In fact, I go to work in a suburb of Tokyo. Going to the outside of the Yamanote Line, passing through residential districts, crossing rivers, looking out over fields, and going over mountains (going through several tunnels, to be more exact), I come to sight of a town where I work. In this time of the year, the view from the window of a suburban train that I take for going to work is wonderful, and I can enjoy the scenery of towns full of variety.

At verandahs of apartments, there are potted plants being in flower, and in a town with a lot of houses, there are plants in the gardens coming into bud. The flowery season is over, and verdure is now becoming deeper. There are fields in spaces between residential districts. I am not sure what are cultivated there, but rape blossoms by the side of the fields are out in dazzling yellow.

It is not common to find a field in Setagaya and Nerima. As I go through there by bicycle or something, I catch an earthy smell that makes me feel very excited. I guess it is because that it brings back my pleasant memories of childhood when I went for a sweet-potato-digging or to see a hollow where udo plants were cultivated.

After crossing several small tributaries, I go across the Tama River at last. I see people by the river enjoying some sports or gathering for an event. There also will be a display of fireworks in summer. In the morning of a clear day, the water surface sparkles in the sunlight.

By this time, I become sleepy, but as I know that there will be gorgeous scenery taking on a countryside aspect, I suppress my sleepiness for a little while. A grove of bamboos rustles in the wind. I suppose there is a small wood beyond a road cut. After going over this hill, I enter an area that seems like a pear field. The flowers are all out in spring, making the whole field white. I see a farmhouse in the distance. Every time when I pass by this area, I feel like that I have come a long way. Everyday I feel myself going out of the town to work, and somehow become happy.

The scenery of village is almost over. And I now come in sight of bare mountains under development. Recently, new apartments have been built one after another, and an area around station has been maintained as well, but yet, it still is solitary. It used to be only the dark ground and sky that I could see from the train on my way back, but I now can see some neon signs of a shopping center. It has been more than 3 years since I started going to work by taking this route, but this town has been changing very rapidly.

Then, as I go through a tunnel, I suddenly come in sight of a town with a group of magnificent buildings. Apartments and residential districts are intermixed. There is a school on a hill.

Here I am. A ridgeline is clearly visible from my office building. I can also see Mt. Fuji in the distance. It seems much larger than how I see it from a hill near my house. As I look down, there are a shrine and large park. I am going to eat my box lunch under a tree in that park. Everyday is a picnic. Yes, that is how it should be!

Translated by Maiko Noda