Since I have been diagnosed with this disease, I always go out for a walk or to the supermarket to do some errands, even on my days off. This is because I feel that it is not good for my disease to stay indoors. Not long ago, I would have gone to a beautiful park on the site of a nearby university and done some stretching, but nowadays, there are not many activities, even radio exercises, that I can do satisfactorily. But nowadays, even radio exercises are not enough to satisfy me. As I have already mentioned at the beginning of this blog, it is quite difficult for me to take a step forward at home, but when I go out into the hallway of my apartment, the level goes up a notch, and I can walk briskly on the street outside. I am a little over 175 cm tall, so I may appear slow.
The reason I came to Tokyo Station last time was to take the Shinkansen. The Tokaido Shinkansen connects Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka in two and a half hours, and there is one train every few minutes, so it is very easy to use, and many people use the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka rather than flying. Considering the time required to get to and from the airport and the time spent at the airport, the Shinkansen is a good choice in terms of time taken. And, it is safe. It has been 60 years since the Tokaido Shinkansen began operations. Not a single passenger has died in a Shinkansen accident, including those caused by earthquakes. There have been some incidents such as suicide by jumping off or wielding a sword inside the train, but they are not the fault of the Shinkansen. I used to ride the Shinkansen with a nonreserved seat. I would line up at the cafeteria from Tokyo, take a seat around Shin-Yokohama, and wait with beer and snacks for Mt. Fuji. I couldn't wait any longer, so I would order a hamburger steak and watch Mt. Fuji through the panoramic window, which is larger than a regular seat, while eating. However, no matter how little I eat, it will not last until I get to Nagoya. I was too lazy to return to my seat before arriving at Nagoya. And the majestic Mount Fuji, as always. There was one thing that was different this year. When I opened the automatic doors to board the train at Tokyo Station, I saw international passengers. It was as if they were on an airplane route somewhere in the EU. I was honestly surprised that tourism to Japan was so popular. I wondered if there was anything to see in Japan. Just as I was thinking, "I wonder if there was anything like Mt. Fuji," the announcement came over the train: "This is Nozomi super express bound for Osaka. Passengers getting off at Nagoya ....” This sentence always reminds me of the bright voice of Mr. Katsuaki Togo lecturing on NHK Radio English when I was in junior high school. It seemed to me that people who were good at English in the past would speak as if they were laughing in a colossal way. The male representative was this Mr. Togo, and the female representative was Kaoru Kanetaka. Was this a message from both of them that smiling is important as a communication skill? We ended up talking about the old days. Let's end today with a quiz. Which of the following is not actually running on the Tokaido Shinkansen? If you haven't experienced it, it might be harder than you think. It is too easy for older people, though. With memories: A. Dining car, B. Double-decker car, C. Private room, D. Sleeping car.
Translated with DeepL and edited by the author.