A Rainy November Day

Author: Deepika Shrestha

Editors: Moe Hirohara, Yuki Senoo

On the morning on Thursday 30 November 2017, I visited The New Otani Hotel, a traditional hotel in Japan, and the Kanagawa Cancer Center in Yokohama City later in the afternoon. Besides all of the above, I also saw the sea for the first time in my life that evening. Thus, this rainy Thursday, as I approached my 28th birthday, became a memorable day for me.

At The New Otani Hotel

At 7:30 a.m., Ms. Asaka Higuchi, a researcher at the Medical Governance Research Institute in Tokyo, and I attended a seminar held at The New Otani Hotel regarding “Politics and Economy,” presented by Mr. Hiroshige Sekou, the minister of economy, trade and industry. Ms. Higuchi was attending this seminar on behalf of her boss, and I was able to accompany her, courtesy of her boss. I could not understand what the speaker was saying, as the seminar was held in Japanese. Ms. Higuchi, however, helped me by translating a few words and explaining some of the discussion points in whispers during the conference. Thanks to her help, I came to know they were discussing Japan’s economic development compared to that of the United States. There was a picture of an angry Donald Trump displayed on the screen. After attending the program, we took a walk in the hotel’s courtyard. There, I got to take a picture with a woman in Japanese traditional dress, a “Kimono,” who had come to celebrate her 20th birthday.