そういえば、今回訪れたl’Atelier des Lumièresでは、「Van Gogh, la nuit étoilée（ゴッホの星月夜）」と「Japon Rêvé, images du monde flottant（夢の日本、浮世のイメージ）」を鑑賞した。プロジェクションマッピング技術が生み出す圧倒的な世界観の中で、現実と幻想、そして有機的な物質世界の真理について、改めて考えさせられる体験だった。
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
＜Stanford's Revelation: DNA, Aging, and the Timeless Wisdom of Japan's Yakudoshi＞
While on a business trip, I found myself flicking on the hotel TV for the first time in ages, only to be greeted by an intriguing program titled “The Risk of Accelerated Aging at 44 and 60.” Naturally, as someone deeply embedded in the world of medicine, I couldn’t just look away. The show delved into a Stanford study that supposedly confirmed aging’s acceleration at these ages—right down to the genetic level.
Curiosity piqued, I dove into the American media reports to get the full scoop:
Stanford’s research reveals that human aging doesn’t just tick along steadily with time. Instead, it seems to take a dramatic leap forward at the ages of 44 and 60. By analyzing the biological samples of 108 participants over several years, researchers discovered significant shifts in various molecules and microorganisms at these specific ages, which could have profound impacts on cardiovascular health and immune function.
Impressive findings, no doubt. But hold on a second.
Dear American scientists, bastions of Western medicine—have you only just now caught up with this?
You see, in Japan, we’ve had a concept called Yakudoshi for centuries. For men, 42 is the “great misfortune year,” and 61 marks a significant transition for both men and women. These ages have long been recognized as pivotal stages in life, where one’s health is particularly vulnerable, prompting people to seek divine protection and pay extra attention to their well-being.
This, my friends, is the essence of traditional Japanese medicine and lifestyle wisdom—knowledge that we’ve been practicing through Yakudoshi for generations, while Western medicine is only now beginning to unravel it at the genetic level.
It makes you wonder: isn’t it true that human wisdom has always lived within our daily lives, long before science came along to prove it?
Perhaps it’s time for Western science and Eastern wisdom to join hands in safeguarding our future health.
）で乾杯し、まだ人々が集まり始めたばかりの静かな農園で、哲学的な談話にふける。
”クラゲの話”だった。
