Perfect Days: Is Hirayama REALLY happy or just REALLY good at coping?

Okay, so I just finished watching "Perfect Days", and I'm still turning it over in my head. This Hirayama character... at first, you're like, 'Wow, what a Zen master! Finds joy in the mundane!' But then you start to wonder, is he genuinely content, or is he just incredibly skilled at creating a coping mechanism against… well, something? We never really get explicit backstory dumping, which I appreciate, but that sister showing up throws everything into sharp relief. That scene with the niece was particularly powerful. Her running away felt a bit forced initially, but seeing her bond with Hirayama felt so naturally earned. Is the film suggesting his routines are a shield and a source of genuine connection? Because that's a pretty nuanced take. The repeated Kōji Yakusho close-ups while he's driving – are those smiles real joy, or just performance? Is he hiding something even from himself? And the music... the way the cassette tapes are such a vital part of his interior life. Why that music? What specific memories or feelings are they tied to? It felt like a deliberate choice to not explain that, and I respect it, but I'm definitely curious if anyone else had any thoughts on that. Like, why Patti Smith AND Van Morrison? A bit of a clash, no? I liked it, I think. But I'm not sure I loved it. It feels deliberately incomplete, and I'm wrestling with whether that's a strength or a weakness, honestly. What did you folks think? Did anyone else feel like they were being kept at arm's length from Hirayama, or did you find him completely relatable?