Shinobu Yamanaka apologized the moment this reporter arrived for an interview at a day care facility in the city of Konan, Kochi Prefecture, one muggy morning in July.
“Sorry, I had completely forgotten about it,” she said with a smile at Day Service Happy, a traditional Japanese-style house converted into a day care center for people with dementia and other health conditions in need of nursing care. “I must leave for another appointment at a local elementary school soon.”
Yamanaka, a vivacious 46-year-old woman who has her short hair dyed ash blonde, has early-onset Alzheimer’s. She often has memory lapses like the one that morning, she later confided. But it all turned out OK, as she welcomed me anyway and allowed me to tag along to her appointment with the school officials.