Life goes on, but it's time to say farewell

Shoichi Nasu / The Yomiuri Shimbun

Photo by Shoichi Nasu
People enjoy cherry blossoms at Kumamoto Castle on Sunday.

For the past year, The Yomiuri Shimbun has been carrying a small column in Kyushu and the Yamaguchi region highlighting chu-konen (middle-aged and elderly) people who are actively pursuing different interests. I contributed periodically to the column, which was meant to introduce vigorous chu-konen people and encourage readers of the same generation.

The people I've met for the column were young at heart, and judging from other pieces I've read from the same series, I have the impression chu-konen people nowadays are much more active than previous generations have been.

I don't have any statistics to support this. It's just my feeling. And I think it's a healthy thing. They have to be happy and active in today's Japan, considering the issue of shoshi-koreika (the falling birthrate and aging society).

Some of the people I've introduced in this column also have been chu-konen. I still have vivid memories of some of them, such as perfumer Takako Tanaka, who runs a perfume shop and school in Kumamoto and Fukuoka.

She also has launched a project called "Kyushu Kaori (fragrance) Island," aiming to make the region fragrant with scents from various plants.

"Kyushu is full of fragrant plants and flowers," Tanaka said. "Abandoned farmland in the countryside could be an ideal place for those plants and provide new business opportunities. People aren't aware of its potential."

Yoko Nishi opened a restaurant called Shobu-Gozen (iris meals) a year ago with her neighbors in the Fujicho district of Saga. As her community is small and doesn't have any particular attractions besides nature, she decided to make full use of its abundant wild grass and herbs. After a year, the restaurant is gradually attracting customers who love to drive into the countryside and enjoy rural cuisine.

I also wrote about a group of women in Misatocho, Miyazaki Prefecture, who are producing sweets using locally grown farm produce, such as kinkan kumquat and yuzu citron. To my delight, their sweets are becoming widely popular.

"We're all very busy now as we're in the middle of kinkan harvest," said the group's representative, Masuko Katsuragi. "Our latest cake, kuri-kinton mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts, is becoming a big hit."

Back home in a small community in Miyazaki Prefecture, my oldest sister and her husband live by themselves. They have three sons but all left home to find work. They still work in the mountains and fields from early in the morning. It's a tough existence. I hope they stay healthy and have a long life. Their presence is important for the community and the environment, however tiny the contribution.

This is my last column, as I will be leaving The Yomiuri Shimbun a little before the official age of retirement. I might be looked at, I'm afraid, a bit like Don Quixote. The famed knight-errant in the book of that name, who goes in search of adventure to the amazement of those who know him, dies with the following words: "Gentlemen, let us proceed fairly and softly: Look not for this year's birds in last year's nests. I was mad; I am now sober."

The cherry blossoms will apparently be in full bloom this weekend here in Fukuoka. When the cheery flowers fall, it's time to say farewell to one's friends. Many thanks for reading my column for such a long time.

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Nasu is a senior writer for The Yomiuri Shimbun, Seibu, and a former editor of The Daily Yomiuri.

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This is the final installment of the Out & About column by Nasu.