What is “sumeba”?

The word Sumeba (pronounced Soo, Meh like men, Bah like a sheep) orignates from the Japanese saying: 住めば都 (sumeba miyako).

Literally, it translates to: wherever you live becomes the capital (都)

For Westerners: “home is where you make it.”

ie You can be happy anywhere.

I learned the phrase when I lived in a small village in Tokushima, it described my situation perfectly.

With this warm feeling of a ‘home away from home’ that I created my company Sumeba 合同会社 in 2023.

Sumeba’s mission has grown into offering people a taste of life in the coutryside.

The tone of the word Sumeba carries an encouraging message: “Give it a try, you may like it.” In fact, most people do.

Sumeba can also mean ‘to become clear’ (澄めば) and ‘to resolve’ (済めば). Two words that fit into my coaching program, building daily awareness.

One of my favorite parts of the word Sumeba is that alone, it makes no sense.

It’s like saying, “If you live…” or “Once I finish…” and leaving the sentence hanging. The word itself invites a certain curiosity: What comes next?

Most poignantly, it reminds me of the great excuse we are always telling ourselves: “Once I finish xyz… THEN I will be happy.”

Of course, that resolution never comes.

In that sense, Sumeba playfully reminds us we might as well be happy right now.

Right where we are.