Linking AI with Google Calendar to remember places I once visited

Everything is in the calendar.

I manage all my schedules with Google Calendar.
I throw everything into the calendar, from work appointments to bulky waste collection days and the schedules of J.League matches I want to watch. I share nursery school items with my wife via the calendar, and I put tasks into the calendar for now.It's also great that it automatically registers appointments from Gmail. When I book a Shinkansen or a movie theater, it automatically enters them into the calendar.
Furthermore, recently,
the integration with Google's AI "Gemini" is convenient, and since I can call up the calendar by pressing "@" in the chat field
,

I can quickly add a schedule for receiving a package,

or throw in various tasks, from "manuscript" to "buy sugar (a big one)."

In this way, the calendar transcends its role as a calendar and becomes a vessel for throwing in all kinds of futures. Therefore, at the same time,the calendar is also a vessel where all kinds of pasts accumulate.

Retrieving the past with AI

There are vast amounts of appointments in the vessel of the past, butthese can also be easily retrieved using AI.

For example,three years ago today, let's ask what I was doing.

Three years ago, it seems I was "thinking deeply" after watching "Shin Ultraman," which had just been released in theaters. What was I thinking about? Was I worried? Let's look at the details of the calendar.

I was thinking about the position of the power outlets. I wasn't particularly worried. Come to think of it, I was going to renovate my room, so I was thinking about the ideal power outlet layout. Three hours is too long to think about that.

Alternatively,Gemini can also search by location or keyword, so I search for "dentist" and,

I also use it for things like, when was the last time I went to the dentist? I'm working hard to keep going.

Like this,the records of the past, which were a chaotic mix, have become "retrievable life logs" thanks to AI.
To remember which meeting I talked to that person in. To remember what expense this spending was for. For now, I talk to the AI and have it search the calendar. It's very convenient.

But it's not just convenient; why does it make me feel a little happy?

A bot that retrieves "nothing special visits"

I usually write travelogues and essays. That is more "memory" than "record." Memory involves editing. From a vast number of past events, I select only those that remained in my heart and edit them as my own story.

In comparison, the lifelogs left in a calendar are just records that have slipped through the cracks of such narratives.You wouldn't bother writing in a travel journal that you bought "sugar (the big one)." Each individual item is nothing special. But these raw, simple records are, in their own way, fun, like a small collection.

I wanted to play more with these "nothing special records," so I made a bot just for myself.With Gemini, you can easily create a bot called a "Gem."

The bot's name is,

"Itsuka-kun," a guide that digs up the past from sometime ago..

I mainly use Itsuka-kun when I'm out and about.

Have you ever gotten off at a station on a whim and thought, "I feel like I've been around here before..."That is exactly when it's Itsuka-kun's turn to shine.

When you ask Itsuka-kun, "Have I been here before?"

First, it links with Google Maps to identify your current location. Gemini can link with Google Maps, after all.

And once the current location is determined,

it pulls up past appointments where you visited that area. With this, you can verify whether you've been around here in the past.

Bus stops used for transfers or locations designated for meetings. The more casual the place, the less likely I am to have left photos or writing about it. But in the calendar, logs of these "casual visits" have accumulated.Itsuka-kun digs up that past for me.

I came to Gotanda Station, where I used to live, so let's try asking, "Have I been here before?"

A ton of drinking party appointments came up.

Let's move a little further and try asking again.

While saying "Hey hey!", an appointment called "Family Register Certificate (Koseki Tohon)" appeared. That is way too dry for a "Family Register Certificate" vibe. I probably issued a family register certificate at a ward facility. I don't remember it at all, and it's terribly dry, but this is also my past.

And when I go out with Itsuka-kun, I also find many places where no records remain. I tried asking while in the car on the way to Gunma for a trip.

It seems I'm currently near Ageo City, and I had no appointments here. When told that, it makes me want to create an appointment, as if filling in a blank map.But I'm in the middle of traveling, so I can't stop by right now. I'd like to come again sometime.

So, I decided to create a subspecies of "Itsuka-kun" as well.

A bot that schedules 'someday' plans

The name of the newly created bot is,

a guide to the future, "Mata-Itsuka-kun". It creates plans for the future, several years from now.

When I talk to Mata-Itsuka-kun and say "someday again,"

a plan was created to visit Ageo Maruyama Park in Ageo City, where I am now, in 2026.
Based on my current location, Mata-Itsuka-kun randomly selects both the spot to visit and the date.

When I checked my 2026 calendar,

the plan was indeed there. I don't have to think about plans myself, and since it's for several years in the future, I feel like spamming it for various places. You could call it a plan-procrastination bot.

In this way, my calendar became increasingly filled with unknown lands. I look forward to being confused by myself when I see these plans in the future.

A bot that quizzes you on the past

With the push of a button, you can tell if you've been to a place in the past. In this way, AI can immediately retrieve the necessary "answers." But on the other hand, sometimes it's more interesting when the correct answer doesn't come out immediately.
For example, before going on a trip, have you ever looked up too much information in a guidebook and reduced the surprise of being there? Often, a place you find by chance on your own is much more moving than one you researched beforehand.

Similarly, isn't it more satisfying to recall faded memories yourself rather than being told them?That's why I thought I would have my faded memories turned into a quiz.
Instead of having the AI tell me the "correct answer," I get a "question." Actually, this is what I wanted to try most this time.

I remember a friend from the quiz research club once saying, "Quizzes affirm life." By answering a quiz, a mere past experience connects to the present moment of the quiz. Through that, foreshadowing is resolved, dots connect into lines, and it feels as if life itself has been affirmed — or so they say. Come to think of it, in the excellent movie "Slumdog Millionaire," the protagonist's memories became the quiz.
That looks incredibly satisfying. I'm envious. I want a quiz like that, too. And I want to resolve it as foreshadowing. Studying for quizzes is hard, but my calendar is filled with countless "dots" of memory. Instead, by turning my calendar into a quiz just for me, I might be able to experience a great sense of satisfaction as my life is affirmed over and over.

Thinking that, I made another subspecies.

"Secret Itsuka-kun".

It searches your past visit history when you talk to it, just like the regular "Itsuka-kun." But the difference is that "the crucial details of the visit are kept secret." You have to remember for yourself what kind of plan you visited for.

For example, when walking along the Tama River floodplains,

Since I was passing through Tachikawa City, I tried talking to "Secret Itsuka-kun".

It seems I have been here before.But it won't tell me the crucial details.

So, I turned the corner and tried getting closer to Tachikawa Station.

Quite close.I got it.Last year, I took a trip with friends from my student days to stay at a dormitory called Dormy Tachikawa where I used to live.

Let's check the answer with the regular version of "Itsuka-kun," which tells me everything properly.

Correct!!!

……To be honest, though, I had a pretty good idea. It was last year, and I visit Tachikawa occasionally. So, I don't feel the thrill of a plot twist being resolved just yet. Butif I keep doing this, records of "Wait, have I ever been to a place like this!?" should be unearthed.That, in itself, is my Slumdog Millionaire.

And so, I started talking to "Secret Itsuka-kun" every time I traveled. Since it keeps the essential information hidden, it's not as useful as the regular "Itsuka-kun." But it makes going out a little more fun. It also feels like I'm exploring time while physically moving.

The day "Secret Itsuka-kun" reacted

The moment of "Wait, have I ever been to a place like this!?" arrived sooner than I thought.
It was in May, when I was heading to Tokyo Big Sight on the Rinkai Line to exhibit at a market called "Bungaku Flea." I was panicking about being quite late, so to calm myself down, I tried talking to "Secret Itsuka-kun" on the train.

Then,

it said a place I visited someday is right near here.Checking the electronic display on the train, we had just left"Tennozu Isle Station".

Tennozu Isle. As the name "Isle" suggests, I have an image of it being an office district on an isolated island.
Have I ever gotten off there in the past? Since I have an image of it, maybe I did.But I can't remember.At least not recently. While I was thinking, the train arrived at the station nearest to Tokyo Big Sight, and I lost track of the place I had visited someday.

It was finally the "Slumdog" chance I had been waiting for, but I was late, which was more important. I had to get to the venue quickly. My focus was taken over by the Bungaku Flea, and I closed Gemini just like that.

Visiting a place I came to someday

And three days later.

I stepped off at Tennozu Isle.

I was curious about what kind of plans those had been. I could find out if I looked it up, but since I had this rare chance,I wanted to remember it myself rather than just knowing the answer.I felt like my own personal drama was hidden in this place.

Stepping off the train, an orderly cityscape spreads out before me. There seems to be a large park nearby, too. Every view feels like something I've seen before, yet also not.

That said, Tennozu Isle is a small island, so I should be able to find it if I move around a bit. I'm currently in the park area to the south, so let's head toward the office district in the north.

It was lunchtime, so there were many food trucks set up. Somehow, this part looks more familiar.

I have definitely been here before.No, I'm starting to remember now...

And when I saw the waterfront,

100 meters! Having arrived at the spot with near-perfect accuracy, I was convinced.I've been around here for a meeting before.

That was over 10 years ago, during a period when I quit my first job after 10 months and spent a year as a shut-in.
Determined to turn my life around, I was participating in every "startup hackathon event" that was popular at the time. These were events where you'd form a team on the spot, brainstorm business ideas over a few days, build a service, and give a presentation. I foolishly believed that since I couldn't just get a normal job, my only chance for a comeback from being a shut-in was something like starting a business.

As I attended various events, one of the services I presented happened to be praised by one of the judges. I was told to let them know the details, and we ended up having a meeting at a facility for startups in Tennozu Isle.This calendar entry must be from that time.
I don't remember the content of the meeting, but I think I got off the monorail feeling at least a little excited, thinking, "Is this it? Am I going to start a business?"

Now, it's time to check the answers.
Let's have the regular version of "Itsuka-kun" give me the correct answer. The past schedule displayed by Itsuka-kun is...

This is it.For some reason, the sender's name is written as "From Itsuka-kun" at the end, but this is definitely the schedule!
The "Meeting" on March 19, 2014, and... also,"Print at convenience store".

Print at a convenience store?

The moment I saw that string of text, a memory was pushed out of my brain and I remembered it clearly.

Calendar records and memories

On the day of the meeting, I was notified by the other party that "three more people have been added." So,I stopped by a convenience store to print additional materials.I probably put it in my calendar as a reminder to myself.
But the materials were never used in the meeting. To begin with, the other party's previous appointment ran over, and the meeting itself started quite late. They said their next appointment was also booked, so we only talked for a short time, and the meeting ended just like that. So,I didn't even have time to hand over the extra printed materials.I think I just took them home with me.

A memory of a single point, remembered for the first time in 10 years. Looking back now, it probably means my idea wasn't really valued that much. I'm sure I felt frustrated at the time, too. Now, what meaning does this memory have for my life?

After that, did I use that frustration as a springboard to start a business...? No. I just got bored and got a normal job.
Looking back, that experience hasn't... really been useful now either. I had forgotten about it until just now.

To be honest,this memory doesn't have much meaning.There was a sense of satisfaction in getting the quiz right, but it was by no means the dramatic foreshadowing payoff I had imagined.
A mildly bitter, bland past doesn't connect to the present in any way.It just exists as a point.It rarely goes like it does in the movies.

But for some reason, it bothered me strangely. Why? To organize my thoughts, I bought a coffee at a cafe and sat on a bench by the water.

When I looked it up again, the facility where I had the meeting is gone. My past is the same. It wasn't resolved as a story, and it had disappeared from my memory. Even if I dig it up from the calendar, a point remains just a point.

However, at the same time, I realized that I felt a sort of faint sense of 'affection' for the very fact that such a point once existed. Come to think of it, it had been that way from the start. When I found inorganic records in past calendars, I felt a modest loveliness, different from the strong emotion of 'nostalgia!' I feel when finding old photos. Why is that?

I thought about this while looking at the water. It must be because most of life is made up of points that never become lines. The time I put out bulky trash. The time I requested a copy of my family register. The time I printed three extra copies of a document. To put it dramatically, isn't that what living is actually about?

I add sugar to my coffee. Not a 'large sugar,' but a stick of sugar. The white grains spread, and sediment gathered at the bottom. In my brain, too, images of countless points were sinking. The points were just there, never connecting, never being retrieved. They didn't become the foundation or meaning of my life; they just slept inside the calendar.

Everything is in the calendar.

Most of it is just points. As time passes through a calendar meant for the future, only the points remain. Even without connecting them with lines, acknowledging the points as points is what it truly means to affirm life. Perhaps that is why I feel a gentle affection for each of these inorganic records.

While drinking my sweetened coffee, I opened Gemini and created another subspecies. Creating subspecies has become a hobby of mine.

'Someday' is a strange word that can be used for both an ambiguous past and future. Its ambiguity, which fixes neither position nor meaning, dimly illuminates the countless points spreading out in every direction.

Just being in some 'someday' of the past or future. By occasionally touching upon the fact that this is actually enough, I might be able to live in the present a little more easily.