The impact spending the summer with Jiko had on Nao

An aspect of the final third of A Tale for the Time Being that stood out to me was the incredible impact spending the summer with Jiko in the mountains had on Nao through Haruki #1 and zazen. First, there is the clear connection Nao feels with Haruki #1 and the great effect looking up to him has on her. She calls Haruki #1 “my new hero” (248), and “wanted to know everything I could about him” (248). Learning about this amazing man changed her outlook on many things in her life, including her father. I believe that Ozeki gave Nao’s great uncle and father the same name intentionally. This allowed Nao to draw connections between the two of them, and even leads her to tell her father he should “really be more like him!” (264). Furthermore, there is the concept of suicide in the lives of both Harukis that can be compared. On one hand, Haruki #1 was forced into the position of a suicide bomber who did not want to die, but accepted his fate and was brave. Nao makes a point to tell her father that he “wasn’t a coward… He flew his plane into the enemy’s battleship to protect his home-land”(264). Nao looks down on her father for his many suicide attempts and sees him as weak. The story of Haruki #1’s life changes Nao’s perspective on her father in this way. Finally, the watch that Nao inherited from Haruki also plays a part in the effect the summer has on her, and she says it “made her feel strong. Like a warrior.” (249). Being able to take this watch home with her gave her the feeling that Haruki #1 gave her strength and power after she left the comfort she had found living in the mountains with Jiko.

Another significant aspect of her summer with Jiko that Nao was able to take home with her and continue in her life was the practice of Zazen. A way that she had described it towards the beginning of the book was that “no matter where you are) and you return your mind to zazen, it feels like coming home”(183). The ability to comfort herself in this way, feel closer to Jiko, and bring peace to her mind is a skill that gives her great benefits when she returns home, specifically in the scene in the bathroom with the bullies. The scene described was terrifying and disturbing, but Nao was able to resort to Zazen to get through it. Similar to what she would do when she would sit zazen with Jiko, “the shadows were just mosquitos, buzzing in the distance and bothersome only if you let them be”(277). Furthermore, Nao was “thinking about Number One, and he was giving me courage” (277). Similar to how Haruki #1 stayed strong at military camp, Nao said “they would break my body but they wouldn’t break my spirit”(277). This incredible bout of strength and power that Nao exhibited in this scene would not have occurred in this way earlier in the book, and it is because of the skills she had acquired on her summer with Jiko that she was able to act in this way.


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