End of Summer
Not four seasons, but “five”seasona.
Sprng, summer, late summer, autumn, winter…
I came to see the sea for the first time in a while.
Life’s Station
I read the novel “Life’s Station “.
It shook my feeling so much that I burst into tears on the bullet train.
They released a movie based on this book but I am not sure if I can handle it…;,(
Japanese link-> https://teisha-ba.jp/
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
I watched a movie about Fred Rogers called “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/abeautifuldayintheneighborhood
He passed away back in 2003.
I wanted to know why he is still well respected in America. I was hoping that the movie would tell me more about his achievements, but half of the story was about his family conflict.
When it got to the scene which he got on the New York subway and the passengers sang the theme song of his show, it was very touching even for someone like me who knew very little about him.
1 years later…
Exactly 1 year ago, I was at the final game of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Yokohama, Japan.
At the half-time show, a crowd of 70,000 people at the stadium sang “Country Road” together.
Back then, there was no coronavirus threat. The loneliness and nostalgia that we won’t be able to celebrate that kind of event anymore give me mixed emotions.
It really is like “Remember that time…?” from the lyrics of “Era” by Miyuki Nakajima.
Ibu Robin Lim
There is a midwifery in Bali,Indonesia, that provides free medical care to any poor pregnant women. Donation comes from all over the world. Because they provide mother-child-friendly natural birth and commit to breastfeeding for the babies, I’ve always wanted to visit.
In Bali, Indonesia, there is a midwife named Robin Lim who supports childbirth, medical care, and education for people living in difficult circumstances around the world, including mothers and their families who have become homeless in the disaster and young mother-to-be who cannot afford childbirth bills due to poverty.
Robin Lim started the Bumi Sehat Foundation in 1995 and has established clinics in Indonesia and the Philippines. On top of that, for more than 20 years, they have been providing free medical care throughout the year (24/7) in disaster areas around the world.
At the clinic, more than 400 babies are born each year and tens of thousands of victims from affected areas have received help around the world. In recognition of her many years of distinguished service, she received the CNN’s Hero of the Year award in 2011 and the Earth Company’s Impact Hero Award 2016.
The Bumi Sehat International Maternity Center in Ubud, Bali, is one of Robin’s clinics. All expenses, such as hospitalization and operation, are covered by donations.
Something Robin told me left me in awe.
“We all think we choose our profession. But, in fact, your job might have been decided before you were born. God has chosen you to be the birth keeper. That is why you must take care of yourself. Please, take care of yourself. “
When I heard her words, tears started to come out and it just kept coming.
Ghibli
I went to a great Ghibli exhibition.
It was extremely crowded that it took 2 hours for me to just get into the venue.
4 million people visited this event and people of all generations came.
It was very good to know how the most successful movie was made from just one project proposal.
Burt Bacharach
I am sad to learn that Mr. Burt Bacharach who is known as the legend in American music history is no longer coming to Japan. I am looking forward to seeing him the next time!
The best dentist in Tokyo
Over a month ago, I got totally unexpected news from my dentist’s son that I have gone for the last 17 years that my dentist has passed away. Since then I kept going back to see him even though I know in my head that he will not be there. It just reminded me that he is really gone. This sad news got me thinking that I want to be kind to people. And I need to tell ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been there for me.
Broadway musical “Dreamgirls”
I went to see the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls”.
The live band performance, as well as the singers, were wonderful.
It made me want to watch the movie again.
I felt that language and culture had nothing to do with the way how people chase their dreams and how they feel about their friends.
Tomohiro Hamakawa’s seminar
I went to a special seminar by Mr. Tomohiro Hamakawa at Waseda University. He is the managing director of Earth Company in Bali.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KBqYBNYpOI
In 2014, he and his wife Asuka were hornored to receive an award of the ‘Unsung Heroes of Compassion’. At his special seminar, I asked him what he wished he had done when he was a student. He said ‘I wish I have studied another language’ (aside Japanese and English which he is already fluent with).