Toshio Kakei

Japan. 筧 利夫 / LIFE EXPLORER

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Fortunately, my backache has almost gone away, but a slight ache remains this morning. Maybe it’ll go away within a few days, so I’ll stretch and work out today without thinking too much about it.

I started drinking a special drink made with apple cider vinegar and sparkling water to lose weight. I drink it once a day when I’m hungry. I still haven’t seen much progress, but I believe I’ll notice some changes in both my weight and my overall condition within two weeks.

Last night, the fireworks show started at 8:15 p.m., and I took the two puppies to the tatami room to avoid the noise. The room blocked out most of the noise, but sometimes the explosions felt too loud. I thought about the people living through wars in the past. They must have heard louder explosions than that—I suddenly felt fear, but at the same time, I felt at peace knowing that I live in the present day.

PON! and COCO may have learned how to poop in the right place on their trays because I haven’t seen any poop in the wrong place recently. But when it comes to peeing, I don’t want to tell you, haha. It’s been a month since they came here. My wife said she’s going to ask my neighbors if they know a good trainer.

Today, I’ll spray weed killer again because I trimmed the weeds in my garden with a grass trimmer yesterday, but some are still left. Actually, using a grass trimmer is a kind of weight training for me, so I think I should do it, but I don’t want to do it too many times during peak season, haha.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Even though it’s sunny, it feels a bit cooler than yesterday—it might be just my imagination. Weather conditions vary from prefecture to prefecture. Honestly, I feel like a little autumn has already arrived here.

I made curry on Sunday and ate it for dinner, breakfast, and dinner again yesterday. Actually, I’m very good at making curry even with a simple recipe. I stored the leftovers in my fridge. I’ll use them when I make curry to keep the same taste.

On a different note.

I suddenly felt my back ache yesterday morning, but it went away after I stretched and worked out. I didn’t feel it again until the evening, but when I went to bed, it started again. I’m still in pain, so I decided to get my body adjusted by a chiropractor in Tokyo.

I’ll get his physical treatment first, and if my backache isn’t relieved, I’ll try his mental approach again. I think almost every ache in our bodies relates to our mental state, except for pain caused by accidents or injuries.

Hopefully, mine isn’t related to that, because I haven’t met anyone except for my wife and the two puppies since last Saturday. But we’re constantly exposed to social media—that means we tend to get stressed without even realizing it.

I’d say I’ve been seeing a lot of people online, and I’ve interacted with them without really thinking about it. Maybe some stressful things have stuck with me. Anyway, I’ll see my chiropractor first.

On another note.

When I was about to head out, my puppies were standing and looking worried—I was very happy to see them as a proud dog dad. They hadn’t barked until 5 a.m., but PON! pooped outside his tray, haha.

Thank you for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

I’m so impressed by how much the photo of my script in my post resonated with fans of “Bayside Shakedown: THE MOVIE.” Thank you for following my account. Our movies are scheduled to air every Saturday on Fuji TV.

I’ve played a lot of roles in TV dramas, movies, and stage productions—so I’ve collected tons of scripts, but I cleared most of them off my bookshelf a few years ago. I still have a few special scripts from some of those productions. I’m not sure how many times that movie has aired and how many more times it will air. I think I should treasure them.

I got enough rest over the weekend, so I’ll do my daily routine today—housework and practice. I started working out while wearing a weight vest a few months ago, so my muscles have gotten bigger, and my weight has increased.

I've had a scale for more than 10 years. Actually, I’m not sure it measures my body fat percentage correctly, so I need to buy a new one, but it’s a bit expensive. Spending too much on a scale—is that a hobby? Kind of. That's my current interest, haha.

My adorable puppies have been learning how to pee or poop in the right place on their trays day by day, but sometimes they make mistakes. We never scold them. We praise them a lot when they pee or poop in the right place. I don’t know how much chaos I’ll face this morning—like seeing poop outside the tray that they’ve already stepped in, haha.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great Monday ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

They sleep more than 15 hours a day, and they’re always in sync.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Did you watch “Bayside Shakedown the movie,” released in 1998, last night? As far as I know, they’ll air the whole movie series through “Shinji Muroi: STAY ALIVE,” released in 2024, on Fuji TV.

I was 36 years old in the first movie. I remember every scene on set. Those were all precious moments for me. You’ll be able to keep enjoying all the movies through the latest one. I hope you’re all spending a wonderful time with your family.

The Obon holiday ends today. On the 13th, I took Chico’s (my pet dog) items, like cushions, out of storage and put them back in the same spots she used to use. Actually, I heard her voice twice a few days ago. I believe she must have come back for Obon.

She passed away on January 21st this year before my stage production began. I finished my stage production in April, and I welcomed two adorable puppies into my family last month.

It’s already been seven months since Chico passed away. The two puppies have been growing rapidly, and we’ve also been growing into good partners. I should take photos of them every day to preserve our memories. I regret not taking as many photos of Chico when she was a puppy.

Tomorrow, I’ll take Chico’s items back to storage again until the next time she comes back—but still, I'll leave some of her photos in almost every room.

Today, I won’t move much—I'll sit on the sofa, watch the MLB game between the Dodgers and the Brewers, and look out the window at my garden with a drink in hand. I think it’ll give me energy and motivate me. Starting tomorrow, I’ll keep doing everything as usual.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great Sunday ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

“I’ll drink beer even though it's in the morning! I’ll drink beer even though it’s in the morning!”—haha. Time flies. It’s Saturday. I bought a craft beer set online, and it arrived. I tried one right away yesterday evening—it was great.

Honestly, I’ve never tasted anything like it in my life. It cost ¥968 per 350ml can. I’ve been drinking a craft beer called HAZY IPA from Isekado for more than a year. But I guess it tastes twice as rich. Of course, this is my own impression. I’m not sure everyone feels the same.

It's called “Nekonihiki” from Isekado. I should have it after I finish some important work. Apparently, there’s also “Nekosanbiki,” and it costs more. If I find it online, I’ll buy it—just to be clear, I don’t work for the company, haha.

I opened the door between the crates last night, too. They hadn’t barked until 5 a.m. this morning. I think they’re always in sync. When they sleep, they face the same direction. When PON poops, COCO poops—they’re very cute. I think I was right to welcome the two puppies at once.

My plan for the day is not to do my usual daily routine—cleaning up the rooms and my garden, practicing my script lines, and practicing some songs. Instead, I’ll watch the Dodgers game and other interesting YouTube videos.

I ate some sushi for dinner yesterday evening, so I’m wondering what food I should have for dinner—or even breakfast—French style, American style, or Japanese. I won’t move much this weekend, but my brain will be working a lot, so I’ll have to settle down with beer, haha.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great weekend ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Last night, I put together two crates and placed a door panel between them. I opened the door and let them stay close to each other during the night. It worked very well. PON! and COCO hadn't barked at all until this morning.

I first heard the barking at 5:30 a.m. and then went over to see them. They seemed very quiet, and I saw poop on PON!’s tray. I picked it up and took it to the toilet. When I went back to them, they started to play-fight. It looked like they were doing “butsukarigeiko” in sumo wrestling, haha.

I left them alone for a while and went to see them again—congratulations to COCO! She had pooped on her tray. They hadn’t stepped in it, even though they were play-fighting. I hope they’ll learn how to pee or poop in the right place by the time they’re six months old.

They were vaccinated for the second time two days ago, so we’ll be able to use Chico’s items like toys and carry bags. Also, we’ll be able to take them outside—that said, we’ll have to hold them and only let them see our garden. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ve been working out and practicing on weekdays. I work out on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I practice my script lines on the treadmill on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I practice some songs on the balance disc from Monday to Friday.

On weekends, I only sit on the sofa in my living room all day while watching the Dodgers game live with a drink in hand. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep doing this routine, haha.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great Friday ahead!

I’m here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

I went to bed at 9 p.m. last night and woke up at 1:10 a.m. A few minutes later, I heard some quiet barking from downstairs. The sound gradually became louder. I thought that when I wake up, they wake up, or when they wake up, I wake up. We might be in sync.

I went over to see them. They hadn’t pooped and seemed to be very sleepy, like they had just woken up. I picked them up, held them, and rocked them gently for a while. When they settled down, I took them back to their own crates and went back to my bedroom.

But COCO started barking. I thought she might want to stay close to PON! I went over to see them again, picked them up, put them in the playpen, lay down on the sofa next to it, and started writing this.

Ten minutes later, everything became quiet, and I felt at peace. They got vaccinated for the second time yesterday, so they were very tired. I thought I might as well stay close to them at night until they are six months old.

When I thought I should go back to my bedroom, I thought I heard two very quiet barks in the air—maybe it was Chico (my pet dog who passed away in January this year). I wanted to understand her message about the two adorable puppies. I felt like she was smiling in her photo.

I’m still writing more than 300 words for my posts every day—I’ve been enjoying it. Actually, I’ve started to get hungry. I feel like instant noodles are calling my name, haha. Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!
It’s show time!

We let our two puppies sleep together in the same playpen last night. As a result, PON! didn’t bark at all. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. It was quiet. I started writing my post. Then I heard a little barking from downstairs, but only once. I thought it had worked.

At 3:50 a.m., they started barking, so I went over to see them. They were both standing, welcoming me, and full of energy. Usually, PON! stands, but COCO lies down and stays quiet.

I carefully looked inside their playpen and found COCO’s pee on her cushion, which was covered by a waterproof sheet. I immediately picked her up, put her in her crate, and also picked up PON! and put him in his.

While I was wiping up her pee, PON! pooped on his cushion, haha. Oh, my goodness! I picked it up right away; otherwise, he might step in it. I took it to the bathroom, threw it in the toilet, and went back to them. What the hell! COCO had pooped here and there in her crate, haha.

It was chaos again—but it’s quite fun.

When I finished everything, they’d already fallen asleep. At 4:30 a.m., I started writing this again. It’s very quiet and peaceful right now; I think it’ll stay that way for at least a few hours. I think I’ve been writing almost the same story every day, haha. That’s very meaningful for me, though.

By the way, they changed my profile picture last night, and you can see it on our website. https://t.co/FI2SRbP7dw I want to know what your take on this is.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Even though it was my birthday, I didn’t have any special dinner yesterday evening. I had regular meals like sausages and some vegetables. After that, I went to bed at 7 p.m. right away because I was very sleepy—I hadn’t slept well since PON! woke me up several times the previous night.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of a deep sleep. I checked the time—it was 2 a.m. I thought PON! had remembered me again while he was sleeping. I went over to see him and was surprised. He had pooped, haha. There was a tiny piece of poop on his tray.

I picked it up, threw it out, and went back to my bedroom, but PON! started barking again, haha. I expected that COCO must have pooped. I went over to see them again, but there was nothing on her tray. What was going on?

I had no choice but to pick them up, hold them for a while, take them back to their own crates, and go back to my bedroom again.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I started writing this, haha. But it’s okay, I’d already slept almost seven hours from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

At 4 a.m., PON! started barking again. I thought it was a bit early for his morning call. I went over to see them—COCO had pooped, haha.

Actually, the story that I’ve written so far is meaningless to most people, but for me, it’s very meaningful, because the more I take care of them, the stronger our relationship becomes, even though little by little. I’ve decided to wake up whenever they bark. You already know I’m a proud dog dad, haha.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

PON! woke me up three times with his barking during the night at 10 p.m., 11 p.m., and midnight. I couldn’t find his poop on his tray each time. My chiropractor said, “He tries to call you whenever he remembers you or your wife, even if it’s at midnight, but you don’t need to ignore him. You can go over to see him when he barks.”

I got that. That doesn’t mean I’m spoiling him. PON! also woke me up at 5 a.m. as usual before he poops this morning. So, I haven’t gotten enough sleep, haha.

Anyway, my birthday has started this way. My plan for the day is to clean up all the rooms in my house and the garden, including blowing the fallen leaves, throwing them out, trimming the tiny bamboo, and spraying weed killer. After that, I’ll practice my script lines on the treadmill for 40 minutes at 4.5 km/h and a 12% incline, and practice some songs while standing on the balance disc.

After I finish everything, I’ll soak in my hot spring, then take a craft beer out of my fridge. And then I’ll enjoy it with dinner while watching the recorded Dodgers game. Actually, I didn’t drink alcohol yesterday to let my organs rest. So I’m really looking forward to it.

As I mentioned last week in my post, I’m planning to change my profile picture. They took pictures of me at the studio last Saturday. I’ve already checked them. So you’ll see them soon on the website of my management group. I don’t think the pictures make me look like I’ve lived that long—maybe I’m exaggerating a little, haha.

Thank you for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great Monday ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Yesterday, I went to Tokyo for my regular treatment to take care of my health. While I was in his office, I asked him why PON! barks in the morning for no reason. He checked my body and figured out the reason.

He said, “Your male puppy lets you know how smart he is. So, he tries to tell you that a new day has arrived at 5 a.m.” I was so surprised and realized he was as smart as I thought. He continued, “You don’t need to ignore him; you can go over to see him whenever he barks.”

I’m sure I know what you’re thinking about me: “You must be a proud dog dad.” Haha. Yes, I am, absolutely! The fireworks show is scheduled for tonight, so I’ll have to take my two puppies to the Japanese tatami room to avoid the noise again—being with them in a tiny room sounds great!

By the way, we’re still in the middle of the year. But come to think of it, I think this year is a year of encounters and goodbyes. I said goodbye to Chico (my pet dog) in January, moved to a different management group in July, and said goodbye to Riichi Seike (清家利一) at his memorial gathering last Saturday.

Do I have to say goodbye to more things this year?—like what? Is it electrical equipment like blowers and a high-pressure washer that I haven’t been using? I think there might be more precious things or people I have to say goodbye to. But I think the more I say goodbye, the more new encounters I might have.

Today, the radio show I appeared on will air at 6:30 a.m. on FM NACK 5. You’ll enjoy it! Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great Sunday ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

It airs tomorrow!

[青春の言霊 @SeishunKotodama]

８月９日放送
FM NACK5「森田健作　青春もぎたて朝一番！」
ゲストは俳優の筧利夫さん

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[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

Lately, I’ve been into cold Japanese sake with dinner. I also had it yesterday evening and went to bed at 7 p.m. as usual. I first woke up at 11:30 p.m., but of course, I went back to sleep.

PON! suddenly started barking at midnight. I woke up and thought he’d pooped even though it was much earlier than usual. I went over to see him, but there was no poop on his tray at all.

It was quite strange. I really believe PON! is very smart. Whenever he calls me, there’s usually a reason. But last night, he just tried to get my attention. Was something else wrong? I honestly had no idea.

I picked him up, held him for a little while, and took him back to his crate, then went back to my bedroom. But I couldn’t fall asleep again, so I started writing this post. I’ve been starting earlier and earlier each day, but that’s okay. I can take more time to write.

When PON! woke me up at 4:50 a.m. again, I thought, “He must have pooped.” I went over to their crates, but there was no poop on either tray. I stayed there for a while, then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

While I was in the bathroom, they both started barking, and I went over to check their trays right away. There were a few pieces of poop on both trays. It was right at 5 a.m. I was sure they always poop at this exact time. But still, one question remained—why did PON! call me at that time? Why?

It’s Saturday. I won’t do any housework or practice. I’ll be heading to Tokyo for my regular treatment to take care of my mental and physical health for the first time in two weeks. This is part of my routine. I’ve kept going for over a year.

Honestly, I haven’t had yakiton in a while, so I want to drop by a yakiton bar that opens at noon after my treatment. But I want to head straight home because my two adorable puppies will be waiting for me.

Maybe I’m the only one who thinks that, though. As you know, I’m a proud dog dad, haha. Anyway, thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

I heard the barking from downstairs at 2:50 a.m. and woke up. It was earlier than yesterday. I was wondering whether I should go downstairs, but I ended up going to see them.

PON! and COCO were already standing, waiting for me. PON! had pooped on his tray, but a few small pieces were outside the tray. COCO hadn’t. I thought, “I’m glad I came.” I cleaned up all the poop, then went to the bathroom and started brushing my teeth.

A few minutes later, PON! started barking again. At first, I thought he wanted to play-fight with COCO, but I realized he might be trying to tell me that COCO had pooped. I checked her crate and found some poop on her tray, as expected. I don’t think they’re demanding—they’re smart puppies. You know I’m a proud dog dad, haha.

I finished the early morning routine and started writing this post. It’s still before 4 a.m. My day has started earlier than usual, so it will also finish before noon, haha. Can you believe it?

I’m debating whether to drink Isekado beer even though it's before breakfast—it sounds really tempting! Actually, I went to bed at 7 p.m. last night, and now I’m already very hungry. The instant cup noodles on the shelf are calling my name, haha.

My plan for the day is to clean up all the rooms in our house and garden, practice my script lines on the treadmill, practice some songs while standing on the balance disk, and soak in our hot spring while watching “HOST CALL” on YouTube.

I don’t think today’s post is very meaningful, but that’s okay. I’ll keep it up.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.

[Toshio Kakei @Kakei_English]

Hello, everyone!

I went to bed after 9 p.m. for the first time in months because the fireworks show suddenly started at 8 p.m. We hadn’t checked the schedule beforehand. So we immediately took PON! and COCO to the Japanese tatami room to avoid the noise.

During the fireworks show, PON! was in his small carrier but was very active, while COCO stayed quiet on my lap. 20 minutes later, we took them back to their crates, said good night to them and went to bed.

The barking woke me up right at 5 a.m. I got up and went downstairs right away. Bingo! They had both pooped on their trays. PON! was standing up, full of energy, but COCO just lay quietly. I cleaned up their poop and let them play-fight.

When they came here, COCO used to get pushed around by PON!, but she has been winning recently. I think her muscles have been growing rapidly. She seems almost twice as big as she was two weeks ago. I really love to see their growth.

Time flies. It’s already Thursday. My plan for the day is to clean our house and garden, work out, practice songs, soak in my hot spring for 20 minutes while watching some YouTube videos, and enjoy dinner with a craft beer from Isekado.

Did you notice the cans of Isekado beer in my fridge on the TV show that aired last Saturday? I’ve been drinking it for over a year. I love the orange one called HAZY IPA. If you have the chance, please try it. Just so you know, I don’t work for the company, haha.

Thank you all for reading such a long post. I hope you all have a great day ahead!

I’m still here.
I haven’t arrived anywhere yet.