Three years have passed since the surgery on September 20, 2013, and this blog is still alive. This is my first update in about six months.

The main change was that Dr. Inoue, who had taken care of me, left the Red Cross and Dr. Hashimoto took over. Under Dr. Hashimoto, diagnosis and treatment have changed somewhat: hospital visits became every other week, tests are kept to the minimum necessary, and blood sugar medication has been adjusted. Overall, I suppose things remain much the same.

The statistical five-year survival rate after surgery for Stage II is 44 percent. Dr. Inoue told me: first survive two years; after that, survival probability rises. Statistically, perhaps I am now past the most dangerous postoperative period. Still, as an individual, I remain in a binary state: recurrence or no recurrence.

Emotionally, I felt relief at having passed the first two years. More than anything, I did not want to look back later and regret not having gone somewhere or done something while I still could.

So I traveled as inspiration took me, camera in hand. From April to August, the overseas trips I began planning around the start of my third survival year ended up becoming monthly trips.

• April: London and Iceland
• May: Australia and Uluru, with my wife
• June: Germany, Austria, and Italy
• July: Grand Canyon and other canyon country
• August: Iceland, with my wife

The May trip to Australia was planned with my wife as a sixtieth-birthday trip. Uluru revealed completely different expressions depending on the angle and the time of day., and I was captivated. The Great Ocean Road and Melbourne were also wonderful.

Sunset at Uluru, Australia. The pink Venus Belt and the earth shadow beneath it were vivid.

Iceland in August became a full Ring Road tour with a driver and guide. Eight people traveled together from morning to night, and by the end we felt like family. Europe began with the wish to see the Alps again after thirty years. The United States trip centered on slot canyons and desert areas that ordinary tourism does not often reach. Such places are hard to choose without some trigger, but going there reminded me that they make excellent journeys.

Note: A slot canyon is a narrow canyon in the American Southwest, often with beautiful layers of sandstone. Antelope Canyon is the representative tourist spot known through many photographs.

My company work is basically at home. I attend meetings when necessary and join outside meetings. I am concentrating on making dreams for the future: documenting lectures for younger colleagues and proposing projects that could potentially lead the company into an entirely new dimension.

A Space Elevator Association competition event.

Around the end of 2014, when I was beginning to fall into photography, I also began falling into BABYMETAL after seeing them on NHK. Above all, they are a band that pulls you into live performances: the vocalist's voice, massive sound, and nonstop concerts without MC have real impact.

In 2015 I was stopped from going to their North American tour, but I secretly bought a ticket for their Wembley Arena solo show. In April I combined that concert with Iceland and finally saw them live. That was the point of no return. I then went to Germany and the United States too, and was lucky enough to be in the front row three times. Becoming friends with other fans and discovering a world I had never known became an unexpected extra pleasure.

Photography is prohibited at Japanese concerts, but in Europe and America limited equipment and SNS posting are often allowed, even encouraged. I was able to take quite a few photographs.

Today, September 20, is the final stage of the 2016 World Tour at Tokyo Dome. I will be there. See you!

"BABYMETAL Through My Lens - 10 Years from Wembley"