What lay at the end of the long line — The dream of Class 5-3, the 'Anpanman of the Town'

What lay at the end of the long line
— The dream of Class 5-3, the 'Anpanman of the Town'

Today, I visited my son's family for the first time in a while.

On the pedestrian-only street right in front of their apartment building, a marche was being held, and the street was bustling with so many people it was overflowing.
With freshly harvested vegetables, handmade trinkets, hot dogs, goldfish scooping, cotton candy, candied apples, and yakitori, it enticed not only the child in me but my heart as well.

Among them, the one with an exceptionally long line was a popular local bakery.

When I approached to see why so many people were lining up, I found an unexpected story there.
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This bakery was running a collaborative project with the children of Class 5-3 at the local elementary school.

A boy was standing at the end of the line, explaining in a loud, clear voice:

“We might sell out around here, but please line up if you don't mind! If we do sell out, it will take 30 minutes for the next batch to finish baking!”

His clever demeanor was so impressive that it warmed my heart.

As I approached the bread section, the children were the ones serving customers.
It was truly a community-rooted bakery, loved by everyone.

I was even more moved after reading the Town News article posted there.

“We want to be the 'Anpanman of the town'.
We want to distribute bread and make the people in our community happy.”

It seems the children who held these thoughts planned it themselves, consulted with the bakery, and made it a reality.

The children came up with over 100 ideas for bread and even experienced making the bread themselves.
It was written that when they saw the prototypes, cheers went up, saying, “Everyone's thoughts have taken shape!”

Before the marche, they all visited the bakery to tell the owner that they had made a commercial video and were promoting it at school.
Their passionate feelings really came through, and I was moved.

Unfortunately, by the time we reached the bread corner, the first batch was sold out.

The owner also bowed repeatedly, saying,
“We prepared so much, but it sold like hotcakes, and I am very sorry to have kept you waiting.”
We ended up waiting another 30 minutes, but we were finally able to buy some bread.

When we made our purchase, the children even handed us a letter, which touched me once again.

I could feel their enthusiasm to make everyone in the town happy, and it really struck a chord.

In the plaza, a junior high school brass band was performing, and many people stopped to listen.
I felt the warmth of this town in that scene as well.

Food trucks were lined up, and there was even a professional wrestling event taking place; people of all ages were gathered, and the venue was very lively.

A street piano was also provided, and a girl who looked to be about a sixth grader was playing beautifully.
I listened to the melody for a while while holding my grandson.
My grandson was also listening intently with a serious look on his face.

For lunch, we sat on a bench under a large zelkova tree and enjoyed the hot dogs we bought while listening to the music with my son's whole family.
I felt deeply happy even in such casual moments.

At the marche, we also met several of my granddaughter's nursery school friends, as well as their moms and dads.
It is clear that children are growing up in this town watched over by many people.

Very close to the house, there are three large, forest-like parks and two children's parks with playground equipment.
There is also a university, so there are many young people, and it is a town with many families raising children.
Children can play freely while getting close to nature.

On the street where the marche is held, there are street trees, and well-tended seasonal flowers are always blooming beautifully, and herbs are planted as well.

A town with nature, flowers, fragrance, and many warm-hearted people living there.

Every time I visit my son's house, we say, “It really is a wonderful town,” and today that feeling became even stronger.

It is a town where many people full of local love live, and that love circulates.
The residents themselves organize such a wonderful marche every three months. My older granddaughter has so much fun that she always triggers her “I don't want to go home yet” routine.
I am grateful that my son's family can live in such a wonderful place, and I feel truly happy.

I thought that the piano melody I heard while holding my grandson would surely remain as a gentle memory of this town.

And today, what I encountered at the end of the long line was the warm and rich heart of this town, where children's dreams and local love overflow and circulate.

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