December 26, 2025

My high school son is very knowledgeable about Russian and Soviet culture and history. He is interested and wants to study Russian and Slavic culture at university.

Russian culture is something that most Japanese people hardly encounter. I thought it was a niche interest, but I realized that I also liked Russian works.

In literature, I liked Dostoyevsky’s ‘The Brothers Karamazov’, and in movies, I liked the works of Andrei Tarkovsky (the director of Solaris). I also listen to Sergei Rachmaninoff, a classical composer.

I don’t know much about recent young artists, but I feel that they are generally grand, delicate, and have a unique sense of floating.

The other day, my son asked me to buy a book on Soviet design. It is a picture book of Soviet-era goods, appliances, cars, etc., but there are many wonderful designs and I wanted to borrow and see it myself.

Maybe Russian culture suited me. Recently, there have been problems in Ukraine, and the public impression of Russia has worsened, but I want to continue to experience Russian culture.