“Where are we going today?” My wife asked me. I had told her several times that we were going to Kobe. But my wife’s memory is, well, like that sometimes. ⸻ To be precise, we are going to Kanagawa first, and then Kobe. In Kanagawa, we will attend a family gathering to celebrate my mother’s birthday. She is turning 79 this year. My wife and I will join the gathering, and then drive straight on to Kobe. I had wanted to leave in the morning. But the earliest restaurant reservation we could get...

This morning, my father-in-law left to play golf. The day before, he had left a message saying, “I won’t be here for lunch or dinner.” It was a small thing, but the atmosphere in the house felt slightly different from the beginning of the day. ⸻ When my father-in-law is here, lunch is at twelve and dinner is at seven. We eat according to those times. But when it is just the two of us, we are free. Today, I was very hungry, so we had lunch at around eleven-thirty. We did not have to adjust...

This Saturday, there will be a family gathering in Kanagawa. We are going to celebrate my mother’s 79th birthday. My wife and I will join the gathering, and from there, we will drive straight to Kobe. I have a treatment event in Kobe. Since we will be there, we are planning to stay a few days and see a little of the city. Drive through town. Look at the sea. Walk through places we do not know. It has been a while since we had that kind of time. ⸻ Originally, we were planning a slightly longer...