Meeting the Past Self Who Kept Getting Lost on the Hills of Chikusa, Nagoya | Memories of the City Turned into Sound: <Star Hill>

At the Hoshigaoka intersection where I suddenly stopped, a cold breeze brushes against my cheeks. Chased by the routines of busy days, perhaps we have lost sight of even our own footprints. The faint longing and the inescapable restlessness that once burned deep in my chest when I used to cycle through the hills of this town—where have the fluctuations I held back then disappeared to? I cannot help but feel that there is scenery I am overlooking in my current self, who seeks only efficiency and results.
The name Chikusa is said to originate from the fact that it was once a land where rich vegetation grew. This town possesses a surprisingly diverse range of expressions, from the quiet atmosphere of Kakuozan to the bustling energy of Imaike. In this place, where merchants once came and went and people gathered as a center of learning, there flows a unique atmosphere that embraces the new while cherishing the good old memories as its foundation. The undulations of the town might just be the rhythmic pulse of the hearts of the people who live there.
If you look down at the town from the terrace in Hoshigaoka, you can see the car lights becoming a river of light flowing gently under the veil of night. From there, if you head down the hill, pass through the approach to Kakuozan, and walk into the back alleys of Fukiage, the scent of coffee drifting from an old-fashioned coffee shop mixes with the faint sounds of daily life heard from somewhere. Hearing the small creak of a swing at Chayagasaka Park, the loneliness of those days when I struggled to become someone seems to suddenly embrace my present self. The shadows of this town do not deny our confusion or longing; they simply accept them quietly.
I captured the gradation of this town in a story set to the groove of city pop. I felt that the layers of sound woven by the town of Chikusa, from the silence of Kakuozan to the river of light in Hoshigaoka, could become the soundtrack of life itself. The scent of the night blowing from the Higashiyama forest and the light of the Sky Tower that shines small when you look up at the sky—these are not just scenery, but the very heartbeat of ourselves who once held onto formless promises.
That is how the song <Star Hill> was born. I created this song not to forcibly erase the confusion of the past, but to affirm that its imperfection is what makes it precious. Like a constellation emerging in the waves of the city, I wanted to convey that the me of those days is still shining in my heart. If you ever feel like you are losing your outline in your daily life, please surrender yourself to this song and remember the hills you once walked.
Music can sometimes be the key that starts moving time that has come to a standstill. The dreams we held back then and the small resolutions we couldn't tell anyone are there, becoming a certain light that supports you now. When you walk through this town, what kind of melody is playing in your heart? Please try to find the incomplete and precious fragments of memory left behind by your past self, along with the sounds of the city.
🎧 Star Hill

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#Music #LocalSong #UrbanDevelopment #Nagoya #ChikusaWard #Hoshigaoka #CityPop #Essay