Three names keep showing up when people search for 64-grid goal setting: mandala chart, Harada Method, and Open 64. They're related, but they're not the same thing. Here's what each one actually is.
Search for "Ohtani goal-setting" and you'll find articles calling his method a mandala chart. Others call it the Harada Method. Some say Open 64. Forums and social media use all three terms interchangeably, and most of them get the history wrong in the process.
The confusion makes sense. All three involve a 3x3 grid of grids, all three produce 64 actions, and all three trace back to Japan. But they come from different people, serve different purposes, and operate at different levels of depth. Understanding the distinction helps you pick the right approach for what you're actually trying to do.
The mandala chart was created by Hiroaki Imaizumi in 1979, drawing on Buddhist mandala concepts adapted for practical use by Yasuo Matsumura. It's a visual thinking tool based on a simple structure: a 3x3 grid where you place a central topic in the middle and expand outward into eight surrounding areas.
The format can be used for anything. Business planning. Brainstorming. Project management. Personal reflection. It's not specifically a goal-setting tool. It's a way to organize thinking around a central idea and ensure you're considering multiple dimensions of a problem.
Think of the mandala chart as the format. The blank canvas. A 3x3 grid that can hold any type of content. When you see the 64-grid visual structure, that's the mandala chart at work.
Takashi Harada developed his method while teaching physical education at a public junior high school in one of the toughest districts in Osaka, Japan. His students were struggling. The school's athletics program was last in the region. Harada needed a structured system to help young people believe in themselves, set real goals, and follow through.
What he built is far more than a grid. The Harada Method is a complete 20-step goal-achievement system organized across five phases:
The 64-grid chart is step 9 of 20. It's the most visual and shareable part of the system, which is why it gets the most attention. But the full Harada Method also includes daily performance journals, routine checklists, self-analysis sheets, and a coaching or mentorship structure.
The results speak for themselves. Harada's students went from last place to first in their regional athletics competitions and held that position for 13 consecutive years. Today, the method is practiced by over 150,000 people across 600+ companies worldwide.
The Open 64 method is what happens when you combine both. It takes the mandala chart's visual structure — the 3x3 grid of grids — and fills it with the Harada Method's goal-setting approach. One central purpose. Eight pillars of life. 64 specific actions. Everything connected, everything visible.
Where the mandala chart is a format and the Harada Method is a system, the Open 64 method is an applied practice. It's the specific use of the 64-grid as a life architecture tool: mapping your entire life across eight dimensions, breaking each dimension into concrete daily actions, and reviewing the whole picture regularly.
This is what most people are actually looking for when they search for any of the three terms. They want the grid. They want it filled with their own goals. And they want it somewhere they'll see it every day.
One purpose. Eight pillars. 64 actions. Open64 puts the method in every new tab you open. Templates included. Completely free.
Add to Chrome — FreeWhen people reference Ohtani's famous goal-setting grid, they're looking at all three approaches layered together.
The visual format is a mandala chart — the 3x3 structure that Imaizumi designed. The methodology is the Harada Method — Ohtani learned it through his high school coach Takashi Sasaki, who trained in Harada's system. And the application is the Open 64 approach — a central purpose surrounded by eight pillars, each broken into eight specific actions.
At sixteen, Ohtani wrote "be the #1 draft pick by 8 teams" at the center. He surrounded it with eight pillars: Physique, Control, Ball Speed, Sharpness, Breaking Pitches, Luck, Character, and Mental. Each pillar contained eight concrete actions. The result was a single page that mapped everything he needed to do, from building shoulder strength to picking up trash in the dugout.
That grid is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It doesn't matter what you call it. What matters is that it worked because it connected every small daily action to a single driving purpose.
| Feature | Mandala Chart | Harada Method | Open 64 Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Hiroaki Imaizumi (1979) | Takashi Harada | Combined approach |
| Type | Visual format | 20-step system | Applied practice |
| Core structure | 3x3 grid (expandable) | 5 phases, 20 steps | 1 purpose + 8 pillars + 64 actions |
| Primary use | Thinking & planning | Goal achievement & coaching | Life architecture |
| Includes journaling | No | Yes (daily) | Optional |
| Includes coaching | No | Yes (built-in) | No |
| Self-analysis | No | Yes (multiple sheets) | Encouraged, not required |
| Scope | Any topic | Single goal focus | Whole-life system |
| Time to start | 5 minutes | Several weeks | 30–60 minutes |
| Best for | Brainstorming, project mapping | Deep personal development | Connecting daily actions to purpose |
Start with the 64 grid.
If you're reading this article, you're probably not looking for a general brainstorming template (mandala chart) or a multi-month coaching program (full Harada Method). You want a clear way to organize your goals and connect them to what you do every day. That's the Open 64 method.
Here's the path that works for most people:
The mandala chart gave us the format. Takashi Harada gave us the method. The Open 64 approach puts them together into something you can use every single day.
Open64 is a free Chrome extension that turns every new tab into your 64-grid. It combines the mandala chart's visual clarity with the Harada Method's goal-setting structure, built into the one place you already look at dozens of times a day.
You get the full Open 64 experience: one central purpose, eight pillars, 64 actions, all visible at a glance. Plus tactical features that make the method stick — a 2026 action view, a 25-year vision mode, weekly focus tracking, activity graphs, and 10+ templates to start from (including Ohtani's actual grid).
No signup. No paywall for the core method. Just the grid, in your browser, every time you open a new tab.
The mandala chart format. The Harada Method structure. The Open 64 approach. All in one free Chrome extension with 10+ templates to get started.
Get Open64 for Chrome