Station | 駅

When I was an elementary school student, my parents always planned a daytrip once or twice a year. In October, it was usually mikan (a kind of orange, tangeline like fruit) picking daytrip.

One year, my parents paid for a special daytrip for families – going to Wakayama (south of Osaka prefecture) by a special Blue Train passenger cars leaving from Tennoji Station (One of the biggest terminal station in Osaka).

The reason why my parents decided to join the daytrip is that my parents knew that I liked train, especially Blue Train (Blue Train was a nickname for overnight express trains that ran all over Japan led by electric or diesel locomotives). When my mom told me about the trip, I got so excited about it.

I am sure that I am not the only one, but I don't like feeling the end (getting closer home from far) when we take a trip.

Even though I was small, I had the feeling. I didn't like to see lights of the cities as getting closer to Tennoji. When we got off at Tennoji, my frustration was maximum and I was so angry becasue there was no more train trip other than taking commuter train home.

I remember confusing look on my parents' faces. I don't remember why I was so mad about the end of the trip – maybe I wanted a new Pla-Rail toy or two although stores were closed on Sunday night.

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小学生の頃、僕の両親は年に１、２回いつもなんらかの日帰り旅行に連れて行ってくれた。１０月はだいたいみかん狩りに決まっていた。

ある年、両親は特別日帰り旅行を見つけてきて予約をした、天王寺からブルートレインの客車で行く日帰り和歌山みかん狩りツアー。

その旅行を予約した理由は、姉ちゃんのためじゃなくどうやら僕だったらしい。両親は僕が電車が好きなのを知っていたし、ブルートレインは当時僕の憧れの乗り物だった。その知らせを聞いた時僕はとても嬉しかった。

多分、僕一人ではないと思うけれど、僕は旅をする時の往路家に近づいて行く時の感じがとても嫌いで、その小学生のときもそういう気持ちを持っていた。天王寺に近づくにつれ街の灯りがとても鬱陶しかった。天王寺で列車を降りた時僕のイライラは頂点で僕はなんだかとても怒っていた、旅が終わったから。後は近鉄電車で家に帰るだけ。

僕は今でも両親の困った顔を何となく思い出せる。僕がどうしてあんな風だったのかはっきり覚えてないけれど。日曜日の閉店したおもちゃ屋で新しいプラレールでも欲しかったのだろうか。