Personal History Helps You Look Back, Move Forward; Editor Gives Advice to Those Writing Their Story

By Naohiro Yoshida / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Wirter

15:59 JST, March 30, 2026

Have you ever considered writing your own personal history? By looking back on your life and jotting down events that occurred and interests you had during different periods of your life, you might discover what your strengths are, find new goals or even gain insights into the paths that lie before you.

Get help from a professional

At a personal history workshop held in Sendai in November, Yu Watanabe, 66, a clinical laboratory technician from the city, was learning about editing. Her teacher was Chikako Koizumi, editor-in-chief of “One Carat L,” a quarterly magazine for female entrepreneurs, and host of the workshop. Now, Watanabe is editing the manuscript of her personal history, aiming to turn it into a book. She had Koizumi review her manuscript and worked on revising the text.

Watanabe began writing her life story when she was 58. “I thought, since I’m about to retire, I should look back on my life and consider what comes next.”

She also hoped to share her memories of her husband with their son and daughter. He died at the age of 40, when their son was in the first grade of junior high school and their daughter was in the fourth grade of elementary school. The children have few memories of their father and know little about the kind of man he was.

“I want to tell them about the kinds of people their parents, including me, and their grandparents were and what their youth was like,” she remembered thinking. “It might be something they can use when they’re struggling with how to live their own lives.”

Watanabe first organized her memories and created a timeline of the events of her own life, including significant social events. She gathered photographs and interviewed relatives and eventually structured her writing around themes like “Girlhood,” “Employment” and “Family,” aiming to write two to eight manuscript pages per week. The completed draft came to about 400 pages.

Recalling and writing about her own surgery, her parents’ dementia and her husband’s death at such a young age brought back pain and sadness.

“Life’s a series of choices,” she said. “When I looked back and wrote my life story, I thought, ‘There’s no need to deny the past’ and ‘Those choices were the best I could make at the time.’ That allowed me to move forward.”

Once the editing process is completed, she plans to bind about ten copies for her children, grandchildren and close friends.

Supporting 2nd chapter of life

About 20 years ago, many people approached their life stories with a sense of finality, according to Koizumi. They would say things like, “I came here to write my last will and testament” or “I want to leave behind my experiences of the war.” After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, one participant in the workshop said, “I want to record my experience of nearly being swept away by the tsunami.”

Recently, however, more participants think differently, saying things like, “I want to draw a line here in my life and enjoy my second life” or “I want to try something new.”

Koizumi said: “A personal history is a long novel that anyone can write. Just prepare a pencil and paper, and write down your experiences in your own words. I really encourage everyone to give it a try.”

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How to make your personal history

Hatsue Kono, director of the organization of the “personal history utilization promotion council,” talked about the benefits and methods of creating a personal history.

Make a timeline

A personal history serves as proof of the life you have lived and can become a set of guiding principles for your children and grandchildren. Reflecting on your life helps you recall past passions and discover future aspirations, offering insights for your future planning.

When you write, create a timeline first, starting from the year you were born, and list major events in your life like enrolling in school, changing jobs, getting married and having children. Use yearly increments. Adding social trends or popular songs from the era aids recollection.

Next, gather materials like diaries, journals and photo albums or revisit memorable places like your alma mater. Interviewing relatives, friends or former colleagues can also be helpful to recall the atmosphere of the time and understand how your relationships with others shaped your personal growth.

The basic structure of the work is a chronological timeline of your life. Other approaches include a thematic format, focusing deeply on one subject like hobbies, pets or work, or a compilation format, gathering previously written pieces like essays, haiku or tanka.

Utilize various materials

There are various ways to craft your personal history. The simplest method is to staple or tape together your handwritten manuscript pages or computer-printed sheets. Alternatively, adding a cover and having it professionally bound gives it an impressive look and makes it easier to store, although the cost will increase. Notebooks with preprinted questions for prompts are also available to buy.

You can also create a photo album or compile your story into a video. There are services that will handle the editing work for you.