Japan May Look Poorer, But Not Entirely So

Japan is often described as a country in decline, with a shrinking population, a weak yen, and growing economic anxiety. Yet daily life in Japan still reveals a remarkable level of safety, cleanliness, and public infrastructure. A morning walk in Kamakura leads to a quiet reflection on the G7, the Japanese economy, and what it means to keep going.

 

I woke up a little earlier than usual this morning and took Anne out for a walk.

The lotus flowers in Genpei Pond at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine have begun to bloom here and there. Even before seven o’clock, I could already feel a trace of the humid summer heat.

The G7 Summit is being held in Évian, France.

In Japan, the summit is covered as a major event, but I wonder how much attention it receives in other countries.

Perhaps there is no point in worrying too much about reputation. Still, it would feel a little sad if we did not understand the meaning of Japan’s participation in such a meeting.

The G7 may be a gathering of countries with large economies, but China is not included, and Japan no longer has the same momentum it once did.

To be honest, I am not sure how much influence Japan can really have by taking part.

The Nikkei Stock Average continues to rise.

With the weak yen, Japanese stocks may look undervalued, and money seems to be flowing in from around the world.

The market looks as if it might keep rising until Japanese people themselves can no longer afford to buy into it. At times, I find myself wondering whether the Japanese will become even poorer from here.

And yet, from washlet toilets to the Shinkansen, Japan still has much infrastructure that can be called world-class.

There are signs of wear and strain here and there, but compared with many other places, the streets are still clean, and crime remains low.

It is easy to understand why so many tourists come to Japan in large numbers, drawn by a country that feels safe, comfortable, and inexpensive.

Japan is facing a declining population, and perhaps it will continue to become poorer in the years ahead.

Even so, I would like us to work hard enough, at least, to maintain the level we still have now.

There are, of course, many different opinions, both for and against what Prime Minister Takaichi has been saying.

For now, however, some of what she is trying to do seems to be an attempt to bring a measure of closure to issues that have long been left unattended. In that sense, I do not necessarily see it as a bad thing.

When I think about the emergence of more extreme right-wing parties, I sometimes feel that this may be a realistic point of balance.

Japan may have become poorer, but not entirely so.

Let us hold our ground.

It feels as if that is what we are being called to do, and I, too, feel that I must think carefully and act accordingly.

Even in decline, a country may still have something worth protecting, if its people choose to stand firm. 

 

・・・

humid
English definition: Warm and slightly wet in the air.
日本語訳：蒸し暑い、湿気の多い。

summit
English definition: An important meeting between leaders of countries or organizations.
日本語訳：首脳会議、サミット。

reputation
English definition: The general opinion that people have about someone or something.
日本語訳：評判、世評。

momentum
English definition: The strength or force that keeps something moving or developing.
日本語訳：勢い、推進力。

influence
English definition: The power to affect what people or countries think or do.
日本語訳：影響力、発言力。

undervalued
English definition: Worth more than the current price or estimate suggests.
日本語訳：割安な、過小評価された。

infrastructure
English definition: The basic systems and facilities a country needs, such as transport, water, electricity, and public services.
日本語訳：社会基盤、インフラ。

world-class
English definition: Among the best in the world.
日本語訳：世界最高水準の、世界に誇れる。

wear and strain
English definition: Damage or weakness caused by long use or pressure.
日本語訳：傷みや綻び、長年の負担による劣化。

declining population
English definition: A situation in which the number of people in a country or region is decreasing.
日本語訳：人口減少。

bring closure to something
English definition: To settle or finish an issue that has remained unresolved.
日本語訳：物事に区切りをつける、決着をつける。

hold our ground
English definition: To stay firm and not give up, even in a difficult situation.
日本語訳：踏ん張る、持ちこたえる。

 

 

 

Does He Have Any Hobbies?

 A former high school teacher’s simple question made me pause and think about what hobbies really mean. In a busy life filled with work, family, a dog, and a daily blog, perhaps a hobby is not always something grand. Sometimes it is simply the thing that lets us breathe a little.

Last weekend, one of my former high school teachers came to visit our home.

He is a semi-professional potter. He used to fire his works in his own kiln, but after his house deep in the mountains was damaged by a natural disaster, he now uses a borrowed kiln.

Some time ago, when I met him at a class reunion, I had asked him to make some plates for me. They were finally finished, and he kindly brought them all the way to my house.

Unfortunately, I was away at a conference that day, but the weather was fine, and I heard that he spent about an hour relaxing on our balcony before leaving.

At that time, he apparently asked, with some concern, “Colo-ken seems terribly busy these days. Does he have any hobbies?”

The word “hobby” covers a surprisingly wide range.

When I looked it up again online, I found that a hobby is generally defined as something a person does voluntarily for enjoyment, not as work or a profession. It can also refer to a person’s taste, preference, or sense of what is beautiful or interesting.

In this case, I think my teacher meant the former.

Some people say, “My work is my hobby.” Others turn a hobby into a profession and become professionals.

When you think about it that way, it is not easy to draw a strict line between work and hobby.

When I have to write hobbies in a profile, I usually list gardening, dogs, blogging, reading, and listening to music.

In the past, I also wrote basketball, but I have since removed it.

As for reading, I have hardly been reading books lately, so perhaps I should remove that as well.

Listening to music is also questionable. I go to concerts maybe once a year, if that.

When I think about it, the number of things I can confidently call hobbies has become rather small.

Gardening is mostly just a little bit of weekend work with soil.

Walking the dog is also mainly a weekend activity.

I write my blog every day, but to be honest, I am not entirely sure whether keeping a diary can be called a hobby.

I think my teacher was worried about whether I had any time to relax through a hobby.

In that sense, does writing down my thoughts like this on my blog help me relax?

I am not sure.

Still, it does not feel bad to write while imagining that someone, somewhere, may be reading my words.

So perhaps this is something I can proudly call a hobby after all.

Perhaps a hobby does not need to be impressive; it only needs to be something that quietly keeps us connected to ourselves. 

・・・

former
English definition: Something or someone that belonged to an earlier time or previous role.
日本語訳：以前の、かつての。

semi-professional
English definition: Someone who does an activity at a very high level, but not fully as a main profession.
日本語訳：セミプロの、専門家に近い水準の。

potter
English definition: A person who makes pottery, such as bowls, plates, and cups, from clay.
日本語訳：陶芸家。

kiln
English definition: A special oven used for baking clay objects at high temperatures.
日本語訳：窯。

natural disaster
English definition: A major harmful event caused by nature, such as an earthquake, flood, or landslide.
日本語訳：自然災害。

class reunion
English definition: A gathering of former classmates, often many years after graduation.
日本語訳：同窓会。

with some concern
English definition: In a way that shows worry or care about someone.
日本語訳：心配そうに、気遣いながら。

draw a strict line
English definition: To make a clear distinction between two things.
日本語訳：はっきり線引きする。

confidently call
English definition: To describe something with certainty and without hesitation.
日本語訳：自信を持ってそう呼ぶ。

to be honest
English definition: A phrase used before saying what one really thinks or feels.
日本語訳：正直に言うと。

not entirely sure
English definition: Not completely certain about something.
日本語訳：完全には確信が持てない。

after all
English definition: Used when reaching a conclusion after thinking about something again.
日本語訳：結局のところ、やはり。

 

 

What Should Humans Do with the Singularity They Have Created?

 As artificial intelligence becomes deeply woven into daily life, medicine, and even national security, we are forced to ask a difficult question: are we still using AI, or are we beginning to depend on it? For doctors, including pathologists, this question is no longer abstract. It is already part of everyday work.

 

It has been reported that access to certain AI models in the United States has been restricted for reasons of national security.

I do not know the details, but some may see this as a sign that AI is gradually becoming something uncontrollable.

And now there is also a growing concern that the AI tools we have come to use so naturally might one day suddenly become unavailable. The issue has caused quite a stir.

My own use of AI has already become fairly extensive.

I run much of the writing I produce through AI for checking.

This ranges from something as simple as spell-checking when I write in English, to listing differential diagnoses in pathology.

At times, I even consult AI about my own personality, or about how I should understand and evaluate other people.

Some people may not even realize that they are using AI.

Online news articles are said to be written by AI, and even news narration is now being done by AI.

AI has already entered every corner of our lives.

In medicine, many doctors are also using AI.

Physicians in internal medicine probably use it to help with differential diagnosis, and in diagnostic imaging, it is likely used not only by radiologists but also by many other doctors.

In some areas of internal medicine, much of the work involves integrating symptoms, laboratory data, and lifestyle information.

In such fields, if symptoms, data, and daily habits were entered into an AI system, it might well produce better diagnoses and treatment plans than many ordinary doctors.

Pathology is no exception.

I sometimes consult AI about differential diagnoses.

It is not so much to avoid missing something, but rather to confirm that certain possibilities can reasonably be excluded.

In that sense, part of pathology diagnosis may already have reached a kind of singularity.

What still gives human pathologists an advantage over AI is the ability to describe gross findings and to select the appropriate lesion for sampling.

At present, AI can do none of this.

However, if the work were divided among a robot pathologist in charge of grossing, another in charge of microscopic examination, and another in charge of diagnostic report writing, the job might become much easier.

Or perhaps it might disappear altogether.

After all, AI is being trained on the excellent techniques and diagnostic patterns of excellent pathologists.

That outcome would hardly be surprising.

Still, the progress of AI is astonishingly fast.

How long will doctors be able to continue as checkers?

Perhaps the question is no longer whether doctors will use AI, but how long doctors will remain the ones checking it. 

・・・ 

singularity
English Definition: A point at which artificial intelligence may surpass human intelligence or become difficult for humans to control.
日本語訳: シンギュラリティ。AIが人間の知能を超えたり、人間の制御を離れたりする転換点。

national security
English Definition: The protection of a country from threats, including military, technological, economic, and cyber risks.
日本語訳: 国家安全保障。軍事、技術、経済、サイバーなどの脅威から国家を守ること。

uncontrollable
English Definition: Impossible or very difficult to control.
日本語訳: 制御不能な。コントロールすることが難しい、または不可能な状態。

differential diagnosis
English Definition: The process of considering and comparing several possible diseases that could explain a patient’s findings.
日本語訳: 鑑別診断。患者の所見を説明しうる複数の疾患を比較検討すること。

pathology diagnosis
English Definition: A diagnosis made by examining tissues, cells, and other specimens under the microscope and by other methods.
日本語訳: 病理診断。組織や細胞などを顕微鏡などで調べて行う診断。

gross findings
English Definition: Findings observed by the naked eye before microscopic examination, especially in surgical specimens.
日本語訳: 肉眼所見。顕微鏡で見る前に、手術検体などを肉眼で観察して得られる所見。

sampling
English Definition: The act of selecting parts of a specimen for further examination, such as microscopic study.
日本語訳: 切り出し・標本採取。検体の中から顕微鏡で調べる部分を選ぶ作業。

diagnostic report writing
English Definition: The process of writing a formal medical report that describes findings and gives a diagnosis.
日本語訳: 診断報告書作成。所見と診断を正式な医療文書として記載すること。

checker
English Definition: A person or system that reviews something to confirm whether it is correct or acceptable.
日本語訳: チェックする人、確認役。内容が正しいかどうかを確認する役割。

to cause quite a stir
English Definition: To attract a lot of attention, concern, or discussion.
日本語訳: 波紋を呼ぶ。大きな関心や議論、不安を引き起こすこと。

A Day at the Annual Meeting Without a Role

 A quiet day can still be full of small scenes: a morning baseball game, hydrangeas in Kamakura, and an afternoon conference session in Yokohama. Even without a role to play, there are still things to learn, notice, and carry home.

 

When I woke up early, the Dodgers were playing the White Sox.

Shohei Ohtani hit a home run, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto came close to throwing a perfect game. But an error took away both the perfect game and the no-hitter.

When a record is on the line, the fielders must feel the pressure, too.

Records like that are, after all, made by the whole team.

Anne was waiting for me, so I took her out for a walk while it was still cool.

Kamakura has already become a town of hydrangeas. Large hydrangea blossoms are blooming here and there.

Just walking around and looking at each of them was enjoyable.

The Japanese Society of Clinical Cytology meeting is being held in Yokohama yesterday and today.

This time, I have no role to play, so I decided to attend only the afternoon sessions.

Cytology in the pediatric field is quite different from that in adults. Still, there are educational sessions that one should attend as part of the basic grounding of a certified cytologist.

I always try to attend those sessions.

This time, too, I made sure to be there.

Pacifico Yokohama is often used as a conference venue, and it is conveniently close to Kamakura.

During the break, I was able to sort through some emails and write this blog post.

Now, one more session to go.

A long two-hour stretch.

 Even on a conference day without a role, there is still something to receive.

 

・・・ 

on the line
English definition: At risk or under pressure because something important depends on the outcome.
日本語訳：成否がかかっている、重要な局面にある。

fielder
English definition: A baseball player who plays defense in the field.
日本語訳：野手。

perfect game
English definition: A baseball game in which a pitcher allows no opposing player to reach base.
日本語訳：完全試合。

no-hitter
English definition: A baseball game in which the opposing team gets no hits.
日本語訳：ノーヒットノーラン。

hydrangea
English definition: A flowering plant with large clusters of flowers, often seen in Japan during the rainy season.
日本語訳：紫陽花。

clinical cytology
English definition: The medical field that examines cells to help diagnose disease.
日本語訳：臨床細胞学、細胞診。

pediatric field
English definition: The area of medicine related to children.
日本語訳：小児領域。

basic grounding
English definition: The fundamental knowledge or training needed in a field.
日本語訳：基礎的素養、基本的な土台。

conference venue
English definition: A place where a conference or academic meeting is held.
日本語訳：学会場、会議会場。

a long stretch
English definition: A long period of time that may require effort or patience.
日本語訳：長丁場。

Are My Blogging Friends Just the Sane Ones?

Lately, the world feels a little strange. When the news, old media, and online voices all seem confusing, it can be hard to know whether society is changing—or whether we are the ones seeing things differently.

asn’t the world seemed a little strange lately?

When I hear about this and that, I just get fed up.

Or maybe I’m the one who is strange for thinking that.

Maybe the Asahi Shimbun, one of the old media sources I rely on, is strange.
Maybe NHK is strange.

Something must be strange somewhere, and that is probably why I feel that way.

When I read the posts written by my blogging friends, I get the feeling that perhaps I’m not the only one who feels this way.

But then again, that may simply be a matter of the circle of people I associate with online.

It all starts to feel rather confusing.

Well, as long as there are still people I can think of as sane, I suppose that is enough. 

 ・・・

sane
正気の、まともな
ここでは「世の中の空気に流されず、まともな感覚を保っている」という意味で使っています。

old media
オールドメディア、従来型メディア
新聞、テレビ、ラジオなど、インターネット以前からある報道機関を指します。

get fed up
うんざりする
不満や疲れがたまって「もうたくさんだ」と感じる表現です。

rely on
頼りにする
情報源や人などを信頼して使う、という意味です。

circle of people
付き合いのある人たち、交友範囲
ここでは「ネット上で関わっている人たちの範囲」という意味です。

confusing
混乱させる、わかりにくい
物事が複雑で、何が正しいのか分からなくなる状態を表します。

 

How Do Other Forms of Life See Humans?

 As wars continue in the Middle East and Ukraine, many people wonder why human conflict persists despite its enormous cost. Looking at these struggles from a broader perspective raises a deeper question: how would other forms of life judge humanity?

 

I find myself following the conflicts in the Middle East with a mixture of concern and frustration.

U.S. President Donald Trump keeps saying that the fighting will end soon, yet it continues without resolution. Israel shows little sign of stopping its attacks, while Iran appears willing to sacrifice its own people and draw neighboring countries into the conflict in order to preserve its political system.

Meanwhile, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, becoming increasingly entrenched.

When I think about the lives that are still being lost, I cannot help wishing that these futile conflicts would end as soon as possible.

What meaning is there in disputes between nations?

People who happened to be born on different pieces of land continue to struggle against one another, each carrying their own history, perspective, and sense of identity.

Languages, philosophies, and religions may differ from region to region, but is it really impossible for us to set those differences aside and stop killing one another as fellow human beings?

What if we looked at all this from a cosmic perspective?

If an alien civilization observed Earth, it would not see national borders drawn across the landscape. It would simply see a planet inhabited by slightly different-looking bipedal creatures, along with four-legged animals, fish, plants, and countless other forms of life.

If a vastly more powerful extraterrestrial species arrived on Earth, what would it think?

Would it not regard humans and all other living things as members of the same broad community of life?

And if it sought to dominate the planet, might humans be the first obstacle it would choose to remove?

Humanity would probably insist on representing Earth and ask to negotiate.

But would such visitors overlook the fact that humans have helped make the planet what it is today?

If we could ask the other living things on Earth to serve as a jury, what verdict would they deliver on humanity?

Without intending to, I seem to have wandered into the territory of a science-fiction novel.

Then again, I suspect many people have entertained similar thoughts at one time or another.

At the very least, I wish humans would stop dragging other forms of life into conflicts that are entirely of our own making.

If the rest of life on Earth were asked to judge us, I wonder what sentence it would pass. 

・・・

 

entrenched
Firmly established and difficult to change or end.
固定化した、長期化した

futile
Having no useful result; pointless.
無益な、むだな

perspective
A particular way of viewing or understanding something.
視点、考え方

set aside
To temporarily ignore or move beyond something.
脇に置く、乗り越える

cosmic
Relating to the universe as a whole.
宇宙の、宇宙規模の

extraterrestrial
Originating from outside Earth.
地球外の、宇宙の

dominate
To control or have power over.
支配する

obstacle
Something that stands in the way of progress or action.
障害、妨げ

jury
A group that evaluates evidence and delivers a judgment.
陪審員団

verdict
A formal judgment or decision.
評決、判断

 

We Don’t Live in This World by Ourselves

 As encounters between humans and wildlife become more common in Japan, questions about boundaries, coexistence, and responsibility are becoming harder to ignore. A wandering firefly and an urban bear may seem unrelated, yet both remind us that humans are not the only inhabitants of this world.

Last night, another wandering firefly—probably one that had crossed over the wooded hills behind Tsurugaoka Hachimangu—was flying in my garden.

I do not think it was the same one I saw the other day. Perhaps there are several of them.

There is something touching about seeing such fragile creatures survive and continue on. At the same time, their resilience is remarkable.

Bears venturing into human communities have become almost commonplace.

I was surprised to hear that bears are now appearing even in Utsunomiya, the prefectural capital.

If bears ever learned how to ride the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, they could reach Yokohama or Kamakura in no time, not to mention Shinjuku and Shibuya.

Considering how intelligent bears are, the idea is not entirely impossible.

If that happened, it would not be surprising to see a bear running down Dankazura Avenue.

Bears can run faster than Usain Bolt, swim well, climb trees with ease, and above all, possess tremendous strength.

Unfortunately, humans and bears cannot safely share exactly the same living space.

Yet the very concept of a “living space” is something humans have drawn for themselves.

Neither fireflies nor bears spend much time worrying about boundaries.

What has really happened is that humans have transported them from place to place or expanded into areas where they once lived, and in doing so, we have broken the boundaries ourselves.

This world does not belong to humans alone.

It is probably no longer possible to confine bears to the forests that humans have steadily reduced over the years.

In fact, people continue to push deeper into those shrinking forests, making any boundary almost meaningless from a bear’s perspective.

If we hope to coexist with bears in a country with limited land, restraint is required not only from wildlife but from humans as well.

As long as we continue to enter every corner of the mountains—whether for wild vegetable gathering, hiking, or recreation—we cannot completely avoid conflicts with bears.

We do not live in this world by ourselves.

Humans, too, must learn the value of restraint.

It is something we would do well to remember.

 

Perhaps coexistence begins not with drawing clearer boundaries, but with recognizing how often we are the ones crossing them. 

 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

wander
To move around without a fixed destination.
さまよう、歩き回る

resilience
The ability to recover, survive, or adapt to difficulties.
回復力、たくましさ

venture into
To enter a place that may be unfamiliar or risky.
進出する、踏み入る

coexist
To live or exist together peacefully.
共存する

boundary
A line or limit that separates one area from another.
境界

confine
To keep within certain limits or boundaries.
閉じ込める、制限する

perspective
A particular way of viewing or understanding something.
視点、考え方

restraint
Self-control; the ability to hold back from doing something.
自制、自重

shared landscape
An environment used or inhabited by different groups or species.
共有された環境

cross a boundary
To go beyond a limit or border.
境界を越える、踏み越える

 

 

Anyone Could Probably Do It, Yet I Can’t Quite Hand It Off

 A once-frozen gajumaru tree has come back to life, while my own list of responsibilities continues to grow. As work piles up, I find myself reflecting on why certain tasks are so difficult to decline, even when I know others could probably do them just as well.

A gajumaru tree that I had once assumed had frozen to death has finally begun to sprout again. Now it has become wonderfully overgrown.

I recently moved it into a larger pot, and I hope it will have a little more room to grow.

Watching it live so vigorously in such a small world of soil makes me feel oddly affectionate toward it.

At the same time, it makes me question my confidence in myself, knowing that its fate depends largely on my care.

My lecture manuscript, due tomorrow, is finally nearing completion.

I check every text slide with AI, which actually takes more time than writing them myself. Still, the process helps me catch mistakes and discover things I did not know, so it has been worthwhile.

That reminds me—I wonder what happened to the manuscript that I drafted and then entrusted to one of my junior colleagues for completion.

Preparations for next year’s conference are already piling up.

I managed to secure a sponsor, which was fortunate. However, it also increased the number of organizer lectures from one to two.

Yesterday I received a request from next year’s pathology meeting to serve as a session chair.

Since I proposed the workshop, it is only natural that I should chair it. But that raises new questions: How much guidance should I give the speakers? How should the presentations be coordinated?

And what else is waiting?

There is another conference next year. I also need to continue working on a minor revision of the diagnostic guidelines discussed at the recent meeting.

A smaller conference is scheduled for September, and an international conference—held here in Japan—is coming in October. I have not even started preparing for those.

My routine workload has increased as well. More physicians have joined the laboratory department, and helping them settle into their roles has become part of my responsibility.

Work is beginning to pile up.

When I list everything like this, it strikes me that most of these tasks could probably be handled by someone else.

Even so, they still need to be done, one by one, so there is no choice but to keep moving forward.

The people who ask me to do these jobs probably expect a certain level of results. But from my perspective, none of them are tasks that only I can accomplish. I am not special. I simply happen to be the person responsible for them right now.

The work came to me, and because I followed my father’s advice never to refuse a reasonable request, it gradually accumulated.

Come to think of it, last year I had to decline a task that I had been asked to do every year. This year, the request never came.

That was certainly a relief.

Yet it felt a little lonely as well.

And it reminded me that this is simply how work functions.

It is not that I dislike delegating responsibilities. At the same time, I feel reluctant to turn down work when someone has chosen to ask me.

There may be other unfinished tasks that I have forgotten about.

If so, I will deal with them when they reveal themselves.

The gajumaru continues to extend its branches little by little.

I will try to do the same and gradually untangle this growing stack of work.

Perhaps both trees and people grow the same way—one branch, one task, one day at a time. 

 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

overgrown
Covered with excessive growth; growing wildly or thickly.
生い茂った、伸び放題の

sprout
To begin to grow; to produce new shoots or leaves.
芽を出す、発芽する

entrust
To give someone responsibility for something important.
任せる、託す

coordinate
To organize different people or activities so they work together effectively.
調整する、まとめる

delegate
To assign responsibility or authority to another person.
委任する、任せる

accumulate
To gather or increase gradually over time.
積み重なる、蓄積する

pile up
To increase in number until there is a large amount to deal with.
山積みになる

reluctant
Unwilling or hesitant to do something.
気が進まない、ためらう

responsibility
A duty or obligation to take care of something.
責任

untangle
To sort out something complicated or confused.
もつれを解く、整理する

 

 

 

A Hole That Might Lead Somewhere

 Three days after the rainy season arrived in the Kanto region, the rain continues. Looking up at the sky after the rain stopped, I noticed what seemed to be a hole in the clouds—and for a moment, it invited a flight of imagination.

 

It has been three days since the rainy season began in the Kanto region.

Rain has been falling on and off since morning, leaving the air damp and heavy.

I understand, at least intellectually, that these generous rains are what sustain our lives and landscapes. Still, knowing that does not make the absence of blue skies any less disappointing.

Last night, when I returned home, the rain had stopped.

I stepped onto the balcony and looked up at the sky.

There was a hole in it.

It looked more oval in person.

Even before looking at the photograph I had taken, I knew it was simply a formation in the clouds. Yet I could not help thinking how interesting it would be if that opening led to another world.

Writers such as Haruki Murakami and Shinichi Hoshi often wrote stories involving mysterious passages and unexpected gateways.

But the openings in those stories were usually much smaller—barely large enough for a single person to pass through.

Then again, perhaps there was once a film in which an entire fleet of spacecraft suddenly emerged from a vast opening like this one.

Reality, of course, is less accommodating.

There was no gateway to another realm.

Beyond those low clouds, there seemed to be only thicker rain clouds, and no stars were visible through them.

Still, even if it rained here, how enjoyable it would be if one could step through a hole in the sky and arrive somewhere dry, bright, and pleasantly clear.

Sometimes a gap in the clouds is enough to open a doorway in the imagination. 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

• damp and heavy — humid and uncomfortable because of moisture in the air
  　じめじめした、湿気の多い
• sustain — to support or maintain something over time
  　支える、維持する
• disappointing — causing a feeling of sadness because expectations were not met
  　期待外れの、がっかりさせる
• formation — the shape or arrangement of something
  　形成、形状
• gateway — an entrance or passage to another place
  　入り口、通路、門
• realm — a world, domain, or sphere of existence
  　世界、領域
• fleet — a group of ships or spacecraft operating together
  　艦隊
• accommodate — to provide what is wanted or needed
  　応じる、かなえる
• visible — able to be seen
  　見える、視認できる
• imagination — the ability to form ideas, images, or possibilities in the mind
  　想像力、空想力
• in person — seen or experienced directly, not through a photograph or screen
  　実際に、その場で、直に見て
  　The opening looked more oval in person.
  　（その穴は実際に見るともっと楕円形に見えた。） 

 

 

A Wandering Firefly Came to Visit

 A firefly unexpectedly flew into our home on a rainy night in Kamakura. Its visit reminded me of the ancient Hōjō-e ceremony at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, a tradition rooted in compassion, remembrance, and respect for life.

 

Last night, I opened the window to check on the rain and found a firefly flying nearby.

It was probably just a coincidence, but something similar happened several years ago.

That time was also shortly after the Hōjō-e ceremony at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, so I wondered whether a firefly released during the festival had somehow lost its way and ended up at our house.

It landed on my wife's arm and stayed there for a while, as if stopping to visit.

Hōjō-e originally began as a Buddhist ceremony based on the principle of fusesshō—the prohibition against taking life. Animals were released as an expression of gratitude for life and compassion toward living beings. Over time, the practice became associated with Hachiman worship and evolved into a ritual for mourning those who had died in war and reflecting on the violence of human conflict.

At Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, the ceremony was established in 1187 by Minamoto no Yoritomo. It is said that he instituted it as an act of remembrance and repentance following the Genpei War. The tradition later became the origin of the shrine’s grand annual festival and has continued for more than eight centuries.

Today, the ancient custom of releasing birds is no longer practiced, but the underlying spirit—gratitude for the preciousness of life—remains alive through events such as the Firefly Release Festival and the Bell Cricket Release Festival.

In that sense, Hōjō-e is more than a traditional ceremony. It is a ritual that invites us to reflect on lives lost in war, the lives of other creatures, and our own existence.

Even so, there are no streams near our home where fireflies naturally live.

The firefly that visited us yesterday will probably never find a mate and may spend the remainder of its brief life alone.

It was clearly a strong traveler. Even if it managed to reach the stream where other fireflies live, about 700 meters away, many of its companions were likely swept away by last weekend’s typhoon.

Fireflies are fragile creatures.

Every year around the time of Hōjō-e, I find myself wondering where those fireflies come from and who catches them.

I do not know whether they are collected by professionals or by people who happen to live in areas where fireflies are abundant, but I doubt it is purely volunteer work.

I understand the idea of memorializing life through such a ceremony. Still, as I watched that firefly fly off once more in the direction of the shrine, I felt a certain complexity of emotion.

Then again, perhaps it was my younger brother, or my father, or someone else coming to visit for a moment.

So I quietly watched it go.

Sometimes a single wandering firefly can carry more memories than its tiny light seems capable of holding. 

・・・ 

Vocabulary for Learners

wander
To move from place to place without a fixed destination.
さまよう、歩き回る

compassion
A feeling of sympathy and concern for the suffering of others.
思いやり、慈悲

remembrance
The act of remembering and honoring someone or something from the past.
追悼、記憶、追憶

repentance
A feeling of regret for past actions and a desire to make amends.
悔悟、懺悔

preciousness
The quality of being valuable or worthy of care.
尊さ、かけがえのなさ

fragile
Easily damaged, broken, or destroyed.
はかない、壊れやすい

memorialize
To preserve the memory of someone or something.
追悼する、記念する

complexity of emotion
A mixture of different feelings that are difficult to describe simply.
複雑な感情

existence
The state of being alive or being present.
存在、生

quietly watch it go
To see someone or something leave without trying to stop it.
静かに見送る

 

Working Dogs in Their Own Way

 A long walk through the wooded hills of Kamakura led me to an amusing realization: perhaps dogs are working animals after all. Not because they pull sleds or herd sheep, but because they keep their owners moving.

 

Today, we decided to take Ann on our Kita-Kamakura walking route.

Normally, we return to old Kamakura through Kamegayatsu Pass, but my wife wanted to see how the hydrangeas were doing at Meigetsu-in Temple, so we chose the longer course.

I was surprised to find a long line stretching in front of the temple.

The flowers are certainly beautiful, but I could not help wondering whether I would be willing to wait that long.

Leaving the crowd behind, we entered the hiking trail that runs from Kita-Kamakura toward Kencho-ji Temple.

The path is narrow, with bamboo grass pressing in from both sides.

There are enough ups and downs to make it a respectable workout. By the end, my watch estimated that I had burned 431 kilocalories—not bad at all.

One reason people keep dogs is that they need to be walked.

But walking a dog is also a job that encourages the owner to exercise.

Seen that way, dogs are a kind of working animal themselves—animals whose task is to make humans stay active.

Perhaps that is simply another way of saying the same thing.

In the afternoon, I spent some time working in the garden.

I had hoped to take a photograph of the results, but rain began to fall just as I finished.

Today, the rainy season arrived in Kamakura.

Sometimes the animals we think we care for are quietly taking care of us as well. 

・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

working animal
An animal that performs a task or job for humans.
使役動物、労働動物

respectable workout
Exercise that provides a meaningful amount of physical activity.
十分な運動

burn calories
To use energy through physical activity.
カロリーを消費する

stretching line
A long queue of people waiting.
長い行列

stay active
To continue moving and exercising regularly.
活動的でいる

rainy season
The period of prolonged seasonal rainfall common in East Asia.
梅雨

take care of someone
To help, protect, or support someone.
世話をする、支える

press in from both sides
To crowd or close in from the left and right.
両側から迫る、覆いかぶさるように伸び