This is where Mark did most of his work: an alcove in his apartment with plenty of natural light. / マークが一日のほとんどの仕事を行う、自然光が入るアパート内の小部屋。
A portrait in his apartment. / マークのアパートにて。
Notice that “wheelchair-accessible” means the apartment is missing a feature nearly every other home in Japan has: a step upward just inside the front door. /「車椅子OK」のこのアパートは、玄関の「土間」から「家の中」への段差がない。The elevator in Mark’s building was kind of a tight fit for his wheelchair. / アパートのエレベーターは、マークの電動車椅子がギリギリ入る大きさ。Mark drives past one of the many white fences in the Odaiba area just after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which were held in 2021 because of the pandemic). Several events were held in or near Odaiba, and once the Olympics had ended, those facilities needed to be repurposed, and they were fenced off until that process could be completed. / マークのアパートがあるお台場には、このような白い仮囲いがあちこちに設置されていた。これらの仮囲いは、２０２０年の東京オリンピック（パンデミックのため開催は１年遅れだったが）に使われた施設が、オリンピック終了後に改装されている間、建物を覆うために作られたものである。A bit of greenery in Odaiba. / お台場の「自然」。Mark and his care-giver board the Yurikamome Line. Unlike many other train lines, this one has only a small gap between the platform and the train, allowing him to drive right on without having to ask a station staff member to bring a small folding ramp. / マークと介助者がゆりかもめに乗るところ。ゆりかもめはホームと車体の境がないため、駅員さんにスロープを持ってきてもらわなくても乗車できるのだ。In some stations, the elevators were so small that once Mark and his wheelchair were inside, there was no room for his care-giver or anybody else to get in. / 駅のエレベーターは非常に狭いものも多く、マークが電動車椅子で入ると、介助者を含め、他の人が全然乗れなくなってしまう。A bit more greenery in the Odaiba area. / お台場の「自然」。More adventures on the train. This is the Rinkai Line and unlike the Yurikamome, it’s not navigable for a wheelchair user without help from station staff. / ゆりかもめと違い、車椅子でりんかい線に乗るには駅員さんに頼らざるを得ないことが多い。The famous Scramble Crossing in Shibuya. / 世界的に有名な渋谷のスクランブル交差点。Some businesses put slopes in front of their entrances and think they’ve solved all of a wheelchair user’s problems, but what happens if the slope is too steep for a wheelchair to get up? / 車椅子利用者のためにスロープを取り付けたはいいけど、傾斜が急すぎて使いづらいケース。Another train line, another folding ramp to bridge the gap between the platform and the train. / JRに乗り降りする際も、駅員さんの助けが必要。Mark poses at the gate of the Tokyo University campus in Komaba. / 東京大学駒場キャンパスの門にて。Mark’s care-giver on this day (and on the final day that I saw Mark) was a Nepali who has lived in Japan for almost twenty years. / マークのこの日（僕が最後にマークに会った日も）の介助者は、２０年近く日本で暮らすネパール人男性だった。
