But this time, I managed to take her out because she has been a long-time fan of ekiden—relay marathons run by college students. I suggested the trip since the All Japan University Ekiden was being held around this time in 2025. I also wanted to visit Ise Shrine.
After visiting Ise Shrine, we waited for the runners approaching the finish line of the ekiden, which is located at the entrance to the inner shrine. It was exciting to watch them running live. They were much faster than I had expected, and I truly wondered how they could keep running at such a speed for more than half an hour.
This month, two more impressive things happened.
- First, my younger son was accepted to university. Way to go, Kosuke—I’m proud of you. The problem is that his girlfriend hasn’t been accepted yet, though.
- Second, I reconciled with my brother after a dispute about our parents’ money (he had insisted that 1.8 million yen was stolen by me; I swear it never, ever happened).