The other day, when I returned to my hometown, I checked the accessible toilets at the department store in front of the station, which was renovated three years ago. It was close to the latest specifications, so I will introduce it here.
From the right, you can use the "diaper changing table" by unfolding the folded table. Next is the "ostomate equipment" used by people who use a colostomy (stoma). After removing the pack (pouch) attached to the colostomy, the contents are placed on the toilet seat in the center, and all post-processing can be done here, and a mirror is installed at a convenient height for checking the colostomy. Next to the trash can on the left, there is an "infant seat" that allows infants to sit temporarily.
Further to the left is the familiar "toilet seat". However, there are many points that are different from ordinary household use. One is that there is a sturdy "handrail" that extends left and right and up and down, there is an "emergency call buzzer" to the right of the toilet paper roll, And above that are "various operation buttons for braille". Compared to the specifications that I often saw before, the arrangement is that there is a distance from the toilet seat to the handrail, and especially in the case of a small woman who uses a wheelchair, it is good to bring the wheelchair close to the side of the toilet seat, but depending on the degree of disability, it seemed to be difficult to move to and from the toilet seat. However, it is not easy to make specifications that can accommodate a variety of people and people outside the venue. And to the left of it is a ”dispenser of cleaner” (disinfectant), which is used to clean the toilet seat surface by soaking it in toilet paper. And there was a sanitary box under the dispenser, a compact washbasin, and an air purifier for deodorizing.
The only equipment that this toilet did not have was a large seat (bed) called a "universal seat" that was used to change diapers for adults and people with disabilities. That said, the "Accessible toilet" is a toilet that anyone can use, so I think everyone should use it without hesitation. And although it is not usually noticed or talked about, I think it is important to understand that we live with various people who need such equipment.
Today, I came across the scene in the image on one of my favorite paths that I always use for shopping, which is full of natural trees, birds, and, depending on the season, crabs. The road is wide enough for one car to pass, so there is not a lot of traffic, and sometimes there are cars resting in the passing area, but it is not a place to throw away cigarette butts in bulk.
Ihaven't had a direct conversation with the person who threw away this cigarette, so I have no intention of discussing their morals or personality here. However, the act of throwing away unnecessary items such as plastic bottles and empty cans is not beautiful in itself, no matter how you look at it.
There is a tendency to pursue problems such as environmental issues, violations of ordinances (laws), and morals, but before that, I think it is much more important for each of us to have an aesthetic sense to judge whether or not an act is beautiful as a person.
I moved to Ako City last year, and there is one thing I need to solve. It is the care of the main bank.
For more than 40 years, I lived in Kobe City, a city with a population of about 1.5 million, and worked in Umeda, the center of Osaka City, which has a population of about 2.75 million. For this reason, I personally opened four bank accounts with two "megabanks" and used them frequently. However, Ako City, where I moved last year, is a small city with a population of about 40,000, but I didn't expect that there would be no megabanks. Therefore, in order to take care of the account in the main bank, it is necessary to go to Himeji City, which has a population of 530,000, which is about 40 km away from Ako City, and I went there by bicycle the other day.
After making various arrangements at the bank, I was on my way to the afternoon by bicycle to say thank you to the real estate agent in Himeji City who took care of me when I moved here, and to the paint shop that has been indebted to me for painting motorcycles and bicycles since 1992 for the first time in a long time.
The road is one lane on each side, but there is a wide sidewalk on the outside of the road, and there was a relatively beautiful and wide roadside strip between the sidewalk and the road, so naturally I was driving at about 30 km / h on the roadside strip. Many cars passed by me, but only one bus hesitated to pass by me for more than 50 meters, either because they were wary of me or because they were very cautious.
At that time, I was looking at the car behind me in the rearview mirror, but I judged that the bus was not a normal route bus, but a chartered or rented car from the body and license plate, and that it was a person who was not very accustomed to driving. So, like throwing a ball in bowling, I slowly turned my right arm wide and made a gesture with my fingertips, "Please, please pass by," and the bus driver seemed relieved and walked past me.
Then, less than 20 meters away, the hazard lights of the bus flashed twice. It was clearly a "thank you" sign, so I was so happy that I raised my right hand wide and waved it toward the left mirror of the bus, and said, "Thank you for this." I'm sure the bus driver saw it, too, and it was a heartwarming moment.
『 繋がり / RELATIONSHIP 』
その瞬間、僕が学生時代に経験したエピソードを思い出しました。 それは、故郷の道を自動車で走っている時でした。道路を並行して走っている国鉄（現在は JR）の線路を、反対側からディーゼル列車が走って来たのです。しかし、その列車の運転手の人は、直前に通り抜けたトンネルで点灯させた前照灯を消し忘れていたのです。そこで、僕がパッシングライトを点滅させて教えてあげると、短い汽笛と一緒に 運転手の人が僕に手を振ってくれたのです。その時の見知らぬ人との心温まる “繋がり” と同じ様に、今回、バスの運転手の人と交わした “繋がり” は、いつまでも僕の大切なエピソードとして残っていくでしょう。 At that moment, I remembered an episode I experienced when I was a student. It was when I was driving on the road of my hometown. A diesel train came running from the other side of the tracks of the Japanese National Railways (now JR), which ran parallel to the road. However, the driver of the train had forgotten to turn off the headlights that he had turned on in the tunnel he had just passed through. So I flashed my passing light and told him, and the driver waved to me with a short whistle. Just like the heartwarming "connection" I had with the stranger at that time, the "connection" I had with the bus driver this time will remain as an important episode for me forever.
But in a few years, as the number of self-driving cars increases, the habit of drivers exchanging greetings with each other at any opportunity will disappear.
That's because you don't want to feel awkward when the other side is self-driving. Therefore, I may never be able to interact with the people on the bus this time, just like the people on the JNR.
Still, I'm not concerned about it, and I'm not lamenting it. This is because "connection" with people is indispensable for people to live as people, so we believe that opportunities for "connection" will continue to exist in different forms, and that the number of people seeking "connection" will never decrease. That's why I will continue to cherish the opportunity to "connect" with people. If you do that, there will be no doubt that wonderful encounters will continue to occur.
However, the situation changed suddenly. The bus was running 50 meters in front of me, but the traffic light in front of me turned red. If this continues, I, who am running on the side of the road, will surely line up next to the bus waiting for the traffic light. As much as I waved my hand widely, I felt embarrassed and awkward (?). The situation is now visible. So, as if to say, "This is my destination," I turned left at the next alley to buy time. Yes, I'm either shy and small-minded.
In June 2022, the suspect, Yoichi Hatta, made a false accusation against a university student riding a motorcycle, and then, while waiting at a traffic light with his friends on two motorcycles, hit two people without braking at nearly 100 km/h, killing one of them, and fled the scene. The police in Japan have announced the extension of the “Most Wanted” status.
It is in the news that a class was held in Ono City, Hyogo Prefecture to teach foreign technical trainees (those who will be subject to the development employment system in the future) the rules of bicycles. I hope that each local government will also actively hold such classes to spread awareness of traffic rules and create a safe traffic society.
GRA is a non-profit organisation. As such, it has duties to perform. Fulfilling our duties is never fun, but it is still "worth living" to turn it into something to look forward to.
Preparing documents that are required to be submitted is always a stressful task. This is because all documents must be prepared by yourself. There are no documents prepared in advance that have check boxes or fields to fill out. Samples and templates are posted on the government's official website, which helps a bit, but you don't have to fill out documents with check boxes or name boxes, like some documents have check boxes. . I have to create a document with the required items and contents written in one by one without making any mistakes, so I never feel relieved. Samples and templates of the necessary documents are posted on the official website of the organization to which you are submitting your documents, which may help you a little, but preparing them can still be a daunting task, so turn it into something fun. I'm always trying to come up with new ideas.
What was especially important to me this time was that I decided to bring it with me and hand it over to the person in charge. Since I moved from Kobe to Ako, I briefly thought about sending it by mail, but my goal was to meet the person in charge directly, say hello, and exchange words. Then, “motivation” will naturally arise in your heart. At the same time, since it was an opportunity to go to Kobe, which was far away, I made plans to visit the bank and the secretary of the corporation. And it produced good results. My legs were tired from the bike ride, but everything turned out better than I expected.
I really dislike the atmosphere of the driver's license renewal training. The people attending the course have to put up with it as a duty to renew their licences, and the lecturers are just talking the same things every time because it's their job, so it must be a strange, tense and unpleasant atmosphere for everyone. So I try to concentrate on evaluating the lecturers. And if it was a good training course, I say at the end, "That was good", and if it was bad or if they told the wrong thing, I point out at the end, "You're wrong". Of course, they are proud ex-police officers, so sometimes they argue with me when I say so. In such cases, I listen to them as they are, and later call the police officer in charge of their employment and tell them so. Perhaps that is one of the things that makes it "worth living", but I believe that it is very important for people to point out things to each other as equals.
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