Apr 30, 2025

Every day is like a climax

The title of this song by Creepy Nuts really captures how my days have been lately!

  • After years of advocating for it, our method of assessing jugular venous response to stress was finally included in the revised heart failure guidelines—seven years in the making—alongside our published paper.
  • I bought a box of Hassaku oranges for my father, who loves them, and brought them to him every day.
  • I created a little grass garden on my balcony for my dog, Shushu.
  • My daughter, Aya, got a new job at Sanno Hospital in Tokyo for next year.
  • My homepage hit two major milestones at nearly the same time: 2 million total views and 200,000 monthly views!.

I've truly been enjoying these remarkable days.

Mar 30, 2025

The 3rd visit to Hong Kong

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Hong Kong with my daughter, Aya. This was my third visit to the city, so I was familiar with much of it, yet there was still an air of excitement as we headed to Macau—my first time there (featured in the right half of the photos).
On our way from the airport to the heart of Hong Kong, we happened upon a station called Kowloon and decided to disembark. I learned that it’s located on the site of the former Kowloon Airport (formerly Kai Tak Airport). My first visit to Hong Kong was when I was 20 years old. The airport, right in the heart of the city, and the once-infamous Kowloon Walled City left a lasting impression on me. Today, the area has transformed into a park and home to the National Palace Museum. While it’s impeccably maintained, a part of me misses the old, unique atmosphere that once defined it.

The bus ride from Hong Kong to Macau took 2.5 hours. We passed through immigration twice, showing our passports, but this minor inconvenience didn’t dampen our spirits. Macau exceeded all my expectations. Its immense scale could easily rival Las Vegas, but it was the attitude of some of the more aggressive Chinese people in the city that felt unsettling.

I’m not sure if a fourth trip to Hong Kong will be in my future, but one thing is certain—the city remains as vibrant and bustling as it was 25 years ago and this time.

Feb 28, 2025

My Boom

Recently, I enjoyed meeting up with my daughter, Aya, for a Friday night date. In the upper photos, we had Thai food at Hanshin Bar in Umeda. In the lower photos, we met at the Expo and watched a movie.
The movie was Under Ninja, starring Kent Yamazaki and Minami Hamabe. The content was silly, but extremely enjoyable due to Yamazaki's coolness, Hamabe's cuteness, and the fantastic music, doppelgänger, by Creepy Nuts.

Since then, I have been watching videos related to Under Ninjya on the Internet. Click here to view the movie trailer. And no wonder you will easily understand me. 

Jan 25, 2025

A debut as a novelist

One of my dreams is to become a novelist. I had planned to write one when I retired as a doctor, but a strange turn of events brought me to that point much earlier.

At the end of the year, I wrote two short stories based on my daily life as a cardiologist. I tried to submit them to a novel website, but there were many advertisements and some other problems. So I decided to create my own website.

I spent my New Year's break on it. I had a hard time with the layout because I was particular about vertical writing, but in the end I succeeded ー Mokane Hospital.


I dare to close the comments section because there are readers who find even the best novels boring (and my novels are not considered excellent in themselves).

Regardless of the result, let me give it a try anyway. I have tons of experience as a doctor, so I think I can write medical novels.

Dec 29, 2024

Tomogashima island

After being postponed once, Aya and I enjoyed a trip to Tomogashima Island.

The first attempt was unsuccessful due to bad weather, although it was clear with no clouds in the sky. The condition of the sea seems a little different from the usual idea. We were told that the boat to the island was not available at the pier where it took three hours to get there from home.

Next week, we tried again and made it to the remote island where we could experience legendary ruins of the Japanese army during World War II. We spent more than two hours walking around the island and were impressed to see the state of war that was beyond our imagination.

P.S.
I got an extremely rare monster of Pokemon Go on the island while waiting for the boat to Kata Pier in Wakayama Prefecture.

Nov 30, 2024

Moving to a new address

My father and mother were discharged from the hospital in Kobe where my brother works (Upper pictures). Then, they were admitted to a senior citizen's home in Saito (lower pictures), where we live.

At first, they were a little confused by the change of environment, but they are getting used to it little by little. I'm not sure if this will be their final home, but I really hope it will be a comfortable life for them.


Although the nursing home is close to our home, we are only allowed to visit once a week for now. Masks and face shields are a must, even though the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided. Hopefully, the restrictions will be eased soon!

Oct 31, 2024

A trip to Kyushu

 Aya and I had a great time on a two-day trip to Kyushu. The first day we rented a car at Fukuoka airport and drove to Yufuinn no Mori. The attractive town was small but crowded with tourists, more than half of whom were non-Japanese, such as Chinese or Koreans. 


We went back to Hakata and enjoyed the atmosphere walking along the river. Next day, we had a breathtaking view form Fukuoka tower and had a great lunch at 瓢箪寿司. After shoping, we went back home by bullet train.

As usual, Aya decided on what to do during the trip accoring videos uploaded by Togimochi, who is Aya's favourite YouTuber. My only request was to climb to the top of the Fukuoka Tower.

Anyway, thank you, Aya, for taking me to this amazing world, even though I had to pay for everything except the hotel fee.

Sep 30, 2024

Junko's birthday and silver wedding anniversary.

We had lunch at Toyotei in Kyoto for Junko's birthday on September 13. After enjoying a wonderful meal and chatting, we went to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kyoto to buy a birthday cake, but we couldn't find a good one. So we went to Qu'il fait bon in Kiya-machi and bought a fruit cake that we all enjoyed at home.

September 25th is our 25th wedding anniversary, which is called the silver wedding anniversary in Japan. She kept a bottle of champagne in the fridge and I found it when I got home. We toasted together with our cute pet dog, ShuShu-kun. What a coincidence! The newspaper quiz that day was about the silver wedding anniversary.
   

I look forward to throwing a nice party for our 50th or golden wedding anniversary with our three children, their spouses, grandchildren, and ShuShu-kun.

Aug 31, 2024

Mom's 2nd hospitalization

It was early in the morning on the day a big typhoon was approaching the Kansai area when I received an emergency call from my father. It seems that my mother had stayed in the kitchen since last night.

Mom said on the phone in a sleepy voice that she was fine. She did not seem to be paralyzed, but she might have broken her femur in a fall. I told Dad to call an ambulance.

Fortunately, her condition turned out to be unremarkable, but she was admitted to Hikone Munisipul Hospital because of her back pain and her caregiver, my father, who is 89 years old.

Aya and I visited her the next day or the day after the typhoon passed. She seemed to be in good health. She seemed to have taken more sleeping pills than usual in the kitchen and was unable to move to the bedroom.


Anyway, it was a relief that she was okay. However, this event means that it will be much more difficult for my parents to live independently. It is time for me and my brother to think about the next step.

Jul 31, 2024

Three legendary books

Fortunately, I was given a legendary textbook called "臨床心音図学" by a senior member of the medical college. This was prompted by an e-mail from Dr. Tsuguya Sakamoto, which I forwarded to my former boss, who sent the mail to the senior member.

This is the book I have been looking for for many decades. I would have paid a considerable amount of money for the legendary textbook if it had been sold on the Internet, as it has been out of print for almost half a century. This time I was able to get it for free. I am very grateful.

I have now collected all three legendary books on phonocardiography. When I told Dr. Sakamoto that I had succeeded in collecting his three books, he told me some interesting stories, such as that he did not receive any personal royalties from the three books.


Of course, I know that it is not enough to have them; I have to read the masterpieces and learn from them. But I am quite content to see them on the bookshelf in my hospital room.