JR CENTER LINE
Tomomi passed through a concourse in Shinjuku station and went up on the
platform of JR Chuou(center) line. There were not so many people there and
she could take a train which she could sit down easily.
On Saturday, afternoon one p.m., Tomomi directly brought a work which she
had finished last night to an advertising company in Shinjuku, in which
is one of her clients, in the morning. And then, she dropped in a book store
in East Exit and a PC shop, which she often go once a few weeks, in West
Exit and bought some necessary things. Tomomi lives in Kichijoji. But, today,
she is going to Kokubunji where Ryu-suke Fukuhara lives, beyond 5 stations
from Kichijoji.
She was thinking about a work which she had come to a pause after almost
three months in a train, after the train started for a while. But, around
passed Nakano, she turned around to look vacantly out the train windows.
And, she thought Ryu-suke's words once again.
Temporary housing...she can see a landscape which is familiar to her keeps
extending to a distance. Houses, apartments, professional schools, company
buildings and so on. The safe impression is good. But, it is still featureless,
a little bit. Any images do not spring up in my head. Do people from foreign
countries feel some kind of exotic atmosphere, when they walk in housing
districts in Japan ? The messy atmosphere in the city was good, while Japanese
economy was growing. But, now, I sometimes feel some defects from the landscape
recently.
Tokyo is a city which once became a burnt field by air bombing during the
World War ll . And then, it was reconstructed very fast. So, compared to
a city like Europe or New York where there are still a lot of the19 century
apartments or buildings, we might feel, Tokyo's landscape looks shallow
a little bit.
It might be a little strange, I was thinking like, I couldn't belive here
was a burnt field fifty years ago...
Even a painting, a painting created in layers many times is totally different
from a painting finished one day outside. A painting which we have covered
a picture below completely with white and dried, it is different from a
painting which we paint on a new canvas. Because, the touches of brush strokes
will slightly change. And also, if we get close and look carefully, we can
see a net of canvas. In most cases, a creative process comes out to the
result.
Did Ryu-suke look a process which Tokyo became a burnt field from the town
in Tokyo, when the 20 century is almost over ?
But, I feel, the way of looking is too dark. To be sure, an apartment constructed
of light steel and bult thirty years ago and not cleaned well, maybe, a
temporary house is better, isn't it ? Even in the United States, the east
caust apart, I don't think, a white cottage in Santamonica has been there
for many centuries. If it is summer, I want to live in a cottage.
Originally, Japanese houses were made of wood. If we have no airconditioner,
we can not live in a house made of stone or concret, because it is too hot
and dump. After all, it should be stuff which suit climate in each place.
In Three Pigs Tale, rather than a wood house, a brick house is...Pu lu lu
lu lu. Pu lu lu lu lu lu. Oh! it's a cellular phone.
" Yes. This is Tomomi Nakahara. Thank you for your offices all the
time. What ? I see, Yes, Uh..., It's in a file called file C in Zip......Yes,
Yes, Oh, now, I'm in a train. But, it is all right. There is no one around
here......Yes. It's also, everything in file C......At this time, according
to the work, I did everything by a digital camera. So, original is, it is
original......Yes, Yes, All of them were directed by an art director, Mr.
Katayama......Yes. I can do it. It's Version 5.0. Yes, Yes, everything is
in my computer......So, I will send its sample on line. Yes, I am glad to
make your acquaintance. See you."
The train arrived at Kichijoji. Six or seven people got out. And then, a
few people got into Tomomi's train. Today, she does not get off a station
which she always gets off. She is just watchig a view continuing to the
platform with sitting.
Since her school days, Tomomi Nakahara has been living in the same apartment
near Inogashira Park in Kichijoji for many years. Because, she attended
a school along JR Chuou line. And also, when one of her seniors graduated,
she could rent her apartment with very cheap price in place of her senior.
And, every Tomomi's close friends lived in Kichijoji.
After she graduated, she had worked in a design office in Tokyo city area
for almost two years. For a reason, she quited the company and became a
freelance. But, she has been living in the same apartment for the time.
Kichijoji is in Musashino city. The area code is not 03 but 0422. But, access
of trains is very good.
If we take a high speed train of JR Chuou line, it takes 17 minutes to Shinjuku
and 28 minutes to Tokyo station on one line. Shibuya is also 17 minutes
by Keiou Inogashira line. JR Soubu line to Chiba stop at Kichijoji too.
One of subway lines, Touzai line extend the route and stop. If we go to
Ogikubo from two stations from Kichijoji, we can transfer to Marunouchi
line of Tokyo subways. Ogikubo is the final stop of Marunouchi line, so
we can sit down at the rate of 100 percent. Kichijouji is a junction of
trains in the outskirts. Maybe, it is one of the biggest reasons why Kichijoji
developed. At present, Kichijoji is the largest town among any staions until
Shinjuku or Shibuya.
As a mean except trains, Tomomi also has a motorcycle. One day, she found
a little classical style motorcycle in front of a motorcycle shop in her
neiborhood. It was a black Honda CB250 limited style. And, it was a totally
new one. While Tomomi, who had wanted to ride a motorcycle since before,
was watching the motorcycle in front of the shop some times, she came to
want to ride the motorcycle by all means. So, she decided to buy it.
She took a riding license, after she bought the motorcycle. As Tomomi does
not have any friends who ride a motorcycle, she a little asked advice from
a shopmam and went to a riding school for about one month and got a riding
license of middle class. She regulary went to a riding school, so there
was no problem specially and she could take a riding license smoothly.
Now, she has riding experience for many years. But, in Tomomi's case, she
couldn't make any motorcycle friends and has no experience to ride on Okutama
or Hakone's corners. And also, she has no experience to go on a long touring.
It was all she rided to Wangan-douro ( bay area route ) or Yokohama on Daisankeihin,
where is near Tokyo city area, some times. Except that, for thity minutes
or one hour, she rides around her neiborhood and came back for refleshing
herself. It is her most case. She has been busy for something since her
school days.
When she goes to work, she hardly use her motorcycle so much. As there is
Kichijoji outside kanjo 8-gousen ( No. 8 circle route ), it is still, quite
far from the center of Tokyo city.
If we use Chuou high way and the road is not so crowded, it takes about
20 minutes to Shinjuku. But, if we use general, no charge down roads like
Koushu-kaidou or Inogashira-douri, it takes almost one hour.
When Aum terro had happened, she went to work by her motorcycle for a while,
till the matter was soluted once. But, now, she takes trains again.
If we use a motorcycle, the time change depending on traffic conditions
and she exactly can not read the time to the place that she has not been
to. After all, Tomomi is thinking that a train is the best not to waste
time and arrive at punctually.
At Mitaka station, more people got off her train. And, when she noticed,
the train became less and less crowded. Is it because I got in a train in
front of trains ? Or, because it is a holiday on Saturday afternoon ? In
her train, there are only an old woman and one young couple at front. Tomomi
sits at the end of her train.
But, it is curious, I took this kind of less crowded train in the daytime.
With thinking like that, Tomomi made sure that people in her train are quite
far from her and never look at her side. And then, she turned and put her
legs on the train's long chair like a sofa. And, she decided to relax for
a while.
It is still summer outside. The afternoon sunlight is strong, it seems to
be quite hot. But, the inside of this train is very comfortable, because
there are airconditioners. This is like a chartered train. If I look the
whole inside of this train carefully like this, I think, one box of a train,
in which there are not so many people, is a quite large space. If there
are not so many people, I can see views outside windows very well. I can
see windows from the fron to the end.
After a while, Tomomi also noticed, if she leans her neck to the center
and slides a viewpoint, she can look both sides of windows at the same time.
I try to slide my viewpoint a little by a little. And, finally, I bring
my viewpoint to a door which I can see at the farthest front in this train.
I try to look the whole landscape reflected the range of my vision consciously,
from the inside of this train to the outside of this train as much as I
can.
If I do so, I see very well, this high speed train is running through on
an elevated railroad above the town spreading on the ground. I can see thick
clouds at the end of summer, spreading in the distance.
If I think, maybe, I have not looked both sides of window at the same time
like this. I have took this train at uncountable times for many years, though.
How am I looking out train windows ?......when I sit on a seat, I can't
look very well, as someone often stands in front of me. And also, I a little
care about persons sitting on the front seat, so I don't look so much. Besides,
it is through the front windows or I turn and look a little, when a train
is not so crowded.
It is when I am standing with hanging on to a strap that I can see a view
the best. But, in the case, I am watching passing views vertically. So,
I am just looking with moving my eyes right and left.
Tomomi took a little casual type of single-lens reflex camera from a black
rucksack at her usual. She tries to bring it as often as possible, for location
hunting, when she goes to the place that she never been to. She sometimes
works as a photographer or a writer, depending on a work.
Like the same way as the last time, I try to look like painting a picture
of one point perspective. I can see many, many silver window frames made
of metal which are continuing on both sides. Landscapes are flowing on both
sides regardless of those silver frames.
Tomomi checked the height of her view. And, at the point which the range
of her vision was the widest, she tried to set up a camera and look into
a finder.
Wait a minute, this might be not good a little......Even though I try to
look the same landscape through a frame of a camera, the spread feeling
disapeared a while ago. I feel, the range of my vision is so narrow. Even
if I try to set up my camera at the widest of three times zoom lens, I still
feel, it is so narrow.
But, anyway...Tomomi thought how she would do just a moment. And, she changed
from full-auto to manual shutter speed and set it quite slow. And, she set
the diaphragm to the sky in the outside windows. The inside of this train
might turn dark a little. And, with thinking like, it is good, if the outside
landscapes flow as beautiful as possible, she stopped her breath to stop
her hands' shaking and pressed the shutter just once.