[Raw Juice Daily Log] Rainy Saturday: May 24, 2025 (Sat)
Cloudy, then rain.
Low temperatures. The temperature difference is extreme.
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I still have a very slight cough, but I think my health has mostly recovered. It took over a week to get to this point. A long illness.
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My wife was suddenly saddled with an impossible job over the weekend, so she's been working since this morning, giving up her day off. I feel terrible for her.
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Did laundry in the morning.
Also, I cleaned the toilet, which I hadn't been able to do for a while since I got sick. It feels good when the toilet bowl is sparkling clean.
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Read a little bit, then rode my bike to Ogikubo before noon.
I took the rice cooker that had broken and stopped working to the ward's collection center.
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While I was at it, I stopped by a used bookstore I'd been curious about called 'Koshu Waltz.' An incredible number of books. It has the atmosphere of a 'classic used bookstore.'
I bought a book by Derrida. I'd been curious about Derrida for a while, and since it was discussed passionately in 'Palestine, Israel, and Us,' I ended up picking it up.
***
Also, in front of Ogikubo Station, I bought 'The Big Issue' for the first time in my life. I was able to talk to the vendor for a little bit.
The reason I finally became interested in The Big Issue is because Nahomi Edamoto passed away recently.
If I find it interesting after reading it, I think I'll buy it again.
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In the afternoon, we had a lunch party at my wife's parents' house. We were treated to so much delicious home-cooked food. I'm grateful. So grateful.
It was evening by the time we finished eating and cleaning up. It had started raining outside.
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At night, there was a talk event at 'Koto-Biru' in Nishi-Ogikubo hosted by Konno Shoten, featuring Takanori Hanao, the author of 'Palestine, Israel, and Us,' titled 'Rethinking Civilization and Barbarism—Drawing a World Map from Palestine and Japan,' and I had been thinking about wanting to go listen.
I was really torn, but I gave up on it this time. I also gave up on watching the online stream. It would be nice if there were a discount for book purchasers, but it feels like a bit too much to spend on a single book.
If I finish reading 'Palestine, Israel, and Us' and still feel a strong desire to hear them speak, I'll go listen someday. There will be other opportunities.
***
There is less than a month left until the Tokyo gubernatorial election.
My intuition is sounding an alarm. I can't stop the premonition that the 'Path to Regeneration' will bring a different kind of horror than the LDP. It is telling me with all its might that 'those guys are dangerous.' It's terrifying.
Ishimaru's sensibility is nothing more than that of a 'clueless businessman.' He is not built to be a politician. Perhaps he isn't even built to be a businessman in the first place. After all, he is frighteningly dishonest.
He stiffed someone on printing costs incurred during his election campaign and was sued for non-payment. He also fabricated a non-existent 'intimidation' by a council member, spread it on social media, and was sued for defamation. Ishimaru lost both cases in court. The former has still not been paid. The latter, unfortunately, was not treated as a personal liability but was shifted to the city's liability (a shameful and terrible story).
To top it off, in the previous gubernatorial election, regarding expenditures for the live streaming of the Ishimaru camp's final rally, despite the contract with the streaming company being canceled, about 970,000 yen was paid as a 'cancellation fee,' and then the same company performed the streaming work as a 'volunteer,' leading to a criminal complaint for suspected violation of the Public Offices Election Act (bribery).
He is nothing more than a 'net performer' who has gotten his hands on the toy called the 'internet' and is going wild with it. However, today's populists behave in this way. Conscious of what will get a reaction online, they shamelessly perform 'embarrassing' stunts like the 'have some shame' remark. Then, getting carried away, they cross the line into illegal acts, and what's more, they show no remorse.
This 'going wild' composition is fundamentally the same as the frenzy surrounding Motohiko Saito and Takashi Tachibana, and it also underlies some of those who fancy themselves darlings of internet media, including Hiroyuki and Horiemon.
That is why I keep a certain distance from social media. I do not read 'X'. I do not read internet news either.
While feeling gloomy and misanthropic, I will nonetheless continue to live my life steadily. By reading books.
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So, reading a book before bed.
Outside, the rain is continuing to fall nicely. The sound of rain heard at home at night is somehow soothing.
Turning pages while listening to the sound of the rain.
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I go to bed before 11:00 PM.
And it is a happy thing to fall asleep quietly while listening to the sound of the rain.