Zunabara Zuihitsu Chapter 7 “A Pleasant Thunderstorm”

 Summer vacation was almost over. I had promised myself that year I would do five pages a day without hoarding any homework, but it was no good. I took a peek at my sister's weather [report] in her picture diary, I was able to duplicate Keiko's record of morning glories from a Katomotor [vehicle brand], Yu helped me with more than half of my work, yet I was able to complete a traffic volume survey in front of the town hall and the station, which I had decided to do as a freeform assignment. Every day we went to inspect them by bicycle.

Nobo was very skilled at the trumpet, Hisa played the contrabass, and I played the clarinet. While there was no training camp, we went to the music room every 6 in the morning to practice Over the Rainbow. The reed cut my lips as it pierced painfully whenever I drink miso soup. Should I buy a guitar? I mustn't break it this time. It's not a yakuza song; it's the Beatles.

I went to stay at Ken's residence in Izumi-cho. My uncle was watering the garden, so I took off my rubber boots and made ourselves matcha tea. After craving curry rice, I tuned in the stereo in the parlor, sang a song in English, and confided on my favorite kid in the futon. I was relieved Ken wasn't Yumi. One afternoon in summer course, professor Sugiyama, in an arrogant mood, exclaimed she would write down insults about you on her report book.

A strong light reflected outside the school as I wiped the sweat on the back of my neck with a white handkerchief. I took a bus bound for Moriyama from below the Toyota building in front of the Nagoya station and stopped at the Tokai branch of KEPCO for my part-time job. First, we drank cold and delicious beer together. We chattered a lot about our mothers. I apologize if I didn't eat that yakitori, but I did crave all of Nakatsugawa's goheimochi [skewered mochi]. I'm listening to Billie Holiday on repeat right now.

Summer vacation was almost over. Yep, August 31st is the day I get to build a boat. The gas station in front of our house in Anjo wasn't very noisy anymore, the employee is now a female, and she stopped communicating by wire as her calls get softer. The apartment got demolished and transformed into a parking lot and you can seee the fireworks of Okazaki from a room upstairs. Miho is presenting a brass band for the Tanabata Festival, so I took my friends to see them. The tanzaku decors were made of plastic. Takagiya didn't receive the mayor award. We also passed under the hospital, and it was painful. It's been already ten years.

It was a hot day in Osaka and Kyoto. A lot of fans came to meet me and I shook the palm of one's living hand. Summer vacation was almost over. Now, let's build a boat.

The time I was born, a shower poured down, thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and my first cry burst forth. Every time a sudden downpour arrives, every tine a thunderstorm roars, I had such a pleasant feeling of being alive.

Say father, let's go build a boat.

Original Japanese: https://bellabeaux.co.jp/yamamoto/zunbara/zun007.html