Sustainable Woman’ Challenge あるサステナブルな女性の挑戦

A lady name Ms. Emiko Inagaki is a writer of books and articles. She is HITOMAWARI (Note 1) younger than me, so she is elder “OBAHAN”. She announce officially about her life of less power consumption, almost no electric appliances, how to train herself to play the piano, and those stories are very interesting and I am drawn into her world.

本や記事のライターで、「稲垣えみ子」さんという女性がいらっしゃいます。この方、私より１回り年下ですが、ま、オバはんでらっしゃいます。その方が公表している電化製品がほとんどない生活やピアノの練習の取り組みのお話がとてもおもろしろく、引き込まれてしまいます。

I will make a brief introduction, so please visit the site which are posted her stories, if you like.

少し紹介を書きます。ご興味あれば、ぜひ彼女の記事を掲載しているサイトをご覧ください。

https://toyokeizai.net/category/life-without-buying

Ms Inagaki was employed at Asahi Shinbun (Newspaper), and she was a writer, and gradually promoted as the Desk, Editorial Committee and the Editorial Writer. So she was a single, hard working woman, also got good salary. Then the Great East Japan Earthquake was happen and she got a severe shock when the nuclear power station was destroyed. She changed her mind to be the anti-nuclear power. But she wanted to prove that she could survive without the nuclear power. At that time she was living in Kobe, Kansai Power Company was the supplier, and about half of the power generated was nuclear. She paid about Yen 2000 per month for the electricity. And she want to make it Yen 1000 per month. So she started to remove the electric appliances one by one from the micro wave. Finally, she unplugged the refrigerator, and she could prove that electricity consumption reduced to half, and consequently her life style was drastically changed.

稲垣さんは朝日新聞社にお勤めされて、編集委員、論説委員などの役職までされました。高収入で独身でバリバリのキャリアウーマンでしたが、東日本大震災でショックを受け、反原発の考えになり、でも反原発を訴えるなら自分の電気使用量が原発なしでも成り立つこと実体験して記事に書こうと思ったそうです。当時稲垣さんは神戸に住んでいて、関西電力は発電量の約半分が原子力。ご自身の毎月の電気代が2000円代だったそうです。それを半分の1000円くらいにできるか。そこで電子レンジから始めて、電化製品を次々に廃棄処分したそうです。ついに冷蔵庫のコンセントを抜いてしまいました。そうするとようやく電気代は半分になった。そしてそれによってご自分の生活が全く変わってしまったそうです。

How does it change?, For example, she had to fight herself to remove the washing machine, but the cloths to be washed are underwear and something for herself only and it was not so hard work to wash by hand because it’s little. Then she found that 3 sets of underwear is enough for her life, she removed many of cloths which she doesn’t wear and that make a change that she doesn’t need the shelves or drawers for clothes. She had to consider long time whether she could survive without the refrigerator. But when it removed, she had to change buying small volume of foods which are able to consume at that day, and she found that expenses for food are less than Yen 200 per meal, so it means cost per month is about Yen 20 thousands.

例えば、洗濯機を廃棄するのはかなり勇気が必要だったが、自分一人の洗濯物は下着とか僅かで毎日洗っていれば負担は軽いし、下着だって３セットあれば十分なので、今までたくさんあった衣類は全部処分してしまった。そしてタンスや棚など衣類スペースがガクッと小さくなった。冷蔵庫は本当に大丈夫か最後まで考えていたが、なくなると食品はその日食べる分だけ毎日購入（後日はこれすらもほとんど買わなくなるのだが）し、そうすると自分の食費が1食200円以下になり、食費は月ならば２万円程度になることを発見したそうです。

So, if she earn Yen 50 thousands per month there will be no problem for the rest of her life, and it seems very easy for her at that time, she retired the job of Asahi Shinbun. She had an idea to get earn by lecture and writing, so she believed a free life comes to her. But because of Corona pandemic, most of works are suddenly disappeared and her income became small. So, she reviewed her life style, then she moved from all electronic rich apartment to old and small apartment. There is a SENTO (public bath) near the new home, she doesn’t need gas supply and use a small bombe type gas stove for cooking. Now she use the electric appliances only four, lights, radio, PC and iPhone. After refrigerator is removed, her meals are almost same that are cooked rice, Miso soup and NUKAZUKE (Note 2) and she received foods from neighbors sometimes. The meals makes her so healthy too.

これならば一月5万円の収入があれば楽勝でやってゆけそうと、50歳で新聞社を早期退社し、講演や文筆で収入を得ながら、自由な生活を手にしようとしました。ところがコロナで思うような収入が得られない。そこでもう一度全ての生活を見直し、オール電化のマンションから小さなアパートに引っ越します。近所に銭湯があり、ついにガス契約もなし、ガスボンベ式のコンロだけにしたそうです。現在の電化製品は灯り、ラジオ、パソコンとスマホだけだそうです。冷蔵庫がなくなって食事はほぼ3食とも玄米ご飯、味噌汁、漬物だけ、でもご近所からちょいちょい美味しい食べ物もいただいていて、体調も非常にいいらしいです。

As Ms Inagaki says; ” I am not doing a hard saving, trying to make a free and happy retirement life. During the time, removed many things which I think maybe not essential, then I found a new way of life and that was refreshment.” And when I read her articles, it shows the process to reach such life style are so fun and I could agree her idea, that is no stress for aging, and feel easier to live.

稲垣さんのおっしゃることには、自分が目指しているのは我慢の節約生活ではなく、自由で幸せな老後です。その過程で「こんなものいらねんじゃね」となくしてゆくと、いろんな発見があって爽快な気分を味わえているそうです。そして彼女の文章では、その実践過程と考えたことが面白みが溢れており、読んでいるこちらがなるほどこんなふうにすれば老後の不安もなくなり、世の中もっと生きやすくなるかもと納得してしまいます。

Further to the above, she is challenging to play a piano which was one of her dream before retirement. She learn from the professional, but her bonehead cannot understand, her stiff fingers won’t move as she will, and her old eyesight is not easy to read the score book, so the skill is going up very slowly. But she is anxious, so she play the piano about 2 hours every day. The heart to learn is so sincere, I feel to cheer up her. It is a little far-fetched story, but I feel some cheer from her, about I learn and play guitar.

さらに勤めている頃からの夢だったピアノを弾くことに挑戦していらっしゃいます。プロのレッスンも受けているそうですが、頭が働かない、指は動かない、目が悪いので楽譜が読めない、だから上達は極めて遅い、でもなんとかしようと毎日２時間も練習しているそうです。その取り組んでいる気持ちは真摯で、頑張れと声をかけたくなります。ちょっとこじつけになりますが、それはギターを習って演奏しようとする私の気持ちに応援をもらっているような気がします。

For me, sustainable life has images of growing vegetable in own yard, feeding a goat and a dog. But Ms. Inagaki’s life could be explained a sustainable life in big city.

サステナブルな生き方というと自分の農園で野菜を育て、やぎと犬を飼っているイメージがありますが、都会でこういう女性の生き方をサステナブルというのでしょうね。

Note 1 : HITOMAWARI is 12 years originated by Chinese culture

Note 2 : NUKAZUKE is Japanese style pickles, ferment the vegetables in a pot of fermented rice brand.