Essay of My Wonderful Life, My Hometown in Nature

　　　　　　　　Hometown

　　It was my boyhood to chase rabbits.

　　It was my small days to catch small fishes.

　　I sometimes remind of my good old days.

　　I always think of my hometown.

　　How are my parents doing now?

　　I hope that my friends are all right.

　　I would like to go back to my hometown.

　　I will be successful some other day.

　　I love my hometown very very much.

There were special articles on the recently published monthly magazine, Bungeishunju. The theme of these articles was "the extinguished Showa Era (1926 - 1995)". Various writers or essayists wrote about these themes. When I pick up the titles at random, they were a mosquito net, a combustion fire, a field, a picture story show, a mom-and-pop candy store, a radio, a round dining table, a household Shinto altar and Buddhist altar, a fly removing paper, a company trip, an encyclopedia, a rounds man, a back of alley and so on. Certainly, I feel very nostalgic when I listed these items. What they wrote was exactly whet I had experienced before when I was in boyhood. I want to leave a record of all of these items. But now I will write only one subject that came crossing my mind vividly by chance. It is "My hometown in full of nature"

It was around in 1955, just before the high economic growth of the Japanese economy started. I was a school child at that time. My house moved to a country town of the Hokuriku District from an urban city, Kobe, because of my father's transfers. My parents and I took the train and arrived at the country town. When I got off to the station of the town, I was so surprised to see the rice field here and there on the road side. As I had been brought up the urban city, I didn't know such broad rice fields. I felt so worried about my new life. I kept silent on the way to my new house.

There was a fiber factory near to my new house. It was located on the road side in front of my house; I could reach to the factory. When I passed this factory, there was a broad rice field. As it was the first day, I couldn't sleep well because of excitement of the new house and new place. I woke up early in the next morning; I traced the road to the rice field. On the way, I looked into the factory. All textile machines were working with the noisy sound. Many belts from the ceiling were connected to each machine, which had emitted the noise. Parts of the rusted weaving machine were left on the roadside of grass. I was so curious to see such things. But as an adult man came out from the factory, I soon left from the place. And I continued to walk to the rice field, where became my first playground since then.

When farmers finished planting rice and an early summer came, the rice plant grows fresh and green, which was indeed beautiful to see. What especially I liked very much was a brook passing through the rice field. As it was the time of no agricultural chemicals, there were many kinds of fishes and insects in the brook and rice fields. When I dipped my net into the brook and pick it up, I could capture killifish of three or four cent-meters. Whole day I caught them and release. I repeated this simple exercise. However as I became the upper-grade boy of the elementary school, I couldn't satisfy catching such small obedient fishes.

After all, it is a crucian that I was interested in capturing. It moves very faster and cleverer than a killifish. My strategy was to hide my net on the upstream and with using my leg to drive them from downstream. But it was not so easy for me to catch them by net. However when I succeeded to capture a big crucian, I was so happy to bring it back to my house. However my mother was not always generous to keep such dirty fish in my house. So I was reluctantly forced to put it back to the brook.

Moreover when autumn came, the rice field was full of insects. The main insects were grasshoppers. When the rice was still green, the color of the grasshopper was green. However when the rice harvest season came, the color of the grasshopper changed into brown. It was funny for me to capture them, as it was the numerous numbers. But later I found that the local people eat the grasshopper by boiling, which was very unbelievable for me.

My second playground was the precincts of the nearby Shinto shrine. My father told this shrine that it was a high ranked, because "This shrine was Kampei". At that time, I couldn't understand what he said. After I had grown up, I found that it meant the first grade of shrine. However as I was quite small, it had nothing to do with me. The most important places of the shrine for me were the precincts and pond. In the pond, there was a newt which my father called as red stomach. The belly was red, although the back and the tail were certainly black. I didn't like to see its red. So when I used my net and if newt came into my net, I was so unpleasant. Except this, there were various beetles and insects that I liked mostly. When autumn came, there were many glowflies in the brook near the shrine. When I watched their yellow glows in the dark, I felt something holy.

Precincts of the Shinto shrine were enclosed by the grove of high Japanese cedars. In the interior, there were a lot of dry grasses, and it was a good place for children to play. We made small house and played a lot. At first I couldn't understand the local direct. There were some bad boys who were so hard to me saying that my language was too official. After a while I got used to their language and I made some good friends. They were so gentle to me, although our language was different.

Especially Mr. O and Mr. S were good friends of mine. Mr. O was the son of the railway company and Mr. S also came from an urban city. Mr. O had a gentle smile and good character. Mr. S was good hand at gymnastics. As I was not so special on gymnastics, I truly respected him. However when I reached to 11 years old, I had to move another city; I had to be separated by them.

Since then time had passed. As my house repeated to move a few more times, I couldn't contact with them. Meanwhile I entered a University, I left from my house. Naturally it had been quite rare for me to contact with them and finally it stopped. However after my graduation, I started to work. I got training at a center. While I was walking someone called my name. When I looked back, Mr. O was standing there. More than 10 years had passed since I met him last time. According to him, he found my name on the list of trainees. I was so happy because not only that I met him after such a long time but also he remembers my name after such a long separation. Moreover what made me happier was that I had a chance to work with him in the same office. His character is exactly the same as his childhood, gentle, kind and always smiling. I think this experience made my life happier than before.

(March 14, 2005)