That station was my destination, and someone else's point of departure

In the summer I turned 23, I was nobody.
I wanted to change something, but I didn't even know what I wanted to change.
So, I got on a train.

After graduating from high school, I worked part-time jobs and played in a band.
I was 23 and still living at home.
I couldn't really say I was working a proper job,
and while I knew I had to move out soon,
I didn't think I could make a living through music.

Even so, I wanted to keep doing what I loved.
Was it okay to just go on like this?
I kept repeating that question in my head over and over.

At the time, mixi was popular,
and I found a photo of a certain station along with the 'Seishun 18 Kippu' rail pass.

I wanted to go somewhere far away.
Maybe something would change.

For that reason, I decided to travel around Shikoku by train.
It was, so to speak, a journey of self-discovery.

I was too embarrassed to tell my mother,
so I just told her, 'I'm going to Shikoku.'
My mother only asked, 'When will you be back?'

I took time off from my part-time job, bought a timetable,
and decided to travel only by train.
Thinking I'd be bored on the train, I bought one book.

Since it was a train journey, I chose 'Night on the Galactic Railroad'.

On the train, I read books, listened to music,
and idly watched the scenery flowing past the window.

The railroad crossings I saw from the train window were always flashing red and closed.
Because I was always on the train,
people would get on at stations I didn't know,
and then get off at stations I didn't know.

Watching that scene,
I felt like I was the only one being left out.

From Kyoto to Takamatsu.
One night in Tokushima.
One night in Kochi.
One night in Uwajima.

And then, I arrived at my destination, Shimonada Station.

Perhaps because summer vacation was over and it was a weekday,
or perhaps because it wasn't as well-known then as it is now,
there was no one there.

Until night fell,
I listened to music, gazed at the sea,
and watched the sunset,
thinking about something.

Now,
I barely remember what I was thinking about.

I just remember projecting myself onto a certain song,
and that the reasons I went on that trip
numbered about a hundred,
and that was the mood I was in.

This station is my destination,
but it is also a point of departure for someone I don't know.

When I thought about that,
I felt a little strange.

No matter how far I came,
I am only here.
I remained myself.

What I was looking for,
was not far away,
it was always here.

I returned to my own station,
and went home.

My mother didn't ask anything,
and said, "Welcome home."

To have a place to return to.

With just that, people can surely,
set out on a journey again.

#ILoveThisStation