No Preference - Dazai Osamu

     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.
    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.

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.

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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