【40度超え（！）ここ数日の札幌の体感気温】

　写真は札幌市西区のわが家から数分の場所にある金融機関の外部に設置の「温度計」。今週23日の昼頃にクルマで外出していたときに驚いて、クルマを停車させて撮影したもの。
　最近の猛暑ぶりには呆れていますが、さすがに北海道なのでまぁ他地域ほどまでは、・・・と思っていたのですが、そういう既成概念をあっさりと突破してくれているではありませんか。40度って、たぶんわたしの73年間の北海道−関東−東北仙台と連続している居住体験としても、まったく初体験。
　わが家はコンクリートブロック＋木造の混構造・外断熱仕様で外気温の影響からは比較的自由ですが、事務所兼用でもあり、関連会社も入居している建物。さらに大型の複写機装置などもあることから、エアコンも合計６箇所設置し適時運転しているので、室内気候は安定しております。そういった「備え」があるので、健康に過ごしていますが、公共の広報では熱中症対策として冷房の完備している公的建築に「避難」することを勧奨しているようです。
　真冬の寒さが主要な建築性能テーマの北海道ですが、ことしの盛夏の気温上昇はすごい。
　みなさま、ご自愛ください。
　・・・というなか、高校の同級生女性の訃報が舞い込んできていた。最近は仕事上の面談機会などもほとんどないので、ひさしぶりに正装、それも黒服を着込んで葬儀参列。僧侶の読経って以前はただただ環境音として聞いていたのですが、瞠目して聞いていると経文も徐々に「意味合い」が伝わってくる実感。
　おかげさまで高校の同期は仲間意識が強く、また彼女のおおらかな性格があって多くの同期と顔を合わせることが出来ました。それぞれのいま現在を確認。よく暑さ寒さの極限時期とひとのいのちの結界性がなぞらえられますが、そういうことなのかも知れません。
　徐々に「戦列を離れる」同時代人を送ることが増え、身近に輪廻が意識されてくる。
　さまざまな思いが去来してくる機縁。ただ目をつむり手を合わせておりました。　合掌。
　
●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO


English version⬇

[Over 40 degrees Celsius (!) The perceived temperature in Sapporo over the past few days]
The intense heat of midsummer challenges the stereotypical perception of Hokkaido. Amidst the impermanence of life, I received news of the death of a friend of the same age. I calmly bowed my head and clasped my hands together. ...

　The photo shows a thermometer installed outside a financial institution located a few minutes from my home in Nishi Ward, Sapporo. I was surprised when I saw it while driving around noon on the 23rd of this week, so I stopped the car and took a picture.
I am amazed by the recent heat wave, but I thought that since this is Hokkaido, it wouldn't be as hot as other regions... but it has easily surpassed my preconceived notions. 40 degrees Celsius is probably a first for me in my 73 years of living in Hokkaido, Kanto, and Sendai in Tohoku.
My home is a mixed-structure building with concrete blocks and wood, and it has exterior insulation, so it is relatively unaffected by outside temperatures. However, it is also used as an office, and there are related companies in the building. Additionally, there are large photocopiers and other equipment, so we have six air conditioners installed and run them as needed to maintain a stable indoor climate. Thanks to these “preparations,” we are able to stay healthy, but public announcements are recommending that people seek refuge in public buildings with air conditioning as a heatstroke prevention measure.
In Hokkaido, where extreme cold in winter is the primary focus of building performance, this summer's temperature rise has been remarkable.
Please take care of yourselves.
...In the midst of this, I received the news of the passing of a female classmate from high school. Since I rarely have work-related meetings these days, I dressed formally in black attire for the funeral. Previously, I had only heard the monks' chanting as background noise, but as I listened intently, I gradually began to grasp the meaning of the sutras.
Thanks to the strong sense of camaraderie among my high school classmates and her generous personality, I was able to reunite with many of them. We exchanged updates on our current lives. It is often said that the extremes of heat and cold are akin to the boundaries of human life, and perhaps that is the case.
As I increasingly bid farewell to contemporaries who have “left the ranks,” the cycle of reincarnation becomes more tangible.
Various thoughts come to mind. I simply closed my eyes and joined my hands in prayer. Gassho.
　
●Announcement
My book, “Writers and Living Spaces,” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.