Grandma's Shiso Rice - Happy Writing Marathon #20

Happy Writing Marathon #20
"Who is the person you want to see right now?"

That was the prompt I received.
Honda-san, thank you as always. By giving me these prompts, I am able to confirm my realizations and how I am feeling at the time.

Regarding this prompt, when asked who I want to see, there are many people. For example, relatives I have lost touch with or old friends from elementary school. However, if I were to say who I would want to see if I could right now—even if it were impossible—it would be my grandmother.

I believe she passed away 20 years ago at the age of 79. Thinking back, she was a grandmother who was always by my side and constantly showering me with love.

Whenever I went to my grandmother's house, she would always welcome me kindly with a soft smile, just as she had since I was small. On my days off, about once a month, we would take a train and then a bus to go on long trips.

Her favorite spot was Minoh Falls.
I must have gone there at least ten times, right?
The walking trail from the station to the waterfall shows colorful scenery throughout the four seasons. Autumn was especially spectacular. The bright red autumn leaves and the sound of the waterfall. I can't get enough of the unique, sharp, crisp scent of the mountains that lingers there.

When you get to the front of the waterfall, there are shops. As a young boy, even though I had a bento box with my grandmother's special "shiso rice," I would whine with my cousin, saying, "Buy me shaved ice" or "Buy me fried chicken."

Sometimes I would go hiking with my grandfather. At those times, my grandfather's bento would also occasionally contain the "shiso rice" my grandmother made. On the mountain, I would get a little bit to eat. When I put it in my mouth, there was the gentle taste of shiso and a faint, lovely scent of plum. It was a precious dish she could only make when she found good shiso.

When we went to Minoh Falls, I could have eaten that bento. But as young boys, we were obsessed with junk food. Thinking about it now, I wish I had eaten that "shiso rice" properly.
Now, no matter what cookbook or recipe I look at, I cannot recreate that taste.

When I was a child, I thought that such daily life would continue forever. I thought I would always be able to eat my grandmother's "shiso rice."
Now that I am over fifty, I realize that "nothing lasts forever." This moment right now will never come again, and the time spent with loved ones is irreplaceable. In a life chased by busy days, what I can do is try to "cherish people" and "cherish time."

The people you want to see are not there when you want to see them.
It is such a sad world, but I want to live a life without regrets.

I dedicate this humble piece to my beloved grandmother.
With gratitude to my grandmother, who is no longer with us...

👉 This is an essay I wrote previously about my grandmother.