What is life?
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Description
Book Introduction
My daily life has become more cheerful after learning that I have a limited lifespan.
The "gloomy" yet "refreshing" diary of Yoko Sano, author of "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times."
Yoko Sano, the author and illustrator of the million-seller "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times," which has been consistently loved around the world for over 40 years, and the husband of Japan's national poet Shuntaro Tanikawa.
"What is Life" is a meticulous record of the author's life written from 2003 to 2008, two years before his death.
Read the artist's intimate life, written in a refreshing, novel-like style with a concise and unique style.
We take a look at the daily life of the unusual single writer, 'Grumpy Sister'.
The "gloomy" yet "refreshing" diary of Yoko Sano, author of "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times."
Yoko Sano, the author and illustrator of the million-seller "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times," which has been consistently loved around the world for over 40 years, and the husband of Japan's national poet Shuntaro Tanikawa.
"What is Life" is a meticulous record of the author's life written from 2003 to 2008, two years before his death.
Read the artist's intimate life, written in a refreshing, novel-like style with a concise and unique style.
We take a look at the daily life of the unusual single writer, 'Grumpy Sister'.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
I am that kind of person
There's a thing called momentum in cooking.
It's a good thing anyway
Ah, I don't want to work
The most ill-tempered person in the world
I don't need anything special
No one taught me
Is it okay? It costs money.
The life of a living human being is difficult.
The Last Female Samurai
Yoko is doing it again
A truly outrageous guy
Who are you!
Old Man's Report
Discovering Life
Commentary by Junko Sakai
Translator's Note
There's a thing called momentum in cooking.
It's a good thing anyway
Ah, I don't want to work
The most ill-tempered person in the world
I don't need anything special
No one taught me
Is it okay? It costs money.
The life of a living human being is difficult.
The Last Female Samurai
Yoko is doing it again
A truly outrageous guy
Who are you!
Old Man's Report
Discovering Life
Commentary by Junko Sakai
Translator's Note
Detailed image
Into the book
I woke up at 6:30.
I can't believe there are people who wake up as soon as they open their eyes.
What on earth are you doing when you wake up?
--- p.11
Our generation, living in the first long-lived society in history, has no role models for life.
You have to fumble around in the dark and figure out how to eat breakfast on your own.
Each person must find their own way.
--- p.14
I realized that there are both generous and humble dishes in the world.
There are people who cook food that tastes lumpy and lumpy even when they measure it out precisely with a measuring spoon.
Some people make dishes that look good on the outside but lack depth in taste.
I don't even know what kind of food I'm making.
The gap between my good and bad cooking is so large that even I have put food I made in my mouth and then spit it out, so my unstable personality may be reflected in my cooking.
--- pp.18-19
I remember watching a cooking show a while back, and I forgot which show it was because there were so many of them, but I remember making a dish that made me want to throw up.
It was a dish called Mackerel Orange Juice Nutrition Rice.
Instead of water, pour orange juice from a square paper pack, add a mackerel, and turn on the electric rice cooker.
Spread the mackerel meat on top of the finished orange rice and mix.
I can't even imagine the taste.
I feel sick to my stomach.
Oh, I feel nauseous.
That's when I decided.
Let's go eat some food to see how horrible it is.
--- p.31
There are too many good things for me, but there are too many bad things for Sasako.
--- p.45
As a child, I realized then that humor was hidden in the most miserable things.
--- p.51
Whenever I go to a public institution, I always get into a fight.
No, they start by entering the public institution with an attitude of causing trouble.
--- p.80
A murderer is not necessarily a bad person.
There are also evil people who incite people to kill.
Those guys should be grateful that it ended up being just a 10-yen tin can.
--- p.96
I tend to think that what lies an inch ahead is darkness.
I am an impatient person who does not want to leave any regrets as much as possible, worried that an earthquake might occur right now.
--- p.96
Cancer is a good disease.
People who come to visit the patient with pale faces buy things like melons.
I am a chimney again.
Everyone frowns and says, “Yoko-san…” in shock.
Even the biggest smoker quits smoking if he gets cancer.
Huh, is life that precious?
--- p.113
Ah, you did well too.
With this body temperature, with these bones, with this skin.
People are lovable and missed beings.
--- p.193
People are helpless.
And everyone is living as they please.
--- p.212
I wonder how that woman, who used to flirt whenever a man was around in her youth, is doing now that she's a grandmother.
Should I still flirt and reveal the man?
If so, I want to see it with these eyes.
I can't believe there are people who wake up as soon as they open their eyes.
What on earth are you doing when you wake up?
--- p.11
Our generation, living in the first long-lived society in history, has no role models for life.
You have to fumble around in the dark and figure out how to eat breakfast on your own.
Each person must find their own way.
--- p.14
I realized that there are both generous and humble dishes in the world.
There are people who cook food that tastes lumpy and lumpy even when they measure it out precisely with a measuring spoon.
Some people make dishes that look good on the outside but lack depth in taste.
I don't even know what kind of food I'm making.
The gap between my good and bad cooking is so large that even I have put food I made in my mouth and then spit it out, so my unstable personality may be reflected in my cooking.
--- pp.18-19
I remember watching a cooking show a while back, and I forgot which show it was because there were so many of them, but I remember making a dish that made me want to throw up.
It was a dish called Mackerel Orange Juice Nutrition Rice.
Instead of water, pour orange juice from a square paper pack, add a mackerel, and turn on the electric rice cooker.
Spread the mackerel meat on top of the finished orange rice and mix.
I can't even imagine the taste.
I feel sick to my stomach.
Oh, I feel nauseous.
That's when I decided.
Let's go eat some food to see how horrible it is.
--- p.31
There are too many good things for me, but there are too many bad things for Sasako.
--- p.45
As a child, I realized then that humor was hidden in the most miserable things.
--- p.51
Whenever I go to a public institution, I always get into a fight.
No, they start by entering the public institution with an attitude of causing trouble.
--- p.80
A murderer is not necessarily a bad person.
There are also evil people who incite people to kill.
Those guys should be grateful that it ended up being just a 10-yen tin can.
--- p.96
I tend to think that what lies an inch ahead is darkness.
I am an impatient person who does not want to leave any regrets as much as possible, worried that an earthquake might occur right now.
--- p.96
Cancer is a good disease.
People who come to visit the patient with pale faces buy things like melons.
I am a chimney again.
Everyone frowns and says, “Yoko-san…” in shock.
Even the biggest smoker quits smoking if he gets cancer.
Huh, is life that precious?
--- p.113
Ah, you did well too.
With this body temperature, with these bones, with this skin.
People are lovable and missed beings.
--- p.193
People are helpless.
And everyone is living as they please.
--- p.212
I wonder how that woman, who used to flirt whenever a man was around in her youth, is doing now that she's a grandmother.
Should I still flirt and reveal the man?
If so, I want to see it with these eyes.
--- p.231
Publisher's Review
A bizarre yet funny, poignant yet powerful piece of writing.
The incredibly 'negative' daily philosophy of a truly wonderful artist
"What is Life" is not a book that makes people anxious with beautifully decorated words such as "We should live positively and energetically," but rather a book that makes you think, "Let's just cook and eat."
It is also a book that reminds us that if we live, we will die someday.
When the tough individual lives, the lives where brilliance and ecstasy rarely come, feel burdensome, recalling her unhesitating prose can provide a small comfort.
I really don't understand how people feel when they wake up refreshed in the morning.
(Page 27)
Old people are aggressive and always low-key.
(Page 81)
Personality is a disease.
(Page 88)
Oh, the Earth is going to hell.
(Page 196)
Does everyone change like this when they get old?
No one taught me.
(Page 110)
I'm happy, sometimes falling head over heels in love with a man in a small corner of my house, sometimes getting mad as hell.
(Page 196)
People are helpless.
And everyone is living as they please.
(Page 212)
If you look around while riding the subway, you will always see an old man standing in front of a young and pretty woman.
(Page 230)
Cancer is a really good disease.
Because when the time comes, you die.
There are many diseases that are much more difficult.
(Page 240)
In "What is Life?", one-liners of life quotes that you'd want to stick on your bathroom wall are found everywhere.
Yoko Sano boasts a multi-layered charm that is both unpleasant and cheerful, gloomy and refreshing.
She speaks with a sharp tongue, both about the human species in a narrow sense and the world in a broad sense.
The author proves through words and actions that 'life is not as clean as we think', giving pleasure to the reader.
Unlike 'positive' people who try to look only forward because they don't want to see the shameful past or the dark and bad parts of their personality, Yoko Sano has the strength to look behind her.
He looks down at his own bottom and questions himself 'definitely' before suddenly getting angry.
Then I cook and eat, take a bath, go to bed, and wake up again.
Yoko Sano complains of a deteriorating physical and mental state throughout the book, with her forgetfulness worsening, self-loathing, and even cancer.
So to speak, it is a very negative diary.
But, readers who close the last chapter will be depressed, but no.
The thrill of “riding a tattered jaguar and powerfully moving backwards” (covered in crow droppings as soon as you buy it) will remain.
They are all really great.
I felt depressed while reading on such a sunny day.
Why do I feel so down when I read stories about great people?
I was tired of being depressed, so I went to the bathroom to pee.
I have a really long stream of urine that just won't stop.
It keeps coming out, trickle trickle trickle.
I thought it was over, so I put strength into my stomach, but it started to gurgle again.
It's fortunate that urine is coming out, even if it's just a trickle.
I want to see how much comes out at a time.
-Page 61
The Mind of a Chic, Solo Senior Writer
Moments when she can't help but feel warm
Cancer is a good disease.
People who come to visit the patient with pale faces buy things like melons.
I am a chimney again.
Everyone frowns and says, “Yoko-san…” in shock.
Even the biggest smoker quits smoking if he gets cancer.
Huh, is life really that precious? - Page 113
I have no obligations right now.
My son is all grown up and my mother died two years ago.
I don't like my work so much that I can't die because I have something I really want to do.
When I was told I had two years left, the depression that had plagued me for over a decade almost disappeared.
Humans are amazing.
Life suddenly became so fulfilling.
Every day is so enjoyable I can't stand it.
Knowing that we will die is tantamount to gaining freedom. - p. 243
Sasako, who seems to have nothing good in her, Nonoko, a disabled person with a temper, the gentle stubborn Pepeo, the editor who is completely obsessed with Yonsama and accompanied him to Namiseom, Totoko, a diligent drunkard, Mr. Single-Bungle, who looks like a walking corpse blowing away in the wind, a stubborn younger brother who is steadfast in his weakness, an alien angel mother with dementia, and Momo, the last female samurai…
Sano Yoko introduces each and every one of the friends who have 'left behind' her in her picky surroundings.
While living by the motto of “not sparing money or life,” he looked at Mr. Single-Bingle, who told him to go first and clear the ground, and said, “I hope that my close friend whom I like never dies.
“Death has meaning when it comes to others, not me,” he said. “That’s when I lose the confidence to die, and that’s when it becomes difficult.”
The cynical and sarcastic words of the so-called cynic Yoko Sano do not feel cold, perhaps because they are imbued with an inevitable warmth.
My friends hang out with me like this.
Everyone tolerates me and gets along with me.
Everyone must be thinking to themselves, "Oh, there she is again, Yoko is doing it again."
Whenever someone expresses an opinion, I inevitably fly away in the opposite direction.
Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone has ever spoken more passionately than that.
That must be the attitude of an adult.
Am I not an adult yet?
I feel like I've been making the same mistakes my whole life.
I realized.
The fact that it is more difficult to get along with oneself than to get along with people.
I wasn't on good terms with myself.
That too for 60 years.
I want to be the first to break up with myself.
Ah, this is mental illness. - Page 186
The incredibly 'negative' daily philosophy of a truly wonderful artist
"What is Life" is not a book that makes people anxious with beautifully decorated words such as "We should live positively and energetically," but rather a book that makes you think, "Let's just cook and eat."
It is also a book that reminds us that if we live, we will die someday.
When the tough individual lives, the lives where brilliance and ecstasy rarely come, feel burdensome, recalling her unhesitating prose can provide a small comfort.
I really don't understand how people feel when they wake up refreshed in the morning.
(Page 27)
Old people are aggressive and always low-key.
(Page 81)
Personality is a disease.
(Page 88)
Oh, the Earth is going to hell.
(Page 196)
Does everyone change like this when they get old?
No one taught me.
(Page 110)
I'm happy, sometimes falling head over heels in love with a man in a small corner of my house, sometimes getting mad as hell.
(Page 196)
People are helpless.
And everyone is living as they please.
(Page 212)
If you look around while riding the subway, you will always see an old man standing in front of a young and pretty woman.
(Page 230)
Cancer is a really good disease.
Because when the time comes, you die.
There are many diseases that are much more difficult.
(Page 240)
In "What is Life?", one-liners of life quotes that you'd want to stick on your bathroom wall are found everywhere.
Yoko Sano boasts a multi-layered charm that is both unpleasant and cheerful, gloomy and refreshing.
She speaks with a sharp tongue, both about the human species in a narrow sense and the world in a broad sense.
The author proves through words and actions that 'life is not as clean as we think', giving pleasure to the reader.
Unlike 'positive' people who try to look only forward because they don't want to see the shameful past or the dark and bad parts of their personality, Yoko Sano has the strength to look behind her.
He looks down at his own bottom and questions himself 'definitely' before suddenly getting angry.
Then I cook and eat, take a bath, go to bed, and wake up again.
Yoko Sano complains of a deteriorating physical and mental state throughout the book, with her forgetfulness worsening, self-loathing, and even cancer.
So to speak, it is a very negative diary.
But, readers who close the last chapter will be depressed, but no.
The thrill of “riding a tattered jaguar and powerfully moving backwards” (covered in crow droppings as soon as you buy it) will remain.
They are all really great.
I felt depressed while reading on such a sunny day.
Why do I feel so down when I read stories about great people?
I was tired of being depressed, so I went to the bathroom to pee.
I have a really long stream of urine that just won't stop.
It keeps coming out, trickle trickle trickle.
I thought it was over, so I put strength into my stomach, but it started to gurgle again.
It's fortunate that urine is coming out, even if it's just a trickle.
I want to see how much comes out at a time.
-Page 61
The Mind of a Chic, Solo Senior Writer
Moments when she can't help but feel warm
Cancer is a good disease.
People who come to visit the patient with pale faces buy things like melons.
I am a chimney again.
Everyone frowns and says, “Yoko-san…” in shock.
Even the biggest smoker quits smoking if he gets cancer.
Huh, is life really that precious? - Page 113
I have no obligations right now.
My son is all grown up and my mother died two years ago.
I don't like my work so much that I can't die because I have something I really want to do.
When I was told I had two years left, the depression that had plagued me for over a decade almost disappeared.
Humans are amazing.
Life suddenly became so fulfilling.
Every day is so enjoyable I can't stand it.
Knowing that we will die is tantamount to gaining freedom. - p. 243
Sasako, who seems to have nothing good in her, Nonoko, a disabled person with a temper, the gentle stubborn Pepeo, the editor who is completely obsessed with Yonsama and accompanied him to Namiseom, Totoko, a diligent drunkard, Mr. Single-Bungle, who looks like a walking corpse blowing away in the wind, a stubborn younger brother who is steadfast in his weakness, an alien angel mother with dementia, and Momo, the last female samurai…
Sano Yoko introduces each and every one of the friends who have 'left behind' her in her picky surroundings.
While living by the motto of “not sparing money or life,” he looked at Mr. Single-Bingle, who told him to go first and clear the ground, and said, “I hope that my close friend whom I like never dies.
“Death has meaning when it comes to others, not me,” he said. “That’s when I lose the confidence to die, and that’s when it becomes difficult.”
The cynical and sarcastic words of the so-called cynic Yoko Sano do not feel cold, perhaps because they are imbued with an inevitable warmth.
My friends hang out with me like this.
Everyone tolerates me and gets along with me.
Everyone must be thinking to themselves, "Oh, there she is again, Yoko is doing it again."
Whenever someone expresses an opinion, I inevitably fly away in the opposite direction.
Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone has ever spoken more passionately than that.
That must be the attitude of an adult.
Am I not an adult yet?
I feel like I've been making the same mistakes my whole life.
I realized.
The fact that it is more difficult to get along with oneself than to get along with people.
I wasn't on good terms with myself.
That too for 60 years.
I want to be the first to break up with myself.
Ah, this is mental illness. - Page 186
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: July 15, 2015
- Page count, weight, size: 256 pages | 288g | 128*190*20mm
- ISBN13: 9788960902299
- ISBN10: 8960902292
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