Night Walk
Just a long description of a walk around my town at night.
Yesterday was hot and muggy and I felt weighed down by the thick, heavy air. I spent the whole day lazing around the house doing nothing. But after sunset it finally cooled off and I felt restless, so I went for a walk. I like walking around my town at night. It`s quiet and calm and the streets are as charming as ever by lamplight, and I can hear the wind and frogs and insects and other little night noises. It`s firefly season, too. I`ve been out walking a few times over the past couple weeks and found a couple spots where dozens of shining fireflies dance above the water. I went first toward the castle, heading for one of those firefly congregation spots. Along the way I saw some blinking lights - not fireflies, but police cars. They were gathered around a car with a smashed front end that appeared to have hit one of the houses along the narrow street. A big flatbed truck with a winch had come to collect it, and the police were directed traffic. I crossed to the other side of the street, where some people were watching the proceedings. Two of my students were there. “What happened?” I asked. “Accident!” “Is everyone ok?” “Ok! Ok!” they reassured me. I stood and gawked for a bit before moving on. Probably the most interesting thing the police have had to do all week.
I got to the firefly spot by the castle, but there was nothing there. Maybe it was too early? I decided to check elsewhere and maybe come back later, so I wandered across the river, past the police box and the hotel and up the dark stretch of road where there are fields on one side and a hillside full of graves on the other. I was getting close to the lighted intersection near the sports field when I saw a flickering light in the tall grass to my left. Firefly! I stopped to look, and as I stood there I heard something rustling in the grass. There was some kind of animal down in the ditch, rattling the grass and eating something with open-mouthed smacking noises. A deer? I strained my eyes peering into the dark, and made out a broad back and possibly two upright ears. Shouldn`t a deer be taller than that? And more wary? I was a few meters upwind of whatever it was and I wasn`t being too quiet as I walked back and forth trying to get a better look, and the thing hadn`t paid any attention. I clapped my hands once and it finally took notice, the rustling quickly moving away up into the hills. It didn`t move with a deer`s bounding gait, and it was too big for a tanuki or a fox. I think it was probably a boar.
The lights were on at the sports field. They`re so bright they illuminate the whole hillside and the surrounding fields for a mile around. As I approached I saw that the lights were on for a baseball game, so I wandered up the road that runs past the outfield and hung around the fence to watch for a bit. It looked like a game between a couple of casual adult teams. There were only a couple people watching but the teams had proper uniforms and everything. The red team, which appeared to be winning, had “Vizz” written across their chests while the black team`s uniforms said “Lazy.” It was the perfect temperature for sitting around watching a baseball game. I watched a few plays, some well-executed and some botched terribly, until a fly ball went up up up and down beyond the left side fence. It bounced once, then went down into the ditch with the stream, and the left fielder made as if to pursue it at first before waving it off and going back to the game, so I decided to go fetch the ball. The stream ran through a ditch lined with steep stone walls; I had to cling with my toes as I climbed, but I made it down okay and fished the ball out of the shallow water. I scrambled out again and made my way over to the backstop, where the teams were switching places after the third out. One guy came jogging out through the fence, took off his cap and bowed and said thank you in both English and Japanese. I tossed him the ball and said you`re welcome. I went around to the hillside on the right field side and watched the red team get a few more hits, but the game ended soon after. As the guys were cleaning up the field I smiled at a couple on my way out, but I felt too shy to talk to anyone.
More walking in the dark, back the way I came, no sign of the probable-boar but I did see another firefly, and another, and another as I went down the dark path along the riverside. I always saw individual fireflies, never a whole swarm like I`d seen the week before. I followed the Okuyamagawa river to the neighborhoods in the south west part of town that I`m not as familiar with. There were some dark figures down in the riverbed - what were they doing? As I approached one of them saw me, and exclaimed “Ridia!” It turned out to be three of my favorite second-year boys, getting ready to light some fireworks. I stood and chatted with them for a bit; they were impressed that I had walked all the way from my neighborhood, but couldn`t help when I asked if they knew where to find fireflies. I watched them light some sparklers and a fountain, then kept going along the riverbank.
I went as far as the bridge called Hotaru Bashi, “Firefly Bridge.” There are decorative panels on either side with a firefly design and embedded LEDs that fade in and out with the same intensity as the real thing. But even here, no actual fireflies. I came back through the quiet residential streets around to the castle and checked the steam again. Two hours had gone by since I was there earlier, but still no fireflies. I guess they`re just about done for the season.
Yesterday was hot and muggy and I felt weighed down by the thick, heavy air. I spent the whole day lazing around the house doing nothing. But after sunset it finally cooled off and I felt restless, so I went for a walk. I like walking around my town at night. It`s quiet and calm and the streets are as charming as ever by lamplight, and I can hear the wind and frogs and insects and other little night noises. It`s firefly season, too. I`ve been out walking a few times over the past couple weeks and found a couple spots where dozens of shining fireflies dance above the water. I went first toward the castle, heading for one of those firefly congregation spots. Along the way I saw some blinking lights - not fireflies, but police cars. They were gathered around a car with a smashed front end that appeared to have hit one of the houses along the narrow street. A big flatbed truck with a winch had come to collect it, and the police were directed traffic. I crossed to the other side of the street, where some people were watching the proceedings. Two of my students were there. “What happened?” I asked. “Accident!” “Is everyone ok?” “Ok! Ok!” they reassured me. I stood and gawked for a bit before moving on. Probably the most interesting thing the police have had to do all week.
I got to the firefly spot by the castle, but there was nothing there. Maybe it was too early? I decided to check elsewhere and maybe come back later, so I wandered across the river, past the police box and the hotel and up the dark stretch of road where there are fields on one side and a hillside full of graves on the other. I was getting close to the lighted intersection near the sports field when I saw a flickering light in the tall grass to my left. Firefly! I stopped to look, and as I stood there I heard something rustling in the grass. There was some kind of animal down in the ditch, rattling the grass and eating something with open-mouthed smacking noises. A deer? I strained my eyes peering into the dark, and made out a broad back and possibly two upright ears. Shouldn`t a deer be taller than that? And more wary? I was a few meters upwind of whatever it was and I wasn`t being too quiet as I walked back and forth trying to get a better look, and the thing hadn`t paid any attention. I clapped my hands once and it finally took notice, the rustling quickly moving away up into the hills. It didn`t move with a deer`s bounding gait, and it was too big for a tanuki or a fox. I think it was probably a boar.
The lights were on at the sports field. They`re so bright they illuminate the whole hillside and the surrounding fields for a mile around. As I approached I saw that the lights were on for a baseball game, so I wandered up the road that runs past the outfield and hung around the fence to watch for a bit. It looked like a game between a couple of casual adult teams. There were only a couple people watching but the teams had proper uniforms and everything. The red team, which appeared to be winning, had “Vizz” written across their chests while the black team`s uniforms said “Lazy.” It was the perfect temperature for sitting around watching a baseball game. I watched a few plays, some well-executed and some botched terribly, until a fly ball went up up up and down beyond the left side fence. It bounced once, then went down into the ditch with the stream, and the left fielder made as if to pursue it at first before waving it off and going back to the game, so I decided to go fetch the ball. The stream ran through a ditch lined with steep stone walls; I had to cling with my toes as I climbed, but I made it down okay and fished the ball out of the shallow water. I scrambled out again and made my way over to the backstop, where the teams were switching places after the third out. One guy came jogging out through the fence, took off his cap and bowed and said thank you in both English and Japanese. I tossed him the ball and said you`re welcome. I went around to the hillside on the right field side and watched the red team get a few more hits, but the game ended soon after. As the guys were cleaning up the field I smiled at a couple on my way out, but I felt too shy to talk to anyone.
More walking in the dark, back the way I came, no sign of the probable-boar but I did see another firefly, and another, and another as I went down the dark path along the riverside. I always saw individual fireflies, never a whole swarm like I`d seen the week before. I followed the Okuyamagawa river to the neighborhoods in the south west part of town that I`m not as familiar with. There were some dark figures down in the riverbed - what were they doing? As I approached one of them saw me, and exclaimed “Ridia!” It turned out to be three of my favorite second-year boys, getting ready to light some fireworks. I stood and chatted with them for a bit; they were impressed that I had walked all the way from my neighborhood, but couldn`t help when I asked if they knew where to find fireflies. I watched them light some sparklers and a fountain, then kept going along the riverbank.
I went as far as the bridge called Hotaru Bashi, “Firefly Bridge.” There are decorative panels on either side with a firefly design and embedded LEDs that fade in and out with the same intensity as the real thing. But even here, no actual fireflies. I came back through the quiet residential streets around to the castle and checked the steam again. Two hours had gone by since I was there earlier, but still no fireflies. I guess they`re just about done for the season.