Ellie Taniguchi
Principal & Spiritual Guide
In the Stillness, Life Speaks
Ever since I was a child, I loved gazing up at the stars.
It always felt as if something invisible was quietly whispering to me from the night sky.
Sometimes, vivid visions would arise within me—
and years later, they would take form in the real world.
It felt as though an unseen current was always flowing beside me.
Throughout my life, I’ve undergone three major heart surgeries.
Rather than moments of crisis, each one felt like a kind of rebirth.
With every deep inner transformation, the outer world shifted in response.
Through these experiences, I became naturally drawn to the unseen—
the subtle energies and the depths of the inner self.
This journey led me to process-oriented psychology, shamanism,
Native American ceremonies, and the path of Zen and non-duality.
None of these felt entirely new.
Rather, they were like memories—
as if I were remembering something long forgotten but deeply familiar.
All of these threads came together when I encountered Theory U
by Otto Scharmer at MIT.
His idea—that the future doesn’t arise from the past,
but from a deeply connected present—reflected my own path through life.
Now, I’ve created a retreat space on Osaki-Kamijima—
a quiet island surrounded by sea and sky—
a place where you can listen closely to the voice of your own life.
Here, you can step away from the rush of everyday life,
tune into the rhythms of nature,
and reconnect with the deeper truth of who you are.
If there is a quiet voice within you whispering,
“It’s time for something to change…”
—why not come listen to it gently, in the stillness of this island?
Born in 1967 in Wakayama, Japan, he developed a deep interest in programming from an early age. He majored in applied physics at university and, after graduation, joined one of Japan’s leading securities firms. There, he worked on the development of computer-based trading systems supporting financial engineering, building a strong foundation as a technologist.
In 1997, he relocated to Wall Street in New York, and by 2000, he embarked on his journey as an entrepreneur. Although he faced a financial crisis in 2006, he founded a new company in 2009. The iPhone app he developed went on to achieve hundreds of thousands of downloads worldwide. In 2011, he was honored as one of the Top 100 Startups in Asia by Red Herring.
Following these setbacks, he turned to Zen meditation and mindfulness, seeking clarity within. This inner exploration led him to discover a new life purpose—contributing to education. In 2016 and 2017, he co-hosted TEDxHimi in Toyama Prefecture, serving as chief curator and supporting speakers under the theme “Inner Space,” encouraging deep introspection and personal insight. This initiative marked a major turning point, leading him to explore the potential of video as a tool for learning and self-discovery.
Later, he collaborated with programs like “Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Study Abroad Japan” and Japan’s largest recruitment agency, producing talk events that bridged innovation and education. In the 2020s, in response to the impact of COVID-19, he contributed to the development of AI and cloud-based digital tools at one of the world’s Big Four accounting firms, while also engaging in projects addressing environmental issues.
Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of transformative shifts—programming, financial engineering, mobile apps, AI, and sustainability. He has witnessed the birth of new technologies and values firsthand, consistently acting as a driving force for progress. True to his belief that “the future is not something to be predicted, but something to be created,” he has remained present on the frontier of innovation.
His next exploration centers on embodiment and non-duality. In a world increasingly abstracted by AI and digital tools, he seeks to reclaim the wisdom of the living body and share with others the path toward regaining authentic reality beyond the illusions of the mind.
-
2014 - 2020 Part-time Lecturer, School of Social Informatics, Aoyama Gakuin University
-
2014 - 2022 Part-time Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
-
Selected as a Red Herring Top 100 Asia Startup in 2011
