Nature as a Place to Belong

The Reason I Jump

This flow traces Naoki Higashida's account of nature as a source of calm, vitality, beauty, and companionship.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Green of a Walk The Green of a Walk from "The Reason I Jump". The Green of a Walk Nature's welcome Naoki Higashida says that the greenness of plants and trees is a central reason he enjoys walking.

The Green of a Walk from "The Reason I Jump". The Green of a Walk Nature's welcome Naoki Higashida says that the greenness of plants and trees is a central reason he enjoys walking.

The Green of a Walk Nature's welcome Naoki Higashida says that the greenness of plants and trees is a central reason he enjoys walking. Nature gives him a sense of permission to be alive in the world. Restored energy When people ignore or push him away, he feels that nature still welcomes him. The walk is therefore more than exercise or fresh air; it renews his sense of belonging.

Making Friends with Nature Making Friends with Nature from "The Reason I Jump". Making Friends with Nature A gentle presence Naoki Higashida describes nature as glowing, swaying, bubbling, and rustling around him.

Making Friends with Nature from "The Reason I Jump". Making Friends with Nature A gentle presence Naoki Higashida describes nature as glowing, swaying, bubbling, and rustling around him.

Making Friends with Nature A gentle presence Naoki Higashida describes nature as glowing, swaying, bubbling, and rustling around him. Its presence does not require him to calculate how he should respond. A sense of kinship He feels himself becoming a small part of the natural world and cherishes the idea that nature can be a friend. This companionship offers an alternative to the strain of human social interaction.

Awe at the Buddha Awe at the Buddha from "The Reason I Jump". Awe at the Buddha An unexpected response At the great statue in Kamakura, Naoki Higashida is moved to tears.

Awe at the Buddha from "The Reason I Jump". Awe at the Buddha An unexpected response At the great statue in Kamakura, Naoki Higashida is moved to tears.

Awe at the Buddha An unexpected response At the great statue in Kamakura, Naoki Higashida is moved to tears. He senses not only the statue's dignity but also the hopes and prayers carried through generations. Tears without simple labels His tears express a response that observers might misread as sadness or distress. The moment reinforces his request that people not assume they know what an autistic person's visible emotion means.

Water Outside the Clock Water Outside the Clock from "The Reason I Jump". Water Outside the Clock Quiet and freedom Naoki Higashida describes the water as a place with less stimulation and fewer demands.

Water Outside the Clock from "The Reason I Jump". Water Outside the Clock Quiet and freedom Naoki Higashida describes the water as a place with less stimulation and fewer demands.

Water Outside the Clock Quiet and freedom Naoki Higashida describes the water as a place with less stimulation and fewer demands. He feels free there, whether staying still or swimming. A different time In water, he can feel at one with time rather than struggling to measure each second or hour. The setting becomes an imagined refuge from the pressure of ordinary life.

A World Remembered as Ancient

A World Remembered as Ancient A personal theory Naoki Higashida imagines autistic people as travelers from a distant past, carrying senses outside the regime of civilization. He offers this as a made-up theory rather than an established account. Nature and human responsibility The idea connects his affinity with nature to a wish that people remember what matters to the Earth. Difference becomes, in his imagination, a possible reminder to a damaged world.

in the answer about going for walks

in the answer about autistic enjoyment

during Naoki's visit to Kamakura

in the answer about being in water

in the closing reflection on autism