【Roots Journey🌺Kochi Edition/First Visit ①】How I ended up in Z Village

This is an event that took place in October, the year after I started searching for my roots.My roots are originally in Yamagata, Kyoto, and Nara, and Kochi has nothing to do with them.But this event caused me to become deeply immersed in searching for my roots in Kochi, and after that, I ended up visiting many times.

▼Happened to go on a one-week business trip to Kochi

At the time, I was working for a public institution and needed to undergo training for one week at one of the branch offices nationwide. I thought it would be better to be as close to home as possible, so I requested a branch office in Tokyo, but I was turned down, told, "There are too many applicants, so it's not possible."

I had no choice but to consult with the secretariat about the next preferred location, and the person in charge told me, "Kochi is open." They said that since no one is requesting it at the moment, it should be approved immediately if I apply.

I had never been to Kochi before, and to be honest, I only had the image of it being "some countryside far away" (Sorry to the people of Kochi💦).

Besides, since I got married, I had never been away from home for more than three days, and I had a daughter in elementary school at the time, so I was hesitant about what to do.

But, I can't move forward unless I complete this training. Besides, my daughter is already in 6th grade. Surely she will be fine if my husband is there even if I am not. If anything happens, my mother-in-law, who lives a little over an hour away by train, will come.

Thinking that, I consulted with my family and decided to apply for the training in Kochi.

▼Setting off to Kochi alone

And so, in October 2018, I boarded a plane by myself and set off on a long journey to Kochi (though it is only an hour and a half away from Haneda Airport😅).

When I got off the bus before Kochi Station, there were many streetcars running, which you rarely see in Tokyo, and I felt a sense of exoticism. There are many cars and people, and it's surprisingly like a city.

When I arrived at the hotel, I fell asleep immediately due to the fatigue of the trip.

The next day was a holiday, so after lounging around the hotel for a while, I decided to go for a walk. Right in front of me is Kochi Castle. Although the weather wasn't very good, I decided to walk around casually while looking at a guidebook.

While I was riding the streetcar and wandering around, it was already evening. I had heard from a colleague beforehand, "If you go to Kochi, you should go to 'Hirome Market'," so I decided to buy dinner there.

Hirome Market is a large food stall village located in a shopping street just a short walk from Kochi Castle. There are many fresh seafood items lined up, and there is also an abundance of rare ingredients such as whale and moray eel🐡.

After much deliberation over which one to choose, I selected skipjack tuna and bluefin tuna sashimi, and simmered tuna roe (I was hoping that the famous seared bonito would be served at my welcome party soon...).

Back at the hotel, I immediately started my solo banquet!🌟

I thought from the bottom of my heart.

Work aside, the sense of liberation from not having to do endless housework and childcare is indescribable😭
I'm so glad I came to Kochi...!!

It has been over a decade since I got married. I felt like I wanted to tell myself, who has worked hard every day at work, home, and studies, well done. It's nice to leave home alone once in a while... (deeply moved).

▼Which prefecture has the most people with the surname Tsutsui?

By the way, I read the Tsutsui Clan Association newsletter in advance and learned that Kochi Prefecture seems to have the largest number of people with the surname Tsutsui in Japan. It seems that many descendants of the Tsutsui clan live there.

I remembered that while having a drink at the hotel, and on a whim, I sent an email to Mr. Kiyoyama and Mr. Tsutsui Xasking them.

I received a reply from Mr. Kiyoyama right away.

"That would be Z Village in Kochi Prefecture. According to Google Maps, it takes a little over ● hours by car from Kochi City using the expressway, or about ● hours and 30 minutes if you take only prefectural roads."

Next, a reply came from Mr. Tsutsui X as well.

"It is said that the ●● district of Z Village is almost entirely Tsutsui. According to the legends of Z Village, Tsutsui Sadatsugu, who was supposed to have committed seppuku, survived and lived in hiding, and it seems there is also a Kasuga Shrine there. However, it is a remote area, so it would be better to just stick to sightseeing in Kochi City this time."

I was a little intrigued, but I don't have a car this time (or rather, I don't have a driver's license), and I have training to attend, so it doesn't seem like I have the time to go to Z Village. Maybe I'll visit if I get the chance someday.

That's what I thought, and that was the end of the matter.

...No, that was supposed to be the end.
However, after that, this story would take an unexpectedly strange turn.

=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞ A request to everyone =͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸
Even if you have an idea of where "Z Village" in Kochi Prefecture is, please refrain from writing the real name in the comments section🙇💓
It's a small village, and I would feel terrible if identifying it caused any trouble.
Thank you for your cooperation☺️🙏💕
🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞=͟͟͞͞🌸=͟͟͞͞🌸

<<<The next story is here (②)

>>>About the Sengoku daimyo of Yamato, Tsutsui Junkei is here

>>>This is my self-introduction

★ Thank you for reading until the end. I would be happy if you could like, comment, or follow. I will visit your page as well!

★ The header image for this post is by tominagayuki. Thank you very much!