Hiroshima with memories 思い出の広島

I stayed in Hiroshima for three days to meet my old friends, and also traced paths or streets I used to when I was living there. Hiroshima has both warm and cold climate, they can harvest oranges while apples are growing in the northern part. It has coast, islands, rivers, bridges and above all very many oyster rafts floating in the sea.

３日間広島に滞在して友人たちに会い、以前住んでいたころに通った道をたどってみた。広島には暖かい地方と寒い地方の両方がある。オレンジを収穫している地方がある一方で、北部ではりんごが育つ。それに海岸線、島、川、橋と海に浮かぶ牡蛎筏。




I had lunch at the small bistro run by a young couple where I often went to have meal after working until very late in my Hiroshima time. There is no fixed menu but they write down every day what they can offer. They saw me entering and said promptly "long time no see" even after two years since last visit. As is quite popular in Japan they offer lunch-menu, so to say a set menu which might change every day. Having missed a chance to enjoy pacific saury in fall, I just asked to have grilled one.

当時仕事が遅くなったときによく食事に立ち寄っていた若い夫婦がやっている小料理屋で昼食をとった。前回の来広は２年前になるが、それでもこちらを見るやいなや"お久しぶりです"と。そこには日本ではごくごく一般的だが、お昼時にはランチメニューがある。時期は逃したが秋刀魚をメニューに見つけてそれをオーダーする。




After other customers hurried their lunch into their stomach and went back to work again, I ordered a small bottle of sake and started to talk with the owner. I heard about the alcohol trend in Japan from the bistoro owner while I was rolling ochoko cup in my hand. Time has changed, is changing all the time and sometimes old time would come back. Every two or three years I came here and found new alcohol menu here; I first thought of coming in when I saw my favorite sake on the menu outside. After leaving Hiroshima and first came back, I found many shohchu lists and bottles inside. And I now finally found Italian wines in the list. Not only fashion or trend, every time I visit there I heard the news that they got a new child.

他のお客がお昼を急いでかきこみ、仕事へと帰って言った後に、お酒の小瓶を注文してそれをすすりながら店の人と話をする。手のお猪口を回しながら大将が最近のお酒のトレンドについて話をしてくれるのを聞いていた。時代は変わって、そしていつも変っていき、たまに昔に返る。２、３年に一度広島に来た折にその小料理屋を訪ねているが、毎回お酒のメニューが変わってきた。最初は好きな日本酒がリストにあるのを見つけて店に入った。広島を離れて初めて帰ってきたときにはたくさんの焼酎がリストに加わり、店も一升瓶に溢れていた。そして今回、イタリアワインがリストに加わっていた。流行だけでなく、来るたびに夫婦には新しい子供が。



To trace my usual way to the city center I walked the street along the river. I happened to stop by at a small gallery which I could have very easily passed by. A small painting with mini and a fountain pen caught my attention. I stepped back half of my stride and really stopped, opened the door and went inside. I just looked around the walls inside, I found myself asking a cup of maccha without putting my bag somewhere. After a while, the female gallery keeper asked me if I was just a passers-by and I answered somehow yeh-no telling that I used to live in Hiroshima and came back to see friends.

市内へ行く当時の道をたどり、川沿いを歩く。なにも気に留めることなく通り過ぎることができるような小さなギャラリーの前で、ミニと万年筆が書かれた小さな絵を目にして足を止める。半歩下がり、そして立ち止まり、ドアを開けて中へ。壁を見渡し、かばんをどこかに置くこともなく抹茶をオーダーする。しばらくして女性のギャラリーオーナーが、通りすがりかと聞く。はっきりしない返事をしながら以前広島に住んでいて友人に会いに来たと答える。



After watching each aquarelle　painting in frames in F3 or even smaller size,　I found the design board with painter's profile. He is about to retire Mazda after working his whole career as chief designer there and worked for RX-7, Cosmo and RX-8. His wife was also there to talk to guests, I talked with her for a while. It seemed that he held his first exhibition. I was alone in the very small gallery, talked with two women and about Europe. After about half an hour, a man came in and they told me that he is the painter and mentioned that I used to work in the company, too. What a surprise. He told me about his projects, which kind of problems or efforts they had while designing cars and also colaboration between production engineers to realize the shape. Moreover some stories about presidents which kind of people they were.

壁にかかったF3かそれよりも小さな額に入った水彩画を見終わった後、画家の履歴が書かれたサインボードを見つける。彼は時期にマツダを定年退職するデザイナーで、RX-7、コスモやRX-8の開発にチーフデザイナーとして携わったようだ。彼の奥さんが訪ねてきたお客さんに挨拶をするためにそこにおり、彼女ともしばらく話をする。どうやら初めての個展のようだ。ギャラリーに客は一人、その２人の女性とヨーロッパについて話をする。３０分ほどして男の人がギャラリーに入ってきた。彼が画家だと告げられ、彼女は彼に、自分も以前マツダで働いていたことがあると説明をする。なんということか、彼は歴代のプロジェクトで経験した、デザインした形を現実にするために、生産部門との間の調整の問題や苦労について話をしてくれた。それに歴代の社長についての人となりについても。



The most impressive words he told me were that he felt sorry and even pain that designers' name can appear in media but those of such production engineers would never although they work very hard to find a solution to realise curvy body design. I told him that almost all enginner knows that it is their meaning of existance to realise what used to be impossible and they enjoy it. And the feeling should be the same when they see cars on the street with which they had to make so much effort to send them on the market.

彼の一番印象に残った言葉は、デザイナーはメディアなど表に名前が出る機会があるが、とても苦労して働いている生産サイドのエンジニアはそういう機会はまったくない。それについて心が痛むと。そこで彼に言ったのは、エンジニアはそれまでできなかったことを可能にするという任務をこなすことが彼らの存在意義だと分かっているし、それを楽しんでいるんだと。もしも自分たちが苦労して開発に携わった車を道路で見たら、それをうれしく思う気持ちは、デザイナーの人たちと変わらないと思うと。

Carrying a guide book in unknown cities and visit whatever is written in the book is not bad, but I usually prefer to expect some surprise. Even in a familiar city people can have a big surprise during a short stay and it can be unforgettable all through the life. Where to visit, what to see is not everything. Meeting and talking with people by chance, sharing the same time. The time I spent at the small gallery by following my intuition to stop by there became very precious for me.

ガイドブックを広げながら知らない町を散策するのも悪くはない。でも普段は偶然を期待したい。見慣れた町でさえ、短い滞在の間にびっくりするような偶然に恵まれ、一生忘れられない思い出にもなる。どこへ行って何を見て、というのがすべてではない。偶然人と会って話をし、時間を共有する。何気なく立ち止まった小さなギャラリーで過ごした時間はとても貴重なものになった。