The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is one of the most iconic works of art in the history of humanity. Rowing boats face the fury of the sea, with Mount Fuji watching from the depths of the horizon. What happens seconds after the wave crashes? Will they capsize? Will they manage to change course by skillfully navigating the wave? The only chance of survival is to keep moving and to paddle, hoping they can float atop the great wave until they leave it behind.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa represents the Japanese spirit of ganbatte: the sailors do not give up, they paddle with all their strength to continue their journey, to live. The sea waves are a wonderful metaphor for life. Because waves can resemble life. At sea, we cannot stop the waves, and in life, we cannot stop the events that time brings as it passes. If we remain still at sea, the waves will swallow us. If we remain still in life, apathy will consume us. If you can't stop the wave, be the wave. Ganbatte! Do your best, as best as you can.

The fifty chapters of the book are the steps to understanding the Japanese art of perseverance and adaptability, which is the art of overcoming every adversity in life. In our difficult and fluid times, we increasingly feel that we must rebuild our lives from scratch. This is what the Japanese have always done, after terrible wars and incredible natural disasters.

The secret of this people to constantly be reborn from their ashes, like the Phoenix, lies in the philosophy of ganbatte, a Japanese term that could be translated as "do it as best as you can, never give up, keep trying." Where we wish "good luck!", the Japanese say "ganbatte!" to encourage someone to give their all. This is where the great difference in attitude lies. Good luck depends on external factors, placing fate beyond the individual. Ganbatte calls upon the internal strengths and capacities of a person, meaning that whatever happens depends on individual effort.