It was in September 1st of last year that I
moved into this area—a remote part of Mitaka.1
Before that, I lived in a house that I
rented in the outskirts of Kōfu.2 The monthly rent at that house was six yen and fifty sen.
1 Mitaka (三鷹): A city located immediately to the
west of Tokyo. It is now included in Tokyo Metropolis (東京都) and borders
Suginami Ward.
↩
And before that, I rented and lived on
the second floor of a tea house located at the top of the Misaka Pass.3
Earlier still, I lived in a rented room
in Ogikubo's4 most inferior boarding house.
And even earlier than that, I lived on
the outskirts of Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, where I resided in a house
that I rented for 24 yen per month.
No matter where I live, it's all the same.
I don't have any particularly strong feeling about the places where I
live. Guests who come to my current house in Mitaka share with me their
own impressions of the place, but all I do in response is smile and
nod.
To me, where I live makes
absolutely no difference. I care about having the basic necessities--food,
clothing, shelter. Beyond that, I don’t care. People who kick up a fuss
about their fancy food, clothes or houses make no sense to me, and I find
them completely ridiculous.
2 Kōfu(甲府): The capital of Yamanashi Prefecture, further to the west of Tokyo. ↩
3 Misaka Pass (御坂峠): A famous mountain pass with a beautiful vista of Mount Fuji. ↩
4 Ogikubo (荻窪): An area in western Tokyo, crossed by the Chūō Line. Now part of Suginami Ward.↩
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