News from the Library Committee: Year gone, year coming.
Books to read at the end of the year
~Monosus' "Reading Club" #20~

I brought along "Happiness without Possessions" by pha, formerly Japan's most famous NEET. The cover says, "I don't want to work," but the book is about how it's okay to live outside of the established values that have been established as "how things should be" in terms of work, family, money, etc.

The values of today's society are based on the society of the high economic growth period. However, since the world has changed so much, I think it's okay to live a more diverse life. Since quitting his job as a company employee, pha has not had a permanent position, but instead writes blogs and books, runs a share house, and does work for acquaintances, while continuing to live on an annual income of about 1 million yen.

I commute between the city (Tokyo) and the countryside (Wakayama), I own a shared villa for 5,000 yen a month, and when I need food for my cat, I put an order online and someone sends it over (laughs)...I live my life in connections with people.

Even though he talks about a way of life, he doesn't talk about it in a condescending way, but in a relaxed manner, which I think is really great. I don't think I could imitate that, but I think it's good to be exposed to a way of thinking that isn't bound by stereotypes.

You can survive on an annual income of 1 million yen...that's interesting.

I also like pha's books, and reading them makes me feel better. I also recommend " The Not to Do List ." It really makes me feel relaxed, like, "It's okay to do things like this!"

The book contains a table that explains "how to get through times when you're feeling down," and I found it very helpful, so I recommend it.

I often go to a bookstore ( SHIBUYA PUBLISHING & BOOKSELLERS ), and there I happened to see this book, "Diary of a Boredom in Europe." An acquaintance of mine had recommended it to me as an interesting book, so I bought it.

The author is Itami Juzo, but he's an old man... I don't actually know him that well because we're from a different generation. But the tagline for the book says, "If you read this book and smile, you're a real person, and a little strange," and I thought that was great. I wanted to be a person like that (laughs).

I've only read a few pages so far, but there are a lot of short essays. They're not related to each other, so it feels like you're snacking on the page you open to. If I'm going to read a book at the end of the year, I want to sit in a kotatsu and enjoy it casually while eating tangerines, so I thought this would be just right.

It's a collection of stories from when he stayed in Europe, and there's a unique atmosphere that's hard to describe, like the story of "on the train I got on and there was a guy with a banana stuffed in his ear." It was published about 50 years ago, so the text and illustrations have a vintage feel, but there's something good about it that doesn't change even with the times, and I think it has a nice feel to it.

I learned of his name when Gen Hoshino won the Itami Juzo Award this year. It seems to be an award given to new talents who pave the way for the times.

When I think of Itami, I think of his movies. The film "Sweet Home," which he produced, is just so scary. It was made into a Famicom game, and that was also really scary.

As an actor, you also appeared in period dramas, such as historical dramas.

People have different impressions of him... Certainly, Mr. Itami's Wikipedia page lists many titles in the occupation section (laughs). He really was a man of many talents.

I brought along the new book by Naruyoshi Kikuchi, who I introduced when I joined the reading group for the first time this year. It's a compilation of the radio show that Kikuchi has been doing for many years, and I went to the event to celebrate its release and bought it. As always, it's autographed (lol).

The show's name is " Naruyoshi Kikuchi's Stylish Night Radio ." This book contains seasons 1-5, which covers the period from April 2011 to the end of September 2013. By the way, we're currently up to season 14. The book contains all of the radio scripts, setlists, and Kikuchi's famous "prologue" for the show.

The program started right around the time of the earthquake, and the producer wrote, "I think you can get a sense of the social atmosphere at the time and Mr. Kikuchi's thoughts, so I hope you'll enjoy that too." The radio is really interesting, so I'd like to read it while replaying his unique tone in my mind.

Since it's a music program, a variety of songs are played, and the titles of all the songs are listed at the end of the book. I'm looking forward to enjoying the end of the year by slowly reading the book and looking for songs that interest me.

Was the event a public radio recording?

No, it was a talk show to celebrate the release of a new book. There was a section where he answered questions from listeners, and the venue, with about 200 people, was full.

What is the famous "prologue"?

At the beginning of the show, Kikuchi talks by himself for about 2-3 minutes. When you write it down, it's about this size (holds up the book) and it's really interesting. Please give the radio a listen!

I brought along some technical books with enthusiasm, as I wanted to read them before the end of the year. I was actually thinking of picking out something more enjoyable, but I decided to get this one first.

I learned about this book from Matsunaga-san from the Creative Department, and I often find myself thinking, "I want to do this more," or "If only I could do this..." as I work on web design on a daily basis. I've been wanting to study JavaScript and other languages, but I haven't been able to find the time, so I'm planning to concentrate on reading it during the winter break.

We don't have any production (coders) here, but web technology is constantly evolving, so people involved in production have to keep themselves up to date. There's a big difference between knowing the new content and not knowing it.

This book was revised in 2016, so I'm looking forward to it being updated with new information. What can you do with JavaScript today? I'd like to read it, try it out, and improve my skills so that I can use it in projects in the future.

Are you going home for winter break?

My parents' home is in Shiga, so I'm thinking of taking this book and my laptop with me when I go back there. I think I'll be able to concentrate and read it on the Shinkansen on the way there and back.

I'm the type of person who falls asleep while traveling, so I'm jealous (laughs).

I really want to study every day, but when I get home I'm so tired that I just go to sleep...I know I can't continue like this, so I'm going to use this opportunity to get motivated and work hard.