Canon's Diary

Exhausted from last night’s tennis lesson, I slept soundly until 9:30.
Being Sunday, the nearby construction site was quiet. It was a peaceful morning.
I opened the curtains—it was cloudy but not as humid as yesterday.
I washed my face with cold water, brushed my teeth, and had a simple breakfast of rice with raw egg and instant miso soup.

“Now then, what shall I do today?”

First, I decided to put my futon out on the balcony to air.
There’s nothing quite like sleeping in a sun-dried futon.
Then I vacuumed the room.
Later this month, I’ll be returning to Tokyo for remote work and to handle inheritance paperwork from my father to my mother.
So I rescheduled my Osaka tennis lesson to this afternoon at 2 PM.
It’ll be three straight days of lessons, but my body seems to be adjusting well—no real fatigue.My schizophrenia symptoms remain stable, and with medication, I can now go about my daily life with little to no difficulty.

“Laundry can wait until after the lesson. Oh, and I should wash the bath towels too.”

With that in mind, I headed to the supermarket to buy cabbage and pork.
I was planning to make my usual soba for lunch.
I also bought two bottles of sports drinks for tennis—about 110 yen each for 500ml.

“A bit pricey… Maybe next time I’ll switch to powdered mix.”

I used to watch my wife carefully budgeting during her shopping trips.
Back then, I’d think, “Do you really think I earn so little?”
Now that I cook and shop myself, I find I want to save just as much. Funny how that works.

Back home, I started preparing lunch, only to realize there was some rice left over.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll skip the soba and use this for a rice porridge instead.”

So I changed plans and made egg porridge.
I boiled water in a pot, added thinly sliced carrots, pork, and cabbage, and cooked until the carrots softened.
Then I added some soba broth and bonito stock.
Once done, I stirred in half a bowl of rice and dropped in a raw egg to mix in at the end.
I sprinkled chopped scallions on top before serving.
The sweetness of the carrots and richness of the cabbage really came through.
It was filling despite using only a small amount of rice, and the nutrition balance was great.

“Still, maybe the flavor’s a bit weak. It needs a kick.”

So I added a bit of sesame oil and salt. Better—but still room for improvement.

Let me describe my room a bit.
The living space is about 7.2 tatami mats, or roughly 12 square meters.
I chose a bed with lots of storage underneath due to the limited space.
Most of my clothes, except jackets, fit there.

Above the bed hang a wall clock, my racket bag, and a monochrome poster of my hero, Roger Federer.
His backhand finish has deeply influenced my own tennis form.
My room doesn’t have any fluorescent lights—just a single lamp with a warm orange glow. I prefer to feel calm at night, so I’m not fond of the brightness of fluorescent lighting.

The TV is a surprisingly large 55 inches for such a small room—I got a good deal from an appliance store clerk.
I’ve connected a 150W Marantz integrated amp to Polk speakers.
As a former audio manufacturer employee, I couldn’t help but care about the sound.
I often listen to classic jazz at night. Chet Baker and Louis Armstrong are favorites.
His rendition of “April in Paris” always touches my heart.
My table and chairs are camping gear I bought on Amazon—easy to fold and carry when I eventually move out.
For now, they work just fine.
Beside the TV is a photo of Canon, my beloved Sheltie who passed away last February.
I rotate the photo depending on my mood—there are many to choose from.

Now it’s time to head out for tennis.
I took in the futon, changed clothes, and rode my bike to the court.
The bike is parked at a nearby rented lot.
Back in Naruse, it stayed indoors, but here it’s exposed to the weather, so I cover it.
Removing the cover every time seemed annoying at first, but I’ve gotten used to it.

At the tennis school, I changed into shoes for carpet courts and took the lesson.
On the third consecutive day, my body felt light, and my strokes were consistent.
When I ask, the coach gives excellent advice.
He said that since my forehand tends to launch high with lots of spin, I should slightly tilt the racket face down at impact.
“Ah, that makes sense. I’ll try adjusting next time.”

After the lesson, I showered with cool water to ease muscle inflammation.
The ride home takes more caution—if my leg cramps while riding, it could be dangerous, so I keep my speed down.

Once home, I started laundry and cooked two cups of rice.
I enjoyed it with a lightly alcoholic white sparkling wine.
There’s nothing quite like a chilled drink after exercise.

It was only 5:30 PM, but I had dinner early.
Tonight’s meal was “Osaka-style spicy keema curry.”
No, I didn’t make it myself—it was instant, just heated in hot water.
But it had plenty of spices and was quite enjoyable. A flavor I hadn’t had in a while.
I sipped some scotch with soda in a small glass to avoid overdrinking.

I truly enjoyed this weekend. It had just the right touch of spice. It’s small moments of fulfillment like these that keep me going. Life feels peaceful now.

Back when I was struggling with schizophrenia, I never imagined a day like this would come.

To those living with the same condition, I want to say this: each person experiences it differently. In my case, it took more than 30 years. I know how painful it can be. I could never simply say, “Just hang in there.”

But I do believe this — the day will come when you can live an ordinary life again. So please, walk through it together with your doctor.

From the bottom of my heart, I hope that as many people as possible will one day find stability and peace in their lives.

Now, it’s time for me to sleep and get ready for the week ahead. I hear there’s a dinner gathering for my department on Wednesday. Looks like tennis on Tuesday and Thursday might have to wait.