Blog

From Gifu to Shinagawa

It has been exactly two months since I moved to Shinagawa, Tokyo. My morning view has changed completely. In Gifu, I saw mountains and felt a quiet atmosphere every day. Now, I see tall office buildings made of glass and steel. Every morning, I walk to the station and take the Rinkai Line to Osaki.

The Time to Switch My Mind

My commute is only 20 minutes, but this time is very important for me. It is a “switching time.” During the walk and the train ride, my mind changes from a private person to a professional scientist. I leave my apartment and prepare for my work in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR).

From February to April

I arrived in Tokyo in February. At that time, the wind from Tokyo Bay was very cold. Now, it is April, and the air is soft. I can feel the change of seasons even in the big city. I see people wearing lighter coats, and I noticed small flowers blooming near the office buildings. I miss the quiet time in Gifu sometimes, but I feel a similar atmosphere even in energetic Tokyo now.

Observing the Patterns

In my work as an epidemiologist, I always look for patterns in data. On my commute, I look for patterns in the city. After two months, I am starting to understand the rhythm of Tokyo. I am still a newcomer, but this 15-minute walk helps me observe the world before I look at my computer screen.

The Secret of the Footer

In the footer of this blog, I have written a small note: “Proudly Powered by WordPress since 2006.” I recently updated this to reflect the actual timeline of my relationship with the platform. However, my journey on the web began even earlier, in the spring of 2001.

2001: The Tripod Era

My first website was hosted on Tripod. As a university student, I manually edited HTML files and uploaded them via FTP. It was a slow and repetitive process.

At that time, the web was centered around BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) and link collections. I even used CGI scripts to display Go (囲碁) game records. It was my first attempt to bring my personal interests into the digital world.

2002–2005: Crossing Borders via Xanga and ICQ

By 2002, I moved to Blogger and discovered the “Blogosphere.” But more importantly, I discovered the world.

Through platforms like Xanga, I met people from different countries who became real friends. We communicated across borders through the iconic “Uh-oh!” of ICQ. Some of those digital acquaintances eventually became real-life friends whom I met in person. I still remember the thrill of those late-night chat sessions on Yahoo! Messenger, connecting me to a global community that felt new and significant to me at the time.

2006: Finding a Home in WordPress

After using MovableType on my own domain in 2003, I finally settled on WordPress in 2006.

Since then, WordPress has been my primary tool for writing. It has stayed with me through my medical studies in Gifu and my current work in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The technology has evolved from the “Kubrick” theme to today’s block editor, but my reason for writing remains the same: to observe, reflect, and record.

2026: Why Start Again in English?

I have spent 25 years writing mostly in Japanese at tamai.net. Starting tamai.blog in English is a new challenge. Just as I struggled with HTML tags in 2001, I am now learning to navigate the nuances of English.

Writing in a second language requires a different kind of clarity. It allows me to look at my interests—science, the tea ceremony, and Go—from a fresh perspective.

The Constant Thread

The web of 2001 felt smaller and more personal. Today’s web is vast and often noisy. Yet, by maintaining this small corner of the internet, I find that the underlying motive has not changed. Whether you remember the “Uh-oh!” of ICQ or are discovering my notes for the first time, thank you for stopping by.