Abstract

“In the city, we have the freedom to eat ramen and die, and the space to meditate.”
Ramen is a gateway to the animal world—a direct communication with objects that exist solely to satisfy desire. Meditation, on the other hand, is a gateway to the divine—a sacred time to sharpen the mind and update one’s perception on an abstract level. By traveling back and forth between these two worlds, we transcend the human condition.

This book records twelve episodes of eating and reflection at the author’s favorite dining spots: Ramen Fujimaru, Shinpachi Shokudo, PARIYA AOYAMA, Musashino Abura-Gakkai, Ofunaken, CHATTY CHATTY, Hama Sushi, Himawari, Tonta, Matsuishi, Nogata Hope, and more.

By turns humorous, thought-provoking, and appetite-inducing, this book reads like a novel, feels like an essay, and cuts like criticism. Genre-bending reflection.

Author’s Information

Tsunehiro Uno is a critic born in 1978. He is the editor-in-chief of the critical magazine PLANETS. His books include "The Imagination of the Zero Years" (Hayakawa Publishing), "The Age of Little People" (Gentosha), "The Dystopia of Motherhood" (Shueisha), "The Slow Internet" (Gentosha), "I Don't Work on Wednesdays" (Homesha), "The Adventures of Team Alternative" (Homesha), and "Stories of the Garden" (Kodansha). He is a visiting professor at Meiji University.