Three Liquor Stores and a 1DK Castle

The reason I chose this place was because I wanted to enjoy wine.

—If I write it like that, people might imagine someone stylish and chic.
However, in reality, I'm more of a clumsy type than a stylish one, and while I love wine, I'm not exactly a connoisseur.

My way of choosing wine is quite simple.
I just look at the bottle and label design, check the region, ask the shop staff for a recommendation, and if I think, "That looks good," I buy it. ...That's all.

A 15-minute walk from the station. A corner room on the second floor of a building over 30 years old.

In my late twenties, I lived in a small apartment located exactly halfway between JR Yamanote Line's Osaki Station and Tokyu Ikegami Line's Togoshi-ginza Station.

It was a 15-minute walk up a hill from either station.

It wasn't exactly close to the station, but it was a quiet and peaceful residential area that felt like it had been left behind in the middle of the city.

There were no tall condominiums or large facilities, just old-fashioned detached houses, temples, an elementary school, and apartment complexes like the one I lived in.

If you looked up, the sky was wide.
Just that alone made it a place where I could take a deep breath.

The landlord's family lived on the first floor of the apartment, and the corner room on the second floor, reached by climbing the clanking outdoor stairs on the same property, was my little castle.

A 1DK over 30 years old.
The facilities were somewhat old, but having a separate bath and toilet was a huge plus.

The energetic Siberian Husky the landlord kept
would run around the garden in high spirits, barking "Awoooo!" past 5:00 every morning, and other than being woken up by that voice, it was a quite comfortable life.

Chatting with the shopkeeper and buying a bottle of wine to take home

At the time, my meals were mostly wine and cheese.

Whether I bought a steaming hot meat bun from the Togoshi-ginza shopping street,
or bought freshly fried minced meat cutlets,
or bought yakitori with an excellent sauce,
my style was to enjoy them with wine and cheese.

Of course, sometimes I would boil pasta or stir-fry meat and vegetables, making something like a real meal, but even then, wine and cheese were indispensable.

The amazing thing about this home—was that
there were actually three liquor stores on the way home from the station.

Every shop had a shopkeeper with a good vibe, and they all stocked wine in a nice way.

On my way home from work, I would drop by one of the three shops, chat a little with the owner, and choose a bottle of wine.
That was my daily routine.

Hmm? You ask why I was so particular about having three liquor stores?

Well, for me in my late twenties, even though I loved wine, I felt embarrassed to buy it at the same shop every day, as if I were being labeled a "drunkard." (No, I was a complete drunkard, though.)

"Oh, this person is here again."
"Isn't she drinking too much wine?"

I felt a bit awkward thinking I might be seen that way. I'm actually quite timid.

But if there are three shops, I can choose a different one each day.
If I set up a rotation—this one today, that one tomorrow—I would only visit each shop about once every three days.
A perfect strategy. (Though, visiting a liquor store once every three days is questionable in itself.)

Anyway, the fact that these three liquor stores were nearby was the biggest reason I decided on this home.

Even on days when love didn't go well.
Even on days when I heard the news of a friend's passing.

Although I only lived there for about two years, every time I drink wine, I still remember that room.

I suppose that's how deeply I spent those days with wine.

There was someone I thought was wonderful at a group date a friend invited me to.
I felt like they were interested in me too, and I was a little excited.
But after a while, I found out that the friend who went to the group date with me was dating that person.The taste of the wine that night was a little bittersweet.

The day a customer said something unreasonable at work and I accidentally blurted out, "That's not right." I got a huge scolding from my boss later.
On the way home, while walking up the hill from the station, I muttered, "But it's not right, even if they say it is," and opened the door to the liquor store.

The day my younger brother took a difficult certification exam and unfortunately failed.
Because I knew how hard he had worked, I felt as frustrated as if it were my own, and there were times I drank wine while sobbing alone.

When I was told that a friend from elementary school had passed away due to illness.
While remembering the days we spent together one by one, I slowly, slowly tilted my glass.
That night, the bottle of wine just wouldn't empty.
Perhaps I felt that if I finished it, she would go far away.

There was a time I drank way past my limit at a drinking party for the editorial department where I worked as a reporter.
My kind colleague M-mi apparently put me in a taxi and sent me home after I lost consciousness and was rolling on the road in front of Shibuya Station.
The next morning, I apologized profusely to M-mi, who was lying in the corner of the room.
"I've drunk wine with you in this room so many times, I knew the address and the way here perfectly."M-mi laughed. You are a lifesaver.

On happy days, sad days, and days when I felt helpless.
In that tiny 1DK, I spent precious time with wine.

Remembering the editor-in-chief's words, "Write with your feet," I head to an unknown scene.

Many years have passed since I left that 1DK.

I've grown a little, and my luggage, memories, and entanglements have increased, so I started looking for a place like a 1LDK or 2LDK.

As someone not from Tokyo, despite living here for a long time, there are many towns I don't know. Stations I've never gotten off at, places I know the names of but am not familiar with.
While thinking about where to make the stage for my next life, the number of towns and properties I wanted to live in kept increasing.

Among the properties I feel are "nice," I can only live in one.
Now, how should I decide?

The next holiday, I decided to walk slowly from the nearest station to the candidate property.
Just as my editor-in-chief always told me as a reporter to "write with your feet," you can't understand the actual atmosphere unless you go to the scene.

When I started walking toward a certain property, something caught my eye.

A small, cozy liquor store in an alley in front of the station.
A female staff member in her 40s wearing a bandana was happily talking to a customer inside the store.
That sight was somehow wonderful, and it looked like a comfortable shop.

A little further on, there was a second liquor store.
This one had a Japanese-style exterior that seemed to focus on sake.
Every time a customer entered or left, the bell attached to the door rang with a soft sound.

And, right near the property, there was a third liquor store.
In front of the store, along with warm handwritten POP signs, wine in wooden boxes was lined up with a nice look.

—The moment I saw that, something clicked inside my chest.

"I'll take this one."

To me, who muttered that unintentionally, the real estate agent who was with me said,
"Even though you haven't seen the inside of the apartment yet?" with a slightly surprised face.

Needless to say, on my way back from the apartment viewing, I stopped by that liquor store I had just seen.