On September 27, 2025,Support for sustainable decision-making and arrangements that preserve dignity for everyone during and after life” (nicknamed the Happy Finishing Project) exhibited at Kyoto University Academic Day 2025.
What is Kyoto University Academic Day?
"Kyoto University Academic Day" is an open event that Kyoto University has been holding since 2011. It aims to be a place for "dialogue" where anyone can discover the joy and appeal of academic study.
Regarding Academic DayHere(This will take you to the Kyoto University homepage.)
Exhibit contents
This project will display posters titled "What is a happy way to end your life?" and will discuss the specific challenges that can arise when getting ready for retirement, as well as the thoughts of "Tatsutori-san" and "Notonare-san" that have emerged from previous research ("What is the happy way to end your life? 3. Two types of tidying up: "Tatsutori-san" and "Notonare-san"" article).
Conducting a survey
Those who stopped in front of the poster were asked to fill out a simple questionnaire.
| Question 1: What are your thoughts on "how to end your life"? Which sentence, A or B, do you think is better?Your thoughts and intentionsIs it close to? A. I like to have things in order and decided before the time comes. B. I don't want to think about it or prepare for it until that time comes. Question 2: Your actual actions regarding "how to end your life": Which of the statements, C or D,Your actual actionsIs it close to? C. I have tried to organize things before. D. I have never tried to organize things before. |
A and C are closer in their thinking and behavior to "Tatsutori-san," while B and D are closer in their thinking and behavior to "Notonare-san."
The results of the survey are as follows. Based on previous research, the project team hypothesized that many people "intend to be like Tatsutori-san, but in reality end up being like Notonare-san." Looking at the results, 77% of people answered A (thinking similar to Tatsutori-san) to question 1, while 46% answered C (behaving similar to Tatsutori-san) to question 2, which was in line with the hypothesis.
Question 1: What are your thoughts on "how to end your life"? Which statement, A or B, is closer to your thoughts and intentions?
| male (person) | woman (person) | Total (people) | ratio | |
| A. I like to have things in order and decided before the time comes. | 37 | 56 | 93 | 77% |
| B. I don't want to think about it or prepare for it until that time comes. | 56 | 12 | 28 | 23% |
Question 2: Your actual actions regarding "how to end your life": Which statement, C or D, is closer to your actual actions?
| male (person) | woman (person) | Total (people) | ratio | |
| C. I have tried to organize things before. | 18 | 33 | 28 | 46% |
| D. I have never tried to organize things before. | 33 | 28 | 61 | 54% |
Some respondents shared specific anecdotes that exemplified the characteristics of "Tatsutori-san" and "Notonare-san" along with their answers to the questionnaire. Those who share similar thoughts to "Tatsutori-san" but have not yet been able to take action said that they have been putting off taking action, or have tried to take action but given up. This suggests that even if people give the same answer, the circumstances and thoughts behind their answers vary from person to person.
A word from the project representative (Kodama Satoshi)
It's not easy to discuss the idea of tidying up, and not everyone can actually prepare for it. The question "Are you a Tatsutori type? Or a Notonare type?" was devised by our project to spark such discussion. We're not sure if it worked well, but on the day of the event, from 11am until 6pm, many people stopped by and enthusiastically talked with the staff.
What was striking was that not only elderly people, but also families and younger generations were thinking seriously about how to prepare for their own and their families' affairs, and frankly exchanging opinions. Some people said, "I've prepared everything so as not to cause trouble for my family," while others said, "I'm single, so I have to prepare properly," and others laughed, "I'm completely relaxed in both my feelings and actions."
Through these types of activities, we hope to continue expanding opportunities for people to think about the question, "What is a happy way to put things away?" and to advance research that will lead to the identification and resolution of social issues.
