There Were Cherry Blossoms Blooming There

Back then.


There were several cherry trees planted there like an avenue, and in the spring, I could see them looking so beautiful... from the swelling buds to the blooming, the falling petals, the carpet of blossoms, and at the same time, the season of fresh green leaves that would sprout immediately after.

However, it was a secluded spot tucked away from the road that only the people living around there would know about. You might not even realize they were cherry trees during the seasons when they weren't blooming.

Quietly, yet vividly.

I wonder if those cherry trees are still there...

There was a building there that looked like a two-story apartment complex... even back then, it already seemed old... and was of simple construction.
It was like a row house. One household on the first floor and one on the second, connected in a single building separated by thin walls.

It was in the middle of a pine forest with many, many large pine trees.
But around that building, there were more trees of other kinds than pines, so not as many pinecones fell there compared to elsewhere.
The surroundings were surrounded by a space that could only be described as a vacant lot, a field... or rather, a meadow.

They were official residences. Self-Defense Force personnel and their families lived there.
There were cherry trees outside, and on that side, there were tent-like carports for their cars, lined up in a number slightly less than the number of households. Beyond that was the outer fence separating the inside of the base from the outside. It was right there.

It was near an Air Self-Defense Force base.

The profession of the Self-Defense Forces is actually a nomadic one... many people move from base to base scattered all over Japan. It might depend on their age and job type at the time.
They all came from different places. Some were from far away. I remember that among "them," there were people from Hamamatsu (Shizuoka Prefecture) and Matsushima (Miyagi Prefecture).

The period they lived in those official residences was usually just a few years, very short. Even if they continued to work at that base, if their family grew, it would become cramped... and they would likely need to move to another place in town.
That is why the period I spent seeing them there was very short.

But... you remember the place where you were born and raised as a child surprisingly well, don't you?

Yes... I was a child from around there.

Those buildings from back then might be gone now, but...

Those cherry trees, and...
...then, on the opposite side across that building... their home... there was a large manhole beyond what you couldn't even call a garden, a small garden separated for each household. That might still be there.
The manhole sticks out a little from the ground, forming a platform.
A small child squatting there and getting settled.

That is me.

I liked listening to the men talk.
They were maintenance workers and former pilots who worked at the base with the airfield.

They probably didn't intend for a child to hear it, and they didn't think I would understand... I would listen from the side to the things they were talking about. They were probably just having a casual chat outside.
And when I would suddenly ask a question from the side (or from below...),
"...Oh, I see, how am I supposed to explain this to a kid like this!"
they would say something like that, but even so.
They chose their words to teach me, as much as I could understand, so that even if I didn't understand then, I would understand someday in the future.

How are you all doing?

I have also become an adult.
I would like to talk, bit by bit, about the cool adults I met back then.

New series, "Secret of Pandora's Box".

The theme is "This is what it means to be cool"

(From everyone's favorite, "Porco Rosso")

I'm sorry if the updates end up being really sporadic. But I will continue them bit by bit...

Thank you for your support.

Spring 2025

↓ This series is being uploaded to the magazine as we go

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