Today, I took a stroll around Osaka Tenmangu Shrine.
Near Osaka Tenmangu, there’s the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, an area known as the downtown of Osaka since long ago. Even now, just like in the past, small shops line the streets, and you can feel the lively spirit of “the city of commerce, Osaka.”
However, recently, it’s been bustling with foreign tourists, giving off a vibe that’s a bit different from the Osaka I know. But strangely enough, I didn’t mind that at all.
As I walked down the street, I heard not just English, but also French and Russian. It really hit me how people from various countries are visiting Japan.
Even though it’s my hometown, I felt a foreign atmosphere while wandering around, and suddenly an interesting idea popped into my head.
What if I walked through Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street like a tourist, just like them? Thinking of it not as my hometown, but as a travel destination.
People walking towards the shrine on the stone-paved path, someone waiting under the torii gate, and others buying tickets for rakugo. Those scenes kept coming into view, and for some reason, they stirred my heart.
Every sight felt like a scene from a movie. It was fascinating and utterly delightful.
The scenery I see now seems so ordinary, yet from my perspective— it might just be a fleeting scene in the movie of my life.
That was my stroll.
