Once Again, Somewhere in the World Today

This morning, I watched disturbing footage of a missile attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia. It made me think about the violence taking place around the world, the fragile nature of peace, and how easily we take our own peaceful lives for granted.

This morning, footage of a missile attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia was shown on the news.

I was horrified to see a crowd of people standing in line suddenly engulfed in flames.

Scenes like this are unfolding in different parts of the world, with countless people being injured or losing their lives.

What on earth is all this happening for?

What kind of situation could possibly leave killing people as the only way to resolve it?

And if there are people who have been driven to the point where they see violence as their only way forward, how are we supposed to understand their lives and circumstances?

Whatever the circumstances may be, I cannot believe that taking human lives can ever truly solve anything.

With our neighboring country repeatedly testing long-range missiles, even Japan's peace could be shattered at any moment.

For that matter, defining what we mean by peace is difficult in itself.

If we can simply maintain the status quo and live our lives in comfort and security, that may be peace enough for us.

But for people struggling under harsh conditions, uncertain whether they will even make it through tomorrow, peace may be something they feel they must fight to achieve.

I am beginning to lose sight of what it is that has kept Japan at peace.

I once took that peace for granted, as though it were simply a natural part of life. But perhaps it is only being maintained by a complicated combination of factors, barely holding together in an extremely delicate balance.

The peace we enjoy today is by no means something we can take for granted. It is something extraordinarily precious, and we must never stop thinking about what it takes to preserve it.

Peace is never something we should take for granted.

 

・・・

Expression
be engulfed in flames	炎に包まれる。衝撃的な映像の描写に使う表現
What on earth ...?	一体全体なぜ〜なのか。強い疑問や困惑を表す
see violence as their only way forward	暴力に訴えることしか活路がないと考える
whatever the circumstances may be	どのような事情があろうとも
be shattered at any moment	いつ崩壊してもおかしくない
maintain the status quo	現状を維持する
fight to achieve peace	平和を勝ち取るために戦う
take something for granted	何かを当たり前のものと思う
a delicate balance	危うい均衡、繊細なバランス
preserve peace	平和を守り、維持する

#Peace #WorldPeace #MiddleEast #SaudiArabia #WarAndPeace #Humanity #FragilePeace #Japan #ReflectionsOnLife #平和 #中東情勢 #戦争と平和 #日々の思い

Looking Back on the Path I've Taken — Reflections After My Presentation at IAP 2026

 

After presenting at IAP 2026 in Fukuoka, Japan, I find myself reflecting on more than just the conference. Speaking in English at an international meeting was exhausting, especially at my age, but I managed to get through it. Yet the experience has left me questioning what I have accomplished in my thirty years as a pathologist. Have I made the most of my abilities? What does professional success really mean? And what responsibilities remain for me as a leader?

The international conference in Fukuoka has come to a successful conclusion.

First of all, I'm exhausted.

For a pathologist in his early sixties, attending an international conference is demanding, even when it's held here in Japan.

What exactly constitutes a "successful conclusion" may differ from person to person. But I stood at the podium, somewhat nervous, and managed to speak in English for a little over ten minutes, however haltingly. I even managed to respond to the questions during the discussion.

So I suppose I can call that a success.

The presentation itself was challenging. I was proposing a new classification for benign congenital lesions, a subject so complicated that even I sometimes found myself getting confused while explaining it.

Considering all that, I think I did reasonably well.

It's rather pathetic to have to console myself like this, but at least the presentation is over. Now I'm heading home to Kamakura.

Still, I've been doing things like this for thirty years.

When I look back on my career as a pathologist, I can't help wondering what I've actually accomplished.

I haven't published any particularly significant papers, and sometimes I even question whether I deserve to call myself a specialist in pathology.

But these are the results of my career, and there's no point in denying them.

No matter how hard one works, it's difficult to compete with people who are truly gifted.

On the other hand, talent comes in many forms, and I don't know whether the path I chose was really the best one for me.

Perhaps this was the best I could have done.

Perhaps this was simply the limit of my abilities.

When it comes to success in life, people tend to judge us by our achievements. The process of getting there receives far less attention.

Of course, when it comes to personal growth, the process matters enormously. The kind of person we become is something quite different from what we achieve professionally.

Looking back on the path I've taken, I feel I can give myself a little credit for the way I've lived my life.

All things considered, I think I've done reasonably well.

But as a pathologist, I can't help feeling that I've fallen somewhat short.

I intend to continue working as a pathologist for a while longer, but I wonder what I should be doing now as a leader.

I'm no longer entirely confident that I have what it takes.

Even if I'm little more than a hollow facade, trying to live up to a role that may be beyond my abilities, I still have a responsibility to fulfill it for as long as that role is entrusted to me.

These are the thoughts running through my tired mind, just after finishing my presentation.

Perhaps the hardest part of looking back on one's career is accepting both what one has achieved and what one never could.

 

・・・・ 

• Come to a successful conclusion — 無事に終了する。単に finish というより、問題なく終えられたというニュアンス。

• However haltingly — たどたどしいながらも。流暢ではない英語で何とか話した様子。

• Constitute — ～に相当する、～を構成する。What constitutes success? で「何をもって成功というのか」。

• Console myself — 自分を慰める。失敗や不安を抱えた自分を納得させようとすること。

• Truly gifted — 本当に才能に恵まれた。生来の優れた才能を強調する表現。

• Fall somewhat short — 期待や目標に少し届かない。「イマイチだった」という控えめな自己評価。

• Have what it takes — 必要な能力や資質を備えている。

• A hollow facade — 中身の伴わない外見、見せかけ。「ハリボテ」の比喩的表現。

• Entrust a role to someone — 人に役割を託す。責任や信頼を伴う表現。

   

#IAP2026 #Pathology #Pathologist #InternationalConference #MedicalCareer #CareerReflection #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #Fukuoka #Kamakura #病理医 #国際学会 #人生を振り返る

How to Live with AI: A Challenge Shared Around the World @IAP2026

 Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the practice of medicine, including pathology. While AI offers remarkable benefits, it also raises an important question: Could relying too much on AI gradually weaken our own professional skills? At an international pathology conference in Fukuoka, I discovered that this concern is shared by pathologists in other countries. It was reassuring to realize that I was not alone in wondering how we can embrace AI without losing the expertise we have spent decades developing.

International Congress of Pathology, Fukuoka.

Since I wasn't scheduled to give my presentation today, I spent the day attending various sessions.

I attended one on soft tissue tumors, which are quite relevant to pediatric pathology, and another on artificial intelligence.

Recently, I've been worrying that using AI might be weakening my own ability to think independently. Ironically, I've even been discussing this concern with AI itself.

Today, during a lecture, a German pathologist said something about "If I lose my skills."

Hearing those words, I felt strangely reassured. So I wasn't the only one worrying about this after all.

If this is already a concern in pathology, I imagine the problem may be even more serious in clinical medicine. And in other scientific fields, not to mention the business world, AI may be making even greater inroads.

All in all, I've enjoyed the conference so far, and tomorrow it's finally my turn to give my presentation.

I've prepared thoroughly, or at least I think I have. But will everything go smoothly?

Despite these worries, I ended up having quite a few drinks with an old friend from high school, who now runs his own medical practice in Kyushu.

I still need to go over my presentation script one more time before tomorrow, so I'll leave it at that for today.

That said, I suppose I'd better read through my presentation script once more tonight, even with my head a little fuzzy from the drinks.

Perhaps the real challenge is not learning how to use AI, but learning how to keep thinking for ourselves while using it. 

#ArtificialIntelligence #AIinPathology #Pathology #MedicalEducation #ClinicalSkills #InternationalConference #Fukuoka #PediatricPathology #HumanExpertise #LifeWithAI #IAP2026

Still Nervous at My Age?

Even after decades of experience, giving a presentation at an international conference can still be nerve-racking. My slides and script are ready, but speaking English without notes is another matter. Watching a Nobel Prize winner read from a prepared script made me feel a little better. Perhaps relying on a script is not something to be embarrassed about, after all. Still, I cannot help wondering why I continue to get nervous before a presentation, even at my age.

An international conference is just around the corner, my first in quite some time, and I'm feeling a little nervous.

My slides and script are ready, so all that's left is to give the presentation.

Ideally, I'd like to speak without looking at my notes, but I just can't seem to memorize what I want to say.

In the end, it looks as though I'll have to read from my script.

I was thinking to myself, somewhat self-deprecatingly, that we Japanese really aren't very good at English.

But then, while watching the news coverage of the Nobel Prizes, I noticed someone reading from a prepared script.

Perhaps English wasn't their native language, and they had prepared a script just to be on the safe side.

That's what I decided to tell myself to put my mind at ease.

Still, getting nervous before a conference presentation, even at my age, is rather frustrating—or perhaps a little embarrassing.

Perhaps getting nervous simply means that I still care about doing my best.

 

・・・

just around the corner	目前に迫っている。日常会話でもよく使う表現
nerve-racking	神経がすり減るような、緊張する
speak without looking at my notes	原稿を見ずに話す
can't seem to memorize	どうしても覚えられない。can't memorize より少し柔らかい
read from my script	用意した原稿を読む。学会発表でも自然な表現
self-deprecatingly	自嘲気味に、自分を少し卑下して
just to be on the safe side	念のため、万全を期して
put my mind at ease	気持ちを楽にする、安心する
rather frustrating	何とももどかしい、困ったものだ

#InternationalConference #AcademicPresentation #PublicSpeaking #EnglishPresentation #NobelPrize #PresentationAnxiety #LifelongLearning #NeverTooOldToLearn #国際学会 #英語発表 #学会発表 #緊張 #生涯学習

Give Up Some of Our Modern Conveniences

Cyberattacks are becoming an increasingly serious threat to modern society. Recent incidents in Japan have disrupted distribution networks and exposed millions of people's personal information, including images of driver's licenses. As we become more dependent on interconnected computer systems, the convenience we take for granted may also become our greatest vulnerability. Perhaps it is time to reconsider how much we rely on technology and whether we are prepared to keep society functioning when our digital systems fail.

With the rapid advancement of AI adding to the problem, cyberattacks exploiting vulnerabilities in computer systems are becoming increasingly serious, causing widespread disruption in logistics and many other sectors.

The recent leak of personal information from a car-sharing company is particularly alarming, especially because it involved driver's license information.

Although I have used a different rental car company, I cannot help wondering whether my own personal information is being properly protected.

After all, providing driver's license information when renting a car is perfectly reasonable. It would never occur to most of us that such information might be stolen.

But when information containing names, addresses, dates of birth, and even facial photographs is leaked, it is no small matter.

Japan has traditionally been considered relatively well protected from foreign attacks because it is surrounded by the sea, unlike European countries that share land borders.

Today, however, in cyberspace, criminals from other countries may be lurking right next door.

It is difficult to completely eliminate crimes that exploit the convenience of the Internet.

Indeed, perhaps some of these criminals do not even think of what they are doing as a crime.

To them, what lies beyond their computer screens may be nothing more than strings of numbers and symbols, rather than real people and real money.

How, then, should Japan and its people respond to this unprecedented crisis?

Perhaps the most reliable solution would be to return to a world of paper and pencils, but that would be absurd.

It is still fresh in our memories that a major office supplies company suffered a cyberattack that left its operations severely disrupted for several weeks.

Yes, we could even find ourselves in a situation where paper and pencils become difficult to obtain.

That may be an extreme example, but perhaps we need to consider operating our computers as standalone machines or within highly restricted networks, keeping connections to the outside world to an absolute minimum.

I realize that such amateur ideas may not be of much practical use.

Nevertheless, perhaps we need to be prepared to give up some of the conveniences we have come to enjoy.

We must establish systems that allow society to continue functioning even when cyberattacks occur.

In hospitals, for example, when electronic medical record systems go down, we are supposed to switch immediately to established downtime procedures.

Similarly, society as a whole needs mechanisms that allow essential activities to continue even when the systems we normally depend on stop working.

We have pursued convenience by entrusting almost everything to computers and connecting countless systems through networks.

Yet that very convenience is now becoming a vulnerability for society as a whole.

We have come this far without ever seriously considering the possibility of giving up the conveniences we have acquired.

Perhaps we have reached a point where we must reconsider the way we have built our society.

True resilience may require us to sacrifice a little convenience before we lose much more.

 

・・・

exploit vulnerabilities	脆弱性を悪用する。サイバーセキュリティ分野でよく使われる表現
be lurking right next door	すぐ隣に潜んでいる。目に見えない脅威を表現
it is no small matter	ただ事ではない。事態の重大さを強調
standalone machines	外部ネットワークに接続しない独立したコンピューター
downtime procedures	システム停止時の代替運用手順。医療分野でも使われる専門用語
entrust something to	～に何かを委ねる、任せる
resilience	回復力、強靭性。サイバーセキュリティや事業継続の重要概念
at the expense of	～を犠牲にして。Convenience at the expense of security（安全性を犠牲にした利便性）など

#Cybersecurity #Cyberattacks #DigitalSociety #DataBreach #DigitalDependence #CyberResilience #TechnologyAndSociety #BusinessContinuity #ModernConvenience

Political Arrogance and Bureaucratic Deference That Leave No Paper Trail

In Japan, a cabinet minister has come under fire for claiming that he reduced government funding to municipalities whose mayors did not support him in an election. Although he later denied exerting political pressure, the controversy has raised serious questions about political accountability, bureaucratic independence, and the absence of proper records. It also recalls earlier scandals in which official documents and government explanations came under scrutiny. How can citizens trust an administration when even the process behind its decisions remains unclear?

A politician once made the outrageous claim that he had cut government funding to municipalities whose mayors had refused to support him. Now that the very same politician has become a cabinet minister, his remarks have turned into a major controversy. He has offered explanation after explanation, but the more he says, the more contradictions seem to emerge. What was once a gray area is beginning to look pitch-black.

Budget allocation is a devilishly complicated business. When money runs short in one place, funds may have to be shifted from somewhere else. That much is understandable. But deliberately cutting funding to a particular community for political reasons would be an entirely different matter.

And what are we to make of bureaucrats who might take a politician's wishes into account and allow a single phone call to influence administrative decisions?

Then, when asked to explain what happened, officials respond with phrases such as, "There are no records," or "I believe that was the case."

We have seen this sort of thing before. These are people entrusted with decisions that affect the lives of ordinary citizens, yet they apparently conduct government business without keeping adequate records of how those decisions were made. The carelessness of it all leaves me speechless.

What happened to the lessons that should have been learned from the Moritomo scandal?* Did those in power ever truly reflect on what happened? No, I rather doubt they did.

Why do politicians who appear so arrogant continue to wield influence and even rise to cabinet positions? And I find it equally difficult to understand why voters continue to support such figures.

The politician reportedly referred to local construction contractors in an interview. Hearing that, one can hardly blame people for wondering whether his actions were motivated by a desire to secure votes.

Japan is already struggling with economic stagnation and an uncertain future. We have no time to waste.

Parliament should not have to spend its precious debating time dealing with controversies like this.

Would it be too much to ask him to step down?

After all, he would still have the title of "former cabinet minister" to his name. Surely that should be reward enough.

As for the bureaucrats, I would like to see them carry out their duties with a little more consideration for the perspective of ordinary, law-abiding citizens.

Civil servants, too, may be protected under Japan's Whistleblower Protection Act when certain legal conditions are met. I wish more of them would speak up when they see something wrong.

But perhaps that is easier said than done when their career prospects are at stake.

＊The Moritomo scandal involved the controversial sale of government-owned land to a private school operator in Japan and the subsequent alteration of official documents by the Ministry of Finance. The case became a major symbol of concerns over political accountability, bureaucratic conduct, and government transparency.

When those in power leave no records, who is left to take responsibility?

・・・

• leave no paper trail — 記録・証拠となる文書を残さない

• bureaucratic deference — 官僚による上位者への遠慮・追従。「忖度」の訳語

• come under fire — 厳しい批判を浴びる

• pitch-black — 真っ黒。疑惑の深まりを比喩的に表現

• a devilishly complicated business — 悪魔的なほど複雑な事柄

• leave me speechless — 開いた口が塞がらない、言葉を失う

• wield influence — 影響力を振るう

• one can hardly blame people for wondering — 人々が疑念を抱くのも無理はない

• whistleblower — 内部告発者・公益通報者

• career prospects are at stake — 将来の昇進やキャリアが危うくなる

   

#JapanesePolitics #PoliticalAccountability #GovernmentTransparency #Bureaucracy #WhistleblowerProtection #Kamakura #JapanesePathologist

Generational Change Has Reached Me, Too

Major League Baseball is in the middle of its postseason, and I have been watching the games with my usual mix of excitement and anxiety. At the same time, news of veteran players retiring reminds me that every field eventually undergoes generational change. Yesterday, I experienced a small version of that myself. It was a little sad, but it also made me think about what it means to step aside, leave something behind, and let the next generation take over.

Major League Baseball is in the middle of its postseason, and I have been watching the games nervously day after day.

While some players are still performing at the highest level, many others are once again announcing their retirement this year.

Yesterday, I too was relieved of my role as the head of a certain research group.

It made me feel a little sad, realizing that this is how generational change takes place.

Progress in research has been remarkable.

When I was younger, there were many things I used to think, “If only we could do this,” or “I wish we could study that.”

Now, many of those things have actually become possible.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that I was no longer quite able to keep up with all of them.

That is certainly a little sad, but perhaps it is also the right time to step back.

The title of my presentation at an upcoming conference is:

“Reclassification of 〇〇 Diseases: A Mechanism-Based Framework.”

In simple terms, I am proposing a new classification that moves beyond the conventional way of categorizing these diseases.

In about ten minutes of presentation time, I will try to condense much of the “experience” I have accumulated over the years.

And I plan to end with the following words:

“Our next step is a multicenter molecular study in Japan to validate and refine this framework.”

Being able to present what I have done over the years in a coherent form at an international conference is not such a bad way to bring things together.

From there, the future of this research in Japan will be entrusted to the promising young researchers of the next generation, including those who spoke at yesterday’s meeting.

Rather than clinging to my position indefinitely, perhaps I should think of this as leaving behind something of my own and handing it over to those who come next.

Once I began to think that way, the sadness I had felt started to change into another question:

What should I do next?

There is not much time to indulge in sentimentality.

For now, I simply need to prepare properly for the conference that is just around the corner.

Sometimes stepping aside is not the end of a journey, but the moment when we decide what to leave for those who follow.

・・・

• generational change — 世代交代

• be relieved of one’s role — 役職・任務を解かれる

• keep up with — 進歩などについていく

• step back — 第一線から一歩引く

• move beyond — 従来の枠を越える

• condense — 凝縮する

• coherent form — 筋道の通った、一つにまとまった形

• entrust A to B — AをBに託す

• cling to one’s position — 地位・立場にしがみつく

• indulge in sentimentality — 感傷に浸る

#GenerationalChange
#PassingTheTorch
#MedicalResearch
#AcademicLife
#InternationalConference
#Kamakura
#JapanesePathologist

A Vending Machine for Shonan Kamakura Ofunaken

This morning at Kamakura Station, I noticed a brand-new vending machine that immediately caught my attention. It belonged to Ofunaken, a long-established railway bento company famous for its pressed horse mackerel sushi. For more than a century, this local specialty has been closely associated with Kamakura and the Shonan area. And for someone like me who happens to love it, being able to buy it from a vending machine is surprisingly exciting.

This morning, on my way to work, I noticed someone standing in front of a brand-new vending machine inside Kamakura Station, studying it carefully.

Curious, I looked over and saw that the machine was wrapped in a familiar pattern. At the top were the words “Shonan Kamakura Ofunaken.”

There used to be an Ofunaken stand on the platform, toward the Kita-Kamakura end, but apparently it has now been replaced by this vending machine.

I say “apparently” because the stand was always closed during my morning and evening commuting hours, so lately I had not really known whether it was still operating or not.

A staffed shop requires at least one person to be there.

If it is going to stay open from morning until evening, one person would obviously not be enough, and the staff would also need breaks.

There were times when I went there expecting it to be open, only to find a sign saying, “On break.”

Of course, that is perfectly understandable when people are running the shop.

Still, on the rare occasions when I happened to be traveling during the daytime and had already decided that I would treat myself to my favorite aji no oshizushi, only to find the stand closed, the disappointment was considerable.

Aji no oshizushi is pressed horse mackerel sushi and has long been one of Ofunaken’s signature products. First sold in 1913 using horse mackerel from the waters around Sagami Bay, it has become a long-established local specialty associated with the Kamakura–Shonan area.

A vending machine, on the other hand, can operate around the clock—or, in the case of a railway station, at least for as long as the trains are running.

Inventory can presumably be monitored as well, making it easier to avoid running out of stock and allowing a more stable supply.

None of this is new, of course.

These have been advantages of vending machines ever since they first appeared.

Even so, the idea that I can now reliably get Ofunaken’s pressed horse mackerel sushi whenever I want still feels rather revolutionary to me.

Best of all, I can buy it here in the morning before leaving Kamakura.

That could be particularly useful when I am traveling to a conference.

Suppose, for example, I have a meeting in Osaka starting at 1 p.m.

Instead of hurriedly buying a pork cutlet sandwich at Shin-Yokohama Station, I could buy a box of pressed horse mackerel sushi at Kamakura Station in the morning, take it with me on the Shinkansen, and have it for lunch somewhere after passing Nagoya.

That sounds just about perfect.

It feels as though one more option has been added to my conference-travel routine, and I am strangely pleased about it.

We live in an age in which more and more things are being automated to save labor, and I suppose that is simply the way times are changing.

If so, I hope we will see more vending machines like this—machines that turn out to be unexpectedly useful.

Sometimes automation does not merely replace something—it quietly adds a little convenience, and even a little pleasure, to everyday life.

・・・

pressed sushi / oshizushi
押し寿司。酢飯と具材を型に入れ、上から押して形を整える寿司。

horse mackerel
鯵（アジ）。英語では aji とそのまま表記することもあります。

long-established
老舗の、長い歴史を持つ。

signature product
その店や会社を代表する看板商品。

staffed shop
店員が常駐する有人店舗。

inventory
在庫。在庫管理は inventory management。

stable supply
安定供給。

around the clock
24時間、昼夜を問わず。

#Kamakura #Ofunaken #AjiNoOshizushi #JapaneseVendingMachine #Ekiben #JapanesePathologist

Whose Heart and the Autumn Sky?

This morning’s gray sky was a complete change from yesterday’s fine weather, and the scent of fragrant olive seemed especially vivid in the damp air. Autumn weather changes quickly, and in Japan that changeability has long been compared with the human heart. But was it originally a woman’s heart, or a man’s? Looking into the history of the proverb led me to an unexpected answer — and to the thought that perhaps human fickleness has never belonged to one gender alone.

In complete contrast to yesterday’s fine weather, the sky was dull and overcast this morning.

On a day like this, the scent of fragrant olive somehow stands out more clearly and suddenly catches my attention.

This year, the shrubs we planted as a screen between our house and our neighbor’s have finally begun to flower, sending us a faint but pleasant fragrance.

The autumn sky changes from moment to moment.

In Japan, people have often said, “A woman’s heart is like the autumn sky,” comparing the rapidly changing weather with a woman’s changing feelings.

But in reality, men seem at least as likely to be unfaithful, and when it comes to being devoted to one person, I sometimes think women may have the advantage.

Whether being inclined toward multiple partners is biologically good or bad is, of course, not so simple.

From the standpoint of genetic diversity, having different partners might offer some advantage. From the standpoint of raising children, however, a stable relationship with a limited number of partners might be more beneficial.

Today, of course, a partner is not necessarily someone of the biologically opposite sex. Once we take that into account, expressions such as “a man’s heart” or “a woman’s heart” may gradually lose much of their meaning.

So I looked into the origin of this Japanese proverb.

To my surprise, the older expression was actually “A man’s heart and the autumn sky.”

Similar wording can be found in Japanese kyogen from the Muromachi period, and by the Edo period, the expression was used to describe a man’s unfaithful or changeable affections.

For a long time, Japanese dictionaries also treated the version referring to a man’s heart as the original form.

So that was how it began.

I had always assumed that the saying reflected a male point of view — a man’s frustration with the supposedly unpredictable feelings of women.

Apparently, I had it backward.

There is said to be a similar English expression, “A woman’s mind and a winter wind change oft,” so perhaps the tendency of human feelings to change is nothing for me to worry about. People seem to have noticed it everywhere, in every age.

Still, while people’s hearts are free to change, I wish the weather would settle down a little.

We had such a long spell of rain this year.

Now that the sun has finally appeared, I would like the clear weather to stay with us for a while.

Human hearts may be free to change, but I would prefer the autumn sky to make up its mind.

・・・

overcast
空が雲で覆われた「どんよりした、曇った」。
The sky was dull and overcast.

fragrant olive
金木犀。英語では fragrant olive や sweet osmanthus と呼ばれる。

stand out
「目立つ、際立つ」。香りや色、特徴などが周囲より強く感じられるときにも使える。

devoted to one person
「一人の人に一途である」。devoted には「献身的な、深く愛情を注ぐ」という意味がある。

from the standpoint of ...
「〜という観点から」。少し論理的、学術的な文章でも使いやすい表現。

fickle
「移り気な、気まぐれな」。人の感情や好みが変わりやすいことを表す。

have it backward
「逆に理解している、あべこべに考えている」。
Apparently, I had it backward.
＝「どうやら私は逆に考えていたようだ」。

make up one’s mind
「決心する、態度を決める」。最後の一文では、秋空を人間のように扱った表現。

#AutumnSky #JapaneseProverbs #FragrantOlive #ChangingSeasons #EverydayThoughts #Kamakura #JapanesePathologist

Morning on the Beach, Evening by the Harbor

 A day that began unexpectedly in the middle of the night turned into a full day by the sea. After watching Major League Baseball, I took Anne to Enoshima for a morning walk along the beach, then headed to Yokohama in the evening for a dog sports festival. By the end of the day, I realized once again how much having Anne in my life has encouraged me to go out, explore, and enjoy places I might otherwise never visit.

 I happened to wake up in the middle of the night, and that was the beginning of the end.

I immediately remembered that the Major League Baseball postseason Division Series broadcasts were starting today, so I turned on NHK.

First came the White Sox.

By the time I switched on the TV, Murakami had already hit a home run, but the White Sox went on to beat the Guardians and take their first win of the series.

Next came the Dodgers.

I was relieved when I saw a caption saying that Ohtani had gotten a hit.

Their starting pitcher was doing well, so I figured they would be all right from there. Instead of going back to sleep, I decided to take Anne out for a walk.

Since my foot had started hurting again, I drove to Enoshima and walked with her along the boardwalk and the beach.

 

There were many people by the sea, each enjoying their own kind of exercise or recreation, and Anne joined in by going into the water and having some fun of her own.

After returning home, I took care of a few things around the house, and in the late afternoon we headed to Yokohama.

Our destination was the Dog Sports Festival being held at Rinko Park, a waterfront park overlooking Yokohama Harbor.

There were all kinds of shops selling things for dogs, along with various dog-related events and activities.

So, after a day that began with far too little sleep, this is about as much as I can manage to write tonight.

 

In the morning, we were on the beach; in the evening, by the harbor.

Thanks to Anne, I spent the whole day going from one place to another.

On the way home, it suddenly occurred to me that the reason I get to visit so many places and enjoy so many different experiences is simply that Anne is with us.

Once again, I found myself grateful to her.

Sometimes a dog does more than walk beside us — she quietly expands the world we live in.

・・・

the beginning of the end
「これで終わりだ」「これが運の尽きだった」という意味の表現。ここでは少しユーモラスに使っています。

go on to do
「その後〜する」。
The White Sox went on to beat the Guardians.
＝ホワイトソックスはそのままガーディアンズを破った。

figure
ここでは「〜だろうと考える、判断する」。会話でもよく使われる自然な表現。

take care of a few things
「ちょっとした用事を片付ける」。日本語の「家のことを少し片付ける」に近い柔らかい表現。

overlook
「〜を見渡す、〜に面している」。
Rinko Park overlooks Yokohama Harbor. のように場所の説明によく使います。

occur to someone
「（考えなどが）ふと頭に浮かぶ」。
It suddenly occurred to me that ...
＝「ふと〜だと気づいた」。

expand my world
直訳すれば「私の世界を広げる」。行動範囲だけでなく、経験や人とのつながりが増えるという含みのある表現。

 

#LifeWithDogs #Enoshima #Yokohama #DogLife #WeekendWalk #Kamakura #JapanesePathologist

Why I Still Don’t Quite Feel Like a Local

I have lived in Kamakura for almost thirty years, yet I still hesitate to call myself a true local. Knowing a place, I have come to think, is not simply a matter of how long you have lived there. It is also about knowing how the streets have changed, remembering what used to stand on a certain corner, and carrying the town’s rhythms and memories inside you. In that sense, Kamakura still feels strangely unfamiliar to me.

The record-breaking stretch of rain that has lasted for more than a month finally seems likely to end today.

That said, another typhoon has already formed, so who knows how long this fine weather will last.

The other day, I was talking with an acquaintance when the recent flooding beneath the railway underpass in Geba came up in conversation.

“I was surprised that something like that could happen even in Kamakura,” the person said.

I was not quite sure what was meant by “even in Kamakura.”

From my point of view, the flooding attracted so much media attention precisely because it happened in Kamakura, one of Japan’s best-known tourist destinations.

“That area is low-lying, so it tends to flood when we get heavy rain. Local people know that, so for us it was more like, ‘Well, yes, that can happen there,’” I replied, sounding as though I knew everything about the place.

But then I wondered: how much do I really know about Kamakura?

I have lived here for nearly thirty years, so perhaps I should be able to call myself a local by now.

But compared with my wife, who grew up in Kamakura, I am still an outsider. More than that, I do not really know the atmosphere of everyday Kamakura.

A true local probably knows what the town is like during the daytime on an ordinary weekday.

I hardly do.

The Kamakura I know best is the Kamakura crowded with tourists on weekends, when I go out into town together with them.

Still, when my children were small, I used to ride my bicycle all over the city on my days off.

I also walked around Kamakura a great deal with Naito and Koro, our previous dogs.

With Anne, however, I do not walk nearly as far as I used to.

Perhaps knowing a town means knowing how it has changed.

What used to be on that corner.

What this street looked like years ago.

To recognize change, however, you first need to know the town as it once was.

And perhaps a place only truly becomes part of you when you know the streets without having to think about them—when you feel as though you could almost walk them with your eyes closed.

Naturally, I know the neighborhood around my childhood home in Tokyo well.

In fact, even Shibuya, which was simply a station I passed through during my junior high and high school years, feels more familiar to me.

Shinjuku has changed enormously, too, but I still understand its basic layout, so I rarely feel uneasy there.

Kamakura is different.

Even after all these years, it somehow does not completely feel like my “hometown.”

Sometimes I even wonder what I would do if I got lost.

Toward evening, I heard the sound of festival music coming from the direction of Egara Tenjin Shrine, so I took Anne out for a walk.

 

Perhaps being able to encounter little local events like this simply because I live here is part of what it means to be a local.

Still, I cannot help thinking that my sense of belonging would be very different if I had grown up with these sounds, festivals, streets, and seasons as an ordinary part of childhood.

Perhaps a hometown is not simply where you live, but where the memories of a place have had time to grow with you.

・・・

record-breaking stretch — 記録的に長く続く期間
low-lying — 周囲より土地が低い
outsider — よそ者、その土地の出身ではない人
everyday — 日常の、普段の
come up in conversation — 会話の話題にのぼる
be familiar with — ～に馴染みがある
basic layout — 基本的な街の構造、配置
sense of belonging — 自分がそこに属しているという感覚
grow up with — ～を身近に経験しながら育つ
hometown — 故郷、地元

#Kamakura #LocalLife #SenseOfBelonging #LivingInJapan #EverydayJapan #Kamakura #JapanesePathologist