It’s a 2023 film about a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo … a wise man.

It doesn’t sound like a good choice.  Not a fulfilling career.  Not a career at all.  But Hirayama smells the roses.

What if I simply said that my life is sufficient, that is without deficit?  Not needing to acquire that magic experience or object that would fill my glass.

This is it

Right here, right now

A dirty toilet needs to become clean

Here are some comments on Hirayama and his seeing from the director – Wim Wenders:

He did his toilet cleaning job with the same dedication that Japanese craftsmen have toward each object they create, whether it is pottery or carving things out of wood or painting a traditional screen.  They treat each and every piece as if it is unique.  Hirayama approaches each toilet like that as well.

…

You see the world more and more from Hirayama’s point of view.  From the moment he opens his eyes in the morning to the moment in the evening when these eyes fall asleep over his book, you look all day through these friendly, vibrant eyes.  And you slowly learn to watch the world like he does.

…

Through his effort to always do his best, through his silence, through his kindness to each and every person, through his attentiveness, he slowly manages to let us, the audience, also live in the here and now, a place so many of us have even forgotten is there.

…

He is indeed a free man.

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And may we all be free