th.IcouldnotthinkaboutanythingelseevenifItried.Butasaresult,thatkindofhardlabornourishedmemost.Laborwasthebestteachertomeandmy"trueuy."

    Forinstance,managingabar,Ihavealotoferseveryday,andnoteverybodynecessarilylikesmyplaoreaccurately,justafewofthemdo.Butstraosay,youmaocarryonyourbusinessifowoersoutoftenreallylikeyourpladiftheywishto"dropbythisbaragain."Sometimesyouhaveabetterresultwhenonlyafewoutoftenreallyloveyourplaceratherthanwhe,oromersmerelyfeelthat"itisnotbad."Thislessoncamehometome,whileIwasrunningmybar,throughthepainsasiftohaveallthebonesinmybodycrushed.Evenwhenmanypeoplespeakharshlyaboutmybook,Ibelieve,firmlyandinthedailysensebrewedthroughmyownexperiehatitdoesntmattersolongasowoofthemintuitivelyuandwhatIwanttoexpress.Itbecameaninvaluablelessohouttheseexperiemighthavebeenmuchharderformetoliveasaandsomemaliciousentsonmybookmighthavedisturbedmyownpace.WhenItalkedaboutthesethingswithRyuMurakami(oheporarywritersinJapan;hisnovel"AlmostTransparentBlue"in1976wonthecovetedAkutagawaAwardandtheGunzouAwardforNewWriters),heressedandexclaimedthat"Youarereallygreat,Haruki.Illgetmadbynotbeingpraisedbyallofthetencritics."Buthisent,orary,impressesmebecauseitcertainlysoundslikehimself.

    ThoughIhavenoideaofboastingofmyself-itisntevenworthboastingof,Imnotapersontothinkbyusingmybrain,butratherapersontodosobyactuallymovingmybody.Iamapersonwholearnorwriteonlythroughthebody.ThatisbecauseIusedtomakemylivingbymakinguseofmybodyfrtil