The Man Who Is Always Rightー2026/6/9(Tues)R8

Unexpected conversations often drift through the dining hall at Matsuyama Eden no Sono.

The other day, one of the residents was passionately sharing his opinions in a loud voice.

"They should have just made Princess Aiko the Emperor."

He was talking about the ongoing discussions surrounding Japan's Imperial Family.

"They should have settled this ten years ago. There have been female emperors in Japanese history."

His voice grew more animated as he continued.

Finally, he concluded with:

"I'm absolutely right."

I couldn't help smiling.

It wasn't because I found his opinion amusing.

What caught my attention was another comment he made.

"Princess Aiko can become Emperor, get married, and have a son."

My immediate thought was:

"Wait a minute. Even if Princess Aiko becomes Emperor, does it still come down to having a male heir?"

I am not an expert on Japan's imperial system.

Terms such as "male-line succession," "female emperor," and "female-line emperor" are not concepts I can confidently explain.

Still, I have often wondered why, in a society that values gender equality, the symbolic head of the nation must be male.

At the same time, I understand that history and tradition make this a complicated issue.

Perhaps that is why the debate is so difficult.

As I listened to the man's passionate speech, another thought crossed my mind.

How many ordinary citizens truly understand all the details of this discussion?

Newspapers and television present various opinions, but many of us may simply react based on our general feelings rather than a deep understanding of the system.

This evening, I happened to see the same man again at dinner.

Some of his friends mentioned that his car had not been in the parking lot during the day, so they assumed he had gone somewhere.

I wondered whether he had been visiting temples as a pilgrim.

He once told us that he enjoys the Shikoku pilgrimage and often recites Buddhist sutras in his room.

For some reason, the image of a man passionately sharing his opinions and the image of a devoted pilgrim do not easily fit together in my mind.

He is an intriguing person.

I do not mean that as criticism.

Rather, I find myself wondering what kind of life he has lived.

Then I realized that the same could be said of many people I have met here.

One was a teacher at a special-needs school.

Another had taught home economics.

Another had supported her husband in running a construction business.

Each person has lived a long and unique life.

Yet few people talk much about their past.

When I mentioned that I had been a teacher, nobody asked many follow-up questions.

At first, I found that surprising.

Now, I think it may simply be a comfortable way of respecting one another's privacy.

At Eden no Sono, people from many different backgrounds live together.

Considering the entrance fees and monthly expenses, most residents have likely spent years building stable lives.

But what I see here is not their titles or careers.

I see who they are today.

People who enjoy mahjong.

People who enjoy pilgrimages.

People who love conversation.

People who prefer quiet afternoons.

Living among them and gradually getting to know them has become one of the unexpected pleasures of my new life.

#MatsuyamaEdenNoSono #SeniorLife #LifeInJapan #DailyReflections #HumanStories #ShikokuPilgrimage #MahjongFriends #RetirementLife #NewBeginnings #LifeLessons