Reflections on UFOs -Afternoon on the Islands of Langerhans-　Haruki Murakami

   I wasn't impressed by Spielberg's film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" from 1958, but it's not because the film was poorly made. It's simply because I have no interest in UFOs. I think the movie was relatively entertaining as a film. However, it's difficult to force interest in something you're not interested in. I dislike gyoza (dumplings), for example, so if there were a movie where gyoza was the main character, I would find it quite unpleasant to watch. It may be selfish, but that's how society works. Of course, in the case of UFOs, it's not that I dislike them like gyoza. I repeat, I just have no interest. I don't necessarily disbelieve in the existence of UFOs, but I don't believe in them either. If someone says they exist, I think, "Hmm, maybe," and if someone says they don't, I think, "Hmm, maybe not." I'm just indifferent. I have a few acquaintances who claim to have seen UFOs. When I hear such stories, all I can say is, "Oh, really." However, when I respond that way, most of the time the person gets angry and assumes I don't believe them. It's not that I don't believe in the existence of UFOs, I just find it troublesome to be forced into a clear-cut choice regarding something I'm not interested in. But explaining that is difficult for others to understand. It's troublesome. The other day, a girl said something along the lines of, "Haluki, you're no good because you can't even see UFOs." Well, if you put it that way, maybe there's some truth to it. As a novelist, maybe I should see at least one UFO. It seems like it would add to my artistic repertoire to have experienced something like a UFO or a ghost. It could become a topic of conversation at bars. Well, I thought about various things, and I wonder if it would be convenient to define someone who has seen UFOs or ghosts as an "artist," and someone like a novelist who hasn't had such experiences as an "artistic practitioner." Then, when someone brings up the topic of UFOs, I could politely decline with a cheerful, "Oh, I'm a novelist, not an artist, so I can't talk about UFOs. Sorry." The other person would probably think, "Oh, this person is an artistic practitioner, so it's pointless to discuss such things." It would be a harmonious and happy ending for everyone.