Have you ever seen the movie Patch Adams (released in 1998), based on the real-life American doctor Patch Adams?

https://www.patchadams.org/patch-adams/

A group of about 30 clowns who carry on Patch Adams’s vision will be gathering from around the world for an eight-day tour in Japan.

(This time, Patch Adams himself will not be joining.)

This “Clown Tour” has been held since 1985, but in its 40-year history, it will be held in Japan for the very first time!

https://www.patchadams.org/event/japan/
https://www.patchadams.org/global-outreach/

I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining this tour!

I honestly have no idea what kind of journey it will turn out to be, but I’m sure it will be unforgettable.

（The photo below was taken on January 1st, 2025, when I visited Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Wajima suffered severe damage from a major earthquake that struck on January 1st, 2024.

Exactly one year later, the sea was calm and quiet—it left a deep impression on me.）

I went to a Minyo Crusaders live show for the first time.

https://en.minyocrusaders.com/

They may not be very well-known in Japan, but actually, they are a Japanese band that tours all over the world!

The standing area was already packed with people, and I was amazed by their popularity.

Santa Fe was a city full of nature and incredibly quiet. Although it is the capital of New Mexico, its airport was such a surprisingly small building.

About 30 doctors from across the United States gathered for the retreat, and during the sessions, not a single person looked at their smartphone. To be honest, this would be unimaginable in Japan (laughs). I believe that everyone who participated did so not because someone told them to, but because of their own strong will.

I also want to join again next year.
https://www.upaya.org/program/inner-practice-of-medicine-in-person-2026/

I can’t quite explain why, but even though I don’t speak any English, I feel as if I’ve found another home for my heart.
Perhaps I had been wishing for such a place to exist.

A place I could visit when I was struggling, where no one would question why I came, but would simply accept me. A place where I could stay as long as I wanted, whenever I wanted, without adjusting to anyone else’s pace — just living at my own rhythm. Surely here, no matter what I say, I would not be blamed…

Of course, the content of the retreat itself was meaningful, but just knowing that such a place exists in the world gave me a profound sense of relief, enriched my heart, and made me feel as if both my mind and body had been revived.

In Santa Fe this July, I had the chance to talk a little with a professor who had also attended the retreat last year.

I asked, “Is the current medical system regenerative?”

The answer was NO.

Perhaps as the gap between what a doctor personally wishes to do and what the medical system requires them to do gradually widens, it becomes more and more difficult to continue working as a physician…

Since my English isn’t very good, I know well enough that there’s no need to force myself to join a retreat held in the U.S.

However, by actually going there and participating, there might be some kind of change between who I was before and who I become after.

Until now, I think I’ve been dwelling on the past with regret, looking at the future with pessimism, and not really focusing.