After Typhoon No. 6 passed through Japan, daily life quickly returned to normal. As students filled train platforms once again, I found myself reflecting not only on commuting, but also on Japan’s declining birthrate and the need for stronger support for families raising children.
Typhoon No. 6 swept along the Pacific coast of Japan and moved on.
Although the rain was heavy, the Yokosuka Line kept running, apparently without any significant delays.
So it can be done after all.
Standing in the rain and strong wind, gripping my umbrella while waiting in line for the bus to the hospital, I found myself thinking that perhaps I could have taken my usual train after all.
For me, however, the early start turned out to be a blessing.
I managed to finish more work than usual before the day truly began.
My mind still works far better in the morning than at any other time of day.
While my individual processing speed may have declined somewhat with age, I seem to have become better at organizing work and setting priorities. In the end, the two probably balance each other out.
The trip home yesterday was pleasant.
With schools closed, there were no students blocking the aisles with oversized sports bags or gathering around their phones playing games with friends.
Many office workers also appeared to be staying home, and the train seemed only about seventy percent full.
At times like that, I find myself a little envious of people who can switch to remote work whenever circumstances require it.
I felt the same way during the COVID pandemic. Situations like these remind me that being a doctor is, in many ways, still a hands-on profession.
Today, however, everything has returned to normal.
The familiar rush-hour crowds of students and commuters have come back.
The platforms are overflowing with students who were probably confined indoors all day yesterday because of the storm.
They can be a little inconvenient at times, but their presence brings energy and life.
Recently, it was announced that Japan recorded only 670,000 births last year, another historic low.
The figure reached that level about fifteen years earlier than government projections had predicted.
One cannot help wondering who made those calculations and what assumptions they were based on.
No matter what we do now, the days when large families were common are unlikely to return.
That is precisely why our institutions and social systems should be redesigned to reflect a society with fewer children.
Yet many of our systems still seem to assume that children are as numerous as they once were.
It is time to stop placing the burden of child-rearing primarily on parents and grandparents.
As a society, we need to provide far greater support for families with children and seriously reconsider the imbalance within our social security system, where so much of the burden is concentrated on the child-rearing generation.
A crowded platform may slow my commute, but seeing so many young faces is a reminder of something Japan cannot afford to take for granted.
・・・
Vocabulary for Learners
sweep through To move quickly and powerfully across an area.
（～を駆け抜ける、急速に通過する）
a blessing Something that brings an unexpected benefit.
（思いがけない幸運、恩恵）
processing speed The speed at which a person can think and handle information.
（情報処理能力、思考速度）
set priorities To decide what is most important and should be done first.
（優先順位をつける）
hands-on profession A job that requires physical presence and direct involvement.
（現場での直接的な対応が必要な職業）
overflow with To be filled beyond normal capacity.
（あふれるほど満ちる）
declining birthrate A decrease in the number of babies being born.
（少子化、出生率の低下）
child-rearing generation People who are currently raising children.
（子育て世代）
social security system A government-supported system providing pensions, healthcare, and welfare benefits.
（社会保障制度）
take for granted To fail to appreciate something because it seems normal or always available.
（当たり前と思う、ありがたみを忘れる）
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