The city where I have lived the longest in my life

Good morning.
This is Yumi.

The city where I have lived the longest in my life is Tokyo.
Tokyo was also the city I wanted to live in.

As for cities other than Tokyo,
there are almost no cities I lived in because I wanted to.

When I say 'almost,' if I had to force it, there is Gunma, where I lived during my university years.
It's not that I wanted to live in Gunma, but since I was the one who chose the university in Gunma, I suppose that counts.

After that, I joined a company as a new graduate and lived in Tokyo for about 14 years.

The next longest place I lived was probably Mie Prefecture, where I spent 7 years from the 6th grade of elementary school until I graduated from high school.

Even Fukuoka, which I love so much, I have actually only lived in for 6 years.

Thinking about it that way, 14 years is an incredibly long time for me.

Moreover, the fact that it was a city I chose to live in because I wanted to is a big factor.
Of course, it would end up being a special city.

It has already been a year since the counselor Nemoto Hiroyuki's apprentice course ended.
Former colleagues gathered at a seminar room in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, for what we called a 'survival confirmation meeting'.

In my case, there are only a very small number of people I keep in touch with, and for the others, it was mostly our first reunion since the apprentice course ended.

And yet, what is this sense of security and comfort?

Did we have a course last month, too?
It feels as if we had all gathered just last week.
I wonder if space-time is distorted in a good way only here.

I, who had lived my whole life thinking I had no place to belong, actually had places to belong in many different areas.

Before going to the seminar room, I also had tea with a colleague from my company whom I hadn't seen in 15 years.

I have been working at the same company since I was a new graduate, but she quit around her fifth year, so we hadn't met in a long time.

But she is a dear friend of mine, and we often send LINE messages and write letters to each other.

Even when we meet after a long time, we can talk with the same vibe as if we had eaten together just yesterday.

When I say, 'Tokyo, it doesn't bother me at all,'
she instantly retorts,
'Are you Elsa?!'
and that is comforting.
In Tokyo, I also have friends I can truly stay connected with.

By the way,
I had been thinking this ever since the apprentice course, but when I go to the seminar room, I need to use the restroom very frequently.
It might be because I'm drinking a lot of water, but even after returning to the hotel and while sleeping, I woke up to use the restroom many times.

What is this, a detox? lol

Tokyo has a lot of people.
And I think it is an incredibly convenient city.

There are many things you can't understand unless you live there.

I've lived in several cities since I was little, and the environments are just so different.
It suddenly hit me intuitively that, of course, there are things we just can't understand about each other.

Here in Niigata, where I am now.
It might just be the people at my company, but I get the feeling that many people here have never left Niigata.

Many haven't lived in other prefectures or experienced life elsewhere through long-term stays.
If anything, I get the impression that many don't even travel much.

Since I started living in Niigata, I've tried my best to understand their lives, the local environment, the influence of the weather, and so on, but there's a limit to that.

Conversely, I realize once again how impossible it is to ask them to understand the environment I grew up in.

There are things we can't understand about each other.
Perhaps we can still live together even without fully understanding one another.

Like saying, 'You don't understand me.'
Or, 'I can't understand you.'
Well, of course.
Our backgrounds are just so different.

In such a situation, all we can do is try to be considerate, starting with what we can do.

'Celery,' with its line 'Because we grew up in different environments, likes and dislikes are inevitable,' is a masterpiece.

I'll do my best, as much as I can.
That's because I 'like it'.

Do I still have enough 'like' left in me to keep trying?

I mean,
it feels like, what am I even talking about?

Tokyo is bright at night, sparkling, with lots of people and lots of shops.
There are so many choices.
In the morning and during the day, the sun is out and it's bright.
It lifts my spirits, and I start to feel like I can make things happen if I put my mind to it.

It feels like a waste to just stay home.
It makes me want to go out.

I had many hard times during my Tokyo days, but I still love the city of Tokyo.

Thank you for always reading.

You can find my residential history here.

See you next time.