September 17, 2026
Hello everyone! It’s Thursday! Right now, my chest is in agonizing pain thanks to “Happy Chop Time”… It’s been raining a lot lately, and I hate it~. Humidity is the sworn enemy of bangs, after all! The only thing I actually like about the rain is seeing all the umbrellas from the window of a slightly tall building. They’re pretty colorful, so it’s fun to look at them.
Recently, I had to take a somewhat long taxi ride. I really enjoyed that time, so I figured I’d talk about it today.
I got in the taxi, told the driver my destination, and he asked, “Are you traveling?” I replied, “I’m on my way home from work,” and a casual conversation began. The driver was a man in his 50s and was super easy to talk to. As we chatted about various things, I got curious as to why he became a taxi driver and decided to ask him. He replied, “Because it was the only job I could get.” When he quit his previous job and was looking for his next one, factoring in his age and everything else, his only re-employment option was as a taxi driver. His reason for quitting was that he hated the idea of his life ending in a monotonous routine of unchanged daily life and work, so he quit without telling his family and apparently got chewed out for it, lol.
I was surprised by his incredible decisiveness. I also crave stimulation and wrestle because I want to do what I love, so I totally understood where he was coming from. By the way, I didn’t tell the driver that my profession is a pro-wrestler, and he didn’t ask. I’ve gotten so used to living and interacting with people who treat me “as a pro-wrestler,” so having him just talk to me as a normal 22-year-old human being felt incredibly refreshing, and it made me really happy. Recently, I watched every episode of Until the T-shirt Dries, and the concept of “someone it’s okay to be disliked by” really left an impression on me. This was my first time meeting this taxi driver, our relationship existed solely for the duration of the ride, and I figured we’d never meet again. Because of that, I felt like I could talk to him about anything. I wondered if he was like that “someone it’s okay to be disliked by” from the drama. It’s a drama that truly struck a chord with me, so I highly recommend it.
After that, the driver and I ended up talking about sleep and family. Taxi drivers also have pretty irregular lifestyles, and he mentioned that he couldn’t sleep. Pro-wrestlers have very irregular lifestyles too. We’re similar. I recommended a custom-made pillow to him. I personally used to be a very light sleeper; I was the type who suffered from terrible middle-of-the-night awakenings, waking up every two or three hours. It was so completely normal for me to wake up around three times between going to sleep and my actual desired wake-up time that I thought it was just standard. Wanting to improve my sleep quality, I had a custom pillow made. When I told the store clerk about my sleep habits, they said, “That is awful!” which reaffirmed just how bad it actually was. I’ve been using it for about half a year now? Miraculously, my sleep has improved, and my midnight awakenings have practically disappeared! tears I hope the driver is able to get plenty of sleep too.
What got us the most hyped up was talking about our families. The driver apparently has two daughters, and shockingly, his younger daughter is the exact same age as me. And his older daughter is the exact same age as my older sister! (This was the absolute peak of our hype). What a crazy coincidence. I even asked for his advice regarding father-daughter relationships. I tend to lash out harshly at my dad. It’s not because I hate him or anything, but sometimes the timing is just bad, or I just get inexplicably irritated, lol. (A rebellious phase?) Even though there are so many things I should be grateful for, like him taking me to the hospital, or picking me up early in the morning or late at night. I always feel bad about it, and I truly am grateful to him. When I talked about this, the driver kindly said, “I’ve learned that I also need to be careful about timing when talking to my daughter. But no matter what she does, a daughter is always adorable.” Talking to him made me realize that maybe, somewhere in the back of my mind, I have this confidence that he’ll always cherish me no matter what I do, and that’s why I subconsciously feel like it’s okay to lash out at him.
As we were talking about all of this, before I knew it, we had arrived at my destination. Taxis are expensive, so I basically just rely entirely on public transportation, but this made me think that taking a taxi once in a while isn’t a bad idea either. Even though it cost money, the time I spent having that conversation was far more valuable, and I gained so many realizations from it. I’m grateful I created the opportunity to ride in that taxi! And, even though he’ll definitely never read this column, I want to say: I’m so glad you were my taxi driver!
Having moments like this once in a while helps you sort out your feelings before you even realize it, and it reminded me that talking to people is truly important. If I ever run into the same driver again, I definitely have to thank him.
This week, I have a three-match series: Friday at Sendai PIT, Saturday at the Nansen Festa, and Sunday at Sado Island! A hard-hitting three-match run! I’ll do my absolute best!
I already know what I’m going to write about next week, so look forward to it! See ya! This week’s song! Aa / ank
Translator’s Notes:
- Happy Chop Time (ハッピーチョップタイム): While translated literally in the text, this refers to a staple, grueling training drill/tradition common in joshi puroresu dojos (particularly Sendai Girls), where wrestlers exchange relentless, stiff knife-edge chops to the chest to build stamina and fighting spirit.
- “Bachi-bachi” (バッチバチ): Translated here as “hard-hitting.” In the context of Japanese professional wrestling, bachi-bachi (an onomatopoeia for crackling or sparking) is a slang term used to describe a very physical, stiff, and intense strike-heavy match style.
- Until the T-shirt Dries (Tシャツが乾くまで): This is a reference to a popular Japanese web drama series.
- “Aa” by ank: YUNA signs off by sharing a song of the week, which is “Aa” (あー) by the Japanese punk/rock band ank.