I ended up being hospitalized. However, being hospitalized while in a manic state was incredibly tough. The urge to go outside was incredibly strong. I thought that under this stress, my brain might snap, and I might go even crazier. But I got along well and had fun conversations with the people in the four-person room.

Afterwards, about a month later, I started to regain my composure. The medication was starting to take effect. However, the doctor told me that once you've experienced bipolar disorder, circuits form in your brain, and you'll have to take medication for the rest of your life, as there is no complete cure. I called Sonna from the public phone in the hospital hallway to tell her about my illness, and she said she wanted to break up.

I thought, "Am I like Dazai Osamu in 'No Longer Human'? I probably won't be able to be with a woman anymore. Does my life even have any meaning?" But now I can say, living without any specific meaning is perfectly fine. I think humans get too caught up in the concept of finding a meaning in life. Animals probably don't think about such things.

As long as you can eat and have shelter from the rain and wind, isn't that enough? There are many people in the world, including Japan, who struggle to find enough to eat. Just being able to eat can be seen as a luxury. I also became friends with women who had the same illness. It was challenging for me, but I dated two women. However, I no longer have the intention to date. It's tiring.

Elwood Grims, a white bassist I met at the Las Vegas Blues Jam Session, sent me an email saying, "Make sure you don't feel ashamed of yourself," as advised by a writer and Vietnam War veteran.

I started receiving disability pension, rented a cheap apartment, and began going to the local library. There, I read books that interested me one after another. One evening, I was watching the movie "Glimmer Man" starring Steven Seagal on TV. In the movie, he mentioned Eastern medicine.

I looked into traditional Chinese medicine, but it seemed there was no medication to cure bipolar disorder. However, as I delved a bit deeper into Eastern medicine, I discovered the "Seishiki Koda Therapy," which involves curing the illness through a Western-style fasting method of green juice, brown rice, tofu, raw vegetables for two meals a day, and exercise. After reading Dr. Koda Mitsuo's book "Miracles Happen with Half-Day Fasting," I intuitively thought, "This could work."

The next day, I stopped taking the medication and switched to the diet introduced in the book: vegetable juice, brown rice, and tofu. This dietary therapy had an effect on my depression. I was able to regain a refreshing mood right away. And I gained stamina. I was able to run up and down mountains. It was astonishing.