City vs Nature

14 September 2020 19:21

Mark: It's funny when we lived in Japan though, isn't it? There were so
many positive things but there are also certain things we missed. But
firstly, can you recall any of those really, really special positive things that
you felt when you lived there?

Sorie: It was just a very peaceful lifestyle, very connected to nature. The
beaches were gorgeous. The weather was really nice. People were very
warm, but yeah, after last year, that was the hardest for me. I started to
miss so many things about living in mainland Japan.

Mark: What kind of things did you miss?

Sorie: I missed going to the movies, going to a café and sitting down and
reading books and reading magazines, and all of that that comes with a
big city, the cultural aspects of it.
What about you? What did you miss?

Mark: Yeah, those things, like everything, were so naturally confined, so

you knew what was going to happen. So when we came back to mainland
Japan, they're so unpredictable, you could, as you say, go for a
drive or take a train and stumble across some cafés or some
restaurants that you've never seen before and go in and
you're anonymous and they had a menu that you never seen before.

And you could sit there and then read and enjoy that. And it was
impossible to enjoy that in Osaka, to do such things. And there certainly
weren't any cinemas or anything like that or shopping centers or modern
things.

Sorie: Would you like to go back?

Mark: I'd love to go back there because the community was so strong and
so solid. And it felt—I wasn't born there and I'm not even Japanese
but I felt completely like I was in my hometown every time I was
there and totally accepted in the place and in the community.

But as we found out since we've left there, the world is huge and there's
so many communities and so many places all over the world. And I could
go back, but I could go to a new place equally. How about you?
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go back, but I could go to a new place equally. How about you?

Sorie: Personally, I found it too difficult to live so close to nature. I'd say
that was a great experience but I wouldn't do it again.

Mark: You wouldn't like to live so close to nature anymore.

Sorie: On an island. Yeah, that's one of the things that made it so difficult.
But overall, it was a wonderful experience and I recommend people to go
there and see all the beautiful nature that Osaka has.

Mark: Such nice memories.

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