The theme of night has reappeared throughout Nara’s works from the mid-1990s to the present. In many ways, it is through this motif where one is able to grasp a genuine view into the contemporary culture of today’s youth. As Nara described his typical teenage years, “That’s right, it was those sleepless nights back then! Those nights I’d bike around the town till I was exhausted, riding back and forth in front of the house of a girl that I liked…If her room light was on, I felt 120% sure: ‘She’s there!’ with my heart pounding, I’d ride back home and tune into a midnight radio station.” Even after he began his career, the artist is frequently known to work throughout the night, finishing each of his canvas works in one complete session. Thus, on many different levels, the notion of night is seen as a reminding metaphor for those passing years marked by freedom and independence.