＜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
Since the beginning of this year, the world has been busy dealing with the global pandemic of COVID-19 pneumonia. While Japan did not impose a lockdown, a nationwide state of emergency was declared, and a long-lasting, depressing situation arose, with people being advised to avoid the three Cs, stay at home, and refrain from going out.
However, the state of emergency and Tokyo Alert have now been lifted, and pachinko parlors in Tokyo have reopened. Furthermore, travel between prefectures was also lifted on June 19th.
Strangely, however, public libraries are still continuing to take what could be described as excessive self-restraint measures, causing great inconvenience to us elderly baby boomer users.
1. Removing chairs from public libraries is excessive self-restraint
I don’t know much about private libraries or public libraries in other cities and towns, but at Takatsuki City Library, which I often use, all chairs, including benches, have been removed from the floors where open-shelf books are displayed.
I can’t sit down to take a short break when I’m tired, or to skim through a book while deciding whether to borrow it or not.
All the chairs have also been removed from the “newspaper reading room,” so I can only read while standing, in an unnatural, hunched-over position. This position hurts my back.
This is a harsh measure for the elderly, and it’s essentially telling them “don’t come to the library for the time being.”
I would like Takatsuki City to clarify the reasons for continuing the “chair removal” and what the conditions for lifting it would be. I believe this “excessive self-restraint” should be lifted immediately, with warnings such as “enforcing mask wearing” and “avoiding prolonged use.”
2. Matsuzakaya Takatsuki Store’s Entrance and Exit Restrictions Are “Excessive Restraint”
At the Matsuzakaya Takatsuki store I frequent, the south entrance on the first floor is equipped with temperature detectors and a security guard, allowing free entry and exit.
However, the east entrance on the first floor is closed, and the north entrance is designated as an “exit-only” entrance. Even if I park my bike in the north parking lot, I have to walk all the way to the south entrance.
This is extremely difficult for my wife, whose feet hurt after a short walk, and for people like me who suffer from knee pain.
This is a harsh measure for the elderly and those with mobility issues, and is essentially telling them, “Don’t come to Matsuzakaya Takatsuki for the time being.”
I hope Matsuzakaya Takatsuki will clarify the reasons for maintaining the entrance and exit restrictions and the conditions for lifting them. I believe that this “excessive self-restraint” should be lifted immediately, with warnings such as “enforcing the wearing of masks” and “maintaining social distance.”