Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – May 15, 1999 At the confluence of a small river in Missoula, Montana, two young brothers learn the art of fly fishing from their father, a Presbyterian minister, amidst a landscape of crystal-clear beauty. Robert Redford’s film A River Runs Through It  (1992) is an adaptation of Norman Maclean’s memoir, considered a classic in the world of fly fishing. In the spring of 1926, the older brother, played by Craig Sheffer, returns home for the first

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, May 22, 1999 A man in his thirties fell into a coma for over a month after suffering a head injury in a car accident while on a business trip. After six months of intense rehabilitation, he finally returned to work. The job was grueling, as he had to take anticonvulsant medication for post-traumatic seizures, which impaired his memory. However, with his inherent perseverance, he overcame these difficulties. The 1996 film The English Patient  is

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – May 29, 1999 A man in his fifties, a busy engineer working overtime, suddenly felt dizzy on his way home. He tried to speak, but no words came out, and a sharp headache struck him. As he waited for the bus in the cold, his limbs did not move as he intended, and he could no longer stand. He hailed a taxi to head home, but his condition worsened. Sensing something was seriously wrong, he redirected the taxi to an emergency hospital. By the time h

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, June 5, 1999 There was a time when people used to say, "A husband is best when he's healthy and out of the house,"  or even compare them to "bulky waste."  These sayings assumed that the wife was always healthy. If she caught a cold and had to stay in bed for a few days, the household would fall into chaos. If she were to suffer from heart disease or a mental illness, the stress on the husband would be immeasurable. The 1975 film A Woman Under t

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, June 12, 1999 An elderly housewife, who had gone out for her usual farm work, found herself unable to remember the way home by evening. She wandered through the night and was taken in by the police, but she could not even recall her husband's name. This was due to a pathological change that had started in the medial temporal lobe and spread to the parietal lobe. The wisdom she had accumulated over more than half a century was beginning to crumbl

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition – June 19, 1999 It is common knowledge that comments like “You’re ugly” or “You’ve gained weight” are unacceptable. However, many men still casually say things like “You look pretty lately,” “Why did you cut your hair?” or “Are you still not married?” Sexual harassment is often perceived as an issue of how the victim feels, as it involves making someone uncomfortable. However, in its strict definition, it refers to using one’s power to coerce som