June 24, 2026: The Elderly （年配者）

These days, I have heard a lot of obituaries of elderly celebrities. Among them was Taro Kida, who is still in my memory. He was well known as a musician, but he was a good comedian to me. I was also very sad to see Zakoba Katsura, a Japanese comic storyteller, pass away. He was still 76 and too young to pass away. On the other hand, there are a lot of elderly celebrities who are still energetic and look young. Among them is Mituko Kusabue, who is still young and energetic at 90.
I have an aunt on my mother's side who has lived alone in a flat in Kyoto. A few days ago, she hit 95 years old. As she gets older, her back and legs are getting weaker and weaker. So, she cannot afford to do everything alone, and she needs a caregiver's help. But she still has her clear head and has no problem talking to me on the phone. As long as I talk with her on the phone, her voice is always so clear and energetic that I cannot believe that I am talking with such an old woman.
When I talked with her the other day, I was told that she had gone to a consumer electronics store to buy a washing machine, and she shopped a front-loading washer with a dryer. It surprised me a lot that she was still in good enough condition to be able to use such a new machine. I hope she stays in good shape and lives to be 100. She only has five years to hit the age.

　最近、年配の著名人の訃報をよく耳にします。中でもボクの記憶に残っているのがキダタローさんでです。作曲家としても有名でしたが、ボクにとってはお笑いの人でもありました。 噺家の桂ざこばさんが亡くなったのもとても悲しかったです。76歳と亡くなるにはまだ若すぎでした。一方で、まだまだ元気で若々しく見える年配の著名人もたくさんいらっしゃいます。なかでも草笛光子さです。90歳ですが、まだまだ元気です。
　ボクの母方の叔母が京都のマンションで一人暮らしをしてます。数日前、95歳になりました。年をとるにつれて、腰や足が弱り、一人ですべてをこなすことはできなくなり、介護士さんの助けが必要です。でも、まだ、頭ははっきりしており、電話で話すのに何の問題もありません。電話で話していると、声はいつもはっきりしており、95歳の人と話をしているとは思えないほど元気です。
　先日も、洗濯機を買いに家電量販店に行って、乾燥機付きの洗濯機を買ったそうです。そんな新しい洗濯機を使いこなせるほど、まだ元気なことに驚きです。ここまできたら、このまま元気で100歳まで生きてほしいものです。あと5年なのですから。