In early December, I traveled to Seattle, U.S.A. and interviewed Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle Mariners for "The Professionals" program produced and broadcast by NHK. With me were co-presenter of the program Miki Sumiyoshi, Chief Producer Nobuto Ariyoshi, and Directors Daisaku Kawase and Kenichiro Tsutsumida.
Ichiro is renowned for his stoic stance, meditative and restrained movements. However, the real Ichiro is something different. There is a fire within him, a raging volcano which would erupt when time comes. The superficial appearance of the quiet man is only a disguise behind which lurks a gigantic force.
That Ichiro is in fact a man full of elementary forces should come as no surprise when you consider the nature of the game of baseball. In a fast pitch by a major leaguer, the ball arrives at the home base 0.4 seconds after it is released from the thrower. You cannot afford to be just quiet and restrained to adapt to that sort of speed.
Ichiro is a vivid creature exploding with energy, and exemplifies a universal principle. In general, when there is abundance, it is possible to restrain the overflow and make a refined use. When superfluence is lacking, however, one cannot fake it, force the abundance, induce the overflow. Genius is hallmarked by excess, almost without exception. And Ichiro is no exception.
The program will be broadcast in the New Year (January 2nd 2008, 21:00 to 22:12 JST)
3 comments:
Good day, Mr. Mogi! As I have just posted a comment on your Japanese-language blog, I thought that I would give equal time to your English blog. At the outset, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed my first perusal of your English-language forum: it's easier for me, I suppose, to grasp something of your personality or character by reading your English than doing battle with your Japanese!
Anyway, I wanted to apologize for startling you (or so it seemed) at a recent and unexpected encounter on the platform at Tokyo Station (Saturday, 12/23). I came into town en route to Yokohama, where I had a jazz concert on Sunday, and I was wonderfully surprised to spy you on the platform. The timing was quite extraordinary, to me: the previous day (12/22), I read a 2007 Japan Times interview that you conducted, and I learned of your English and Japanese blogs. I was struck by some strong similarities in our respective interests (e.g., about qualia, Jung's collective unconscious, and the question of the degree to which one person can truly understand and experience another's feelings and experience of the world). I see, too, that you are a fan of Ozu's films, as am I. In any event, I simply wanted, somehow, to apologize for any intrusion the other day, as well as to let you know that I enjoy learning about your various ideas about various topics. I look forward to more "food for thought" (a great expression, don't you think?) from you...
Good day, Mr. Mogi! As I have just posted a comment on your Japanese-language blog, I thought that I would give equal time to your English blog. At the outset, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed my first perusal of your English-language forum: it's easier for me, I suppose, to grasp something of your personality or character by reading your English than doing battle with your Japanese!
Anyway, I wanted to apologize for startling you (or so it seemed) at a recent and unexpected encounter on the platform at Tokyo Station (Saturday, 12/23). I came into town en route to Yokohama, where I had a jazz concert on Sunday, and I was wonderfully surprised to spy you on the platform. The timing was quite extraordinary, to me: the previous day (12/22), I read a 2007 Japan Times interview that you conducted, and I learned of your English and Japanese blogs. I was struck by some strong similarities in our respective interests (e.g., about qualia, Jung's collective unconscious, and the question of the degree to which one person can truly understand and experience another's feelings and experience of the world). I see, too, that you are a fan of Ozu's films, as am I. In any event, I simply wanted, somehow, to apologize for any intrusion the other day, as well as to let you know that I enjoy learning about your various ideas about various topics. I look forward to more "food for thought" (a great expression, don't you think?) from you...
Hello.
It was a pleasant surprise to bump into a nice looking fellow on that fateful day on the Tokyo Station platform. I am sorry I could not exchange more words. Please visit the blog again!
Ken
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