I re-read this book and I enjoyed the re-reading more than reading a new book. Maybe I am getting old. Today I saw the Japanese Ringu movie from 1998, and thought more about how Japanese are different from westerners. The western "The Ring" movie is scarier than the Japanese original, but only because it uses cheap jumpscare tactics and soundtrack that gets on your nerves. The Japanese original makes much more sense, the story is consequential and relevant and the sequence of events is logical, unlike the American copy, however it is not as scary.
Mr. Nakata is everyone's grandfather we all wished we had. Complete goodness and non-nastiness, which is an achievement supreme in today's world of vicious personal interest and disregard for anyone else. The treatment that Mr.Nakata received from his brothers and especially from his first cousin who stole all his life savings after getting in trouble with the Yakuza is the testament to the garbage that modern people have become, refusing to take personal responsibility for their actions and always looking to screw over someone more vulnerable in order to save their own shitty skin.
We live in a world of garbage humans. These garbage humans are always on the lookout to swindle and defraud someone naive enough to trust them. They are like the slimy snake-like monster that comes out of Mr. Nakata's dead mouth, trying to escape. Mr. Hoshino showed us how to deal with these slimy, disgusting monsters.
There's no one in the entire Japanese history that could bring the Japanese spirit and soul so available and consumable by western readers. While other Japanese authors pretty much require you to do an extensive study of Japan in order to even start understanding their works - Murakami does western metaphors and connections with the ease of someone who lives in both worlds and understand both intimately. Not only the references to Jazz and other western music, but even books, classical music and other parallels help the well-read and well-rounded western reader understand the Japanese folklore, mythology, demonology and connection with life and death. Nobody else has ever come even close.
