How to create the saddest, purest, most exhilarating mood [Japanese style]

Reading Material

 (Manga) "Hana no namae" by Ken Saito.

(Novel) "The Fourth Treasure" by Todd Shimoda.

(Novel) "Hotel Iris" by Yoko Ogawa

(Poetry) "The Chieko Poems" by Kotaro Takamura (translated by Paul Archer)

Plum Liquor
The plum liqour that Chieko made before she died
Shrouds the light in the murky dregs of ten heavy years,
Now in the glass is a concentrated gem-like amber.
Please help yourself in early spring When the nights are cold and you're all alone.
I think of the person who left it behind after her death,
Terrified by fears that her mind would give way,
Knowing that she would crack up before long,
Chieko sadly put her affairs in order.
Seven years of madness ended in death.
The fragrant sweetness of this plum liquor found in the kitchen
I savour quietly, quietly,
Even the howling raging seas of the world
Cannot intrude on this moment,
Confronting this one poor life
The world can only keep its distance,
The night wind too has died away.

 Music Playlist

"Asunaro Ginga" (Sonim) [link]

"Tsuki to Knife" (Suga Shikao) [link]

"Garnet" (Hanako Oku) [link]

 Personally, I think some "Western" bands would do better with that reading list, but that's probably only personal opinion and a lacking repertoire of "good" Japanese music.

That's all for now. Please try to read/listen to all this as close to each other as possible! I promise you, you will feel beautifully miserable~