[Public] April Update: Slowly, But Forward

Hello, this is Aimaitei Umami.

Before I knew it, April was already in its second half.

Spring always feels like it should arrive more slowly, but the cherry blossoms were gone in what felt like no time at all.

This spring, I’ve still been spending my days making small adjustments to my health and daily life.

It’s not anything dramatic like “I’m fully recovered now!” — not at all — but it’s also not true that nothing is moving forward.

I still have pain in my shoulders and back, but it no longer feels like my life is completely on hold.

I don’t have all the answers yet, but I do feel like I’m moving forward little by little.

About my sleep setup

The thing I’ve been working on the most lately is improving my sleep environment.

During winter, the main problems were simply “cold” and “getting chilled.”

But now that spring is here, it’s more like:

a bit too hot in the first half of the night, but then my legs get cold toward morning.

It’s surprisingly complicated.

I just want to sleep peacefully, but it feels like there are way too many mechanics involved.

I also went to Tokyo to look for bedding that might better suit my body.

For a long time now, the shape of my lower back and spine hasn’t worked well with standard mattresses, which causes pain and makes it hard to sleep on my back.

My current setup somehow avoids lower back pain, but in exchange, temperature control has become extremely delicate.

Every night feels like a balancing act.

So I decided to seriously look for a mattress I could rely on, and went to Tokyo.

I visited places like Paramount Bed and Simmons, but their locations were so overwhelmingly high-end that I found myself thinking, “Wow… this is urban capital…” and getting oddly intimidated.

But once I was there, I heard from people who were also struggling with back pain, and others who seemed to be stuck in the same kind of “bedding labyrinth.”

That actually made me feel a bit relieved.

When you deal with this kind of problem alone at home, it’s easy to feel like,

“Am I the only person in the world worrying about something like this?”

But of course, that’s not true.

It was nice to be reminded of that.

On the other hand, I also tried ordering a mattress online, thinking it would be easy to return if it didn’t work.

It didn’t suit me at all, and I ended up completely stiff and sore.

So no, it’s not that simple.

Still, even with those failures, I feel like I’m gradually getting a clearer sense of

what definitely doesn’t work,

and what might still have some potential.

I still don’t feel like there’s a single clear “correct answer” when it comes to bedding,

but at least I’m no longer in that state of having absolutely no idea which direction to go.

Making life lighter

At the same time, I’ve been trying to simplify my daily life.

One thing I recently started using and really liked is Bankers Boxes.

They’re sturdy cardboard storage boxes, and they’ve been surprisingly useful.

I’ve been moving things out of plastic containers into them little by little, and it gives me a sense that,

“If I needed to move quickly, I actually could.”

I wouldn’t call it full moving preparation, but making life lighter still feels important.

That said, if I pack them full of books, they become extremely heavy.

Even nice, practical items still have to obey the laws of physics.

Spring-like things

I’ve also been taking walks here and there.

I heard brisk walking is better for your health, so I’ve been trying it,

but it feels like a completely different sport compared to a relaxed walk.

Still, I’d like to keep it up for now.

One small regret is that I didn’t get to eat sakuramochi this year.

But I was happy that I could at least see the cherry blossoms while walking.

Every year, I think “there’s still time,” and then the best moment is suddenly gone.

It really doesn’t wait for anyone.

About my work

As for creative work, I’ve been continuing little by little, on days when my body allows it.

I’m working on a doujinshi for Futaket on May 3, and I think I’ll be able to share the cover soon.

I’m hoping to bring a collected edition of Futanari Touban-kun, titled Futanari Touban Nisshi, to the event.

Because of my health, I can’t work the way I used to — just pushing forward with momentum.

Instead, I feel like I’ve been slowly shifting toward a way of working where I focus on finishing what I can, within my current limits.

It’s slow. Definitely slow.

But it’s still much better than pushing too hard and breaking down again, so this is the pace I’m sticking with for now.

Summary

So, April has been a month of:

going to look at bedding and getting intimidated by the city,

getting completely wrecked by a mattress that didn’t suit me,

building storage boxes and feeling a bit encouraged by the idea of being able to move more easily,

seeing cherry blossoms but missing out on sakuramochi,

and still making steady progress on my book.

I still don’t have the answers yet.

But compared to before, I’m no longer in that state of “I have absolutely no idea.”

For now, I’ll keep gradually adjusting my health, my daily life, and my creative work into something more sustainable.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Your comments and reactions really do mean a lot to me.

I’ll share more updates, including progress and the cover, once things are ready.

See you next time!