At the beach they talk about a number of things , including the recent quake , Miyake 's Kansai dialect , and why Miyake likes lighting bonfires on the beach . Junko also thinks about Jack London 's " To Build a Fire " and her contrarian interpretation of how the man fundamentally longs for death . They also drink Suntory together ; Keisuke leaves after a few drinks leaving Junko and Miyake alone . The two then talk about Miyake 's family and a recent painting Miyake finished , '' Landscape with Flatiron '' , and its cryptic meaning . As the bonfires dies , they talk about dreams and death ; Miyake often finds that he horrifyingly dies trapped in a refrigerator and mentions that Jack London also thought he was going to drown to death so he killed himself with morphine instead . As they sit together thinking about death , Junko drifts to sleep
quake
Great Hanshin earthquake
After the Quake