Maintaining My Health—A Little Late, Perhaps

A cool morning walk in Kamakura leads me to wonder what maintaining one’s health really means after sixty—when the past cannot be undone, but the aging process need not be accelerated.

This morning in Kamakura, it was 23 degrees Celsius and surprisingly cool, as though yesterday’s heat had never happened.

Anne seemed to enjoy her walk as well.

For the past few days, I have been the one taking her out, and perhaps because of that, I have lost a little weight.

Now that I am a little past sixty, I find it difficult to know how I should think about maintaining my health.

Judging from the average life expectancy, I probably have another twenty-odd years left.

Ideally, I would like to remain healthy and active until the end, and then die without a prolonged period of illness—the Japanese ideal often expressed as pinpin korori.

Unless I extend my healthy life expectancy, both I and the people around me may eventually have difficulties.

Then again, with fewer years ahead of me than behind me, talking about maintaining my health at this late stage may seem rather pointless.

There is no way I can undo all the excessive eating and drinking of my younger years.

And those days were enjoyable in their own way.

Simply by being alive, the wear and tear of age continues.

I do not want to deliver the final blow by doing anything that makes matters worse.

Even so, there is a certain feeling that it may already be too late.

A difficult balance.

Still, I cannot help thinking how old I have become.

Perhaps I noticed it a little too late.

There may be little point in struggling desperately against age at this stage.

But that does not mean I need to accelerate the process.

It may be too late to undo the past, but it is not too late to stop making time move faster than it already does.

・・・

maintain one’s health
To keep oneself in a physically and mentally healthy condition.
健康を維持する

life expectancy
The average number of years a person is expected to live.
平均余命

healthy life expectancy
The number of years a person can expect to live in good health and without serious limitations in daily life.
健康寿命

twenty-odd years
A little more than twenty years, without specifying the exact number.
20年余り、20数年

prolonged period of illness
A long period during which someone remains sick or physically dependent on others.
長期間にわたる病気の状態

pinpin korori
A Japanese expression describing the wish to remain healthy and active until shortly before a sudden, peaceful death.
亡くなる直前まで元気に過ごし、長く寝込まずに死ぬことを願う日本語表現

undo the past
To reverse or cancel the effects of something that happened previously.
過去を取り消す、過去の結果を元に戻す

wear and tear
Gradual damage or deterioration caused by ordinary use or the passage of time.
使用や時間の経過による摩耗、老朽化

deliver the final blow
To do something that causes the final or decisive damage to an already weakened situation.
弱っているものに決定的な打撃を与える、とどめを刺す

struggle against age
To make an effort to resist the physical or mental effects of growing older.
老化に抵抗する、年齢にあらがう

accelerate the process
To cause something to happen or develop more quickly.
進行を速める、加速させる

 

#HealthyAging #HealthyLifeExpectancy #LifeAfterSixty #MorningWalk #DogWalking #Aging #EverydayReflections #JapaneseLife #pathologist #Kamakura

Two Years’ Worth of Emotional Capacity — My Reading Log for July 2026

 For more than two years, I barely read a book. It was the longest dry spell I can remember—a period in which even manga gradually disappeared from my life. When I finally began reading again, I found myself wondering how long the heart can live on what it has already stored.

I used to post a reading log on the second day of every month.

In these posts, I quote the reviews I wrote on BookMeter .

I had not written one of these reading-log posts for quite some time. In other words, I had not been reading, and I had even forgotten the format I used.

So I went back and looked for my previous entry, only to discover that the last one was “My Reading Log for May 2024.”

Back then, I finished reading García Márquez, moved on to a Japanese bestseller, and, carried along by that momentum, ended with Flowers for Algernon.

I remember that time well.

Still, it has been two years since then.

I wonder how many other times in my life I have gone for more than two years without reading a proper book.

Even when I was absorbed in manga, I think I still read books.

Manga, in its own way, also gave me plenty to engage with, but now I do not even read manga.

Reading is like water that fills the heart. Perhaps it was only after that water had completely run dry that my heart began to thirst and finally made me pick up a book again.

It seems that the reservoir of my heart holds about two years’ worth.

Perhaps reading does not simply fill the heart; it also reminds us when the heart has begun to run dry. 

My July BookMeter Summary
Books read: 2
Pages read: 328
Likes received: 22

Boule de Suif (Iwanami Bunko, Red 550-1) — Review
A small but richly rewarding work. I do not know how commonly one encounters prostitutes in society, but perhaps the prostitute here is a metaphor for something. The same may be true of the other characters from the upper classes. As I read, I assumed that I myself would probably belong among those upper-class people. By the time I finished, however, I realized that this was not necessarily true at all. The distinctions between higher and lower kinds of people are entirely relative and, in the end, meaningless. The story made me think that there is no such thing as universality in human existence. After finishing it, I found myself quietly reflecting on what it means for a human being to exist.
Date finished: July 25
Author: Guy de Maupassant

 
Generative AI as a New Partner: How the Way You Write and Think Has Fundamentally Changed — Review
A book in which a scholar of religion, a humanities writer, and a philosopher each discuss how they use AI. As I increasingly came to use AI both as a conversational partner and in my work, I began to feel a sense of crisis about human existence. I picked up this book hoping to find something resembling salvation in it. In the end, however, it was nothing more than the repeated complaints of aging scholars standing frozen before the threat of AI. Because the themes are religion and philosophy, the discussion gives off a vaguely elevated air. Yet it merely presents a series of questions and answers that anyone could produce by tossing in a few related terms without possessing any deep knowledge of the subjects. Nowhere did I find a sense of urgency about the possibility that, at this rate, AI may deprive humanity even of the chance to develop new forms of thought.
Date finished: July 17
Authors: Hiromi Shimada, Tetsuya Saito, and Masao Kurosaki

BookMeter

・・・ 

emotional capacity

「心の容量」「感情を受け止められる余力」という意味。
ここでは、心の中に蓄えておける読書体験や精神的な潤いの量を表している。

reading log

「読書記録」。
読んだ本、読了日、感想などを定期的にまとめた記録。

dry spell

「不調な期間」「何かが長く途絶えている時期」。
本文では、本をほとんど読まなかった2年以上の期間を表す。

be absorbed in

「～に夢中になる」「～に没頭する」。
“Even when I was absorbed in manga” で、「漫画にはまっていた頃でさえ」という意味。

in its own way

「それなりに」「それ独自の形で」。
ほかのものと同じではないが、それ自体の価値や特徴があることを表す。

run dry

「干上がる」「枯渇する」。
水がなくなるという本来の意味から、感情、発想、資金などが尽きる場合にも使われる。

thirst

名詞では「喉の渇き」、動詞では「渇望する」。
ここでは、心が再び読書を求め始めた状態を、水を求める感覚に重ねている。

pick up a book

直訳は「本を手に取る」。
実際に本を持つだけでなく、「本を読み始める」という意味でも使われる。

reservoir

「貯水池」「貯水槽」。
本文では、過去の読書から得た感情や思考を心の中に蓄えておく場所の比喩。

two years’ worth

「2年分の量」。
“two years’ worth of water” のように、ある期間に相当する量を表す。

richly rewarding

「非常に味わい深い」「得るものが多い」。
派手ではなくても、読むことで深い満足や思索が得られる作品を表現できる。

upper classes

「上流階級」。
社会的、経済的に高い地位にある人々を指す。

distinctions

「区別」「差異」。
本文では、人間を上位と下位に分ける社会的な区分を意味する。

universality

「普遍性」。
時代、文化、個人差を超えて、あらゆる人に共通すると考えられる性質。

reflect on

「～についてじっくり考える」「～を振り返る」。
単に考えるだけでなく、静かに深く思いを巡らせるニュアンスがある。

conversational partner

「会話相手」。
AIを単なる検索や作業の道具ではなく、対話を行う相手として表現している。

a sense of crisis

「危機感」。
何か重大な問題や危険が迫っていると感じること。

salvation

「救い」「救済」。
宗教的な意味を持つ言葉だが、ここでは不安や行き詰まりから抜け出すための答えという意味。

stand frozen before

「～を前にして立ちすくむ」。
強い恐れや戸惑いによって、どう行動すべきかわからなくなる様子。

an elevated air

「高尚そうな雰囲気」「格調高く見える印象」。
実際に内容が深いとは限らず、外見上そう感じられるという含みがある。

toss in

「気軽に放り込む」「適当に加える」。
ここでは、宗教や哲学に関係する単語を深く理解せずに質問へ入れることを批判的に表している。

deprive someone of something

「人から何かを奪う」。
“AI may deprive humanity of the chance...” で、「AIが人類から機会を奪うかもしれない」という意味。

 

#pathologist #Kamakura #ReadingLog #BookReview #BookMeter #JulyReads #ReadingLife #Books #Literature #GuyDeMaupassant #BouleDeSuif #GenerativeAI #ArtificialIntelligence #Philosophy #HumanExistence  

A Glass When I Wake Up, Another Before I Leave

In Japan’s increasingly severe summer heat, drinking enough water is no longer a minor health precaution. A quiet early-morning walk in Kamakura also reminds me of both the wonder of nature and its frightening power.

A glass when I wake up, and another before I leave.

And no, I am not talking about alcohol.

During this season of extreme heat, staying hydrated is essential for preventing heatstroke. 

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is drink a glass of water.

It replaces some of the fluid lost while I was asleep.

 

Then, before taking my dog out for her morning walk, I drink another glass.

Even at five in the morning, the temperature is already above 25 degrees Celsius, and the air is hot and humid.

Heatstroke prevention is no longer something we can treat lightly.

Rather than assuming that we will be fine, we need to make a conscious effort to drink enough water.

Even so, walking through the morning mist feels good.

As I walk through the nearly deserted streets and look up at the green hills surrounding Kamakura, I find myself reflecting on what a miraculous place this planet Earth truly is.

Yet nature, which gives us so many blessings, sometimes reveals its terrifying power.

While feeling grateful for the miracle of this world, I am also reminded once again of the fearsome reality of natural disasters through the recent Kumamoto earthquake.

Nature sustains our lives, but it also reminds us how fragile those lives can be.

・・・

stay hydrated
To maintain enough water in the body by drinking sufficient fluids.
十分な水分を摂り、体内の水分を保つこと。

heatstroke
A serious medical condition caused by the body becoming dangerously hot.
体温が危険なほど上昇することで起こる重篤な熱中症。

treat something lightly
To regard something as less serious or important than it really is.
物事を実際より軽く考えること。軽視すること。

make a conscious effort
To deliberately try to do something while paying attention to it.
意識して努力すること。

morning mist
A thin layer of water droplets in the air during the early morning.
朝方に空気中に漂う細かな水滴。朝靄。

nearly deserted
Having very few people present.
人がほとんどいない。閑散とした。

reflect on
To think carefully and deeply about something.
何かについてじっくり考える。思いを巡らせる。

sustain
To support or maintain life, existence, or activity.
生命や存在を支え、維持する。

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

#Kamakura #MorningWalk #DogWalking #HeatstrokePrevention #StayHydrated #SummerInJapan #Nature #KumamotoEarthquake #DailyReflections #Pathologist

Thinking of Animals Affected by Disaster — Reflections on the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake

As communities recover from the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, it is easy to focus on human suffering alone. Yet countless companion animals also face fear, injury, separation, and uncertainty. This reflection considers our responsibility to protect the animals who share our lives when disaster strikes.

Three days have passed since the powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture. As the full extent of the damage gradually becomes clear, concerns continue to grow over aftershocks and secondary disasters.

This morning, I took Anne for our usual walk, and I found myself wondering how the dogs in Kumamoto are doing.

Some may have been injured. Some may still be trapped inside damaged buildings. Others may have become separated from their families.

And of course, it is not only dogs. There are also cats, birds, fish, and many other companion animals.

Unlike wild animals, they depend almost entirely on people.

Thinking of those that are injured, hungry, frightened, or simply waiting for their families fills me with sadness.

I do not intend to turn this into the pointless argument that people should not keep pets in the first place.

Animals share our lives, comfort us, and enrich our daily existence.

What they give us cannot easily be replaced.

That is precisely why they deserve to be treated with care and respect.

Earthquakes are natural disasters. As long as we live on this planet, they cannot be completely avoided.

Especially in a country like Japan, where natural disasters are part of life, living with animals also means accepting the responsibility to protect them.

When disaster strikes, what should we do? How should we evacuate?

We should think not only about ourselves, but also about them—as members of our own family—and prepare long before an emergency occurs.

When disaster comes, we must ask not only how to protect ourselves, but also how to protect the animals who depend on us.

 

・・・

companion animal
An animal that lives with people as a pet or companion.
伴侶動物、家庭で飼われる動物

aftershock
A smaller earthquake that follows a larger one.
余震

secondary disaster
Additional damage or danger occurring after the main disaster.
二次災害

evacuate
To leave a dangerous place and move to safety.
避難する

depend on
To rely on someone or something for support or survival.
〜に頼る、依存する

compassion
Sympathetic concern for the suffering of others.
思いやり、慈しみ

responsibility
A duty or obligation to care for someone or something.
責任

prepare
To make plans or take action in advance for a future event.
備える、準備する

#KumamotoEarthquake #CompanionAnimals #DisasterPreparedness #AnimalWelfare #pathologist　#Kamakura

You Decide How Much Your Work Is Worth

A quiet weekday walk through Kamakura leads me to reflect on busyness, responsibility, reward, and who ultimately decides the value of the work we do.

This morning, unusually for a weekday, I took Anne out for her walk.

Compared with the streets packed with people on weekends, there were hardly any people around.

Even Komachi Street looked almost unreal without its usual crowds.

Before six in the morning, the lotus flowers were in full bloom.

There were a few clouds in the sky, making it a comfortable morning for walking.

 

After walking for just under an hour, I washed away the sweat in last night’s bathwater before leaving for work.

I deeply appreciated the simple happiness of being able to soak leisurely in a bath.

At the same time, I found myself thinking about the importance of keeping water in the bathtub in case the water supply is cut off.

In any case, today will be another busy day.

So busy that I may finally understand what people mean when they say their head is spinning.

Then again, calling myself busy merely reflects my own standards.

As long as human beings are alive, they are always doing something, and there is no absolute standard by which busyness can be measured.

Even among the things we call work, some carry a great deal of responsibility, while others perhaps do not require us to feel quite so responsible.

Even walking a dog can be someone’s job.

Was my walk with Anne this morning work?

No, it was not.

Did it make me busier?

No, not really.

In the earthquake-stricken areas of Kumamoto, rescue dogs are standing by, ready to search for people.

Once called into action, they too will be risking their lives and doing their utmost.

Those dogs perform important work as well.

No one can decide uniformly how much value a particular job has.

Even the same task may hold a different value for each person, depending on how they understand it and how much responsibility they bring to it.

We are not always paid in proportion to the work we do.

But payment alone does not determine the value of that work.

Human beings question the meaning of their own existence.

When we do, work is one of the things that can give meaning to our lives.

It does not necessarily have to be something highly regarded by society.

Helping someone.

Protecting something.

Properly carrying out something we have undertaken.

How much value lies in such small acts?

In the end, we are the ones who decide.

And perhaps we are also entitled to call them work.

The value of work is not determined by reward or recognition alone, but by the meaning and responsibility we ourselves bring to it.

・・・

weekday
A day from Monday to Friday, usually considered a working day.
平日、ウィークデイ

hardly any
Almost none; very few.
ほとんどない、ごくわずか

in full bloom
At the stage when flowers are completely open.
満開で

wash away the sweat
To remove sweat by washing or bathing.
汗を洗い流す

soak in a bath
To sit or lie in bathwater for some time.
湯船にゆっくり浸かる

water supply
The system that provides water to homes and buildings.
給水、水道供給

one’s head is spinning
To feel overwhelmed, confused, or extremely busy.
目が回る、頭が混乱する

absolute standard
A fixed standard that does not depend on personal opinion or circumstances.
絶対的な基準

carry responsibility
To involve a duty for which someone is accountable.
責任を伴う

stand by
To remain ready to act when needed.
待機する

call into action
To order or require someone or something to begin working.
出動させる、行動を開始させる

in proportion to
In a corresponding or fair relationship to something else.
〜に比例して、〜に見合って

recognition
Public appreciation or acknowledgment of someone’s work or achievements.
評価、称賛、承認

carry out
To complete or perform a task or duty.
実行する、果たす

 

#ValueOfWork #MeaningfulWork #DailyReflections #LifeInJapan #pathologist

A Continuous World Filled with Disconnected Realities

A powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto, Japan, while people elsewhere in the country celebrated a professional baseball All-Star Game. In today’s information society, distant events reach us instantly, yet they can still feel strangely disconnected from our own lives. This contrast raises an important question: Has information made humanity more connected—or more aware of our separateness?

Yesterday, another major earthquake struck Kumamoto in southwestern Japan.

It measured magnitude 7.1 and reached Shindo 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale.

After the earthquake, a large explosion occurred at a shopping mall. The cause has not yet been determined, and rescue operations are still ongoing.

Sadly, lives have been lost. My deepest condolences go to the victims and their families.

All of this is happening during an exceptionally hot summer, and I cannot help but worry about the health and well-being of those affected.

My smartphone keeps sending notifications about aftershocks, while television stations continue broadcasting earthquake coverage almost without interruption.

Yet between those reports come “Other News” and “Today’s Sports.”

On the screen, thousands of fans were passionately cheering during yesterday’s professional baseball All-Star Game at the Tokyo Dome.

Kumamoto and Tokyo are both part of the same country.

Although they are separated by distance, they are connected as parts of Japan.

Yet a simple change of channel—or even a change of scene—makes them feel like entirely different worlds.

In one region, people struggle with disaster.

In another, people celebrate a sporting event.

Where we are determines how we experience the same moment in time.

I have heard that many people living in western Japan found it difficult to fully grasp the reality of the Great East Japan Earthquake while it was unfolding.

Perhaps this earthquake, too, feels distant and somehow unreal to those living far from the affected area.

This is not unique to Japan.

The same thing happens across the world.

Earthquakes, typhoons, wildfires, heatwaves, and countless other natural disasters occur somewhere on our planet every day.

Although they all happen on the same Earth, they often seem to exist in a different dimension from where we ourselves live.

Long ago, travelers carried news from distant places.

Today, images and information reach us almost instantly.

That allows rescue efforts to begin more quickly and helps people around the world understand what has happened.

Yet it also creates another feeling.

As fellow human beings, we want to do something.

But often, there is nothing we can do.

That helplessness can be surprisingly painful.

Information has undoubtedly brought the world closer together.

Yet perhaps, by bringing distant events so close, it has also made us more aware of the distance that still remains between ourselves and those events.

Has the information age made humanity more connected?

Or has it simply revealed how disconnected our experiences truly are?

Perhaps the greatest paradox of the information age is that the closer the world appears, the more clearly we see the distances that still separate us.

・・・

aftershock
A smaller earthquake that follows a larger one.
余震

seismic intensity
A measure of how strongly the ground shakes at a specific location.
震度

magnitude
A measure of the energy released by an earthquake.
マグニチュード

rescue operation
Organized efforts to save people during or after a disaster.
救助活動

disconnected
Separated or lacking a meaningful connection.
分断された、不連続な

unfold
To happen or develop gradually.
展開する、進行する

helplessness
The feeling of being unable to help or change a situation.
無力感

paradox
A situation that seems contradictory but may contain truth.
パラドックス、逆説

#Japan #Earthquake #InformationSociety #HumanNature #pathologist

What’s Inside My Heavy Bag

A long commute requires preparation. My bag is now packed with a laptop, water bottle, umbrella, and countless small necessities—each added for a reason, and none easily left behind.

The other day, I wrote about buying a larger-than-usual parasol.

It really is large.

Its size makes it rather cumbersome to carry around, but I bought it for a reason, and above all, it works extremely well. So I keep it in my bag and take it with me.

My previous umbrella was a short, rain-only umbrella, so small that I sometimes forgot it was even in my bag.

Even when I tried to use it as a sunshade, the area it covered was extremely limited.

This new one, however, completely covers the shadow of my body on the ground, even under the blazing sun.

After walking through the intense sunlight, I enter a building and close the umbrella. Feeling how much heat the umbrella itself has absorbed makes me realize just how hot it was outside.

Then there are the sudden evening showers.

These days, when it rains, it often pours.

A small umbrella does not feel particularly reassuring in such weather.

I have to admit that, in this case, bigger really is better.

And so, another useful item has joined the contents of my bag.

The bag, however, is becoming rather full.

And it was already heavy to begin with.

The greatest contributor to its weight, despite its modest size, is undoubtedly my MacBook Air, which weighs 1.24 kilograms.

Then there is another keyboard that I place over the laptop keyboard to reduce typing noise on the train, along with chargers and cables.

Altogether, the computer-related equipment probably weighs around two kilograms.

Then comes the water bottle.

My commute takes two hours each way.

There is no telling what might happen along the way, and at this time of year, carrying water is also essential for preventing heatstroke.

Five hundred milliliters of water alone weighs 500 grams, plus the weight of the bottle itself.

Then there are all the other things.

Pens and a pencil case, a hairbrush, nail clippers, emergency medication, a reusable shopping bag, keys, a shoehorn, my ID card, a wallet, and a coin purse.

The bag itself is not particularly light, either.

If my main bag is the primary residence, it also has an annex.

The annex is a handbag made by my wife.

It contains my lunch, a snack for when I get a little hungry, and disinfectant wipes.

This combination of belongings has been refined through many years of commuting.

Take away any one of them, and I would probably find myself inconvenienced.

My late father used to leave home without a key because my mother was there.

That is, well, difficult for me to imagine.

The other small items also have a way of becoming necessary at unexpected moments.

The parasol and water bottle are now absolute necessities.

What did humans carry with them when they lived as hunters?

They must have taken clubs, bows, arrows, and other equipment.

In other words, they too walked around carrying a fair amount of weight.

Seen that way, perhaps there is nothing particularly strange about my carrying a heavy load through modern society.

Humans have always carried whatever they needed to get through the day.

When I look around, I see many people, both men and women, walking with surprisingly large bags.

I sometimes find myself wondering what they are carrying inside.

Every heavy bag may contain a small history of the life its owner has learned to prepare for.

・・・

cumbersome
Difficult to carry, use, or manage because of its size or weight.
大きさや重さのため、持ち運びや扱いが厄介な。

sunshade
Something used to protect a person or place from direct sunlight.
直射日光を避けるための日除け。

blazing sun
Extremely strong and hot sunlight.
照りつける強い日差し、炎天下。

sudden shower
A brief period of rain that begins unexpectedly.
突然降り出す雨、にわか雨。

reassuring
Making someone feel safer, calmer, or less worried.
安心感を与える、心強い。

contributor to its weight
Something that adds significantly to the total weight.
全体の重さを増している要因。

refined through many years
Gradually improved or selected through long experience.
長年の経験を通じて洗練された、絞り込まれた。

absolute necessity
Something that is completely essential and cannot easily be omitted.
絶対に欠かせないもの、必需品。

get through the day
To manage or cope with the demands of a day.
一日を何とか過ごす、乗り切る。

#DailyLife #Commuting #WhatIsInMyBag #ModernLife #pathologist

The Size of a Task and the Size of Its Meaning

Opening a bank account for a small academic conference took far more time and effort than expected. Yet the experience raised a larger question: does the apparent size of a task really determine the value of what it supports?

 

I took the morning off to prepare for next year’s academic conference.

It was a little later than I had hoped, but I was finally able to open a bank account for the conference.

At first, I assumed I could simply open one at a nearby bank. I went there expecting the process to be straightforward, only to be dismissed rather bluntly because it was not my main bank.

So I turned once again to the bank that had helped me with last year’s conference.

The account will hold only a small amount of money and will be used for only a short period of time, so I cannot help feeling slightly apologetic toward the bank.

Still, for the sake of transparent accounting, we need a dedicated account in the name of the academic meeting.

Putting the money into my personal account and managing it through rough, informal bookkeeping would hardly be appropriate.

So there is really no alternative.

Even so, today was already my third visit to the bank just to open this one account.

Come to think of it, I almost feel sorry for making the bank deal with such a small piece of business.

But what exactly determines whether a task is large or small?

Is it the amount of work involved?

The amount of money being handled?

Or the number of people affected by it?

The same question can be asked about illness.

Some diseases are easy to diagnose and can be treated without much difficulty.

Others, such as cancer, require enormous amounts of time, effort, and money for both diagnosis and treatment.

From the medical side, of course, the workloads involved can be very different.

But for a patient, even a seemingly minor illness is not a minor matter when it is happening to their own body.

And an apparently simple illness can become a serious problem if it is left untreated.

The same is true of opening this conference bank account.

From the bank’s point of view, it is probably nothing more than a very small transaction.

For me, however, as the organizer, it concerns the very foundation of the conference’s operation.

Without the account, we cannot collect registration fees or maintain clear and accountable finances.

Even so, I found myself wondering whether the bank staff might secretly be thinking,

“All this work for such a small account?”

Given the recent increase in crimes involving bank accounts, I understand why the procedures have become more cautious.

Still slightly nervous about whether the account would actually be approved, I filled in each document as instructed and waited patiently.

Of course, the academic meeting held once a year by this society is an important opportunity for members and participants to gain new knowledge and exchange information.

And that, in turn, contributes to the improvement of medical care throughout Japan.

It may be a small academic society, but that does not mean its significance is small.

Seen in that light, the bank that kindly opened the account has also, in its own modest way, helped support the advancement of medicine in Japan.

That may sound slightly exaggerated, but as the representative of the society, I would like to express my gratitude.

The size of a task and the size of its significance are not necessarily the same.

・・・

academic conference
A formal meeting where researchers and professionals present and discuss their work.
学術集会、学会

main bank
The bank that a person or organization primarily uses for financial transactions.
メインバンク、主取引銀行

transparent accounting
A clear and open system of financial management that can be easily checked and understood.
明朗会計、透明性のある会計

dedicated account
A bank account used exclusively for a particular purpose.
専用口座

rough bookkeeping
Informal or imprecise management of financial records.
どんぶり勘定、ずさんな帳簿管理

dismiss rather bluntly
To reject someone in a cold, abrupt, or unfriendly manner.
けんもほろろに断る

accountable finances
Financial management that is properly recorded and can be explained or justified.
説明責任のある会計

the foundation of the operation
The basic structure or system necessary for something to function.
運営の根幹

left untreated
Not given medical treatment.
治療せずに放置された

in one’s own modest way
In a small but still meaningful manner.
ささやかながら、それなりの形で

#AcademicConference #MeaningfulWork #MedicalCommunity #EverydayReflections #pathologist

Hats Off to an Indomitable Spirit in Grand Sumo

Ukrainian-born sumo wrestler Aonishiki’s victory at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament was more than an impressive sporting achievement. His return from injury, demotion, and disappointment offered a powerful image of resilience in difficult times.

Sometimes, when I go to the supermarket, I see a staff member wearing a blue-and-yellow badge on their chest.

I find myself wondering whether they might have come from Ukraine.

Still, it would not be right to stare at their face or ask about their personal circumstances, so I simply accept my purchases and pay at the register as usual.

As long as that person is living in Japan, they have a job and an everyday life here.

But beyond that everyday life, there may be a homeland where war is still continuing.

More than four years have already passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Perhaps no one expected it to continue for this long.

Support from the United States and other Western countries has also shifted according to the political situation.

Within Ukraine, the defense minister has changed, among other developments, revealing how difficult it is to hold a country together while continuing to fight a war.

Watching the news from faraway Japan, I cannot truly understand the suffering of those who live there.

Even so, whenever I see that blue-and-yellow badge, I am reminded that the war is not something happening in some distant world. It feels as though it is taking place right in front of us.

Against this background, Aonishiki, a sumo wrestler from Ukraine, won the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.

The championship race went all the way to the final day.

In the end, he claimed the title by winning a three-way playoff.

Aonishiki had injured his left ankle and missed the entire previous tournament, causing him to fall from the rank of ozeki to sekiwake.

It must have been extremely painful for him.

Yet he returned to the ring without giving in and fulfilled the conditions required to regain the rank of ozeki.

That alone would have been a remarkable achievement, but he went on to win the championship as well.

Aonishiki is, of course, an individual wrestler competing for himself, and perhaps it is not quite right to superimpose the image of Ukraine onto him.

But when we see someone who left a country still at war, wrestled in the foreign land of Japan, overcame injury and disappointment, and finally reached the top, it is difficult not to see something more in his achievement.

The sight of him gritting his teeth in the ring.

The sight of him trying to regain, through his own strength, the rank he had once lost.

And the sight of him refusing to give up until the very end.

Perhaps this is what an indomitable spirit truly looks like.

There is something about watching a person rise again from adversity that slightly lifts the heart of those who witness it.

For the first time in quite a while, I was able to feel genuinely moved by sport.

Hats off to Aonishiki and his indomitable spirit.

Some victories do more than decide a champion; they remind us of the strength required to stand up again.

・・・

indomitable spirit
A strong determination that cannot easily be defeated or discouraged.
不屈の精神、決してくじけない心

full-scale invasion
A large and extensive military attack involving major forces.
全面侵攻

political situation
The current condition of politics and government in a country or region.
政治情勢

hold a country together
To maintain unity and stability within a nation during a difficult period.
国をまとめ、結束を保つ

three-way playoff
A deciding competition involving three participants who are tied.
三者による優勝決定戦、巴戦

fall from the rank of ozeki to sekiwake
To be demoted from sumo’s second-highest rank to the rank below it.
大関から関脇へ陥落する

without giving in
Without surrendering, losing hope, or stopping one’s effort.
めげずに、屈することなく

overcome adversity
To succeed despite serious difficulties or hardship.
逆境を乗り越える

grit one’s teeth
To endure pain or difficulty with determination.
歯を食いしばる

hats off to someone
An expression of respect or admiration for someone’s achievement.
〜に敬意を表する、あっぱれと言う

#Sumo #Aonishiki #Ukraine #Resilience #pathologist

Asking AI for Advice: Sometimes Helpful, Sometimes Not Quite Right

AI can quickly suggest what appears to be the most efficient solution. But convenience alone does not always make something the right choice for a particular person. My recent hotel stay in Nagoya was a good example.

Today, I am in Nagoya for a medical conference.

Some people may wonder why anyone would willingly travel to scorching-hot Nagoya, but of course, I am not here on vacation. I came because of the conference.

I have been assigned to chair one session, so I spent much of yesterday preparing for it.

The temperature apparently reached 39 degrees Celsius yesterday, and today is expected to be about the same.

I would like to get inside the venue as soon as possible.

When this conference first began, we used to rent a nice hall in central Tokyo. However, support from pharmaceutical companies has gradually declined, and in recent years the organizers have more or less been keeping the meeting going out of their own pockets.

The venue has also moved a little farther away from central Nagoya, but the rental fee is lower, and necessity leaves little room for choice.

The location is not particularly convenient either from Nagoya Station, where the Shinkansen arrives, or from the nearest subway route to the venue. Choosing a hotel is therefore always rather troublesome.

This time, I asked AI to help me select one.

It considered both the subway connection from Nagoya Station and the route to the conference venue, and recommended a hotel near Sakae.

The transportation was certainly convenient.

The neighborhood, however, was rather rough.

I arrived at the nearest station at around seven in the evening. Several women in elaborate evening clothes got off the train with me, and I thought the area felt like a shabby, downmarket version of Ginza.

Once I came above ground and saw the glittering, almost overdecorated neon signs, everything made sense.

My first move was to hurry into the hotel.

I had decided that evening to eat “miso katsu that did not come in a boxed meal.” Miso katsu is a Nagoya specialty consisting of a pork cutlet covered in a thick miso-based sauce.

I had eaten nothing on the Shinkansen except a bag of nuts, so I was hungry.

According to the map, there was a supposedly famous restaurant only a few hundred meters away, so I headed there.

The food was not especially delicious, but neither was it bad. There is no need to say much more about it here.

When I left the restaurant after eight, however, walking through the neighborhood felt like crossing a swamp where crocodiles were waiting with their mouths open.

A middle-aged man walking alone without so much as a bag would probably look obviously like a business traveler to anyone who knew what to look for.

Feeling rather nervous, I avoided making eye contact with anyone and hurried back to the hotel.

I must be getting old.

I found myself missing the days when I could walk innocently through Kabukicho, Tokyo’s famous nightlife district, without worrying very much.

Back at the hotel, I said to the young man at the front desk,

“This is quite a frightening neighborhood, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he replied. “It is quite a lively area.”

That was certainly one way of putting it.

There had been plenty of young men like him standing around on the street. Put a tattoo on his arm, and I probably would not have been able to tell him apart from them at all.

So, in terms of transportation, AI had chosen an almost perfect hotel.

The surrounding environment, however, was not necessarily a good fit for me.

When consulted, AI can instantly present something close to an optimal solution. But as this experience showed, the result can sometimes be less than ideal.

Some people may say that I should have given it more detailed instructions.

Perhaps so.

But finding an appropriate choice within a limited budget is more difficult than it sounds.

And even now, I cannot honestly say that the hotel was a bad choice.

AI may find the most efficient answer, but only a human being can decide whether that answer truly feels right.

・・・

scorching-hot
Extremely hot, often to an uncomfortable or dangerous degree.
焼けつくように暑い、猛暑の

chair a session
To lead and manage a formal conference session or academic discussion.
学会や会議のセッションで座長を務める

out of one’s own pocket
Using one’s own money rather than money provided by an organization or another person.
自腹で、自費で

necessity leaves little room for choice
A situation in which practical circumstances make other options impossible.
背に腹は代えられない、やむを得ず選択する

rough neighborhood
An area considered unsafe, disorderly, or socially unstable.
治安や雰囲気のよくない地域

downmarket
Less fashionable, prestigious, or expensive than another place or product.
場末の、大衆的な、格の低い

make sense
To become understandable or logically clear.
合点がいく、納得できる

business traveler
A person traveling for work rather than for leisure.
出張者

a good fit
Something suitable for a particular person, purpose, or situation.
相性がよい、適している

optimal solution
The best possible solution under a given set of conditions.
最適解

less than ideal
Not completely satisfactory, although not necessarily bad.
理想的とは言えない、いまひとつの

#AI #Nagoya #BusinessTravel #MedicalConference #pathologist

When Anything Goes Too Far

A recent controversy involving employees at a major Japanese convenience-store chain has drawn attention to insider access, product reselling, and the darker side of online marketplaces. The incident also raises an uncomfortable question: would any of us behave differently if an easy profit were within reach?

There was a recent news story about people connected with stores belonging to one of Japan’s largest convenience-store chains. They had apparently set aside rare merchandise before its official release, purchased it for themselves, and then resold it for profit—as though such preferential access were simply one of the privileges of the job.

Seven-Eleven Store Insiders Cause Controversy by Reselling Popular Character Merchandise: Could It Be a Crime?
—Bengo4.com, via dmenu News, NTT Docomo

Did they really resort to such petty dishonesty simply because they regarded it as a perk of the job?

Had they kept the products for their own personal enjoyment, perhaps no one would ever have found out. But once they tried to make money by reselling them, the situation became different from ordinary resale.

Even so, perhaps they did not feel that they were doing anything particularly wrong.

Maybe they thought of it as nothing more than an easy way to earn a little extra spending money.

For Seven-Eleven, the incident damages the reputation of its brand. On the other hand, if the company enforces its rules too strictly, some part-time employees who were attracted by such unofficial privileges might quit.

At a time when Japan is already suffering from a labor shortage, the company may feel that it is being hit from both sides.

This kind of resale business may be one of the harmful consequences of the online age.

Of course, passing secondhand goods on to someone who needs them can contribute to the reuse and circulation of resources.

But that is different from the increasingly conspicuous behavior of people known in Japan as tenbai-ya—resellers who buy limited or popular products solely to sell them at inflated prices.

I have never used an online flea-market platform myself. Still, should something catch my attention in the future, I might well use one.

And when I think about this particular incident, I cannot place myself entirely on the side of righteous criticism.

I have a tendency to follow the crowd. Had I found something I liked, I might also have taken advantage of the opportunity to buy it before the general public.

Had I realized that an item could be resold, I might even have bought something I did not personally want, sold it, and earned a little money.

Perhaps unofficial privileges would have been quietly overlooked if they had been exercised in moderation.

But anything taken too far eventually comes back to the person responsible.

The fact that the conduct was exposed and widely shared on social media suggests that it must have become too blatant to ignore.

The online world made such reselling easier.

It was also the online world that exposed the deception.

Everything has two sides.

Even as times change, the chain of cause and effect continues without end.

The tools may change with the times, but human desire—and the consequences it sets in motion—remain much the same.

 

・・・

set aside
To reserve something for a particular person or purpose.
取り置きする、確保しておく

preferential access
An advantage that allows someone to obtain something before or more easily than others.
優先的な入手機会、特別な立場による便宜

perk of the job
An extra benefit or privilege that comes with a particular job.
役得、仕事に伴う特典

petty dishonesty
A relatively small but mean or unfair act of deception.
小狡い不正、ささいだが卑劣な不正

resale
The act of selling something that has already been purchased.
再販売、転売

inflated price
A price that has been raised excessively above its normal level.
不当に引き上げられた価格、高値

online flea-market platform
A website or app where individuals buy and sell new or used goods.
フリマサイト、個人間売買のオンラインサービス

righteous criticism
Criticism made from the belief that one is morally correct.
自分が道徳的に正しいという立場からの批判

follow the crowd
To behave in the same way as other people rather than making an independent decision.
付和雷同する、周囲に流される

exercise something in moderation
To use or enjoy something without taking it to excess.
度を越さず、ほどほどに行う

blatant
Very obvious and offensive, especially when describing bad behavior.
露骨な、目に余る

cause and effect
The relationship between an action and the result it produces.
因果、原因と結果

 

#Reselling #OnlineMarketplaces #JapaneseSociety #HumanNature #pathologist