1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

I read “1Q84” during this summer vacation. I’m not a fan of Haruki Murakami, but I have been wanting to know why he can capture a lot of people’s heart, especially in the younger generation.
“1Q84” is 3 volumes long. The main characters are 青豆, and 天吾.　Now, they are 30years old. They have serious traumas in their background. When they were 11 years old, they made a great impression on each other, but 青豆 moved to other school. They haven’t seen each other for a long time, but they are still interested in the other.
One day, 青豆 did an unusual thing, she was dropped off a high way. At that time, she went into another world, 1Q84. The world of a fanatical group “さきがけ”, and little and little, this group allows 青豆 and 天吾 is destinies to be intertwined.
I’ve heard that the idea of the story came to Haruki Murakami, when he saw what happen on September 11th. If September 11th hadn’t occurred, we now might be living in another world. When I imagine that, I’ve felt that my existence is intangible.
Well, the fanatical group in the book, reminds me of “Oumu Shinrikyou”, Japanese cult religion committed to crime, like the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. In this other world, the group has a great power, and 青豆 is pursued by this back, because she killed the reader of “さきがけ”.
After reading, I’m reminded of two things.
One is utopia. I know that the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack greatly influenced Haruki Murakami. Still now, all over the world, a lot of people pursue utopia, and believe they can create a perfect utopia? Each of us has different views and minds, if we try to create a perfect utopia, we have to push ourselves very severely. I’m afraid that people living in such a severe world, not a peaceful, might lose their minds. And, is that the really peaceful world? I’m sorry that people wish so enthusiastically that they can’t live in the utopia
The other thing is that I’ve felt something different from his past novels. The main character of his book always pursues something he whishes, but he never finds out it. There is just a small hope in the end.
I had been thinking that the main theme of his novels is sense of desolation and loss.
When I read his book at the first time, I was confused by a lot of riddles and complicated minds of characters, and I got scared the loneliness. I might identify a life of character as myself.
But a lot of people say, "when I read his novels, I can sympathize with his world", they might feel secure to know the same ways they do. Any way, I need more to hear from a fan of Haruki Murakami.
In his past novels, I often hit a lot of riddles. But, I could read “1Q84” more smoothly than I expected.
After reading “1Q84”, I’m not completely satisfied with the end of the story. I think that I wasn’t the only one.

"新参者 newcomer " by Keigo Higashino

I've met a really good book after so long. It is "Shinzanmono", the title means "newcomer", written by Keigo Higashino.

He is one of popular novelists in Japan. Recently every his book became a beseller. So, I'd thought that he would be a popular fiction writer. But "Shinzanmono" exceeded my expectation.

In Nihonbashi, the downtown in Tokyo, one woman who lived alone was murdered by strangulation.

She was a newcomer to Nihonbashi. Nobody knew a lot about her. But as a detective hearing the views of relevant people, the truths are emerging clearly.

The atractive hero appears in this book.　That's the detective. He is also a newcomer. He trys to restore the twisted relations between characters. His method is not direct, very considerate. He makes them found out the truth by themselves. There was a human kindness we had forgotten. I'm delighted to learn that there are still in Tokyo in these free sociaty. Rather, that may be the thing we really want.

After reading, I got to want to do something for my loved people.

Now, this book is my best recommend book in 2009.

ほかならぬ人へ ｂｙ Kazufumi Shiraishi

This book was awarded the 142 Naoki prize in 2010. Its theme is "Who is the soul mate?"

The central character, Akio is born in the elite family, and he has been suffering from his mediocrity. He gets married to one beautiful woman who is also ordinary, against the family's will.

But, one day, he is betrayed by her. In the truth, she has been loving the former lover.

He'd realized that she wasn't the his fate. During his tough time, one coworker, Toukai had been hearing his sufferings. And he got to be more interested in her.

In the end, there was a sad farewell.

It is a short story which is written with light touch.

After reading, I've developed a feeling of emptiness about love.

Actually, many people must enjoy the love, moment to moment. This is a real world in Japan.

But I still hope to meet my fate who loves only me. In reality, I should be more practical about love.

永遠の仔 ” Eternal child” ｂｙ Arata Tendou

When I read "告白confession", I remenbered " 永遠の仔eternal child".

It was written by Arata Tendou in 1993, and has sold around 1.3 million copies and was featured in TV drama in 2000.

The story set in Ehime, and revolves around 3 characters raised in an orphanage, who try to live as suffering total trauma from childhood abuse. The sentence is very sophisticated and detail and well worth reading. And they end in disaster. Two die tragically, and the last person has to live alone with more deeply trauma. I got deeply depressed.

In fact, I know this orphanage, an actual hospital. When I was in a graduate school, I often visited there to meet a girl having a mental problem like them. She was a very beautiful and fragile person, so then she had been suffering from her backgraund. At that time, I was just a student studying psychology, so I couldn't do special, just listen and be near her. After graduating, I had been concerned about how she was. Very recently, I was delighted to hear from a psychiatrist that she was well.

I know, there are people who grow up in unpropitious environment, as hating to do it, but go in for crime. It's not only their faults. I want to believe that everyone can start over any number of times and any time. It is necessary that he has an strong and unshaken heart.

According to psycology, it is made up by a kind of love, selfless love, usually we give it from our mother. Though you couldn't give it, you should give it from someone who love you without seeking return.

When I read a book, I find out something from it. Sometimes it was a new point of view, sometimes it was a new experience. I would hope book was a hope. If I try to find a hope in this book, it would be the strengh from the last person has to live alone.

告白”confession” ｂｙ Kanae Minato

This book was elected the best recomended book by bookstores, and will be made into a film in 2010.

The beginning of the story starts off with a woman teacher at a high school confessing a crime which her daughter was killed.

She says to her students, "There is a murder(murders) in you ", and she trys to hunt down them.

The story is described in people involved of the crime, very clearly and lively. It is not only simple, but also polished style, even junior hight schoolstudent can enjoy it. Besides, there are a lot of ideas, elements of mystery, a dramatic development and ingenuity and unlooked-for last scence. I 'd much fun the first.

But, after reading, I have something on my mind.

It was the last scence, I'm wondering why criminal is never helped, no chance to reform. Especially, about the main killer. He had been also suffering from a mental problem, from his background, abondoned by his mother. I believe that everyone has everyon's existence value. I wanted to see a hope even for the cruel criminal.

ヘヴン(Heaven) ｂy Mieko Kawakami

This book is a new book everybody's talking about. It was wrriten by Mieko Kawakami. I've often read the articles about "ヘヴン", so I've been looking forward to read it. The author, Mieko Kawakami is 33 and a winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2007.

The lead character, he is a junior high school boy who has been suffering from bullied.
One day he's gotten one letter, marked "we are family". And he gets some further letters. Letters come from Kojima who is a classmate, she has been also suffring from bullied. Kojima is dressed in shabby clothes on purpose. She identifies her dirty as a sign. He has cross-eye, and he feels inferior by it. She also identify his cross-eye as a sign, it's her bastions.
They can do nothing but follow the serious violence and bullying.
Kojima says about it," we enduring hardship are the justice. Everything consists of the results. There is no right and wrong"
And then, a dedicate friendship grows between them.
However, the consequence was so tragic.
But I didn't feel it by many beautiful and poetic sentences.

It is plain and poetic writing and I've finished to read about 2 hours.
After reading,I've felt bullying and bitter of living about "ヘヴン".
Bullying
In fact, I've never experienced bullying during school days, but after becoming teacher, I'd sometimes faced the difficulty of bullying.
I think bullying is a social issue. Bully also feel unpeaceful mind. Student's problems mirror the problems of adult society.

And, bitter of living!
When I was a student, I've never thought about such a thing"bitter of living".
If I thought about it, I would fall in the ground swell. Do they really feel like this?
Probably, they have a low self-esteem by bullying.
What am I supported to them? How heal the hurt mind?
They can do nothing but live as holding pain.
Let me know the good way.

"The Setting Sun", "No longer Human" by Osamu Dazai

At first, I read "Syayo"and"Ningenshikkaku".
Shayo (The Setting Sun, 1947) is depicted the decline of the Japanese nobility after World war 2 was published, Shayo made him a star. This work was based on the diary of Shizuko Ōta. Ōta was one of the fans of Dazai's works and first met him in about 1941. She bore him a daughter Haruko in 1947.
I feel offended after reading. this novel also was depicted a part of his life. As a result, he used her as a means to write the novel. His behaivior seems to be brutally self-indulgence.

Ningen Shikkaku ( No Longer Human, 1948)was also his quasi autobiography.
He completely abandoned his wife and children, and in the end drown himself with the other woman.
Ningen Shikkaku deals with a character headlong towards self-destruction.

I felt that this novel looked his scream which is suffering from isolation and low self-esteem.
He sold off in pieces of his life every time he wrote a novel. I think, he wanted to be recognized his existence by the people. But, even if he is an alcoholic and depression, it was morally unforgivable acts.

Any way, the book is one of the classics of Japanese literature, the masterpiece is difficult to comprehend by ordinary people, like me. I'm not his wife. I shold do what I want.

"Viyon's wife" by Dazai Osamu

Today, my mother asked me to check a movie's schedule. It's "Viyon's wife" which is based upon a histrical fact written about in the novel by Osamu Dazai.Well, I'm wondering why often hear his name in TV these days. According to my mother, The movie will be released for the 100th anniversary of his birthday.
Osamu Dazai was a Japanese author who is one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan. He is noted for his ironic and gloomy wit, his obsession with suicide.Yasunari Kawabata, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, Souseki Natsume, and other writers are all internationally famous writer that are products of this era, the late 19th and early 20th century.
As they are tossed about by the" dramatically change in society", and they produced many works that reflected their own new views, which were produced by the change in their sense of values.
For this reason, thier works were recognized as masterpieces.
And, I tryed to read "Viyon's wife"in 1947. It's a very short story, so I could read soon. Well, my impression is that, it's awful!
He depicted a his dissolute life. The narrator is the wife of a poet, who has abandoned her. She takes a job for a tavern keeper from whom her husband has stolen money. Her determination to survive is tested by hardships, rape and her husband's self-delusion, but her will is not broken.I grew depressed thinking of his wife read this novel.She was just trying to accept him the way he is. Strength grows stronger by being tried.When I think about it, it is too much to bear.
Why does he and his novels hold such an attraction for the Japanese?
For one thing, when I read it, somehow I could see a little bit of myself in one character, living under harsh circumstances, of the novel.
Everyone could find out somethig from his life, the self-torturously life.
And, the humor of this novel might be in the contrasting characters "his delusion and weakness, and her honesty and strength. I would like to read other his books.

Trust

Today I came back to home at 7 pm.

My summer vacation was over!

Tomorrow, the new term starts.

I've done my works, making next year's teaching guidelines and purchasing books to the library and a lot of training, perfectly.

But I didn't to give myself enough time for myself.

I want to make time for myself in week day. At least, I want to keep workers hours below the full-time 12-hours-a-day level, and don't go to school on weekends, as possible.

Well, I've thought what I want to do.

1 Keep on writing blog.(I'm afraid that the next term would be more busy. )

2 Update my HP.(Some time ago, I updated my HP of the Kato's labo after a long interval. So I took a long time to remember the operating "FFTP", it's a HP software. Since now, I should do more often.)

3 Get prepared ahead of time in everything.

Anyway, I know, I have to think about myself.

Today, I've finished "rebuilding TRUST" from Harvard Business review, I got it fromJohn. It took very long time to read, because the words were so dificult for me.

My impression is that there is no wonder!

I'd really like to know why it is so difficult for people to win the confidence.

People say, "Trust! t's hard to earn and easy to lose."

Well, how should we gain people's trust?

I think,

first, it's important to believe in others no matter what happens. If you don't trust, they also don't trust you.

Second, it's important to respect others. Recently, I've realized it's not too easy to understand others. Everyone has everyone's reason. We should respect everyone's point of view.

Third, it's important to communicate to others. Many misunderstandings arise when we do not understand others and to avoid this, it is important for us to express our views and other information to others.

I'm sure thatI would get other's trust, but, I often hear that it 's difficult to see me by myself.

So I should be sorry for my actions.

Coincidently, today, the government has overturned, because of loose public confidnce.

I hope the times would change dramatically.