“ Often I'll go outside and just place my hands on the soil, even if there's no work to do on it. When I am filled with worries, I do that and I can feel the energy of the mountains and of the trees. Andy Couturier
“ When someone who's starved of love is shown something that looks like sincere affection, is it any wonder that she jumps at it and clings to it? Sayo Masuda
“ I wonder how Japan's futuristic robot doctors will treat the worst and most widespread disease humanity already has - artificially lowered IQ. Making people stupider makes them buy more stuff – so “Ho… Will Advise
“ At this point I came across one of the vending machines that only Japan has. I have to admit that I love the whimsical items sold in such appliances, like all sorts of junk food, beer cans, whisky bot… Andrew James Pritchard
“ When he appeared before the lord, his lordship was smitten immediately with the boy's unadorned beauty, like a first glimpse of the moon rising above a distant mountain. The boy's hair gleamed like th… Saikaku Ihara
“ Great robber though he was, Kandata could only trash about like a dying frog as he choked on the blood of the pond. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
“ Directly beneath the Lotus Pond of Paradise lay the lower depths of Hell, and as He peered through the crystalline waters, He could see the River of Three Crossings and the Mountain of Needles as clea… Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
“ As you can imagine, those who had fallen this far had been so worn down by their tortures in the seven other hells that they no longer had the strength to cry out. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
“ It would seem that the more irresponsible and crafty one is, the more likely one is to have a talent for storytelling. Osamu Dazai
“ I loved the quiet places in Kyoto, the places that held the world within a windless moment. Inside the temples, Nature held her breath. All longing was put to sleep in the stillness, and all was disti… Pico Iyer
“ Young Bride had a scratch on her neck from the knife, but no other external injuries. It seemed she was killed by the shock the drunks gave her.After sixty-odd years, reliving the trauma of that fatef… Susumu Katsumata
“ Cassiopeia? She was a queen long ago, in a different part of the world. The stories say she was very beautiful, but very proud. Too proud. She smack-talked some goddesses and got herself stuck up ther… Ryan Graudin
“ Kids with roofs and hot food have better things to do than play survival of the thuggiest. Ryan Graudin
“ Cultures that do not wish to exist cannot be dissuaded from destroying themselves. David P. Goldman
“ Integrating the beauty of seasonal change into the residence was a concept that remains true even today even in the more cramped, inner city machiya. Judith Clancy
“ If God's love encompasses the whole world and if everyone who does not believe in him will perish, then surely this question needs to be asked: When, after two thousand years, does God's plan kick in… Charles Templeton
