Many Japanese proverbs are worse than non-obvious.  To Westerners they are actually counter-intuitive.  Take the well-worn adage, Isogaba maware! It translates as, “If you are in a hurry, take the long way around.”  What could be more backwards?  Most of us have learned to rush here, take a short cut there, cut a corner over there, always trying to get more done in less time .  The point of the proverb, however, is that if you really want to accomplish the task, you can’t cut corners; in fact, you’d be well advised to go the long way around and put in the extra effort to do each step well.  That thoroughness is your only hope of truly reaching the goal.  This is a cornerstone of Japanese culture and can be seen in many areas, such as the lengthy apprenticeships that lead to master of Japan’s traditional arts and skills.
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