A Place That Reminds Me to Care for My p— A Rainy Morning of Newspapers and a Health Checkup —2026/6/2 (Tue) R8

Last night, I woke up around 3 a.m.

On a whim, I opened a résumé template and tried to start writing my career history, but I couldn't make much progress.

Even so, I think part of me wanted to organize the path I have walked through life.

After going back to sleep, I hurried out of bed when my alarm rang at 6:20 a.m. and headed to the morning radio exercises.

It was raining today.

Normally we exercise outside, but this morning we gathered under the roof of the parking area.

The 93-year-old gentleman who leads the group was absent because of back pain. I hope he recovers soon.

After the exercises, I went to the mat area next to the fitness room and worked on forward bends.

Recently, I have felt that my body is becoming a little stiffer.

In particular, my hips do not open as easily, and bending forward has become more difficult.

I completed two sets of fifty forward bends, for a total of one hundred.

As I continued, I could feel my range of motion gradually improving.

My blood pressure was 96/64, and my pulse was 74.

Typical numbers for someone like me with naturally low blood pressure.

After breakfast, I spent some time reading the newspaper.

One column asked, "What color is your town?"

It said that Yokohama is blue, inspired by the famous song "Blue Light Yokohama."

For me, Matsuyama is a deep orange.

Tourists might think of the color of mandarin oranges, but for those who live here, the orange of Iyotetsu trains, buses, and stations has become part of the city's scenery.

An article about sleep apnea reminded me of my husband.

His snoring used to be so loud that I actually threw a pillow at him.

After testing, he was diagnosed with sleep apnea and began using a CPAP machine. Since then, things have become much quieter.

Another article discussed how private railway companies in the Kansai region are expanding reserved-seat services.

Since my family home is in Nara, I rode Kintetsu trains often when I was younger.

Back then, I thought the limited express surcharge was a waste of money, so I usually took express trains instead.

But at some point, I began to value comfort more than saving a little money.

I found myself choosing the limited express so I could sit and travel comfortably.

According to the article, more and more people now value comfort and a guaranteed seat over saving time or money.

As we grow older, the things we value gradually change.

An article about the Shikoku pilgrimage made me think about the Japanese tradition of blending Shinto and Buddhism.

Here in Matsuyama, it is not unusual to see pilgrims walking through town.

It was a sight I rarely saw in Shizuoka.

One young writer described visiting a temple and realizing that a shrine was there as well.

The comment stayed with me.

There is something distinctly Japanese about accepting both gods and Buddhas without seeing them as opposites.

Another article discussed peace education, referring to Doshisha International High School.

It reminded me of my years as a teacher.

I taught students about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa.

We read the story of Sadako Sasaki and folded a thousand paper cranes together.

The year 1945 grows farther away with each passing year.

Even so, I hope the effort to remember will continue.

Today I am also having a health checkup here at the residence.

It includes a urine test, blood test, and a short health consultation.

One could argue that I do not really need it because I feel healthy.

Still, part of me wanted someone to listen to how I have been feeling during this first month of my new life here.

I have also signed up for a medical checkup program for new residents in July.

It is a service provided jointly by the residence and the neighboring hospital.

At first, I thought I could skip the gastroscopy.

But then I realized that it might be worthwhile to leave a record of my current stomach condition at Bethel Hospital as well as at the Red Cross Hospital.

One month has passed since I moved here.

This residence naturally incorporates many opportunities to think about health: health checkups, medical screenings, morning exercises, brain-training activities, mahjong, finger exercises, and fitness classes.

I hear that a chair yoga program will be offered soon as well.

Health is not forced upon us here.

Instead, we are gently reminded to care for it.

Little by little, that has become part of everyday life.

My résumé, my health checkup, the gastroscopy, and the newspaper articles—

all of them, in their own way, are records.

Records that help us remember.

And records that may help guide the person we will become in the future.

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