Since I moved to Fukui, I never blended in with the people. I was used to living in the bustling city of Tokyo, with the view of the Tokyo tower, the constant bicycle ringing and sales around the Shibuya district. Fukui was a different place with a different vibe.
It wasn't like I wanted to come, but because of my parents' constant fights, they decided to get a divorce and my mom took me with her to her hometown.
I never wanted to come along. However, I didn’t want to leave my mom alone. She only had me as her constant companion. Whenever they had a fight, she would always come to my room and sleep with me. I love her a lot but her decision to leave the city wasn’t one of her greatest decisions. I had to leave my friends at the local high school, karaoke nights with friends, and shopping in Akihabara and Shibuya seems to just be a dream.
As Mom and I got into the bullet train, I could tell from her expression that she didn’t want to leave. I wasn’t really sure if she was happy to go home or whether she just missed Dad. We sat on the train for about 3 to 4 hours all in all from the Tokyo station, Kyoto Station, towards Fukui station. We were both tired so we decided to stay in one of the cafes around the station. I took a glance at the surroundings. It was cleaner than Tokyo, that was for sure, but I guess it was because of the population around Fukui. There weren’t a lot of people coming in and out of the trains. It wasn’t as noisy as the rush hours in Tokyo. I was already missing my city life.
In the cafe, Mom ordered some cake and black coffee. Then, I noticed the waitress’s accent. It was sort of slang. It was drenched in Kansai accent. It was awkward to listen to at first, but I was able to get over it after a few minutes. I keep on making sure that I remember that I wasn’t in the same place as before. An hour in the cafe, and we decided to leave. My Mom called for a cab and told the driver our new address. It was a typical Japanese home. I was going to start my new life here. In Fukui.