When he was 13 years old, Naoki Higashida wrote a book to articulate his thoughts -- a rare channel into the inner world of a severely autistic boy. The book was later translated into more than 30 languages, becoming a best seller in different parts of the world. Now 25, Higashida has published 21 books -- including picture books, poems, short stories and essays -- steadily treading the path of his career as a writer.
"[Writing] is, to me, proof that I, as a human being, exist here," Higashida said during a recent interview with The Japan News in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture.
Certainly the success of "The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism" has exhibited the existence of a young boy in Chiba Prefecture to the world. Since the 2013 release of its English version and subsequent publications in other languages, about 950,000 copies have been sold worldwide.
"As I've never expected this, I'm so surprised. I've never imagined my words could be conveyed to countries of different lifestyles and cultures," Higashida said, pointing to letters on a grid with the English alphabet as he pronounced Japanese syllables one by one. Almost nonverbal, he is unable to communicate by speaking the way most people do.
Higashida was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of 5. Currently, about one out of 100 people is said to have autism spectrum disorders, including those with mild symptoms, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
"The Reason I Jump" is compiled in the style of Higashida answering 58 questions, with a short story. The young Higashida in the book meticulously explains why he memorizes train timetables and why he gets lost so often, among other conditions commonly seen in people with autism. Untangling some of the mystery about autistic behaviors, he also divulges his emotions toward such queries as "Do you prefer to be on your own?" and "Would you like to be 'normal'?" (He answered that he wouldn't, to both questions.)
On Amazon, there has been a flood of positive responses to the English edition of the book, including comments by those who have an autistic family member.
"Some readers have said that my book helped them a lot. Such feedback is very encouraging to me," he said, using the grid.
'Chasm between heaven and hell'
Higashida uses a computer keyboard to write, but to answer questions in an interview-like setting, he prefers using a palm-size QWERTY grid.
"My mind goes blank as I try to speak. It's not because I don't know words or have feelings, but some people around me assumed that I couldn't speak simply because I'm severely autistic with intellectual disabilities," Higashida said in an email message sent following the interview.
When he points to letters of the alphabet on the paper grid, it is like "once again drawing out the word from inside myself when it is disappearing, rather than trying to remember it," he said in the email.
During the interview, he tapped the grid so hard while answering questions that the percussive sound echoed along with his voice, breaking the silence. It was as if his quiet passion had burst to fill the entire room.
The grid was devised by his mother, who noticed Higashida's tremendous curiosity about the alphabet when he was a second-grader in primary school.
"After repeatedly practicing, I gradually realized that by pointing to the grid I was able to express my feelings and thoughts," he said via email.
"I felt as if a ray of light fell upon me while I was in a dark cave," he recalled. To him, the difference between the times before and after he became able to express himself is "almost like the chasm between heaven and hell."
At times, he seemed to have no interest in the interview as he spent most of the time gazing out of the window and staying away from where the interview was being held. He also repeated certain phrases, made a variety of noises and checked the time over and over. There are reasons for these behaviors, according to him. However, once he sat down, with great concentration, he assembled letters one by one to give voice to his thoughts, easily dispelling any impression of disinterest. He returned to the interview table a number of times during the three-hour session.
Writing defines him
Being autistic may gift him with the ability to uniquely sense and interpret the world, but his success is certainly due to his own exceptional inspiration and creativity.
Higashida's interest in composing stories was first discovered by his family, and his talent was soon recognized as he began winning awards in national writing contests for young people before entering junior high school.
Elegantly written with vivid descriptions and sophisticated narratives, Higashida's poems and essays are adorned with heart-gripping words and filled with wit and wisdom.
"As I closely gaze into every nook and cranny of the heart, I find things that other people don't notice," Higashida said in the interview about his works. But he added: "I'm the only one who can understand my own senses. So it's difficult to explain them as a whole."
As a little boy, he used to dream that he was "a neurotypical child" who enjoyed conversation and cracking jokes. When he woke up to realize it was a dream, tears would well up in his eyes, he said in a book.
"I used to lament the gap between the 'I' as a disabled child and the 'I' in my dreams. But now, how I feel after [having these dreams] is closer to after watching movies. I enjoy tales from another world of dreams," Higashida said via email.
As he got older, he learned that he was not the only one living with hardships. "This world is vast, with an unbelievably enormous number of people living in it. Values are diverse. Those who are earnestly striving to live their lives have taught me the importance of living as who I am," Higashida added.
Now more positive and confident about himself, Higashida describes himself as "the latest model of an advanced human being with elements of primeval people."
"It is often believed that humans become adapted to the times, but we can also view that human evolution creates the times. I don't think humans truly understand others enough to easily judge what is superior and what is inferior," Higashida wrote, elaborating on his perspective in his email.
To further prove his existence, Higashida is blazing a trail for himself and others. In recent years, he has widened his fan base through a variety of publications, including a series of essays in the Japanese edition of The Big Issue, a biweekly magazine sold by homeless people to support themselves. His latest ambition is to improve his YouTube channel.
"My dream is to continue to write for all the years to come. But I'm also aware that life doesn't always unfold as planned. Like many peers in my generation who find it hard to answer, I can't imagine what I'll be doing in 30 or 40 years' time," he said in the email.
He began a new blog series in November last year, and his second book translated into English, "Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8," hit stores in July. Like "The Reason I Jump," it was translated by acclaimed British author David Mitchell and his wife KA Yoshida.
Proudly defining himself as a writer, Higashida said via the grid: "I don't mind how people describe me. I am actually curious about how the title 'autistic writer' will change when I eventually get recognized as a writer as a result of my efforts."
Naoki Higashida's official website:
https://naoki-higashida.jp/
Blog:
http://higashida999.blog77.fc2.com/
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-DrRWpY7yLovAZX5m00IyA
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
