Konnichiwa！
June has reached its halfway point, and we’re now heading into the second half of the month.
In Japan, June is known not just for its long rainy season, but also for being the only month without a national holiday. No wonder it feels a little gloomy sometimes!
But nestled in this quiet month is one meaningful day: Father’s Day.
When I was a child, my father’s back seemed enormous—like a real-life superhero who lived right at home together.
He never complained, never showed signs of fatigue, and somehow always managed to be there:
heading off to work in the morning, coming home in the evening, and spending weekends playing with me—often tossing a ball around.
(He used to play rugby, so the first ball I ever owned was a rugby ball! A fun little memory I still treasure.)
Now already retired and enjoying his time in the garden, my father has changed—his back a little more rounded, and I've outgrown him in height.
But that image of him as a “Superman” has never faded.
Even today, when I wonder whether I’ve become a proper adult, it’s his version of adulthood I compare myself to.
And while I know I can’t be that same Superman…
I do hope, in my own way, I’ve become someone’s hero too.
That’s the kind of gratitude I carry into Father’s Day.
These days, I might skip the classic tie or cufflinks and opt for something more fitting—like a straw hat for his gardening time 🎁
And while it may not be an ideal Father’s Day gift,
if you're shopping for someone in the lab world—someone who’s a “Superman” in science—
this might just be the perfect present: