Nostalgic

I have heard that there is no English equivalent for the word "natsukashii." When I look it up on Google Translate, it shows "nostalgic." Hmm, that feels a bit shallow. While it may be correct in terms of meaning, it lacks the warmth, the bittersweetness, the weight, and the "something" that spreads through the heart that the word "natsukashii" carries.

The character "懐" in "natsukashii" can also be read as "futokoro" (bosom/pocket). In the kimono culture of Japan, this was the place where one kept "precious things." To say "futokoro samishi" means "to have no money," and when Hideyoshi warmed Nobunaga's sandals, he did so in his "futokoro." A "futokoro-gatana" (hidden dagger) refers to a self-defense dagger worn by women of samurai families, a tool that could determine one's fate, even used for ritual suicide in times of crisis. From there, it is also used to mean a "trusted confidant."

For me, the things that are "natsukashii" are, above all, my late parents and the hometown where I was born and raised. The songs of frogs echoing from the vast green rice fields, the schools of dace and crucian carp swimming in the river that flowed in front of our house. We could even catch eels. The Tokaido Line ran along the embankment next to our backyard, and from its sound, I could even tell the type of train and the number of cars.

I was a coward and cried easily, so I was teased and hit with balls, or left out by the group, but when I came home crying, my mother would welcome me. My father, who had been in a harmonica club during his student days, would play "Ote-te Tsunaide" (Holding Hands) with a magnificent accompaniment. I loved the house where I could hear my father's harmonica.

I looked at many apartments when I decided to move, but when I found my current one, I thought, "This is it." A train runs by the side, and a river flows in the back. Perhaps my heart is seeking that hometown. And I believe this feeling will never change, no matter how much time passes.

The End

Please let me participate in Komaki-san's project.
Komaki-san, I apologize for the trouble, but I look forward to working with you.

#ShirokumaLiteratureClub
#Natsukashii