveniences that come with being left-handed, such as having to cross your arms when passing through an automatic ticket gate, and having difficulty handling scissors, rulers, and ladles for scooping soup. Furthermore, it is said that in the past, being left-handed even caused problems in marriage. The Chinese classic “Reiki” states that “the right hand should be used for eating,” and for a long time in Japan it was considered impolite to hold chopsticks with the left hand. In some cases, it was determined that the
See details on Rakuten kobo
See details at Rakuten Books
See more on Amazon
【profile】
Ayu Uzuki
Book reviewer, game columnist. He is currently serializing fantasy reviews in SF Magazine. He also writes commentary at the end of paperback books. He loves books of all genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and non-fiction.
