I’ve always been a 私の心は夏模様 (watashi no kokoro wa natsu moyou – my heart is the pattern of summer) person. Happenings – especially during youth – take place during summer. If anybody asked me what my favorite season was my answer was always summer.

During the summer of 2020 I posted this – Days of Youth. The song embedded there is the source of that refrain – 少年時代 (shounen jidai = “Days of Youth” or “Boyhood”) by Yosui Inoue. It was a number one hit 35 years ago in 1990. The cover words, in Japanese, were all about that trying year: the unusually long rainy season, the heat wave we were going through then, and the covid pandemic and how were dealing with it – and it gave messages of hope as we went forward that year.

Even if you don’t understand the words of the song, or the words on the screen, it is so beautiful to watch the images and listen to the music that I think if you just understand what they are trying to say you will find it moving.It’s worth clicking on the link and playing the song.

This year Tokyo is going through a record breaking heatwave – the longest on record since they started keep track in 1875. It has everybody run down. Even I admit I’m looking forward to fall, a bit of cooling off, and the changing color of leaves.

But it’s not just summer that is feeling a bit old. People around me are getting old. And, if I admit it to myself, I guess I’m getting older as well. In some sense it feels like I’m missing a few decades somewhere. Like where did they go? But other times I’m actually feeling older or, dare I say it, elderly? No, I won’t say it. Not yet. But I can feel it coming.

Guess My Age? (Never works well)

Last week I was dragged to a “secret meeting” by one of my neighbors. It turned out to be a group that basically sells somewhat questionable “medical” devices to mainly older people. The speaker had me hold out my palm and gave it a light electric pulse. Then later he said let’s see your palm and he exclaimed, “See how nice and red it is? Your blood is flowing nicely now!” He did not show off the color of my palm before electrocuting it though. It was just as red. My blood is fine, as you all know from my regular health and diet posts.

As part of the meeting he tried to guess my age. I pointed out ahead of time, “Nobody has ever in my life said I look younger than I am.” Of course he was trying to be complimentary, and guessed … 70! I’m actually 69.

Old Man on the Ground

Putting that aside, a couple of days later I was on my usual morning walk and passed by an apartment complex. By the playground in front, I noticed an elderly man sitting on the ground next to his bicycle. And it was extremely hot. Nobody seemed to notice, and he wasn’t asking for help. (People are often reticent about asking for help here.) I approached him and asked if he was ok.

He did mention that he had fallen, and was grateful that I offered to get his bicycle standing. Then I helped him up as well. Things fell out from him basket, and I gathered them together and put them back and he was saying “thank you” over and over again. But the man barely had any strength. I had to pull him up from the ground. He clearly could not ride the bicycle. I asked him if he needed help getting home and he insisted he was ok. He had a credit card and a drugstore point card in one hand and slowly started walking off, using his bicycle for walking support. I waited and watched until he turned the corner in the direction of the shopping street.

Old Woman on the Corner

Yesterday I went to the ward sports center by the river. It’s about a 25 minute walk there, and I’ve gone every even-numbered day since the beginning of April. I walk over, change into gym clothes, and use 6 different exercise machines. I think I might be seeing some signs of possible abs. Anyway, it’s nice to get out of the house for a couple of hours, even on a hot or rainy day.

Yesterday, as I got to the corner before the shrine with the side road leading to the sport center I saw an old woman standing there. She was just there by herself on the corner of the busy street looking around. I asked her if she was ok and she smiled and said she was ok. So I went on to the sports center, did my workout, and on my way home I saw she was still there.

That was not normal, so I asked her if she needed help. She said no,. I asked her if she lived nearby. She also said no to that. She was clearly confused. Then I noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes. I asked where her shoes were and she said they got thrown away. I asked her if she wanted me to get her some sandals from the nearby 7-Eleven and she said she was ok.

On that same corner was a credit union, so I went inside and explained the situation to the staff there and asked them to call for emergency help. They all said they would. I left and walked down the street, looking back to see what was happening. From a distance, so as not to possibly upset the woman, I didn’t see people from the credit union going out to check on her, so I phoned them and they assured me they had called the police and somebody was coming by to help her. I hope help came soon.

It’s been that kind of summer. It’s been a bit stressful. An old friend of mine passed away 20 years ago. I would visit his grave every year and have lunch with his sister and mother. Last summer because of the heat wave I didn’t go, and this April his mother passed away. I went to her funeral, and I’ve been in touch with his sister lately. It’s still hot, so we are waiting for the heat to break before getting together again.

Another old friend passed away this year and we had a memorial service for him at his church in Shibuya in July.

I didn’t take a trip to the U.S. this year. Today it’s raining for the first time in a while, and Pao couldn’t have his morning walk. It’s possible the heat wave is breaking. Maybe we’ll be able to take longer walks soon, along the river, and watch the leaves start to turn.