Relive Japan 1 : EDA

This is my apology letter to Japan (and Tokyo). The city was bashed relentlessly by a girl who could not solve her problems. It was looked at with biased eyes, interpreted with hatred for something it did not do. So this writing is to clear Japan out of its negative images, also, my chance to relive Japan once again, even if it's just through memories.

EDA

Eda is a small station in Kanagawa, where I live. I do not have much impression of Eda, because it feels just like a mediocre town with nothing of significance. What I have with Eda is familiarity, since it's where I have been coming back and forth for a whole year. The Eda Eki is the start of an inspiring adventure and a greeting signal for coming home.

700m from the train station to my dorm, the everyday walk sees me and Zuzu, me and the girls, or me alone strolling along. The trail is right on a highway, with barely any shops on the way. Trees on both sides and clear sky shines above. Eda is where if you look up, you can see a whole sky without any modern structure intervention. At dusk, magenta fills your eyes. At dawn, it's bathed in gold, the kind of scenery that can be put into Instagram reels with "Here Come The Sun" playing.

Eda is my big fat uncle, who does not even need to appear funny or attractive. But he never does anything annoying, and he accepts me for whatever I feel.

Neighborhood

The neighborhood around where I live, like many other places in Japan, is complicated with endless slopes. It's nowhere near Saigon and its maze-like numbering system, but it's fun enough to explore. You will find that all alleys in EDA are broad enough for cars to get in, and they are all super clean, with no sight of unassembled trash or unpleasant smells. By their looks, it seems that it's a rich neighborhood with many big houses, gardens, trees, and modern architecture. Such pleasant feelings strolling around on a sunny day, watching sparkling trees and flowers, hanging around the playground, looking at some kids, spotting a stray cat on the way.

I and Zuzu have sufficiently explored the place to find good spots for photos. And I was there on many evenings, wandering for no purpose. My biggest reward was when I run upto a slope, just to find the overview, silent in electric light, comfy in the breeze.

On one of many heartache evenings, I walked miles along the highway reaching no destination, only to find charming moonlight hidden behind black clouds, an empty gigantic field, a car garage, some small shops looking so lonely. I looked at the moon and wondered the meaning of what I was doing? The moon said nothing but I told myself it's gonna get better, and I continued anyway.

My heart still aches when thinking about it.