My trivial thinking

You recently watched the film Iris on TV and found it fascinating. The movie portrays the later life of Iris Murdoch —the Irish‑born novelist and philosopher—focusing especially on her struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. It is based on the memoir written by her husband, John Bayley. Under the Net is Murdoch’s first novel. Its protagonist, Jake , is a writer who has produced very little original work and makes his living translating French novels. When his girlfriend decides to get married, Jake and his companion Finn—who is almost like Jake’s shadow—are thrown out of her house. Penniless and effectively homeless, Jake begins wandering through London in search of a place to stay. He visits old friends, but nothing goes well. Years earlier, Jake had published The Silencer , a philosophical dialogue based on conversations with Hugo , without telling him. Feeling guilty, he broke off their friendship. Now Hugo has become a wealthy and celebrated filmmaker. Jake sets out to find him, trav...

Saturday is Ian McEwan’s masterpiece, published in 2005. On one Saturday in February 2003, the protagonist, Henry Perowne—an accomplished neurosurgeon—wakes uneasily at four in the morning and sees a plane trailing fire as it approaches Heathrow. This opening scene foreshadows the unsettling day ahead. A massive anti–Iraq War demonstration is taking place that day. Trying to avoid the crowds, Perowne gets into a minor traffic accident with three thugs. He notices that Baxter, their leader, shows symptoms of Huntington’s disease, and he uses that knowledge to escape the situation. In doing so, he wounds Baxter’s pride. After playing squash with a colleague and visiting his demented mother, Perowne shops for dinner and returns home. His daughter Daisy argues with him about the Iraq War—she opposes it, while he opposes Saddam’s regime. Later, his father‑in‑law arrives for a family gathering, and soon after, Perowne’s son and wife come home. At that very moment, Baxter breaks into the ho...

I met my elder daughter’s boyfriend a year ago. At that time, they told me they wanted to have an overseas wedding, just the two of them. I told them that was perfectly fine. I didn’t ask him what he did for a living or what kind of education he had. After all, he is the one my daughter will marry, not me. I believe marriage is a personal matter, not something for the family or parents to decide. Since then, we’ve been calling him Ken‑chan . Ken‑chan may not know St. Augustine or Spinoza. He may not have read The Tale of the Heike or Natsume Soseki. But he is a good person, and I like him.   We drove together to Kansai International Airport in my car. Yumi, my younger daughter, arrived just in time. Tonight, the two of them departed for London for their wedding and honeymoon.

Katsura Imperial Villa was first constructed in 1615 by Prince Toshihito of the Hachijō family. He built the Koshōin, and later his son, Prince Toshitada, continued the project by adding the Chūshōin, Shingoten, Gepparō, Shōkintei, Shōkatei, and Shōiken. There is no definitive evidence that Kobori Enshū (1579–1647) was directly involved in designing the garden, though he is believed to have offered advice to the Hachijō family. The villa as we see it today was completed in 1662. Cycad at Sotokoshikake   Sotokoshikake is a small waiting hut where guests once sat while the host prepared tea. Cycads were planted here, creating a distinctive atmosphere. It may be a matter of taste, but this spot feels like a unique microcosm unlike any other place in the villa. Suhama / Sea and a lighthouse   After passing Sotokoshikake, we walked along the edge of the pond and arrived at Shōkintei, the most important tea hut in the villa. The blue‑and‑white checkered sliding doors ( fu...