正文
书
中
记载
的
这
些人物的生活和我
们
的关系，并指出他
们
的生活，
对
于我
们这
些居住在西方的人来
说
，能有什么
样
的教育意
义
。
对
于那些
处
在“表面
环
保”的
资
本主
义环
境下，渴望新生生活存在真
实证
据的人来
说
，
这
也无疑是一
场
盛宴。
Interspersed with insightful and vivid anecdotes describing the homes, interview settings and relationships with the author, every chapter reveals a narrative of each person’s history, philosophy, spiritual beliefs and current way of life. Couturier gives a lucid voice to these ten Japanese lives, representative of not only modern Japanese counter-culture, but more broadly of an emerging global response in both hemispheres to the multi-tasking material madness of mainstream consumer culture. As each story unfolds he probes with humility, gentility, and sensitivity into each individual’s thoughts on the very fundamentals of human life: time, money, work, art, music, food and family. But this is no change-out-your-light bulb kind of pseudo Eco-spiritual fluff.Couturier has crafted a philosophical opus, an essential read for the everyday person seeking an authentic, sustainable and creative life.
书
中的每一个章
节对
每个人与作者的关系，各自的家庭和
见
面的地点都有
详细
的描述，无不反映出每个人独特的身世，生活哲学，精神信仰以及
现
有的生活方式。Courturier也少不了在
书
中穿插各种意
义
深
远
和新
鲜
有趣的奇
闻轶
事。
这
10个日本人的生活不
仅
代表了当今日本 “反主流文化”
长远来看更是全世界对于当今主流消费文化带来的多方面物质主义疯狂所逐渐传达的迫切响应
。当叙述每一个故事
时
，Couturier都会
谦逊
、柔和、敏感地从生活最根本的
东
西来玩味每个人
对
如金
钱
，
时间
，工作，
艺术
，音
乐
，食物，以及家庭的看法，从而探
查
他
们
具有的精神品
质
，不
过这
可不是什么“
换
灯泡” 式的“
伪
生
态
精神”行
为
。Couturier通
过这
种方式撰写了
这
部哲学必修
书
，
给
那些想要追求本真、可持
续
和
创
意生活的人。
Through intriguing chapter titles choice, Couturier introduces the interviewees by
communicating a
respect for the true complexity and diversity of each person. The
reader meets
Wakako Oe, organic farming mentor, puppet carver, intuitive painter
, botanic
sculptor
and
calligrapher. The author also introduces us to San Oizumi
, potter
, anti-nuclear organizer, anarchist
, community
educator,
and
father. Each story has inherent appeal purely based
on the unique methods
each person uses to create their home and provide for their
material needs
in rural Japan. We learn how Osamu Nakamura collects his own firewood, stacks it
with artistic care and
lives and cooks by the heat of the traditional Japanese irori hearth.
We discover
how
Koichi Yamashita
grows all his own rice, wheat, millet
and
vegetables with hand
tools and
a
wooden water wheel
. We follow Gufu Watanabe through his forest garden of rare
edible herbs
and trees as he gathers ingredients for dinner along the way. However,
the real
juice of this book comes from the startling new perspectives and
values infused
throughout each person’s lived story: “Don’t spend. Do. Not. Spend.
”“
Convenience just speeds you up.” “Satisfaction is happiness.” “Going
over here
, going over there. Tiring! Better to just laze around the house.”
These are
certainly not the axioms I was spoon-fed growing up in the States!
形式各异，新
颖
有趣的
标题选择
，无不
传
达着Couturier
对
于受
访
者各自生活的复
杂
性和多
样
性的尊敬。
读
者
们
会遇
见
WakakoOe一位有机
农场导师
，木偶雕刻
师
，直
