If You Hurry, Go Around

Have you ever heard the old waka poem: "Mononofu no Yabase no fune wa hayakere do / Isogaba Maware / Seta no nagahashi" ? 

This poem is said to be the origin of the Japanese proverb Isogaba Maware – literally, “If you hurry, go around.”

Yabase was a port town facing Lake Biwa, near Kusatsu, with Otsu on the opposite shore. In the past, boats departed from here, and the quickest way to Kyoto was to cross the lake to Otsu. However, strong winds blowing down from Mount Hiei made the route dangerous. Thus, although it was a detour, traveling south along Lake Biwa and crossing the bridge over the Seta River was considered safer and more reliable.

From this background, the original meaning of Isogaba Maware seems to have been: “If you want to reach Kyoto quickly, go around the southern route of Lake Biwa.” Looking at a map today, the phrase feels almost too literal, which is amusing. Yet how did such a straightforward instruction become a proverb?

The general meaning is clear: when in a hurry, choosing a dangerous shortcut may delay you, while taking the longer but safer route will ultimately get you to your destination faster. Many people, based on their own experiences, would agree. I do as well. I recall once trying to avoid traffic in Chicago by taking a ferry across Lake Michigan on my way back from Wisconsin. Due to high waves, the ferry was canceled, and I ended up spending more time than if I had taken the longer land route. So much for shortcuts.

But “go around” does not only refer to physical detours. It also applies to how we approach tasks. In work, for example, one may jump at what looks like a shortcut, only to suffer setbacks. Many have experienced that even if a method seems slower, avoiding risks and proceeding steadily often yields greater results.

Extending this idea to our mindset, Isogaba Maware teaches us that haste is dangerous in any endeavor. In life, rushing rarely brings good outcomes. The more we push ourselves with “hurry, hurry,” the more mistakes we make, the more stress we accumulate, and the more strained our relationships become. English has a similar saying: Haste makes waste.

Imagine someone telling you, “Isogaba Maware,” just when you are rushing. You might pause, take a deep breath, regain composure, and remind yourself to value each step. That is how it works for me - how about you?

The lesson that haste is dangerous is, in reverse, a call to keep a margin of calmness. Easier said than done, of course. But precisely because it is difficult, saying Isogaba Maware to oneself may help ease tension and create space in the mind. There is something quietly powerful in this proverb.

There is another dimension: Isogaba Maware also suggests that once you set a destination, you should enjoy the process of getting there. By savoring the journey itself, one may achieve more than expected. Indeed, many who accomplish great things are those who enjoy each step along the way. Surely you know such people around you.

English, too, has expressions that convey the importance of enjoying the process. Stop and smell the roses - a poetic reminder to pause. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination - a call to value the path itself. And Life is a journey, not a destination, a famous maxim attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, teaching that life is about enjoying the steps along the way.

Seen in this light, Isogaba Maware embodies profound and universal wisdom. We should be grateful to our predecessors for leaving us such a proverb. And I, for my part, intend to keep using it daily, cherishing each step toward my own destinations, and enjoying the journey to the fullest.