Yonioka Town Travelogue: The Scent of Tea Transcending Time #ImaginaryPlaceFestival

When you come to Yonioka Town, you are enveloped in a unique atmosphere where nostalgia and novelty intersect.
In the cafes, passionate debates are held, and passersby point things that look like bean-shooters at pigeons; it is a place where hidden thoughts and the sparkle of creativity breathe.
In this town, perhaps love stories that could change the world or inventions that awaken forgotten dreams are born.
A stranger you pass by might actually be your fated partner or someone weaving an ancient legend. That is Yonioka Town.


Serika, who had recently moved to Sakurajo City, was completely captivated by the rumors of 'time slips' whispered about in town.
'If I could go back to the past, I might have made different choices...'
Such thoughts are a faint dream that sprouts in everyone's heart at least once. For Serika, it was a wish she had quietly tucked away deep in her heart.

One afternoon, she was stirred by a rumor she happened to hear. It was said that an eccentric doctor living in Yonioka Town was secretly researching a time machine.
Unable to sit still, Serika traveled to Yonioka Town on the weekend, swaying on a local train. The scenery flowing past the window was a nostalgic, quintessential Japanese landscape.
It seems both Sakurajo City and Yonioka Town are in the Kansai region... though I don't know for sure.

The only clue was an old laboratory on the outskirts of town. Guided by a map, she arrived at a place where a vine-covered building and a handwritten sign stood quietly. Her heart raced at the words 'Laboratory' written on it.

When she opened the door, the sound of machinery and a burnt smell tickled her nose.
'Hello... is this Dr. Annyu?'
When she called out, a small man with a lab coat stained with soot looked up. He was wearing cat ears, and his eyes behind round glasses sparkled with curiosity.
'Hmm? Who... are you?'
'My name is Serika Yumemachi, and I came from Sakurajo City. I heard that Dr. Annyu is building a time machine...'
He widened his eyes and stared at Serika for a while, but then he grinned.
'I am not "Dr. Annyu." I am his assistant, Professor Nyannyu. Well, since you've come all this way, why don't you help me out a bit?'

And so, Serika's unexpected days in Yonioka Town began.
Professor Nyannyu's inventions were always bizarre. They would explode, emit smoke, or something huge would appear in the garden.
Even so, Serika found herself drawn to the professor's outlandish ideas and his ability to laugh and keep moving forward even after failure.

One day, when an experiment failed again and the professor was slumped in disappointment, Serika quietly offered him some tea.
'Professor, I'm sure you'll succeed someday.'

Beyond the steam of the sweet-scented tea, the professor smiled quietly.
'I no longer care whether the time machine is completed or not.'
'Huh?'
'I met an interesting girl like you. Every day is a new discovery, and even failures become funny stories. Even without a time machine, my days are happy enough as they are.'
At those words, Serika was struck.
Even though she had come seeking the extraordinary, it was in the days spent in Yonioka Town that she found moments that truly filled her heart.
Interactions with people, time spent laughing together, and the quiet moments that dwell within ordinary daily life.

In the end, the time machine was never completed.
However, an irreplaceable treasure remained in Serika's heart.
It was the joy of creating, the kindness of people, and the wonder of cherishing the present moment.
On the train back to Sakurajo City, Serika's steps were much lighter than when she had arrived.
Her slightly mysterious and heartwarming journey in Yonioka Town became one of her most precious memories, like a treasure.

My town is here. To Lumidre Town.

This work is participating in the Imaginary Place Festival.