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New Year's Resolutions: Is Dressing Stylishly Part of Urban Development?

I'm writing my New Year's resolutions on note because it's embarrassing to post them on Facebook where I have many real-life acquaintances. To put it bluntly!
"To become a well-groomed mom" ! How embarrassing!

In my work, I have been promoting policies to transform streets from spaces for cars into spaces for human activity. To achieve this, we naturally use an urban planning approach, but it is just as important for individuals to reduce their car usage. Therefore, following the French teaching that government officials should set an example themselves, I have chosen a lifestyle in my private life that does not involve owning a private car, "a lifestyle of living by walking." Although I live in a typical car-dependent society in northern Kanto, I do my best by mainly walking, taking buses and trains, and occasionally using car-sharing or bicycles.

What's great about living without a car is that, besides being healthy because I walk, the best part is that it "doesn't cost money." It is said that the cost of owning one passenger car is 1.8 million yen per year, or 5,000 yen per day. ( Source: National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management materials )
It's amazing that we can save that much. In our household, we make a conscious effort to use that 1.8 million yen for travel every year.

Now, for my New Year's resolution, which is the main topic. Recently, Oyama City Hall has started working hard on urban development, promoting the area around the station as "a city center where you want to walk." When I was walking down the street in front of the station last autumn wearing a worn-out T-shirt, my husband (a city hall employee) scolded me, saying I looked "shabby." He continued, "We must live in a way that makes people envy our car-free lifestyle." Indeed. I am taking these words to heart.

Not only the city hall, but also a cafe owner in the city center has started renovating a building they bought, saying, "I want to make Oyama a city that surpasses Portland, a street where people want to dress up a little and go out." I see, it's about civic pride, or rather, the people who are there are also part of the scenery. I decided that I should properly groom myself, dress stylishly, and walk down the street in front of the station.

This year, I want to wear decent clothes that aren't just cheap and poor quality, and walk through the city center pushing a stroller in style. I want people I meet in the city to say, "What a lovely mom!" lol. My numerical goal is to be told "What a lovely mom!" once a month lol. (← That's never going to happen lol)

I was too embarrassed to write this on Facebook, where people I meet in the city can see it! I'll do my best!

いいなと思ったら応援しよう!