Tag: Japan

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Sunday Supplement #5 (June 13th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain.”

– Brianna Wiest

Book of the Week:

Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami

I’ve read eleven Murakami books. His prose always reads like stepping into a dream. Many of his stories have otherworldly elements, but they keep the reader grounded in a setting that feels familiar. It is as if he writes about a place that is around the corner, just out of sight, waiting for you to come and see.

Norwegian Wood is one of Murakami’s more straightforward novels. It follows Toru Watanabe as he reflects on his college days in 1960s Tokyo— a time marked by political and cultural upheaval. The narrative picks up after the death of Toru’s best friend, Kizuki. It explores Toru’s relationship with Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko, and how they cope after Kizuki’s death. Even though they take different paths, they are still connected by the past.

The backstory of how Murakami became a writer is as wondrous as his books. He married while in university and worked multiple jobs with his wife to make enough money to open a jazz café. After years of hard work -finding solace in music and books- Murakami went to a baseball game that changed his life. At the crack of a base-hit late in the game, the idea came to Murakami that he could write a novel. Over the next six months, he hand-wrote Hear the Wind Sing, his first novel. The first draft was understandably bad, but Murakami pursued the next draft in an intriguing way. He wrote it in English, then translated it back to Japanese. This allowed for Murakami to write in a much simpler style, differing from the literary language used by most Japanese writers at the time. 

When Murakami finished writing Hear the Wind Sing, he sent it off to the literary journal Gunzo. He didn’t realize he sent his only copy. A year later, Murakami received a call that his book had been shortlisted for their new writer’s prize. He has written fourteen novels and six short story collections to date. All but one short story collection is translated into English.

Norwegian Wood is one of the best novels to start with for readers new to Murakami. It is one of his shorter works and doesn’t have as many mystical elements that might distract some new readers. There is some graphic content in the book, and it splits opinion among his ardent fans, but I think it’s worth the look.

Let me know what you think!

*The backstory on how Murakami became a writer is from his introduction to Hear the Wind Sing

Movie of the Week:

October Sky

October Sky is based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son from a small town in West Virginia. Homer was inspired by the first Sputnik launch and began to learn about and experiment with rocketry. His endeavors were ridiculed by most of the town and severely discouraged by his father. Despite the negativity, and with the help of a few supporters, Homer and his friends reached far beyond the small coal-mining town they were born to.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside veteran actors Chris Cooper and Laura Dern. His performance showcased his talent and ability as an actor even at a young age. It’s not too surprising that he would shine in front of a camera, though, given that his father Stephen is an Emmy-nominated director and his mother Naomi Former is an Oscar-nominated writer. Despite being around the entertainment industry, his parents wanted Jake to grow up outside of the Hollywood bubble. They kept Jake grounded and didn’t let him take many roles early on. October Sky was the first leading role his parents OK’d and was filmed when he was 17.

The movie came out in 1999, an excellent year for television and film. Debut seasons for The West Wing and The Sopranos, and release dates for The Matrix, Fight Club, and The Green Mile are just some of the famous milestones from Hollywood that year. Unfortunately, October Sky isn’t often remembered when recounting films from that time. 

Even though it didn’t make waves at the box office or in the press, the movie performed well with critics and audiences— a 91% critics rating and a 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes support that statement. It is an excellent feel-good film and one you should check out if you’re looking for an uplifting watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

Tim Ferriss’s interview with Robert Rodriguez on his podcast The Tim Ferriss Show. 

Rodriguez is a director, writer, producer, editor, composer… the list goes on. He is mainly known for his movies: Desperado, The Spy Kids franchise, Sin City, and Machete. 

This interview is one of my favorite episodes so far on The Tim Ferriss Show. Tim’s prep work shows in the questions he asks and allows Rodriguez to cover a lot of his life story. His accomplishments in film are immense, and there are many tidbits in the interview that I picked up and incorporated into my own routines.

In part of the episode, Rodriguez delves into the making of his first movie— told in full in his book Rebel Without a Crew. While he was on break in film school, he raised $7,000 (partly by volunteering for a clinical pharmaceutical research trial) and wrote a feature-length screenplay. He then went to Mexico and virtually as a one-man crew shot the entire film with some help from friends and their connections. Rodriguez then did all of the post-production and drove to Hollywood to shop the finished product around. The result was a deal with Columbia Pictures and a spot at Sundance.

The episode also delves into other areas of Rodriguez’s career since his breakthrough and what he’s learned from the journey. There are some cool stories with name-drops like Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino sprinkled throughout. It’s an exciting listen and one you will surely gain something from.

Closing Prayer/Passage:

Romans 12:2 — Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The passage from Romans above reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend in college. My friend told me a Nigerian saying that I will never forget. Roughly translated, it means— “Only dead people cannot learn. If you are not continually learning, you are equivalent to a dead person.”

It’s a heavy reminder of what it means to believe we know everything. 

But to approach it from a positive place, I look at the Romans 12:2 passage and set the goal to keep growing and learning, to keep striving to be a better person each day.

Have a blessed week ahead, and I hope you learn something new!