People’s memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive.
There has to be pain. That’s the rule.
As we go through life we gradually discover who we are, but the more we discover, the more we lose ourselves.
The better you were able to imagine what you wanted to imagine, the farther you could flee from reality.
If you do anything out of the ordinary, you can be sure someone, somewhere, will get upset.
Anyone who falls in love is searching for the missing pieces of themselves.
That’s what we all do: endlessly take the long way around.
Not to excuse myself, but when you have people right in front of you denying your very presence like that, then see if you don’t doubt whether you actually exist. I look at my hands half expecting to see clear through them.
A friend to kill time is a friend sublime.
I wonder what ants do on rainy days?
For me, writing a novel is like having a dream. Writing a novel lets me intentionally dream while I’m still awake. I can continue yesterday’s dream today, something you can’t normally do in everyday life.
My heroes don’t have anything special. They have something to tell other people but they don’t know how, so they talk to themselves.
I collect records. And cats. I don’t have any cats right now. But if I’m taking a walk and I see a cat, I’m happy.
I don’t think of myself as an artist. I’m just a guy who can write.
I like to read books. I like to listen to music.
When I start to write, I don’t have any plan at all. I just wait for the story to come.
There’s no such thing as perfect writing, just like there’s no such thing as perfect despair.
I get up early in the morning, 4 o’clock, and I sit at my desk and what I do is just dream. After three or four hours, that’s enough. In the afternoon, I run.
In Japan they prefer the realistic style. They like answers and conclusions, but my stories have none. I want to leave them wide open to every possibility. I think my readers understand that openness.
Please think of me like an endangered species and just observe me quietly from far away. If you try to talk to me or touch me casually, I may get intimidated and bite you. So please be careful.