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Ah, the joy that comes with framing up a completed jigsaw puzzle. Not just any jigsaw puzzle - it was meant as a gift for visitors to a power plant of a utility company in Japan. Mind you, its pieces are still intact, even after 37 years! Japanese quality and precision at its finest. The thing about doing jigsaw puzzles as an adult, well, apart from feeling like a child all over again, it really is a test of patience, willpower, organisation, your cognitive skills and motor skills. So, if you were to ask me, I’ve been putting long weekends and public holidays to good use, and perhaps, you should too. Provided you’re not completing the jigsaw puzzle by the click of a mouse, it’s one way to take your focus off the screen, especially if you’ve been spending a considerable amount of time in the office or even remotely, alternating between devices and navigating a combination of apps.

It certainly felt like a different kind of power was activated in me, whilst completing the puzzle, even if in the beginning, there were periods of frustration, partly fuelled by the fact that the Japanese are so accurate and precise, even in the making of the puzzle. Although good in quality, the pieces are tiny, so completing it came with challenges. Compared to most other pieces in other puzzles, flipping, rotating and turning the pieces felt gentler, more fragile and precarious when it came to fitting the pieces altogether. Ultimately, it trains your visual skills, hand and grip strength as well as finger dexterity.

Electricity can be generated via thermal energy and that’s why there are initiatives to do that, and that might interest you, if you know the electricity generation landscape in Japan. While the company is based in Japan’s Tokyo, the company also offers energy management consulting services to other countries like Thailand and India so that they can optimise their energy consumption levels. However, like many power companies, the company reflected on the jigsaw puzzle also uses nuclear energy to generate electricity – Japan is one of the 30 over countries to make use of nuclear power to do so.

While there’s the company logo at the bottom end of the jigsaw puzzle with characters in Japanese, I’m roughly guessing the Japanese characters at the top edge of the jigsaw puzzle reads “Central Control Room”. Whoever thought of this, I’ve mad respect for you. I mean, who else would have the energy, meticulousness, and will to map out the visuals and art meant for something usually fun like a jigsaw puzzle with such accuracy?

I guess you could say – this jigsaw puzzle is really the bomb.

For someone who doesn’t understand Japanese, thankfully there’s visual instructions to guide me on how to piece together the jigsaw puzzle after completing it. Now, I know why you’d want to frame up your jigsaw puzzles – because it’s one heck of an achievement to be proud of.

It’s not surprising how jigsaw puzzles can be mood-boosting. I now feel more alert, excited, and happier. So, if you ever need a power up without the use of digital devices (during completion of the puzzle), this is one activity you can try out and perhaps forget about the world a bit, while you’re being transported to another realm, space, and time. Trust me, you can take the whole day to figure out the jigsaw puzzle and not realise it at all!

And if you ever feel like a jigsaw puzzle should be a solo activity, nope, not necessarily. You can always involve your siblings, friends, parents and even grandparents. Who knows, they might find it beneficial and fun as well?

Though, of course, there’s always a different level of excitement and satisfaction felt when you know you’ve completed the puzzle on your own, without any help or distraction from other non-related elements or folks around you.

I’m ready for my next jigsaw adventure. Who would like to join me?