In Tottori, Japan, a 92-year-old man stood in front of an industrial machine and began a ritual.
It is called kiyoharai, a purification ceremony that Japanese people reserve for important farewells. The former manager of the Matsuda Yasu Ironworks factory performed it before two machines that had been working for decades were retired: one had been in operation for 30 years, the other 37. After the ritual, the employees bowed before them, lined up, as if saying goodbye to a coworker who is retiring.
This custom is not practiced in every factory in Japan, but it reflects something deeper about its culture: respect for the craft and for the tools that make it possible. To them, a machine that worked faithfully for 37 years does not end up in the scrap heap without first receiving a goodbye that acknowledges its service.