COMMUNICATIONS

To get to Nichibunken, I take the No. 20 bus operated by the Keihan Kyoto Transport Company. As people who live in the Katsurazaka neighborhood will know, many Kyoto University students ride the same bus. They are all students of the university’s engineering department. The majority are young men.

The other day, I was standing on the bus surrounded by these students. Glancing around, I noticed that they were all taller than me. For my generation, I am on the tall side. Nonetheless, on that occasion I was the shortest. I got a real sense that today, young people have become taller.

I underwent a health check at work the other day. I am now 71, and in recent times my height has been shrinking year on year. I am now about 3cm shorter than I was at my tallest. Then it struck me. The young of today are perhaps taller, but the reason I feel this is probably because I have become shorter, too.

We need to be careful when discussing changes in society. Before jumping to the conclusion that the world has changed, we should take a hard look at how we, the ones making such arguments, have changed. I felt this deep in my bones.