My program : Let's read a Japanese novel

1️⃣ Short English Summary：In this episode, Noriko talks about “luxury time” and “analog experiences” in our modern digital world.

She begins by sharing a recent visit to the cinema in Liverpool. The tickets and popcorn were expensive, and the movie itself was not very good. However, she realized that watching a film without checking her smartphone for two hours felt like a luxury.

Noriko reflects on what “luxury” means today. For her, luxury is not expensive hotels or restaurants, but cultural experiences such as going to museums, concerts, events, or reading quietly in a café.

She also talks about analog choices in a digital world. Because we are constantly connected to smartphones, the internet, and AI, many people feel information fatigue. Noriko shares how she limits her social media time and tries to reconnect with slower, more intentional experiences.

For example, one of her students built a mechanical analog watch, and her husband started wearing a traditional watch again to check the time during meetings without using his phone.

Noriko also joined two meetups in Liverpool: a Quiet Book Club and a philosophy discussion group. Although she is introverted, meeting people face-to-face felt refreshing and meaningful.

She concludes that choosing slightly inconvenient, analog experiences—like going to the cinema, reading books, or meeting people in person—may actually be a modern form of luxury.

2️⃣ Vocabulary List (for understanding the episode)

• 贅沢（ぜいたく） — luxury
• 文化的（ぶんかてき） — cultural
• 特別展示（とくべつてんじ） — special exhibition
• 情報（じょうほう） — information
• 情報疲れ（じょうほうづかれ） — information fatigue
• 悪循環（あくじゅんかん） — vicious cycle
• 制限する（せいげんする） — to limit / control
• 腕時計（うでどけい） — wristwatch
• 部品（ぶひん） — parts / components
• 組み立てる（くみたてる） — to assemble
• 通知（つうち） — notification
• 便利（べんり） — convenient
• 不便（ふべん） — inconvenient
• 確認する（かくにんする） — to check / confirm
• 集まる（あつまる） — to gather
• 実際に（じっさいに） — in reality / in person
• 新鮮（しんせん） — fresh / new feeling
• 体験（たいけん） — experience
• 傾向（けいこう） — tendency
• 選ぶ（えらぶ） — to choose