Japan

Jiro, like Yukio Shakunaga, begins his work at “the source.” He goes to the fish market to find the best tuna; Shakunaga goes to the mountains to find the best porcelain. When they get down to work, both become one with the object they are creating. This unity with the object that they reach in a state of flow takes on special meaning in Japan,

We are now living in a society that is wealthy yet poverty-stricken. We are able to listen to large amounts of music and watch large numbers of videos. But only a small fraction of these move us.

PHILOSOPHER: At some stage in your life, you chose “being unhappy.” It is not because you were born into unhappy circumstances or ended up in an unhappy situation. It’s that you judged “being unhappy” to be good for you.

Perhaps the most astonishing lesson of World War Two is that, in the aftermath of total war and unconditional surrender, a hard reset of two very different cultures was possible. Judging from the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, it certainly seems that one can bomb ideas—by obliterating many of the people who hold them. Kill a

The two of them didn’t know it at the time, but this was the only truly complete place in the entire world. Totally isolated, yet the one place not tainted with loneliness.

• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, split


• 2 shallots, split


• 1 garlic bulb, split


• 11⁄2 cups sake


• 1⁄3 cup maple syrup


• 1⁄3 cup soy sauce


• 1 cup chicken stock


• 1 4x6inch piece of kombu


• 2 lbs skinless pork belly


• 1 Tbsp cornstarch


• 2 tsp water


• 2 tsp rice vinegar


• Sliced scallions, for serving


• Maple furikake, for