From a solitary life to respect and gratitude

Hayato Fujita

(Hayato Fujita)

My name is Fujita, and I'm from Tochigi Prefecture. I started working at Sakaeya in 2023.

I wanted to become a chef, so I graduated from culinary school and got a job at Sakaeya. Since joining the company, I've come to feel respect and gratitude for the people around me. The truth is, before joining the company, I was someone who hardly paid any attention to those around me.

I've always been physically weak, and since elementary school, I've caused a lot of worry for the people around me, including my family. A little running would trigger my asthma, and if I tried to push myself a little harder, I'd get a fever. This continued until middle school, and in middle school, I became afraid to give it my all or try harder than others.

As a result, compared to when I was motivated in elementary school, there were times when I wouldn't do my homework, I'd just do tests half-heartedly, and I wouldn't do any preparation or review at all. Even things that I could have done well if I put in the effort, regardless of whether I was good or bad at them, I stopped doing. I think I also started slacking off in my club activities compared to when I first started.

At that time, everyone around me was worried about me. Of course, I was grateful, but more than that, I also felt like I didn't want any attention, that I just wanted to be left alone.

By the time I was in high school, my body had become stronger, and I no longer had the asthma I had been born with. However, at the same time, my desire to be left alone, which I had felt before, became even stronger.