沖縄本島の名護より車で20分、今帰仁（なきじん）村に、
この数年、毎夏ずっと通い続けている沖縄の宿がある。

たった数室のコテージは、半年以上前から予約で一杯になるから、
今年の初めには夏の予約を立てていた。

非常事態宣言から３ヶ月間閉鎖していた宿のオーナーが、
ニューヨークからの私たちをずっと待っていてくださったのが嬉しくて。
PCR検査と２週間の自主隔離を過ごした後に、現地に飛んだ。

文字通り「誰もいない海」で、サップを楽しむ子どもたち。
いつもより早い時期のせいか、恐れていたハブクラゲも出現せず。
干潮で遠浅、珊瑚礁が続く青い海はどこまでも広大だった。

私は麦わら帽子を被り、読書三昧の休日。
いつもの海は、コロナで浄化されたかのように、
さらに美しさを増していた。

コロナは私たちに、本当の自然のあり方、
本当に大切なものを、教えてくれているのかもしれない。






There's a resort INN at Nakijin Village in Okinawa that we've been going to every summer for the past few years.
It takes 20 minutes by car from Nago.

There are only a couple of cottages, and that are booked up six months or more in advance, so I had made summer reservations earlier this year.

We were very glad that the owner of the INN, which had been closed for three months following the declaration of National emergency, had waited for us all the way even though we were in New York.
After spending a PCR test and two weeks in voluntary quarantine, we flew to there.

My kids enjoyed to ride SUP(Stand Up Paddleboard) in literally "the ocean with nobody".
Maybe it's because of the earlier than usual time of year, but we did not see Habu-Kurage (jellyfish), which we had feared.
The low tide made the water shallow and the coral reefs were endlessly blue and vast.

I enjoyed our short vacation putting on my straw hat and reading many books.
The usual sea, as if purified by corona, was even more beautiful.

COVID-19 gave us an insight into the true nature of
Maybe it's teaching us something really important.




人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

この数年ずっと、沖縄の朝日を見上げながらこの日を迎えていたけれど、
未曾有のコロナ禍で予測のつかない2020年は、東京で空を見上げることにした。

18年前のこの日、行く先も分からぬまま、米国で会社を立ち上げた。
手探りのまま、少しずつ実績を重ね、少しずつ信用を獲得していった。

コロナ禍に見舞われ、誰もが行く先を見失っているなか、
それでも先を見越して、また世界に挑戦したいという有志に応えたい。

例年より少し早く訪れた沖縄のサンライズの思い出と共に、
2020年７月27日、「オフィス・ビード」は19年目を迎えた。

明けない夜はないと信じて、また一歩ずつ。
これからも、皆様のサポートをよろしくお願いいたします。




For the past few years, I've been looking up the sunrise at Okinawa to welcome this day, but
The year 2020, due to the COVID-19 situation, I had to look it up at the sky in Tokyo.

On this day, 18 years ago, I started my own company in the United States without any ideas where I was headed to.
Little by little, even we did not know where we were going to, we could gradually built up a track record and gained trust.

In this COVID-19 crisis, non of us would have no ideas where the world is going to,
Nevertheless, we want to try be responded to the volunteers, trying everything back the world again and moving forward for the future.

With memories of the Sunrise in Okinawa, I visited a little earlier than as usual,
On July 27, 2020, my company, Office Bead INC.,celebrates its 19th year.

The sun will rise from the night always, we are also taking our steps to the our wonderful future.
We appreciate for your continued support.
Thank you.

2018年「第１回、地球こどもサミット」は「フードロス」がテーマであった。
その総合監修を務めてくださったシェフ山下春幸氏が中心となって、
「新たな生活様式」における安心・安全の基準を提案する機構が設立された。

飲食業界のみならず、医療や介護施設、サロン、交通機関、学習塾など、
消費者が安心して利用できるガイドラインが欲しいという声があがるなか、
医師・専門家・有識者の方々と協力し合いながら、具体的な組織を立ち上げた。

そのスピード感に圧倒されながら、私もできる分野からの応援をと、
夏前から一気に加速した組織メンバーのオンライン会議に参加。
7月７日、機構が正式発足し、７月20日には発足総会が開催された。

山下氏の名前の通り、空青く晴れ渡った暑い日。
「安心・安全な社会へ」を旗印に、ボーダーを超えた業界・業種から
たくさんの方々が、衆議院第一議員会館にお集まりくださった。
ソーシャルディスタンスを守りながらの注意深い開催のため、
会場準備が何より大変だったけれど、
きっとこれが「ニューノーマル」になっていくのだろう。

コロナウィルスという目に見えない敵との共存・共生のなかで、
見よう見まねでなく、正しい知識を取り入れた安全を提唱することで、
人々が安心して生活していけますように。

日本の衛生環境に関するモラルの高さは、世界に誇れる水準だからこそ。
力強く立ち上がった仲間たちに、応援よろしくお願いいたします。

日本環境衛生安全機構オフィシャルウェブサイト








Chef Haruyuki Yamashita was the general supervisor of the "1st, The Earth Children's Summit" in 2018 that's theme was "Food Loss".
He established a new organization "Japan Environment Health and Safety Organization" to propose standards of safety and security in "new ways of life.

Not only in the food and beverage industry, but also in medical and nursing care facilities, salons, transportation systems, and cram schools.
Amidst calls for guidelines that consumers can use with confidence, we were working together with doctors, experts, and professionals, I set up a concrete organization.

I was overwhelmed by the speed of the project, but I was determined to get support from the field I could.
I participated in an online meeting of the organization's members that accelerated quickly before the summer.
On July 7 in 2020, the organization was officially launched and the inaugural meeting was held on July 20.

As Mr. Yamashita's name implies, it was a hot day with blue and clear skies.
Under the banner of "Towards a Safe and Secure Society," people from different industries and business categories across the border were gathered.
A large number of people gathered in the first chamber of House of Representatives.
For the careful holding of the event while adhering to social distancing, preparing the venue was more difficult than anything else, but we are sure this will become the "new normal".

In the midst of coexistence with the invisible enemy of the COVID-19 virus,
By advocating for safety that incorporates proper knowledge, rather than imitation, we can,
We hope that people can live in peace.

Japan's high moral standards for hygiene and environment are the pride of the world.
Please give your support to our fellows for this project.

実家の庭に、父が植え育て、母が愛でてきた藤の木がある。
花が咲く季節、それは見事な光景を生み出し、近所でも評判の藤棚と愛されてきた。

父の足が不自由になり、庭の手入れができなくなった。
週末ごとにメンテナンスにくる弟の負担は、とても大きかったに違いない。

梅雨の晴れ間、脚立によじ登り、慣れない手つきで我が息子がハサミを入れる。
窓から顔を出した父が突然「藤の木を切って欲しい」と頭を下げた。

糖尿と脳梗塞で入院中の母とは、コロナ禍でずっと面会禁止だけれど、
たまに病院から連絡が来た際、母の承諾を得たのだというのだ。

何十年も我が家に鎮座していた藤の木の根元に、大きくノコギリを入れる。
自由奔放にツルを伸ばしていたエネルギーが、目の前で息絶えた。

＊＊＊＊＊＊

深夜、あたりが寝静まっている時間に、庭に積み上げられたゴミ袋を運ぶ。
小さく切り刻まれた葉と木片が突き出して、手足が切り傷だらけになった。

落雷が鳴って、大雨が降り出した。
何往復してもゴミ袋の山が減らなくて、一人せつなくて泣いた。

母が愛した藤棚を、引き継ぐことができなかった。
思い出を断捨離する時は、感性を封印しなければならないという。

でも、私の中の感性は、息を潜めてくれない。
せつない感情だけが、研ぎ澄まされていく。




In my parents' garden, there is a wisteria tree that my father planted and nurtured and my mother loved.
During the blooming season, it was a magnificent sight and was loved by the neighbors as a popular wisteria trellis.

When my father became unable to walk well, he was unable to maintain the garden.
It must have been a heavy burden for my younger brother, who came every weekend to do maintenance.

On a sunny day during the rainy season, my son climbed onto the stepladder and with an unaccustomed hand, my son put the scissors in.
My father looked out from the window and suddenly bowed his head, "I need you to cut down the wisteria tree," he said.

My mother in the hospital with diabetes and a stroke, though we're been banned from visiting my mother for a long time due to the COVID-19 disaster.
Every once in a while, when the hospital called, my father asked for my mother's permission to do so.

A large saw worked into the base of the wisteria tree that had been standing in our home for decades.
The energy that had been stretching the branch so freely died out before my eyes.

********.

In the middle of the night, when all around us was asleep, I alone carried the trash bags piled up in the yard.
Small chopped leaves and pieces of wood poked out, and my hands and feet were getting in cuts.

Lightning struck and heavy rain began to fall.
No matter how many times I went back and forth, the pile of trash bags didn't get smaller, and I cried in sad.

I couldn't take over the wisteria that my mother loved so much.
It is said that when we declutter a memory, we have to seal off our sensitivity.

But the sensibility inside of me still alive.
As my feeling has been sharpened, my afflictive was still markable.

人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

要介護５の母と、要介護３の父がいる。
脳梗塞、狭心症、肺がん、糖尿、水頭症、たくさんの既往症を抱えながらも、
築40年の木造２階建住宅で、老老介護のごとく二人暮らしを続けてきた。

そのバランスが、半年前から急激に崩れていった。
母の入院する病院でクラスターが発生して、以来一度も面会できていない。
日々の医療行為を必要とし、ほぼ寝たきり車椅子生活の母は、
自身の病状を判断できず、自宅に帰りたいと訴えているらしい。

日に日に童心に返っていく母と、日に日に動けなくなっていく父が、
余生を一緒に過ごせるような場所を、探している。

梅雨空の中、その範囲を北関東にまで広げて、施設を訪問してまわる。

人は、人生の終焉をどのように過ごすべきだろう。
最後の２分間、しっかり手を握ってもらって、私は逝きたい。




I have a mother who needs stage 5 care and a father who needs stage 3 care.
Despite having a stroke, angina, lung cancer, diabetes, hydrocephalus and many other pre-existing conditions.
They had been living in a 40-year-old wooden two-story house, doing " elderly care by elderly".

The balance between the two of them began to deteriorate rapidly six months ago.
A COVID-19 cluster broke out at the hospital where my mother was admitted, and I haven't been able to visit her since.
My mother requires daily medical care and is nearly bedridden and in a wheelchair.
The nurse says my mother is unable to judge her own medical condition and is complaining that she wants to go home.

My mother is becoming more and more like a child every day, and my father is becoming more and more immobile by the day.
We are looking for a place where they can spend the rest of their lives together.

In the rainy season, we visited a number of facilities in the northern Kanto area.

How should one spend the end of one's life?
I want to spend the last two minutes of my life with someone who holds my hand firmly.

人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

「ミュージカル未完の贈り物」初顔合わせからちょうど１年。
新しいワクワクのために、今泉りえさんと打ち合わせ。

先日もオンラインでミートしたけれど、やはり直接会うのは違う。
はじまりは原作者とキャストという立ち位置で出会ったけれど、
たくさんの共通項に、いつしか最大の理解者になっていった。

今もまた、目指すベクトルを同じ方向に向けて走り出している。
きっと貴方の心に届きますように。




It's been exactly one year since our first meeting for "Musical Mikan-no Okurimono".
I had a meeting with Rie Imaizumi for a new project.

We met online the other day, but meeting her in person was a different story.
We first met as the author and cast member of the show.
In many common areas, we somehow became the greatest understanding of each other.

Now we are running in the same direction again, toward the same goal.
We hope it will reach your heart.




人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

全米で100名以上の同窓生が登録している都立高同窓会の組織は珍しい。
年に一度の総会も、断続的に全米のどこかの都市で開催されている。

今年はコロナ禍の影響で、現役高校生の東海岸視察旅行も中止となったが、
OB/OGが会する総会はオンラインでの開催が決定した。

例年は同窓会員とその家族も含めての企画だが、今年は本会員のみで20数名。
全米各地と日本、そしてブラジルまでが繋がって、新たな展開を見せた。

米国に根を下ろしている各個人の自己紹介だけでも大変興味深く、
昨年御著書を出版された大先輩、河北常晴氏のミニ講演も大盛り上がり。
30年以上米国企業に属しつつ、国連ボランティアとして活躍された御経験は、
まさに「生きた教科書」として、私たちも次世代に繋げるべきものであろう。

私事、総会のモデレーターを務めさせていただいたけれど、
閉会後に続いたオンライン飲み会の行方は知らず。
20代から70代まで、世代を超えた絆が世界に散在していることが誇らしい。




It is rare for a metropolitan high school alumni organization to have more than 100 registered alumni across the United States.
The annual meeting is also held intermittently in some city in the United States.

This year, due to the effects of the COVID-19, a tour to the East Coast for current high school students was cancelled.
But it has been decided that the general meeting for alumni will be held online.

In recent years, this event was planned to include alumni members and their families, but this year there were only main-members but more than 20 people in attendance.
And it was a new development as it connected all parts of the United States, Japan, and even Brazil.

The self-introductions of the individuals who have put down roots in the U.S. alone were very interesting.
A mini-lecture by Mr. Tsuneharu Kawakita, who published his book last year, was also a big hit.
His experience of working as a United Nations volunteer while belonging to a U.S. company for more than 30 years was a great success.
This is truly a "living textbook" that we should be able to pass on to the next generation.

I had a mission of moderating the Annual Meeting.
But I don't know the whereabouts of the online drinking session that continued after the meeting was closed.
Anyway we are proud of the inter-generational bonds that are scattered around the world, from the 20s to the 70s.






人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

コロナ禍において、最も大打撃を受けているエンタメ業界では、
生き残りをかけて、各アーティストが様々なオンライン企画に挑戦している。

かれこれ20年近く応援させていただいているトシ・カプチーノ氏。
ステイホーム中も毎日ライブで声を伝え続けていた彼から、
オンラインライブのお知らせが来たのは先月頃だったろうか。

当初は100名配信の予定が、当日は300名のファンが全世界中継を楽しんだ。
いつもの通り、笑いあり、涙あり、あっという間の１時間。

ニューヨークで知り合ってから、たくさんの辛酸をなめてきた彼の軌跡も、
コロナ禍からのニューノーマルに移行すべき、変わっていくのだろう。

トシさんの益々の御活躍を、これからも応援しています。




In the entertainment industry, which has been hit the hardest in the COVID-19 disaster
In order to survive, each artist is trying various online projects.

I have been a supporter of the music artist, Toshi Cappucino, for almost 20 years now.
He has continued to share his voice live every day after the lock down in New York.
I think it was around last month that we received the notice of the online live event.

Initially, the plan was for 100 people to watch the show, but on the day of the event, 300 fans enjoyed the live broadcast around the world.
As usual, there was a lot of laughter and tears, and the hour passed by in a blink of an eye.

He has been through a lot of hardships since we met in New York, and I'd like to share his story with you.
It's going to change, should we move from corona disaster to the new normal.




I will continue to support your continued success, Toshi.
人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

２週間の自主隔離生活。
公共交通機関の使用と、不要不出の外出の自粛を要請される。

私は日本国内で使用できるLINEアカウントの登録をしなかったため、
検疫からメールと電話にて、体調と自粛生活の確認の連絡が入った。

隣接する実家では、母が入院中のため、年老いた父が独りで暮らしている。
PCR検査が陰性であっても、その後の感染を懸念して、子供たちは一切接触なし。
私も最低限の家事や病院への車での送迎をする以外は、ひっそりと過ごした。

車で通過した東京の街は、マスク姿の人々がいるという以外、普通に見える。
東京都内の感染者数が200名を超えて、また警戒が強くなっているとはいえ、
米国での数字と比較すると、はるかに日本の対策が効果的であるように感じる。

私たちがニューヨーク脱出したタイミングは、吉と出るか凶と出るか。
まだまだ予断を許さない状況だけれれども、日本でやるべきことをやっていこうと思う次第。




We are now in two weeks of voluntary isolation.
The government asks to use public transportation and to refrain from going out of the house unnecessarily.

I don't register a LINE account that I can use in Japan.
I received an email and a phone call from the quarantine confirming our condition and our self-restrained lifestyle.

In the adjacent family home, my elderly father lives alone as my mother is in the hospital.
Even if the PCR test reported negative, my kids have no contact with him because of concerns about subsequent infection.
I also spent my time quietly, except for the minimal amount of housework and driving to and from the hospital.

The streets of Tokyo that I drove through looked normal, except for the fact that people were wearing masks.
The number of infected people in Tokyo is over 200 recently and we're on high alert again.
Compared to the numbers in the U.S., the Japanese measures seem to be far more effective.

I don't know the timing of our escape from New York was either be good or bad.
Although the situation is still unpredictable, I will do what I need to do in Japan.




人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

日本到着後、PCR検査結果を待たずして、自宅等に移動することも可能であった。
我が家は、到着遅れの場合のレンタカー手配の煩雑さを懸念して、
政府が用意する待機ホテルでの滞在を選択した。

バスを降りると一般チェックインカウンターとは別の場所で鍵を渡される。
エレベーターに乗れるのは、同じグループの人間だけ。
個人もしくはグループでの部屋割りで、我が家は２部屋に別れて入室。

その後は、文字通りの「軟禁」「隔離生活」。
到着後の翌々日朝まで、部屋から一歩も出ることを許されない。

到着後の夕食、翌日の３食、翌々日の朝食。
合計５食の弁当は、毎回館内アナウンスが流れて支給を通達される。
ドアの外に置かれた弁当は、お世辞にも美味しいものではなかったが、
子供たちの空腹を満たすことができたのは、ありがたかった。

子供たちは、時差のあるニューヨークのオンライン授業を夜中に受講し、
私は事務的な仕事を片付けるのみで、時間が経過するのを待つ。

到着２日後の早朝７時、検疫から各部屋に電話でPCR検査の結果が伝えられる。
無事家族全員の陰性が確定、午前中のうちにチェックアウトするよう指示あり。

午前10時半に、予約していたハイヤーにて、実家隣の空き家に移動。
ここから２週間の自主隔離生活がスタートした。




After arriving in Japan, we could move to our homes and other places without waiting for the PCR test results.
I was concerned about the complications of arranging a rental car in case of delay in arrival.
So we opted to stay in a waiting hotel provided by the government.

When we got off the bus, we were given a key at a separate area from the general check-in counter.
Only people in the same group were allowed to ride the elevator.
We were assigned a room individually or as a group, and our family was split into two rooms to enter.

After that, we were literally under "house arrest" or "living in isolation".
We were not allowed to step out of our room until the morning of the second day after our arrival.

Dinner upon arrival, three meals the next day, and breakfast the next two days.
For a total of five meals in total, an announcement was made in the building each time that Bento box would be provided.
The meals placed outside the door weren't exactly good, but
I was grateful that I was able to satisfy my children's hunger.

My kids took online classes in New York City in the middle of the night with a time difference.
I wait for the time to pass, just to get some paperwork done.

Two days after our arrival, at 7:00 a.m., the quarantine called each room with the results of the PCR test.
All the family members tested negative, and we were instructed to check out in the morning.

At 10:30 a.m., they were moved to an empty house next to the family home by a private car that had been reserved.
From here, we started our two-week stay in isolation.




人気ブログランキングへ

海外永住 ブログランキングへ "

ニューヨーク脱出を決めた時に、一番心配だったのは空港での検疫だった。

長いフライトで、もし到着が遅れるとレンタカー予約は変更できるのだろうか。
PCR検査結果を待つ間に、段ボール製の簡易ベッドで時間を過ごした話や、
成田空港がいっぱいで、名古屋セントレア空港まで移送されたという話も入ってきた。
私がPCR検査で陽性だったら、子供たちはどのように隔離されるのだろうか。

機内で検疫に関する質問票が数枚配布され、早速記入する。
成田に到着すると、機内前方から15人程度ずつ、順に降機を案内される。
飛行機が駐機場にブロックインしてから、機内で40分以上待たされた後、
ようやく飛行機を降りて、検疫の列に移動するためにの待機場所に進む。

フェイスシールドとマスクをしたスタッフが、グループごとに検疫の質問と検温。
氏名と連絡先、今後の待機場所等を確認した後に、PCR検査の列に並ぶ。

長い綿棒のようなものを鼻に突っ込まれて、数秒でPCR検査は終了。
担当スタッフのスキルに格差があるのか、私は非常に痛いと感じたが、
別の列に並んだ下の子供たちは、意外とケロッとしていた。

その後、入国審査、受託荷物のピックアップをすませてから、
SNS等で見たことのある、ダンボール製のベッドのある待機場所へ移動。

この動線中に、突然行方不明になった客が幾人かいたのだが、
スタッフは当該者を探し回ることもなく、私たちの方がオドオドしてしまった。
曰く「法による強制ではないから」ということで、無罪放免ということか。

そこでの待機時間はかなり長かったが、配布された軽食と飲料が救いだった。
ようやく名前を呼ばれた時には、成田到着後数時間が経過していた。

全体をビニールで覆われた護送車のようなバスで移動すること10分程。
政府が用意したホテルは、成田空港すぐ隣にある東横インだった。

スタッフ一人一人はとても親切だし、形ばかりの水際対策であるが、
海外から来た我々が容疑者同然の扱いを受けるのは、仕方のないことだろうか。




When I decided to leave from New York, my biggest concern was the quarantine at the airport.

It was a long flight, and I wondered if the rental car reservation could be changed if we were late arriving.
I heard the stories of spending time on cardboard cots while waiting for PCR test results, and that passengers had to be transferred to the Nagoya Centrair airport since Narita Centrair Airport was full.
If I had tested positive for PCR, I wondered how the children would be quarantined.

On the plane, I filled for a few quarantine questionnaires that CA handed out.
When we arrived at Narita Airport, we were ushered off the plane in order, about 15 people at a time, starting at the front of the cabin.
After the airplane blocked in on the tarmac, we had to wait for more than 40 minutes before we were allowed to disembark.
We finally get off the plane and proceed to the waiting area to move to the quarantine line.

Staff with face shields and masks ask quarantine questions and temperature of each group.
After confirming our names and contact information, and where we will be staying in the future, we got in line for the PCR test.

A long cotton swab-like object was shoved up my nose, and the PCR test was over in a few seconds.
I found it very painful, although I was not sure if there was a disparity in the skills of the staff in charge, but my children, who were in another line, were surprisingly OK about it.

After that, we went through immigration and picked up our checked baggage.
We moved to a waiting area with a cardboard bed that we had seen on social media and other sites.

During this transportation, there were a few guests who suddenly went missing.
The staff did not look around for the person in question and we were anxious.
As they said, "It's not compulsory by law," so I guess it was depended on each people.

The wait there was quite long, but the snacks and beverages that were handed out were a relief for kids.
By the time we were finally called the name, several hours had passed since our arrival at Narita.

It took us about 10 minutes to travel in a convoy-like bus that was entirely covered in plastic.
The hotel that the government had arranged for us was the Toyoko Inn right next to Narita Airport.

Although each and every staff member was very friendly, it was a "Border measure".
It was no wonder that ours from abroad was treated like a suspect.




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