At an autumn campsite where the sound of insects is like an orchestra. I thought about why I go camping

I get the urge to go camping periodically.

I want to smell the scent of greenery under a wide, high sky where no buildings are in sight, and in the middle of a dense forest. I want to listen closely to the sound of flowing rivers, birds chirping, and the sounds of insects.

For example, just like charging a smartphone, I feel like there is a part of my body that catches nature. When that part is about to run empty, I feel like I have to go in a hurry to recharge.

So, I went camping. My children get bored quickly with just walking, like hiking or forest bathing, so camping is currently the best solution for our family.

Once again, it was an impulsive plan without a reservation, so the campsite I finally found was brand new (or maybe still under construction), and there was so little sign of people that it felt a bit lonely.

But, precisely because there were no people, it was also a place where I felt strangely relieved.

We had the run of the wide grounds.

And in the grass spreading around us, insects played the melodies of autumn.

The sounds they played as they pleased were just like an orchestra.

Riri-riri-riri-riri

Titi-titi-titi-titi

Jiji-jiji-jiji-jiji

Riri-reen... Riri-reen

Pyuru-pyuru... Pyuru-pyuru... Pyuru-pyururu

Countless scales and rhythms.

Yet, strangely, the tones harmonize with each other, and a calm, pleasant sensation spreads throughout my body. A gentle and nostalgic sound. I wish I could listen to this sound forever.

*****

At the campsite, nature is my sons' playmate.

First, my eldest son's favorite, the Oniyanma dragonfly, greeted us.

My eldest son immediately swung his net and caught the Oniyanma. Perhaps it was so surprised at being caught so suddenly that it went into a daze.

The Oniyanma stayed on the grass, letting my son do as he pleased, and just stared blankly for a while, blinking its eyes. After this, it flew off energetically.

The children enjoy playing battle games with foxtail grass.

And then, observing the frogs in the campsite's handmade pond.

Wow, there was even a crab!!

Furthermore, they are waiting for me at the handmade swing, with the handle ropes wound round and round.

"Mom, look. Watch me!! You absolutely have to watch!"

My sons' loud voices echo through the campsite.

"Okay, I'm going to get my smartphone. Wait a moment."

"You're slow, hurry up!!"

When I aim the camera, they spin round and round with incredible energy.

"Whoa, that's fast!" "I can't stop~~, hee hee hee hee."

The children's happy voices burst out.

The two of them fight often when they are at home, but perhaps thanks to the vast playground of nature, a peaceful time with few arguments flows by.

My husband and I take our time setting up camp. The time spent working while listening to our sons' excited voices is surprisingly enjoyable.

When the setup was mostly finished, I suddenly looked up at the sky and saw a cloud with an unusual shape.

I thought it looked like a cloud with large spread wings, and next to it was a cloud that looked like a small bird dancing. No, maybe it even looks like someone's mustache.

Next to that, a contrail stretches out smoothly. It's like a little celestial show.

******

It gets dark, and it's barbecue time. I build a fire with the children and prepare a simple and modest meal.

My second son said,

"Real barbecue is fun after all, isn't it?"

"This is my first barbecue since I turned six."

He said happily.

Camping always brings some kind of challenge. Sometimes it's a battle against rain, a battle against black flies, or a battle against the cold.

On this day, the wind was our opponent. While we were setting up the tent, it was blown away and rolled over by the wind, and the tarp collapsed.

Even so, there are good things about strong winds.

Every time a strong wind blows, it acts as a natural fire starter. The bonfire burns fiercely, dancing as if it were happy. The way the flames dance in time with the wind is fun, as if little fire fairies with flowing orange hair are rejoicing and dancing in the fresh air. The fire burning in the charcoal and firewood changes its appearance every moment, and it has a magical power that you never get tired of watching.

While I was staring blankly at the fire, the children were making a huge racket in the tent, using their sleeping bags like punching bags. And before I knew it, or rather, as usual, the older brother fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

My eldest son is the type who uses up all his energy with incredible intensity and then falls asleep in an instant, as if he had collapsed. My second son is the type who conserves his energy. So, I lay down in the tent with the younger one who was left behind.

Outside, it's already so cold at night that you have to wear long sleeves and then put on a jacket over that.

Surrendering myself to the fluffy warmth of the sleeping bag, I listen carefully once again.

Outside, there is a grand chorus of autumn insects all night long. And the sound of the howling wind. As I listen, I feel that I am undeniably a part of this world, stuck flat against the surface of this earth.

I feel that I am nothing more than a part of it. And I am filled with a feeling of happiness.

I like to experience this feeling, which I always completely forget in my daily life, when I go camping.

The house I live in now is surrounded by concrete, so I can't hear these sounds. If I could hear the tone of these insects and the sound of this wind every day, I wonder how I would feel... imagining it makes me happy.

If I lived a life like that, would I miss the place where I live now? Or would I not miss it at all?

While thinking about such things, before I knew it, everything was swallowed by the darkness.

With this, whatever was missing inside me has been recharged. When I feel that empty void again, I will go camping somewhere else.

That is why I love camping.