01 : Zushi Station, Kanagawa Prefecture
"Zushi", "the sea", "my grandmother" and me

01-01: Foreword

In 2021, halfway through my life, I made the decision to return to Zushi, where I was born, with my wife.
Zushi is located next to Kamakura and above the Imperial Villa in the town of Hayama, surrounded by mountains and the sea. My father and mother met at the Hayama Marina where they worked and I was born. If I were to describe Zushi in a few words, I would say that it is a very charming town with all the things you need now and then in a small area. The town has many charming little stores, and the Zushi Ginza shopping district is located on the road leading from the station to the sea. In summer, Zushi Beach is crowded with bathers and visitors for fireworks displays. With access to two stations, and the first Keikyu train to the beach, Zushi has become a popular destination for recent immigrants. Of course, it is not only the town that is attractive. The people of Zushi are also very attractive. Maybe it is just me, but I can recognize the faces of people who have lived in Zushi for many years. I am often told that I look like my mother, so maybe I have a Zushi face, too. I was not born in Zushi, but moved to Ishikawa Prefecture, where my father's family lived, shortly after I was born. However,

I spent most of my long school vacations in Zushi. My mother loved Zushi so much that she often took my brother and me back there. I also feel at home here. After all, I had been determined to return here for many years since I was a child. I loved Zushi so much that after the vacations were over and I returned to Ishikawa, I felt homesick. But even as an adult, I could never quite make up my mind to return to Zushi. When I couldn't make up my mind again and again, it was my wife who pushed me, saying, "If you insist so much, why don't you go back to Zushi? And so I returned to Zushi. I started this site in the hope that people who read it would become interested in Zushi, fall in love with it, and visit. Now, I'm not sure how to write about Zushi, but I'm going to take a walk around Zushi with my wife, introducing Zushi and telling some stories from the past. Yes, we decided on a title together, and it became "tea for two".
To be continued.

01-02: Summer Routine

Every year, I spent my summer vacation in Zushi. I have a house in Zushi that I love, and I have a grandmother there. I called her "Baaba. I remember she was petite but plump and always wore a kimono or muumuu. Whenever we went to bed, she would always say "G'nai" and good night. I loved my grandma like that. During summer vacation in Zushi, I went to the beach every day with my brother and grandma. Getting ready to go to the beach was easy. Because I was a kid, I changed into my swimsuit, inflated my float, put on my swimming goggles and towel, put on my flip flops, and we went to the beach hand in hand with my grandma. On the way, we talked about all sorts of things and always looked under the Togo Bridge. Sometimes we would see birds and fish. Eventually, the blue horizon appears on the other side of the road, and when we reach Zushi Beach, it is a different world. Colorful beach parasols and people, people, people. We find a small space, lay out our colorful mats, and swim in the ocean, making sure we know where our grandmother is. Zushi Beach is a shallow sandy beach, surrounded by bays, so the waves are not too big and the coast is calm. As you look out to sea, you look for your grandmother and wave to her. My grandmother holds a parasol in one hand and waves to us with a smile. But now that I think about it, it must have been hard for my grandmother. She sat and waited for hours on that hot beach, and then played with us on the sand. Now I can only be thankful for that.

 After a day of fun, it is lunch time in no time. I don't like to walk around with sand on my flip flops, so I wash my feet, but even though I walk carefully, I always end up with sand on them. But when I walk around talking with my grandmother, it is gone before I know it and I don't care. I hardly remember eating at the beach house, we always ate at Zushi's house. When we arrived at Zushi's house, my uncle would make us ramen while he was at work. It was also excellent. (It was a simple ramen with naruto and bamboo shoots, but as I have said many times, it was incredibly delicious.) I still regret that I should have asked him to teach me how to make it. I am not sure if it is instant now or if it is made from broth. I'll ask my cousin's auntie next time. And after we all ate ramen, we would now lie down in our rooms. We didn't have air conditioners back then, so we would turn on the fan and sleep in the cold tatami room. I still remember the sound of cicadas, the smell of tatami mats, and the occasional voice of the mailman. Thus began my summer routine of swimming in the sea. Walking here always reminds me of the summers of my childhood. Now there is a coffee shop on the way, and I walk to the beach with my wife while drinking coffee. I hope this view will never change.
To be continued.

01-03: Zushi's House and uncle

When summer vacation at my grandmother's house in Zushi began, my younger brother and I went to the beach every day. However, on days when it rains and we are not allowed to go to the beach, the inevitable summer homework awaits me. I tried my best to finish my homework, but soon after, I was down as usual. Why is there so much homework to do during summer vacation? I lay on the tatami mats and stared blankly at the ceiling. I often wished I could stay longer in that room, and only the sound of the washing machine and fan echoed in the background. As I lay there thinking about this, I saw an entrance to a tunnel that was barely wide enough for an adult to pass through. Yes, let's go to uncle's room." I got up my heavy body and went through the narrow entrance, as if I was going to another world, and there was a bright space. Grandpa was my mother's older brother and had a printing business at home. He is what we now call a freelancer. When you enter the room, you smell letterpress ink and lots of metal letters, a big window with green blinds, a huge wooden desk like a cartoonist would use, and a stand lamp. On the desk, there is a galley, a metal pencil-like object with a sharp tip, pens, a filing cabinet, and many other tools. And I can see uncle's back, working alone in the middle of the desk.

 I call out to him with childish reserve. He looks like a slightly smaller Clark Kent, has a natural perm like me, and always wears glasses. Is it paper?" For some reason, I still remember these words from uncle's very clearly. I don't remember talking much when we went into Zushi house, maybe because he was always so quiet. For some reason, I always liked going to Grandpa's room to get a piece of paper, even though it always made me nervous. In those days, a sheet of paper was usually straw paper and there was not much white paper, so I would draw on the smooth paper with a sharp pencil that I borrowed from my grandfather. I remember that my grandfather worked so much that I rarely saw him except for lunch breaks. So I was also very careful as a child and only remember entering this room a few times during my summer stay. Now that I think about it, I think it was because I was in the printing business that there was a large cutting machine made of steel when I walked in the door. I remember thinking as a child that I would never touch it again. Thinking back on it now, it was like a dream come true for me as a designer. I love this Zushi house so much that I still remember it when I close my eyes.
To be continued