It's Never Too Late to Have a Dream

A news report on local elections got me thinking about the future. Even in my sixties, I have discovered that it is still possible to dream of something new.

This morning's news reported the results of mayoral and other local government elections apparently held yesterday in various parts of Japan.

I was surprised to see how many of the newly elected leaders were relatively old—or rather, about my age, in their sixties. Yet they were enthusiastically talking about their visions for the future of their communities.

What voters expect from their leaders is not just a record of past achievements, but what they will do in the years ahead.

People look forward to a better future for their communities and share that dream with their elected leaders.

The day before yesterday, an idea suddenly came to me.

After I retire, why not renovate my house and turn part of it into a small café where dog lovers in the neighborhood could gather?

Of course, it would not be that simple. There would be many issues to consider, including hygiene and food safety regulations. I have no idea whether the plan could actually become a reality.

But when I asked AI about it, I learned that the idea might not be entirely unrealistic.

There would certainly be things I could and could not do, and the result might be quite different from what I have in mind.

But more importantly, isn't the real point that even at my age, I can still have dreams if I choose to?

The practical details, including how to finance the project, are matters for the future.

My home is in a relatively quiet, out-of-the-way part of Kamakura, a historic city south of Tokyo. Making a profit there would be almost impossible, so figuring out how to run the café without losing money would be a major challenge.

I will take my time thinking about how to design the café and what kind of business it should be.

At least one thing is certain.

Even at my age, I have found something new to look forward to.

It's never too late to find a new dream—and perhaps the joy lies in having something to look forward to.

・・・

It's never too late to...	～するのに遅すぎることはない。今回のタイトルの中心表現
local government elections	地方自治体の首長などを選ぶ選挙
a record of past achievements	これまでの実績、功績
a vision for the future	将来像、未来への構想
turn A into B	AをBに改装・転用する
dog lovers	犬好きの人たち。dog ownersより広い意味
become a reality	現実になる、実現する
out-of-the-way	中心地から離れた、やや奥まった場所
without losing money	赤字を出さずに
something to look forward to	これから先の楽しみ、待ち遠しいこと

#NeverTooLate #NewDreams #LifeAfterRetirement #DogFriendlyCafe #Kamakura #SecondChapter #人生の楽しみ #定年後の暮らし #犬好き #鎌倉暮らし

When in Japan, Do as the Japanese Do

 

A rainy visit to Ginza reminded me how clean and orderly Tokyo is—and how international the city has become. Watching tourists from around the world, I found myself thinking about the old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

My wife and I went to Ginza to buy a gift for my mother's 88th birthday, a special milestone in Japan known as beiju.

I pass through Tokyo's major railway terminals every day, but it had been quite a while since I last got off a train and walked around one of the city's busy shopping districts.

Or so I thought. Come to think of it, I had been to Shinjuku just the other day.

Anyway, despite the heavy showers that kept coming and going under the influence of Typhoon No. 30, Ginza was packed with people.

As I had noticed in Shinjuku, what seemed like 70 percent of the people walking around were foreign tourists. I was particularly struck by the variety of nationalities represented.

Tokyo has truly become an international city.

 

And yet, what impresses me most about Tokyo is how clean it is.

There is hardly any graffiti, the subway stations and trains are clean, and above all, there are plenty of public restrooms.

I remembered my recent visit to New York, when I had a hard time finding a public restroom. When I finally found one, I was astonished by how dirty it was.

Apparently, one of the things that makes foreign visitors nervous about coming to Japan is wondering whether they are following all the local rules and customs.

But watching these tourists behaving so politely and considerately, I felt that they, too, were helping to maintain the beauty and cleanliness of the city.

They seemed to be putting the old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," into practice.

Or perhaps, in this case, I should say, "When in Japan, do as the Japanese do."

Somehow, I found that rather satisfying.

A beautiful city stays beautiful when everyone, residents and visitors alike, does their part.

・・・

• beiju (米寿) — The traditional Japanese celebration of a person's 88th birthday. The character 米 (rice) can be broken down into elements resembling the characters for eighty-eight (八十八).

• railway terminal — A major train station where multiple lines or services connect.

• shopping district — An area with many shops, department stores, and restaurants.

• be packed with people — To be extremely crowded.

• be struck by — To be strongly impressed or surprised by something.

• graffiti — Writing or drawings on walls and other public surfaces, often without permission.

• local rules and customs — The social expectations and accepted ways of behaving in a particular place.

• When in Rome, do as the Romans do — An English proverb meaning that visitors should respect and follow the customs of the place they are visiting. The Japanese equivalent is 「郷に入っては郷に従え」.

• do one's part — To contribute one's share of effort toward a common goal.

#Ginza #Tokyo #JapanTravel #JapaneseCulture #WhenInJapan #TravelEtiquette #CleanCities #InternationalTokyo #銀座 #東京 #外国人観光客 #郷に入っては郷に従え

Experience Goes Beyond Knowledge

A lecture by a former colleague reminded me that medical expertise is built not only on knowledge, but also on years of clinical experience, collaboration, and the willingness to share what we have learned.

Today, there was a meeting of the Kanto Branch of the Japanese Society of Pathology.

A former junior colleague from my university department, now a professor at another university, was scheduled to give a lecture on inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. I had been looking forward to attending it.

The lecture was fascinating and highly informative, and it reminded me once again just how capable he is.

Beyond the content itself, however, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of images he presented.

There were numerous endoscopic photographs and images of surgical specimens. It was clear that this collection represented years of accumulated experience, built through close collaboration with clinicians.

We can acquire knowledge by reading textbooks, but that knowledge alone cannot match the experience gained from examining actual cases with our own eyes, thinking carefully about them, and learning from each one.

Experience goes beyond knowledge.

And perhaps this is even more true when that experience is the product of collaboration.

There is, of course, a limit to what any one person can experience in a lifetime.

How we accumulate those experiences and put them to use varies from person to person. But today's lecture was an excellent example of how years of accumulated experience can be put to full use.

What impressed me even more was that he was not simply displaying what he had collected. He was taking the additional step of sharing what he had learned with others.

I, too, have spent years steadily collecting cases and observations, presenting them in lectures and putting them into books.

But have I really been able to communicate the value of my accumulated experience to others?

Today's lecture left me reflecting on that question.

Experience becomes even more valuable when we find a way to pass it on to others.

・・・ 

go beyond knowledge	知識の域を超える。surpass より穏やかで、知識と経験の対立を強調しすぎない表現
a former junior colleague	かつての教室の後輩。日本の医局制度を知らない読者にも理解できる表現
the sheer number of images	圧倒されるほどの写真の多さ。sheer が驚きを表す
accumulated experience	長年にわたり蓄積された経験
close collaboration with clinicians	臨床医との密接な共同作業
put something to full use	蓄積した知識や経験を存分に活用する
pass it on to others	他者や次世代に伝えていく

#Pathology #MedicalEducation #ClinicalExperience #InflammatoryBowelDisease #UlcerativeColitis #CrohnsDisease #LifelongLearning #MedicalKnowledge #病理診断 #医学教育

Cyberwarfare Is Still Warfare

A major security flaw in PHP, reports of state-linked cyberattacks, and the growing use of artificial intelligence in hacking have made me wonder whether warfare is entering a new era. What happens when AI becomes a weapon—and another AI is needed to defend against it?

When I heard that there was a serious problem with PHP, I wondered what had happened.

At first, I thought it was about PHP, a Japanese magazine founded by Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, which I used to read quite often years ago.

But it turned out to be something completely different: PHP, the computer programming language.

A critical security vulnerability had been discovered, and if exploited, it could lead to unauthorized access and data breaches.

Separately, there have recently been a series of incidents involving massive leaks of personal information.

A few years ago, someone used my credit card fraudulently. So I assume that my personal information has already been leaked from somewhere.

Fortunately, my credit card company detected the suspicious transaction and prevented any serious damage.

All I can do now is remain vigilant about possible attacks on my bank accounts and be careful not to fall victim to scams.

This morning, I saw a news report suggesting that a company with ties to a government agency in a certain country might have been involved in cyberattacks.

If true, it would suggest that cyberattacks are being carried out at the national level.

Years ago, there was considerable concern over reports that a certain country was producing extremely sophisticated counterfeit US dollar bills.

Are crimes committed at the national level simply a routine part of international affairs?

What constitutes a crime is not always easy to define. But if a government itself makes a business of such activities, perhaps counterfeiting currency and launching cyberattacks are no longer even regarded as crimes within that country.

War involves taking human lives, and I consider it an act that is almost criminal by its very nature.

Yet when it takes place between nations, the distinction between warfare and criminal activity becomes strangely blurred.

If we think of war as a struggle between nations to seize wealth, resources, and interests, then perhaps state-sponsored cyberattacks can also be considered a form of warfare.

When we think of war, we usually imagine people bleeding and losing their lives.

But perhaps that is only one manifestation of war.

Stealing money that people in another country have worked so hard to earn may also be a form of warfare.

That is what occurred to me as I watched these recent developments unfold.

And if an entire nation is mobilizing its resources to carry out cyberattacks, it seems almost impossible for ordinary individuals to defend themselves.

Even an expert appearing on television offered advice that made little sense to me, saying something along the lines of, "There's nothing you can do. Just stay away from anything suspicious."

Has artificial intelligence already reached a point where it is surpassing human intelligence?

Even if AI itself has no intention of attacking human beings, humans can certainly use it as a weapon of war.

And AI can also be used to defend against those attacks.

We may soon find ourselves living in an age when humans are caught in the middle of battles fought between artificial intelligences.

The next battlefield may be one where artificial intelligence fights artificial intelligence—and human beings are caught in between.

・・・

Cyberwarfare	サイバー戦争。国家間の対立においてサイバー攻撃を利用すること。
Security vulnerability	セキュリティ上の脆弱性。システムに存在する弱点。
Data breach	情報漏洩。機密情報や個人情報が不正に取得・流出すること。
Unauthorized access	不正アクセス。
State-sponsored cyberattack	国家が支援・関与するサイバー攻撃。
Counterfeit currency	偽造通貨、偽札。
Manifestation	表現型、現れ方。病理学でいう manifestation と同様のニュアンス。
Surpass human intelligence	人間の知能を超える。
Caught in the middle	争いや対立に巻き込まれる。
Artificial intelligence	人工知能。略称AI。

#Cyberwarfare #CyberSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #CyberAttacks #StateSponsoredHacking #DataBreach #DigitalWarfare #FutureOfWar #AIandSociety

Is This How Frailty Begins?

After six weeks of avoiding the stairs because of an Achilles tendon injury, I was surprised by how much strength I seemed to have lost. It made me think about how physical decline begins—and how small, everyday habits might help prevent frailty as we grow older.

Hospital ceilings may not look particularly high, but the distance between floors can be surprisingly large.

At the hospital where I work, the ceilings don't seem especially high. Yet climbing the stairs from the pathology department on the second floor to the doctors' offices on the fourth can feel like quite a chore, even though it's only two floors.

This probably isn't unique to hospitals. Modern buildings have plumbing, electrical wiring, and other infrastructure installed beneath the floors or above the ceilings, which adds to the distance between levels.

In office buildings, people generally rely on elevators. Hospitals, however, have substantial staircases.

Part of the reason may be the need to move patients during emergencies. But these staircases also allow doctors and nurses to get around without waiting for elevators that sometimes seem to take forever to arrive.

Even as a pathologist, I occasionally find myself rushing down the stairs when an unexpected request for an intraoperative frozen section diagnosis comes in while I'm eating lunch in the doctors' office. That happens a few times a year.

I used to take the stairs almost every time I went to the doctors' office or attended meetings.

But in early September, I injured my right Achilles tendon and had to start using a cane. Since then, I had been relying on the elevator.

After about six weeks, I finally became able to walk without a cane again this week.

Once that happened, I began feeling a little guilty about taking the elevator for just one floor, so I started using the stairs again.

But now, when I climb two floors, my legs feel tired.

It seems that my physical capacity has declined noticeably in just this short period.

That may also explain why I've gained some weight.

There's a Japanese saying that everything has its causes and consequences. Changes in our bodies, too, happen for reasons.

Of course, aging is something no living creature can escape. Age-related atherosclerosis and declining kidney function associated with hypertension are examples of physical changes that may develop as we grow older.

But we cannot simply blame everything on aging.

Obesity, lack of exercise, insufficient sleep, and irregular eating habits are all factors that leave room for improvement.

I would like to maintain as regular a lifestyle as possible to avoid these problems.

Organizing exercise groups for people of different ages is not easy.

In the end, the only way to prevent a decline in our own physical fitness is to keep moving our bodies ourselves.

For me, climbing the stairs seems to have played that role, modest as it may have been.

Because I couldn't use the stairs and had to rely on the elevator, my physical capacity declined more than I had imagined.

And this made me realize something: perhaps frailty develops in much the same way, through the gradual accumulation of seemingly minor periods of physical inactivity.

This isn't simply a matter of age.

Even young people lose muscle strength when an injury prevents them from being physically active, and recovering that strength takes time.

But the older we become, the harder it is to regain the strength we've lost.

That's why regular physical activity is so important.

The question is, how do we find the time for it?

In my case, finding extra time specifically for exercise is quite difficult.

So the answer may be as simple as taking the stairs every day.

Even such a small habit is something I need to keep up, one step at a time.

Perhaps preventing frailty begins not with a special exercise program, but with the simple decision to take the stairs.

・・・

Frailty	フレイル。加齢に伴い身体的・精神心理的・社会的な脆弱性が高まった状態。
Achilles tendon	アキレス腱。
Physical inactivity	身体活動の不足。単に運動をしないことだけでなく、日常的に身体を動かさないことも含む。
Physical capacity	身体能力・運動機能。筋力だけでなく持久力なども含む。
Intraoperative frozen section diagnosis	術中迅速病理診断。手術中に組織を急速凍結して診断する方法。
Atherosclerosis	動脈硬化。
One step at a time	一歩ずつ、着実に。階段を一段ずつ昇ることと、少しずつ努力を続けることを掛けた表現。

#Frailty #HealthyAging #PhysicalActivity #MuscleStrength #AchillesTendon #ExerciseHabits #PreventingFrailty #DailyLife #PathologistsLife #AgingWell

What I Should Have Aimed for Was Not the Thousand-Armed Kannon

After taking a summer vacation, a veteran pediatric pathologist finds himself overwhelmed with work. Reflecting on a career spent accepting almost every request, he begins to wonder whether he should have devoted himself more deeply to a single specialty rather than trying to do everything.

Whenever I take a summer vacation, I eventually have to make up for the time away. As a result, the past two days have been extraordinarily busy, and today will probably be no different.

At what we call a high-volume center, it is not just the number of patients that is demanding. Many of the cases are also diagnostically challenging. In other words, difficult cases tend to be referred to such hospitals, creating challenges quite different from those faced by hospitals that mainly deal with common diseases.

Apparently, simply working at a specialized hospital for many years is enough for people to regard you as an expert. At my age, this means being asked not only to provide consultations but also to take on various responsibilities for academic societies.

These obligations can be an enormous nuisance. On the other hand, without them, I might find myself with too much time on my hands and nothing meaningful to do. So my feelings are rather mixed.

Perhaps I enjoy being in the spotlight. Or perhaps I have simply followed too faithfully my late father's motto: "Never turn down work that comes your way." Whatever the reason, whenever someone asks me to do something, I tend to accept.

In a sense, perhaps that is rather irresponsible.

The positive side is that it has given me a wide range of experiences. But I am not even particularly versatile, so I can hardly call myself a jack-of-all-trades. Even now, I feel that I have never quite managed to concentrate my work on what I truly wanted to pursue.

From the outside, I suppose I would be described as a pathologist specializing in pediatric and perinatal pathology. But those few words cover an extraordinarily broad field.

When I was younger, I thought I could do just about anything, like the thousand-armed Kannon, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, depicted with countless arms reaching out to help those in need.

But no matter how many hands one has, there is a limit to what each individual hand can accomplish.

Looking back now, I wonder whether what I should have aimed for was not to become like the thousand-armed Kannon, but rather to devote myself deeply to one particular field and truly master it.

Then again, it seems rather questionable for someone who is supposed to be an expert, and who is now approaching retirement, to be saying such things.

I have gradually begun entrusting more of my responsibilities to younger pathologists around me. Yet that, too, leaves me feeling a little lonely.

I suppose I really am rather selfish.

Perhaps the hardest part of growing older is learning to let go of the things we once insisted on doing ourselves.

・・・

high-volume center	多数の症例を扱う高度専門医療施設
diagnostically challenging	診断が難しい、診断上の課題が多い
academic societies	学会、学術団体
an enormous nuisance	面倒なことこの上ない
have mixed feelings	複雑な心境である
enjoy being in the spotlight	目立つことが好きである
jack-of-all-trades	何でも屋、多芸な人。「器用貧乏」の比喩
devote oneself to	〜に専念する、打ち込む
truly master	本当に究める、熟達する
entrust responsibilities to	仕事や責任を他者に任せる

#Pathology #PediatricPathology #MedicalCareer #LifeReflections #CareerReflection #WorkLifeBalance #Retirement #Buddhism #ThousandArmedKannon #JapaneseCulture

I'm Not the Only One Who Doesn't Really Know

We all have doubts about ourselves, no matter how confident we may appear. Even the world's most powerful leaders may not fully understand the consequences of their decisions. Perhaps admitting that we don't have all the answers isn't such a bad thing after all.

I have rather low self-esteem, and I rarely feel confident about anything I do.

Whatever the task, I'm simply relieved when it's over without any major problems.

Even then, I keep dwelling on what I should have done differently, thinking, "I should have done this," or "I should have done that."

I don't suppose anyone seriously evaluates what I do anyway. But then again, I'm not even sure whether my work can be evaluated objectively in the first place. So perhaps it can't be helped.

Even examinations don't necessarily measure intelligence accurately.

Except for a tiny handful of people at the very top, I sometimes feel that test-taking skills matter more than natural intelligence.

There are no absolutely reliable standards for evaluating people.

In the end, I really don't know whether what I'm doing is right, or whether it deserves recognition.

Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Everyone must live with some degree of uncertainty and anxiety.

Even those who proudly claim to have no such worries may simply be compensating for their insecurities in one way or another.

Perhaps human beings don't even know exactly how much they really understand.

What made me think about this was a news report I saw yesterday concerning the war in Ukraine. According to the report, the Russian president had proposed a meeting with the leaders of China and the United States.

Perhaps he imagines himself recreating the Yalta Conference, suggesting that the leaders of the world's three major powers should get together and decide what to do.

Unlike World War II, however, the war in Ukraine began with Russia's invasion of a neighboring country. Surely it is not something that the great powers have any right to settle among themselves while leaving Ukraine out of the discussion.

Of course, in today's globalized world, such a conflict can no longer remain a matter between just two countries.

Perhaps Russia is growing frustrated with the seemingly endless stalemate and is desperately searching for a way out.

But what was the war supposed to achieve in the first place? And what kind of ending did its leaders originally envision?

This is hardly limited to Ukraine.

When I look at the conflicts involving Iran and the United States, Israel and Palestine, and various other international disputes, I sometimes wonder whether the people governing these countries really understand what consequences their decisions will bring.

Of course, they must have access to enormous amounts of information that someone like me could never hope to obtain. They also receive advice from experts who are supposed to be highly capable.

But even so, they cannot see the future.

They may appear to make decisions with a complete understanding of the situation, but perhaps they are actually just feeling their way forward through uncertainty.

And their decisions must involve all sorts of considerations, not only national interests but also their own political positions, reputations, personal interests, and ambitions.

Driven by these invisible anxieties and desires, they keep taking one action after another.

Yet perhaps even they don't really understand what they are doing.

When I think of it that way, my own lack of confidence seems rather insignificant, almost endearing.

After all, I'm just an ordinary person, still worrying about all sorts of trivial things and never quite feeling confident about what I've accomplished in life.

I'm not the only one who doesn't really know.

If everyone is more or less in the same boat, perhaps I don't need to keep looking down on myself simply because I lack confidence.

Perhaps not having all the answers is no reason to think less of myself.

・・・

low self-esteem	自己肯定感が低い。自分自身の価値を低く評価すること。
dwell on something	過去の失敗や後悔などを、いつまでもくよくよ考える。
natural intelligence	地頭の良さ、生来の知的能力。
compensate for one's insecurities	自分の不安や自信のなさを、別の行動や態度で埋め合わせる。
the Yalta Conference	ヤルタ会談。1945年2月、米英ソの首脳が戦後秩序を協議した会談。
stalemate	膠着状態。戦争や交渉が行き詰まり、進展しないこと。
feel one's way forward	手探りで進む。確かな見通しがないまま慎重に行動する。
in the same boat	同じ境遇にある、似たような問題を抱えている。
think less of myself	自分を低く評価する、自分を卑下する。

#SelfEsteem #SelfDoubt #HumanNature #Uncertainty #WorldPolitics #UkraineWar #SelfReflection #PersonalEssay #LifeThoughts #こんな気持ちでいられたら #自己肯定感 #人生を考える

Monday Again, After Two Weeks

 

After an international conference in Fukuoka and a belated summer vacation in Karuizawa, I'm finally back to my usual Monday routine. With a busy week ahead, an overflowing inbox, and plenty of work waiting for me, it's time to get back into work mode.

Another beautiful morning, with clear skies and sunshine.

The temperature in Tokyo is expected to reach around 25°C by midday.

After experiencing the crisp autumn air in Karuizawa last week, my body has already adjusted to autumn. But when it comes to clothing, I still need something suitable for both summer and fall.

Last Monday was Sports Day, a national holiday in Japan, and I was attending an international conference in Fukuoka.

So this is my first regular working Monday in two weeks.

I tend to pack my Mondays with all sorts of tasks, so they are always busy, and the day seems to fly by.

That's why I decided to catch a train one departure earlier than usual this morning.

Even so, looking around, the train is still quite crowded.

It's the same familiar morning commute as always.

Although I don't have any conferences or other events where I'm scheduled to give a presentation this week, I still have several clinical conferences and online meetings to attend.

I also need to make progress on preparations for a medical conference coming up in February.

But before any of that, the first thing I'll have to do when I arrive at the hospital is tackle the mountain of work emails that must have piled up during my absence.

I suppose I'd better get myself into work mode and stay focused.

After all, I don't want to find myself dozing off just because I got up a little earlier than usual!

Time to get back into work mode—and make sure I stay awake!

・・・

get back into work mode	仕事モードに戻る、気持ちを仕事に切り替える
a belated summer vacation	少し遅れた夏休み
crisp autumn air	ひんやりと爽やかな秋の空気
adjust to autumn	秋の気候に体が慣れる
Sports Day	スポーツの日。日本の国民の祝日。旧称は体育の日
pack one's schedule with	予定をぎっしり詰め込む
the day flies by	一日があっという間に過ぎる
one departure earlier than usual	いつもより一本早い電車で
the same familiar morning commute	いつもと変わらない、見慣れた通勤風景
make progress on	～を進める、進展させる
tackle a mountain of emails	山積みになったメールを片づける
pile up	積み重なる、溜まる
doze off	うとうとする、居眠りする

#MondayMorning #BackToWork #MorningCommute #TokyoLife #LifeInJapan #AfterVacation #AutumnInJapan #WorkingLife #MedicalConference #DailyReflections

A Laid-Back Autumn Day

Another beautiful autumn day in Kamakura. With perfect weather and no particular plans, I spent the day taking things easy. A few household chores, a walk with Anne, and some quiet time to reflect on the future. Sometimes, that's all it takes to make a good day.

Another beautiful, sunny autumn day.

The temperature and humidity were just right, making it a very pleasant day.

I didn't do anything particularly special. I just took it easy and enjoyed a laid-back day.

Of course, that doesn't mean I sat around doing nothing.

I took Anne for a walk, cooked some rice while looking after the house, tidied up the garden, and washed the car.

Before I knew it, the whole day had flown by.

 

The week began with an academic conference, followed by a little work, and then a somewhat belated summer vacation.

And now, that week is coming to an end.

I also had time to think about various things, including what lies ahead in my life.

All in all, it was a good week.

And today was a good day, too.

There's still a little of it left, so I think I'll spend the remaining hours taking it easy.

There's still a little time left in the day. I think I'll just relax and enjoy it.

・・・

laid-back	のんびりした、気負わない、まったりした
take it easy	のんびり過ごす、無理をせず気楽にする
just right	ちょうどよい、申し分ない
sit around doing nothing	何もせずぼんやりしている
look after the house	留守番をする、家のことを見ている
tidy up the garden	庭をきれいにする、庭を片づける
before I knew it	気がつけば、いつの間にか
fly by	時間があっという間に過ぎる
somewhat belated	少し遅れた、時期外れの
what lies ahead	これから先に待っていること、将来
all in all	総じて、振り返ってみれば

#AutumnInKamakura #LaidBackDay #RelaxingSunday #LifeInJapan #SimplePleasures #FlatCoatedRetriever #LifeWithAnne #QuietReflections #AutumnDays #KamakuraLife

Pets Are Like Family, but…

I used to wonder why people called their pets members of the family. Now, living with our Flat-Coated Retriever, Anne, I find myself feeling much the same way. But if pets are so precious to us, why do some people abandon them?

I used to hear people say, “Pets are members of the family,” and wonder what on earth they were talking about.

Recently, however, I realized that I, too, have come to think of our Flat-Coated Retriever, Anne, as something like a member of the family.

Perhaps I felt the same way about our previous dogs, Koro and Knight, without really realizing it.

But why do humans want to keep animals as pets in the first place?

Pets are not limited to dogs and cats. Some people keep birds, others fish, and still others reptiles.

People develop affection for all kinds of animals, each in their own way.

I wonder if they all come to regard their pets as family, too.

On the other hand, some people abandon their pets.

Just a little while ago, I saw a television report about abandoned raccoons.

We have raccoons here in Kamakura, of course, as well as Taiwan squirrels and masked palm civets.

Raccoons and Taiwan squirrels were originally brought to Japan by humans. Some escaped from captivity, while others were deliberately released or abandoned, eventually establishing populations in the wild.

Whenever I see these animals, I have mixed feelings.

People take animals home because they find them cute, but when caring for them becomes too difficult, some simply abandon them.

As a result, these animals multiply in the wild, disrupt local ecosystems, and eventually become targets of population control or extermination.

In the end, it seems that human thoughtlessness has come back to haunt us.

And yet, there is little I can personally do to change the situation.

At the very least, I can take good care of Anne, who is now part of our household, and remain responsible for her throughout her life.

Perhaps that is all I can do.

Perhaps the least we can do for the animals we bring into our lives is to care for them until the very end.

a member of the family	家族の一員。ペットについても自然に使う表現
in the first place	そもそも、第一に
develop affection for	～に愛情を抱くようになる
abandon a pet	ペットを捨てる、遺棄する
escape from captivity	飼育下から逃げ出す
establish populations in the wild	野生で繁殖し、個体群として定着する
have mixed feelings	複雑な気持ちになる
disrupt local ecosystems	地域の生態系を乱す
population control	個体数管理。駆除を含む場合がある
come back to haunt us	過去の行為が巡り巡って悪い結果をもたらす。「しっぺ返しを受ける」に近い
human thoughtlessness	人間の無思慮、無自覚さ
throughout her life	その生涯を通して、最後まで

#PetsAreFamily #FlatCoatedRetriever #LifeWithDogs #AnimalWelfare #ResponsiblePetOwnership #AbandonedPets #WildlifeConservation #Kamakura #AnneTheDog #LifeInJapan

A False Magnitude 9.9 Earthquake Alert at the Mampei Hotel in Karuizawa

 

A peaceful afternoon at the historic Mampei Hotel in Karuizawa took an unexpected turn when our smartphones suddenly sounded an earthquake alert. A magnitude 9.9 earthquake, with strong shaking expected in just three minutes? We found ourselves counting down, wondering what to do.

Another beautiful sunny day in Karuizawa. In fact, it seems that the whole of Japan was blessed with fine weather today, which is certainly something to be thankful for.

After checking out of our hotel, we took Anne to the dog park and let her run around to her heart's content. Then we headed to Old Karuizawa.

Our destination was the Mampei Hotel, one of my wife's favorite places.

We were relaxing on the terrace, where dogs are welcome, when suddenly an earthquake warning sounded on my smartphone.

Everyone else's phones around us went off at the same time.

"Hey, it says magnitude 9.9! The earthquake is in the Kuril Islands, and the shaking is supposed to reach us in three minutes!"

Japan has an Earthquake Early Warning system that alerts people before strong shaking arrives. But a magnitude of 9.9? That would be beyond anything ever recorded.

　　　

 

So, what should we do?

We were sitting outside on the terrace. Should we stay where we were, or crawl under the table?

While I was thinking about it, the countdown reached two minutes.

Hmm. What to do?

My wife suggested moving away from the building because she was worried about the hotel's eaves.

I thought that, since we were so far from the epicenter, the shaking probably wouldn't be all that strong. So I stayed where I was.

Before I knew it, there was only one minute left.

If the shaking started, I would get under the table.

Perhaps I could first see how strong it was by watching the lampshades inside the hotel. There should be enough time to decide what to do after that.

With these thoughts running through my mind, I waited for the shaking to begin.

But nothing happened.

"That's strange. It's not shaking at all. Maybe it wasn't such a big earthquake after all?"

Just as we were saying that, a second warning sounded.

An aftershock?

Then, before long, we heard that the Japan Meteorological Agency had canceled the warning.

Hmm.

The agency apparently says it wasn't a cyberattack, but I certainly hope that was the case.

A magnitude 9.9 earthquake that never came. Quite an unexpected experience during what was supposed to be a peaceful afternoon at the Mampei Hotel.

 

・・・

• Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) — 緊急地震速報。日本で地震の強い揺れが到達する前に発表される警報。

• Kuril Islands — 千島列島。北海道の北東からカムチャツカ半島にかけて連なる島々。

• Epicenter — 震央。地震の震源の真上にあたる地表の地点。

• Eaves — 軒、ひさし。建物の屋根が外壁より外側に張り出した部分。

• To her heart's content — 思う存分、満足するまで。

• Aftershock — 余震。大きな地震の後に発生する地震。

• Cyberattack — サイバー攻撃。コンピューターシステムやネットワークに対する悪意のある攻撃。

• Before I knew it — 気がつけば、いつの間にか。

#Karuizawa #MampeiHotel #EarthquakeAlert #EarthquakeEarlyWarning #Magnitude99 #KurilIslands #JapanTravel #OldKaruizawa #TravelWithDogs #軽井沢 #万平ホテル #緊急地震速報 #千島列島