The dress shirt shop I have been going to for nearly 20 years is going to close.

The owner has grown older and is no longer able to continue working. I am truly saddened that the shop will be closing.

Every dress shirt I wear was made for me at this shop. No matter how particular my requests were,

the owner always accepted them without complaint and made the perfect shirts for me.

I have worn the shirts made for me there for more than ten years, having them repaired many times along the way.

I recently went to the shop in person to say goodbye. When it was time to leave, I almost found myself in tears.

It seems that shops in Japan that still make dress shirts by hand have all but disappeared.

I attended a symposium on medical care for foreign patients.

I cannot say that I know much about healthcare systems overseas, but I felt a little disappointed that discussions like this still seem particularly necessary in Japan.

Surprisingly, around 200 people attended the event. Most of them were not healthcare professionals, but foreign residents living in Japan, and they came from countries all over the world.

Apparently, two of the main concerns foreign residents have when visiting hospitals in Japan are:

1. The atmosphere in the consultation room
2. The short amount of time spent with the doctor

I had assumed that language barriers and medical expenses would be their biggest concerns, so this made me reflect deeply on my own assumptions.

I went to see the musical starring Sarah Brightman.

https://theatre-orb.com/lineup/26_sunsetblvd/top.html

The theater was completely full. Not only was Sarah’s singing breathtaking, but the stage design and the performances of the rest of the cast were also outstanding.

(The video was recorded with permission.)

I watched a documentary about Robin Lim, a midwife working in Bali, Indonesia.

Robin Lim is often called the “Mother Teresa of modern times.”

For more than 30 years, she has provided gentle childbirth care free of charge, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

https://bumisehat.org/en/

Watching her story made me wonder: how can someone transform anger into love, just as she does?

I went to a concert by Diana Ross.

It was her first visit to Japan in eleven years.

One of her signature songs, If We Hold On Together, includes the lyric, “Live your story.”

Whenever I hear this song, I find myself wondering whether I am truly living my own life.

Sometimes I question whether I am living someone else’s life instead of my own.