Morning Dramas and My Mother's Memories

Since April (actually March 31st), I have been watching the NHK morning drama "Anpan" with my mother.
I'll write down a little bit about what happened before it started too (^^)

"Tora ni Tsubasa" and My Mother

At the end of March 2024, I retired from the company where I had worked for 36 years.
I finally had time for myself.
When I was wondering how to spend it,
I thought, "I haven't really done anything filial for my parents."
Suddenly, I wondered if there was something I could do together with my mother, who is in a nursing home...

Just then, a commercial for "Tora ni Tsubasa" caught my eye.
The heroine is Yoshiko Mibuchi, who became Japan's first female judge. It's Torako!
Torako was born in 1913.
My mother was born in 1930.
Their generations are close!!

While watching the life of Torako, who lived through the pre-war, wartime, and post-war periods, together,
I ended up hearing many stories from my mother's past.

My Daily Morning Routine with My Mother

I wake up at 6:00 AM and head to my mother's nursing home at 7:40 AM.
My goal every morning is to help her get dressed and be sitting in front of the TV together by 8:00 AM.

There were days when we missed the start of the drama because my mother had to go to the bathroom, was still sleepy, or took a long time to get dressed, but that didn't matter at all.
Even if we missed about 15 minutes, it was no big deal for my mother, who has lived for 93 years.

My mother says to close the curtains because the morning sun is too bright.
Now, the broadcast begins.
My mother has her breakfast at the home, and I have a convenience store cafe latte and a rice ball (^^)
But usually, we are so absorbed in the program that breakfast goes untouched.
At 8:15, the program ends, and we take a breath when the "To be continued" appears.
Then we say, "Well, let's eat."

Relating to Torako, My Mother Shares Her Memories

My mother told me many memories, and she also told me about how her own mother was a career woman even before the war.
While watching Torako become a lawyer,

my mother, referring to her mother as "Grandma," said,
"Grandma was a career woman from before the war.
She lost her parents when she was young and had a hard life being raised by relatives,
but she worked hard at her studies, entered a normal school, and became an elementary school teacher.
She became a teacher at a place called Nishisakura Elementary School,

and she loved directing school plays.
With a title like 'Until the Beans are Boiled,' it was just like the Takarazuka Revue.
Teachers from other schools would even come to watch, it was a big deal."
But at home...
"On the other hand, the house was a mess. Grandpa must have been quite bothered by it (laughs)."

In "Tora ni Tsubasa," there was a scene where a woman who was a victim of domestic violence from her husband filed for divorce and wished, "I just want back the kimono that was a memento of my mother."
Seeing this episode of male chauvinism, I asked my mother, "What do you think Grandma would have done?"
She replied, "If it were today's era, Grandma might have lived bravely, but in that era, I think she would have just silently endured it..."

Sometimes she would relate things to herself and tell me stories from the past, and other days she would say, "It's too difficult, I don't get it!"
After all, in the second half of "Tora ni Tsubasa," the number of characters kept increasing, and the years flew by.

The content of the trials was heavy, and there were many days when my mother couldn't keep up.

And my mother's catchphrase became, "It's impossible in just half a year!"
Indeed, it is tough to pack Torako's turbulent life into six months.
Even so, we were able to watch it together until the very end for those 6 months.

Connecting with My Mother Again Through "Anpan"

"Omusubi" was too modern and didn't suit my mother.
This time, "Anpan" overlaps with my mother's life once again.

My mother was born in 1930 (Showa 5), the second of four sisters.
Before the war, she attended Yamawaki Girls' School in Tokyo, and during the war, she attended Kuga Girls' School on Oshima Island in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
And then, encouraged by her mother to "become a school teacher," she went to normal school!!

The heroine of "Anpan," Nobu, was born in 1918 (Taisho 7), the eldest of three sisters.
She attends normal school and aims to be a physical education teacher.
They are somewhat similar!! I feel a sense of closeness!!

I've placed Takashi Yanase's picture book 'I Am Anpanman!' on the table, and she's looking at it!!

My mother is 94
Last year, when 'Tora ni Tsubasa' was on, my mother was 93.
Now that she has turned 94, some things have changed.
Her dementia has progressed, and she forgets what she said or did three seconds ago.
Her concentration has also dropped, and if we aren't talking, she falls asleep right away.

She has also become hard of hearing.
She can't hear the TV unless the volume is at 90 > <
Since that volume is too much for me, we watch it with subtitles on, but the subtitles are so big that
my mother complains, 'They're getting in the way of the picture!' (laughs)
'I can't help it. If the sound is at 90, I get a headache,' I say,
and we watch it together while compromising.

Insights from my days with my mother

Although the number of things my mother cannot do on her own increases every day,
she has many memories of the era she lived through.
That makes me happy!!

Her peaceful elementary school days, her days as a schoolgirl during the war,
and after the war, advancing from normal school to university, learning to type, and entering the workforce.
I look forward to more of my mother's memories spilling out along with 'Anpan' in the future (^^)

As for me, I've stopped buying cafe lattes at convenience stores,
and have started brewing coffee at home in the morning and bringing it in a tumbler.
Drinking it on the train makes me feel like I'm on a little trip.

I hope to continue this happy morning routine for a while.