＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<2020/11/28 Postscript> “Blade of Demon’s End” protagonist, Kamado Tanjiro, also fights demons with “total concentration breathing”
The main character of the popular anime “Blade of Demon’s Destruction,” Kamado Tanjiro, has a “superhuman sense of smell” and fights demons using advanced swordsmanship with his “total concentration breathing“.
Makomo, a former student of his master Urokodaki Sakonji, teaches Tanjiro, who aims to join the Demon Slayer Corps, that humans can become as strong as demons by using “total concentration breathing.” Breathing techniques are emphasized in tai chi, yoga, martial arts, and sports. This is because by focusing on breathing slowly, the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system increases, improving blood flow.
When blood flow improves, intestinal activity and immune function are also activated, leading to a longer life. Makomo’s teachings to Kamado Tanjiro are truly sensible.
One of NHK’s popular programs is “Tameshite Gatten. The fact that a product suddenly becomes a “popular product” when it is featured on that program is evidence of its great influence similar to that of “Excavation: A Certain Encyclopedia,” which was cancelled due to a “fabrication problem! Aru Aru Encyclopedia,” which was cancelled due to a ”fabrication problem.
On January 9, 2019, “ New Discovery: Numerical Value for Life Span”! A special feature titled, “One Minute to Inspect Your Lifespan SP. It is interestingly titled, “Pulse Rate Can Reveal Your Lifespan.”
１．What is the relationship between pulse rate and life expectancy?
It seems to me that “a fast pulse means an early death.” The faster the pulse, the greater the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke. This is the result of statistics that have confirmed such a trend.
２．How to achieve longevity?
(1) Pulse drop just by sleeping.
Slow breathing decreases sympathetic nerve activity and adrenaline secretion. As a result, the heart beats gradually slows down!
<Points>
・The best time to do this is at night before going to bed, because if you move around after doing it, your pulse rate will go down but then go back up again!
・Lie down on the futon（bed） or some other place where you can relax and close your eyes.
・Inhale through your nose.
・Counting 8 seconds in your head, visualize the air filling your body from your stomach to your shoulders, one after the other.
・According to the researcher, it is important to stretch the chest muscles, so “imagine a large flower opening at the chest!
・After a full inhalation, hold your breath lightly for a second or two.
・Now, squish your mouth and exhale slowly while counting for 8 seconds.
・Imagine that the balloon is deflating.
・When you have exhaled completely, hold your breath again for 1-2 seconds, and inhale again through your nose in the same way.
You should try to do this for 10 minutes every day before going to bed.
(2) Soaking up to the shoulders in a bath
Even if the water is the same temperature and the length of bath time is the same, taking a shower alone and soaking the entire body in hot water have different effects on lowering the resting pulse rate. This is believed to be due to the fact that the water pressure is applied to the entire body in a bath, which places an appropriate load on the heart and blood vessels and has a cardio-training effect.
・The temperature should be slightly lukewarm (38-41°C)… If the water is too hot, it will cause stress, which in turn raises the heart rate, so we recommend slightly lukewarm water that you can comfortably stay in for 10 minutes.
・Warm up the changing and washing areas first…Bathing is good for lowering the pulse rate, but be aware that there is an unexpected blind spot! Especially in winter, the sudden temperature difference can be a great burden on the heart. Before taking off your clothes, warm the changing area with an electric heater, etc., or sprinkle hot water in the washing area to warm up the area beforehand.
We, too, would like to make efforts to achieve “healthy longevity” for our own well-being and for the “reduction of healthcare costs for the country as a whole.