My Grandmother’s House in Countryside Japanby Sawa NemotoIn the morning we wake up with the birds singing.
If it rains, we hear rain sounds.
At night, we fall sleep with the singing of the frogs.
As the years pass, I become older and older. Despite how old I get, I still always want to go back to Fukushima. My grandma’s house is located in the Fukushima mountains. We have to drive at least 15 minutes from her house to get to the nearest supermarket. It’s very green with lots of forest and animals. All of the houses in the area are spread out and remote. We harvest so many vegetables in the summer vacation. I really respect the farmers because they are passionate in growing the food with love as they think about their neighbours, the environment, family, everything. This corn is from my farm, so it’s very fresh.
My grandpa’s friend is a fisherman and he always brings us sashimi. It tastes very fresh, it’s almost too fresh that it’s sweet. When we eat the sashimi, we imagine the fisherman’s face so that we can appreciate him.
Our house is in the most northern part of the region. If you drive north from our house, there is nothing. There is nothing there, but nothing is perfect for us. There is just talking and nature.
In the beginning of May we start planting rice in the rice fields, and the frogs come. In September, it turns gold, and then we harvest. In the morning we wake up with the birds singing. First we wake up, then we go straight to the farm to harvest the vegetables. If it rains, we hear rain sounds. At night, we fall sleep with the singing of the frogs.
My dad used to play this song in the car to drive to my grandma’s house every weekend in the Fukushima prefecture. It’s a local song from Fukushima. It’s a tribe singing, but no one knows that because it’s so local. This song reminds me of the beautiful nature, rice fields, my grandparents, and the dogs. When I hear this song, I feel like I am in Fukushima again, and I love Fukushima. I feel excited, and also relaxed hearing this song.
I hope that some Gen Z Abroad community members reading this will come to visit me in Japan. I am waiting for you!
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