The Beauty and Conflict of 'Living in the Now' — Watching the Movie 'Perfect Days'

Wim Wenders' film 'Perfect Days' is a work that quietly appeals to the viewer's sensibilities, thanks in part to its sparse dialogue.

In that silence, I felt that how one perceives the protagonist Hirayama's way of life reflects the viewer's own philosophy of life.

A man who 'chose' the job of cleaning toilets

The protagonist, Hirayama, lives in a downtown area of Tokyo and works cleaning public toilets in Shibuya.
At first glance, it is a job often seen as humble and of low social status, but it becomes clear midway through the story that he chose this work of his own volition.

Born into a wealthy family, he has let go of a life of economic comfort to choose his current existence.
His family does not understand this way of life, and his sister clearly expresses her opposition.

Amidst this, he follows the value of living in 'this very moment,' choosing his daily life with a quiet resolve.
In this choice, I felt an inner will and sincerity that went beyond mere escapism or rebellion.

'Now is now' — The philosophy embedded in his dialogue with his niece

In the story, Hirayama tells his niece, 'Next time is next time, now is now.'
These words succinctly express Hirayama's way of life.

His stance of focusing on 'this very moment'—neither the past nor the future—is reflected in his small routines: waking up naturally to the sound of street cleaning, his daily habit of photographing the morning light and sunlight filtering through the trees with a film camera, and enjoying books, music, and meals with drinks at his regular spots after work.

His demeanor is like that of a monk trying to unify his spirit in the 'now,' quietly asking us, who live in the hustle and bustle of the modern world, 'What is truly rich?'

Even so, there is conflict

Even in Hirayama's seemingly perfect life, there is emotional turbulence.

When a colleague suddenly quits and the work is pushed onto him, he raises his voice, saying, 'That's impossible! Just send anyone!'
This is not just simple irritation.
For him, as he tries to protect his life's rhythm, this job was the very 'chosen way of life' itself.

In modern society, it has become normalized to wear oneself down by saying, 'It's work, so it can't be helped,' but perhaps 'protecting one's own pace' is actually at the core of happiness.
Hirayama's anger was also a small warning to modern people.

What is contained in his final expression

Hirayama's expression in the final scene could be taken as either a smile or a tearful face.
What I saw there was not the hesitation of 'Was this the right choice?', but the 'fluctuation'—that is, the conflict—that visits the depths of every human heart from time to time.

The human heart is not always constant; it is shaken by the trivial events of daily life.
No matter how much one tries to live in the 'now,' waves of emotion are unavoidable.
That is precisely why that expression strikes a chord so deeply, as it is continuous with our own lives.

Living with 'unknowability'

Midway through the story, the ex-husband of the snack bar owner (a man suffering from an illness) says this:
'Everything is full of things I don't understand. In the end, it all ends without knowing anything.'

These words symbolize one of the messages that permeates the entire film—the life philosophy that 'people have no choice but to live in the now, even amidst the unknown.'

Many people go through their days being swept along without being conscious of this 'unknowability.'
However, Hirayama is aware of it, and on top of that, he chooses his own life.

It is by no means a choice that has secured an 'absolute correct answer,' but rather a stance of trying to live out his own meaning while embracing instability and conflict.
I believe it is that very stance that resonates deeply with the hearts of the viewers.

To those who want to feel the 'miracles' that dwell in daily life

After watching this movie, I became sensitive to even the sudden morning light, the sunlight through the trees, and the sound of a canned beer.
I realized how rich the casual scenery of everyday life actually was.

'Perfect Days' is a story where nothing special happens.
But precisely because of that, the beauty of the 'this very moment' that I had been overlooking emerges.

To those who are chased by busyness, those who are tired of something, and those who carry the question 'Is this okay?' about their lives—I want those people to watch this movie and meet their own 'now' once again.

Perhaps the things that are important to life are, unexpectedly, right beside us.

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🔸 About the author

Yuichiro Era
Farmer / Writer / Philosopher
Practicing a 'life with agriculture' in the satoyama of Saga, where I run a farm without relying on pesticides or chemical fertilizers, while exploring the future of thought, education, and civilization.
A 'practical philosopher' who engages in dialogue with nature and thinks about the future alongside AI.
Currently, I am working on activities to open doors to new ways of thinking through serialized articles and books born from dialogues with AI.

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