No Regrets About This Detour

—My and Her Western Travels (34)

I have a deep attachment to Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture. My late grandmother lived here, and my father spent his youth here. Before I was old enough to know better, I would visit every summer and winter break. One of the many places I have memories of is a restaurant where my family and I often used to eat "Akashiyaki." That restaurant is almost on the way to our next destination, Arashiyama in Kyoto. We will be quite late for check-in at the hotel we booked, but having come this far, there was no option but to take my wife there. I decided on the detour without hesitation and exited the interchange.

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A Restaurant of Memories

The Akashiyaki restaurant I often visited is inside a shopping mall directly connected to JR Akashi Station (Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture). It is currently called "Piole," but I believe it was called "Akashi Station Building" back then. I have warm memories of sitting around a table with my grandmother, aunt, father, mother, and older sister, each of us dipping freshly made Akashiyaki into broth and eating it while it was piping hot.

"You should eat this too." I still remember the gentle expression on my grandmother's face as she said that and shared the Akashiyaki lined up in front of her. The Akashiyaki at this restaurant contains those "memory ingredients." For that reason, no matter what restaurant's Akashiyaki I eat from now on, I don't think any will surpass this one. That is exactly why I wanted my wife to taste it.

The Same Words as My Grandmother

Fortunately, the taste of this restaurant seemed to be well-received by my wife. She kept repeating "melty and fluffy" and was excited. However, it seems that the "mega-serving of seared bonito (*)" from the previous day had not fully digested in her stomach, and quite a bit remained. Perhaps deciding she couldn't eat any more, she unusually offered me the Akashiyaki in front of her: "You can eat this too."

They were the same words as my grandmother's in my memory. I was surprised for a moment, but immediately came to my senses. It was just a coincidence. I would have liked to feel a mysterious connection. If my wife were actually possessed by my grandmother's spirit, was a reincarnation of my grandmother, or had the ability to peek into other people's memories, it would be a good story. But there was only my wife, rubbing her stomach with satisfaction. She was just her usual self.

By the time we arrived at our original destination, Arashiyama in Kyoto, it was late at night. The rain that started when we left Katsurahama (Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture) in the afternoon showed no signs of stopping, and it was still falling steadily in the darkness. Even so, my heart was clear. The satisfaction of having my wife enjoy the taste of the Akashiyaki from my memories was great. That blew away the atmosphere that threatened to become gloomy.

This is why I can't stop taking detours. (To be continued)

(Photos <in order from top>: Remembering my grandmother's face at the Akashiyaki of the restaurant I was familiar with = created by Risu using free materials, etc., the restaurant looking different from back then = Risu, "melty and fluffy" Akashiyaki = same)

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