My Definition of the Sea, Realized at Cabo da Roca

November 2023
Taking a trip from Lisbon, Portugal
to Cabo da Roca

Whether in Japan or abroad,
whenever I look at the sea,
I usually feel a strange sensation.

Even though my mind knows it is the sea,
I find myself thinking, "Is this the sea?"
as if it were a different landscape
from the sea I know.

To me, the sea is
a very familiar presence.

I can walk to the sea
in ten minutes from my parents' house,
and I can see the sea from my room.

And yet,
why is it that
I get this strange feeling
when I look at the sea?

For some reason, on this day,
I wanted to know the reason why.

As tourists took photos and
left,
I sat down on a bench
and decided to gaze at
Cabo da Roca for a while.

Perhaps due to the previous day's rain,
the color of the sea looked a bit heavy.

Even so,
the gradient that changed from blue to deep green
as it stretched into the distance looked beautiful.

Furthermore,
the contrast between the color of the sea and the clear sky
was indescribable.

The white and red of the lighthouse
made the colors of the sea and sky
stand out even more.

I was captivated by the high waves
that crashed against the cliffs
and sent up spray.

And yet,
I realized I was thinking...
that something was missing.

A magnificent view
that I had never seen before.

And yet,
beyond just being moved,
I felt somewhat unsettled.

Why...

I compare it to the photos of the local sea
in my smartphone's camera roll.

I realized that the scenery
did not look like the same sea.

There is no opposite shore!

The sea in my hometown is
the Seto Inland Sea.

The sea I used to watch from my room
always had an opposite shore,
and there were many islands.

During the day,
I could see buildings on the other side,
and at night, I could faintly see
lights on the opposite bank.

Now, before my eyes,
the horizon stretches out.

When I look at the horizon,
I feel like I can go anywhere,
and it excites me.

At the same time,
I also feel a bit anxious,
wondering if I might never reach the other side.

For me, the sea
was not something that stretched on forever,
but something I could reach somewhere.

Perhaps I had been finding a sense of security
in the calm, deep blue seas
with their opposite shores and islands.

That is precisely why
I am excited by the sea where the horizon stretches on.

I don't know what lies beyond it.
I don't know where it leads.

More than a little fear or anxiety,
it stimulates my curiosity.

The Seto Inland Sea
is, for me,
a sea I can always return to.

The sea at Cabo da Roca
spreading out before me
was a sea that felt like it would carry me somewhere else.

Unlike the sea back home,
I think I am drawn to
a sea where the opposite shore cannot be seen.

I feel a little uneasy.
But I feel like I could go somewhere.

That is how I have
left my hometown,
and even with the anxiety,
and even when things didn't go well,
I have made it this far.