Thinking about a home is thinking about 'how to live'

My husband and I, who have lived in various places due to his job transfers, have reached a point where

we have started to think, 'We want to buy a house in Tokyo.'

We often hear people say, 'Being a transfer family is tough,' but I have never really thought of it as difficult.

Rather, I feel very lucky to be able to experience life in so many different places thanks to my husband's company.

I was born and raised in the deep mountains of Gifu Prefecture,
went to Nagoya for university, and experienced city life for the first time.After that, for some reason, I ended up working for an overseas airline and lived almost entirely in hotels.
After getting married, we lived in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, for a while, and then moved to Hokkaido.We lived in the city of Sapporo and in Asahikawa for a few years each.
And then, three years ago, we moved to Tokyo.

I lived in Hokkaido for a long time and even considered moving there permanently at one point, but...I am surprised myself at how that idea completely changed after moving to Tokyo.

Why do I like Tokyo?
Why is my current home so comfortable?Before moving, I even had a tendency to think,
'A city with too many people and too little nature is no place for humans to live.'

I even thought things like that.

But the answer I found after living in Tokyo for three years is,

It really is nice to be able to live 'on foot'.
The gratitude of being able to travel by public transport instead of by car.It's amazing that things, experiences, and people that satisfy my intellectual curiosity and sense of adventure are always within reach!
There are all kinds of people, and it's never boring to live here.It's interesting. It's fun!

By 'walking,' the number of people I meet, the shops I find, and the things I can feel with my five senses have increased dramatically.
I realized the importance and comfort of being able to live on foot more than I had imagined.

When you live in a car-dependent society, you might take traveling by car for granted.However, having become accustomed to car life, I have seen many towns where the bustle of shopping streets lined with local independent shops has disappeared.
Every time I saw such towns, I felt an indescribable sadness.

In that respect, Tokyo has many places where old-fashioned shopping streets remain when you visit various neighborhoods.
Tokyo equals city and stylish! (← My image of Minato Ward)

I thought that, but I was surprised to find that there are many places that still retain a downtown feel.
People come and go on foot, and there are many bustling, chaotic shopping streets left. Just feeling that vitality makes me feel energized.

Some might call it chaos, but for someone who loves people-watching, it's irresistible.

Perhaps because there are so many unique and diverse people, I get the feeling of,

'Anything goes, doesn't it!'
'Don't you think you don't have to worry about what others think?'

That is the feeling I get.

The sensation of my heart becoming freer and more liberated.
I can live freely and express my true self.

That might be the thing I think is best about living in Tokyo.

That said, Tokyo is vast.
Deciding where to live is also difficult.

Our family is thinking of looking for a pre-owned property and renovating it to our liking to live in.

First, it was a struggle to find a renovation company that matched our sensibilities.
Since the beginning of the year, we went to hear from various companies, and we finally met a company we feel is the right one.

The road ahead seems quite long, but I think I will enjoy the process while writing about it on note.

Today's illustration was borrowed from Kotomi-san, whom I was with at Otsu-san's event the other day.