"Yamanote on Foot"
I like to go for a walk, often walk about a city as fancy leads me.
And I have dreamed of walking along a certain railway someday for a long time.
Do you think I am too moved with the movie, "Stand By Me"? No! I hate a leech.
But some part of true. Like above, I really like to walk slowly to find
something interesting and funny but hidden in a city. I feel that it's a kind
of trip in everyday life.
When I was an elementary student, after school my friend and I went
and went as long as we could along Nambu Line. Finally we couldn't get to more
next station any longer because there was a river between the station and the
next station next to it. But for us, this was a big adventure.
I think it is important for us to get an adventure in everyday life.
In a long vacation such as summer vacation, we can do a lot of things and
adventure. At the same time we have a lot of chance to go anywhere. I know
that but I dare to say that we had better find an adventure in a daily life.
We tend to feel that we do the same thing in the same way again and again,
and at last fall into routinism with indifferent and exhausted faces. To
be creative and change viewpoint depends on how much "jewelry" we can find
in a routine life. Then our lives will be filled with creativity and we need
not to be looking forward to long vacation's coming.
And of course Fantasy explorers were planning to join this project
with me ,,,,,,,,,,. Even though I don't want to admit it, but I cannot help
saying that this project turned into Twon-May Project as usual! No Fantasy
Explorers except I came……..My friends of mine, as you know Twonze just came
to Hibiya Park. The people who had willingness to join this project were
supposed to get together in Hibiya Park. There were a lot of people in the
park! Almost all of them were the young. This activity was held by DOKKYO
University's Youth Hostel Team ,so most of them were DOKKYO University
students.
Around seven o'clock, it was getting dark and dark. We get excited!
We started to walk from Hibiya Park. At first we were so cheerful that we
could see a sort of buildings, which is particular to Tokyo as the capital of
Japan. There are such as Supreme Court, the Diet Building and a moat of the
Imperial Palace. We saw BUDOKAN where concerts often take place and Tokyo Dome
where we can see pro-baseball games. If you are a fan of Giants, you should
know it! But we gradually got tired. Feet started to ache ….
Our speed to walk became slow. "Excuse me, how long dose it leave from here?"
asked to the leader.
" Are you joking? Goal is much far away from here! We just started to walk,
didn't we!" he said. He was right. And we never want to give up of course ,
whatever happened. We firmly decided to accomplish this project!
So, I was excited when I found an article about the walk along YAMANOTE project
on the Youth Hostel Newspaper.
Sometimes we all took a rest to stop at a park. And Youth Hostel
Team members gave us something eat and drink. I cannot forget the taste of
ONIGIRI at this time and I've never felt that ONIGIRI is as such a precious thing.
It became midnight! Wow. I was walking on the street in Shinjuku, Kabukicho!
We are dazzled by twinkling illuminations as if it was still daytime there.
And people were as active as in the light of day! Though I'm not sure I imagine
they are more active and positive at night than in a day.
They must sleep in the daytime…
Most of the shops in the center of Tokyo were closed at that time,
but we could see "dubious" video shops still open and many men looking around.
More often than not we happened to meet people who live on the street. They are
commonly known as vagrants. They have home made of corrugated cardboard and
newspapers. Some of them were drunk and slept soundly.
To my surprise, at two or three o'clock, some walked with their
dogs!! I know they are too busy in the daytime to have time to go for a walk
with the dog, but if I were the dog, I would never want to go out late at night
even I liked walking……. Anyway we were a little bit exhausted. Our legs got
stiff as if they became sticks, and they started to tremble when walking.
What was worse, we were about to sleep.
During the rest time, we talked each other on the rug in a park.
" Uhhhhhh….. I can't walk any more", said Twonze. " Me neither, , , , ,.
But can you see those who walk on the street at such time?" I asked.
" Yeah ! I was very surprised. On the street there are more people than
I expected." " Much more people! Is it just because here is the center of Tokyo?
In my town FEW goes outside at midnight!" I sighed. " In my town, neither."
She sighed too. "Oh, there seems to be a seesaw and a swing, is it?" I asked. "
I think so. Shall we get on?" Twonze said. "Are you serious? Hmmmm, maybe it's an
enjoyable experience for us!" I replied. " I already know that! Let's go!"
She was excited.
That's why we played at them in a park. We were so tired that we
felt we could do everything as if we became supermen. Now I think it is a kind of
desperation , , ,anyway we felt like trying all. And at that time I hit my feet
when I tried to turn round on an iron bar ,,,,.
Although we were too exhausted and sleepy, we enjoyed playing in the park.
I rowed the seesaw which I had not played for seven years.
I was very glad to touch playthings in the park after a long interval.
Sometimes we all were looked at with an odd glance by passerby.
A policeman stopped us to ask what we were doing such unusual time. The leader
answered, " We are walking along YAMANOTE Line!" He realized and smiled at us sweetly.
Even he cheered us up! "Good luck!" I was impressed with his kindness and care because
after I saw the little bit dark side of Tokyo, I thought the urban people seem
to be flat. On the other hand, after his warm-hearted word, what made us all got
angry suddenly happened.
At dawn, eggs and firecrackers fell over our head. I can't believe
that even still now. Who did such a silly thing? First, we were surprised at the big
bang and eggs broke and scattered on the road. We all at first couldn't know what
happened. And after a while we knew someone in a car threw them out of the window at us.
No one was hurt but clothes some of us wearing were spotted with eggs. Some said that
they actually saw the suspicious in a car escape as soon as they finished the
hateful act. Of course I really got angry. We all thought hiding criminal was so mean.
We don't know why the person targeted us. At the same time we were scared.
Anyway I have to keep it mind that there aren't only kind people
in this world. Each has each opinion, each takes an action based on the own way of
thinking. I realized common sense is not just one, there may be no "COMMON" sense
in part , , , , ,. Although it is true, I never admit violence.
At the same time we were scared with this awful incident.
We reached SHIBA Park near Mita. This was the last place to take a rest.
It was a beautiful morning. Sky was blue and we felt cool and comfortable wind blowing.
Until midnight, it was hot. But at dawn it got cold because hot air sun left is used
up through night.
At last we came back to HIBIYA Park. It was wonderful Sunday!
It took about TWELVE hours to finish. We were so tired but happy as if I wanted to cry
loudly all over the world, "WE MADE IT!"
Of course we made friends with some people, who goes to DOKKYO University or
DAITO-BUNKA University. We were often asked which university we goes to at the
beginning of the conversation. And they were a little upset as soon as we answered
"KEIO University." Why? I'm afraid they can't believe I'm Keio's student
because , ,,,. But they are kind enough to say to me, "You MUST be smart!"
Actually I'm not so , , , , , , ,. No, no. I don't dare to continue to say.
Be confident! We All are WONDERFUL of course because WE get through this great project,
"Walk Along YAMANOTE" ! !
Finally I thank everyone.
Thank you, DOKKYO University Youth Hostel Team. If you haven't hold this project,
I couldn't walk Kabukicho at midnight. Thank you, my friends. If you haven't joind,
I would have got tired of walking without any word
( and fallen into sleep while walking!?). And thank you, me, for getting an idea
for project and finding the article on the paper!
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| ◆ This page was written by Kenjiro Tsujino, Gina Pei-Chun Liao and designed by Kaoru Tanaka for Prof.Tobin's "Change & Creativity" seminar. |