太田潤

Jun Ohta

An overnight coach is not the best way for proper rest, but I already got used to it after all. I vaguely remember the impression of the lights passing by on the motorway before drifting off. Surprisingly, I slept quite well on this first overnight coach journey in a while.
I believe it was about 15 minutes before the arrival. When peering through the gap between the curtain and the window, I saw the night had already dawned, and the morning sun near the horizon caught my eyes. The couch crossed a river which flows quickly when it gathers rain.
Having once devoured my student holidays with the youth rail pass, I thought I got used to slow trains. Yet, it depends on the mindset. This wearinessーwhether it is physical fatigue or the view through the condensed windows? Arriving in Niigata prefecture marked the halfway through to the destination, but no bullet train runs beyond. Eventually, the Sea of Japan finally came across. The familiar grey and rough waves flow past at the speed of an express train. Time continues to flow alongside.
My grandfather was always caring about me until the very end. After attending his funeral, I returned to Haneda, Tokyo. While in the monorail, I realised Tokyo is full of life as if I would have left that sense somewhere behind. My eldest daughter was sleeping deeply. Perhaps she got tired from unfamiliar situations in the last few days.
The year after my grandfather had passed away, my second daughter was born. Her life is fulfilled with smiles.