Asami Fujii
This is a picture of a beach near Chigasaki (茅ヶ崎), a quieter city around an hour by car from
Tokyo. As pictured, it has a beautiful beach scene that booms with visitors from within and
outside the city alike every sweltering summer. Much of Chigasaki embraces the beachy
aesthetic around this time, with Hawaiian shirts, summer-inspired drink or ice-cream flavours,
and lots and lots of blue packaging! It’s also helped by the legendary band Southern All Stars
(affectionately known as Sazan) from Chigasaki that unabashedly celebrates beachy rock and
roll within their discography.
Chigasaki is where I would consider my hometown to be if asked. Although I’ve moved around
and lived in several countries throughout my childhood, Chigasaki is where I visit family every
year and it’s remained a source of comfort and nostalgia for all these years (the slower paced
place my grandparents live especially). I know every aisle in our family loyalty local
supermarket, the trees lining the roads on the drive to the station, the spot on the pavement
where tiny sparrow footprints indent the concrete. The familiarity means almost as much to me
as the people I made those familiar memories with.
Moving to Glasgow, this familiarity and sense of belonging is something I sorely miss. But it’s a
necessary trade-off for the multitude of new experiences I get to take advantage of! Currently,
my favourite things about living here are the very active club/society scene, passing through
Ashton Lane on the way to the JMS, and the way I’ve learned to appreciate tiny glimpses of
blue sky like never before.
I’ll be visiting Chigasaki during the winter break this December for the first time in many years. I
can’t wait to celebrate New Years traditionally with my family and share the funny stories and
lessons I’ve accumulated. Most of all, I look forward to recharging for my return to another
semester in the equally sunny, summery, beachy city of Glasgow.