『都心に住むって何だろう？と考えることが増えたという話』

(English follows Japanese)
断然"都心居住"派のはずだったのだが、、、

若いうちは職住近接、定年後はのんびり海が近いところにでも暮らしたいとぼんやりと思っていた。

が、しかし、withコロナで働き方がガラッと変わった。今の出社率は50%程度で、週の半分は自宅勤務。この状況が今の会社でずっと続くとは思わないが、オンラインとオフラインの併用は無くならないだろう。

働き方が変わりつつある。ライフスタイルも自ずと変わってくる。そして、考え方も少し変わってきた。

ある週末、朝から家族で北鎌倉を散策した。円覚寺をぐるっと周った後に、友人イチオシの海蔵寺を訪れた。滝のような圧巻の萩に迎えられ、山門をくぐり、正面の本堂の脇道を抜けると庭園が広がっていた。

ボランティアのお喋り好きなおじいちゃんが教えてくれたのだが、庭園は、岩壁にある横穴(やぐら)の中に入って見るのがベストポジション！

四季を通じてさまざまな花々が咲くというこのお寺。晩秋のちょうど今頃は紅葉真っ盛りだろう。散策しながらふっと立ち寄った不動茶屋の葛切りも美味だった。

そのあとは、北鎌倉に移住した友人邸にお招き頂き、二家族でお昼ご飯を食べた。時間の流れや空気感、地に足がついた感じがすごく心地良かった。

自宅の庭にこんなBBQコンロがあったら毎週パーティーしてしまいそうww

地元の鎌倉野菜のグリルも野菜自体の甘みが何とも言えず美味しかった。

庭の手入れが大変ですよと言いながら、僕らのお土産用に、草花を見繕ってくれた友人の楽しそうな顔がとても印象的だった。

すでに都心を離れ、軽井沢や小田原、茅ヶ崎、鎌倉、葉山などで山や海に囲まれながらのワークスタイルを確立している知人友人が周りには結構いる。

都会に住むって何だろう?って考えることが増えてきた今日この頃。

”What does it mean to live in the city center? ”

I was definitely supposed to be a ”Living in the city center”.

When I was young, I lived in the city center, and after retirement, I vaguely wanted to live in a place near the sea.

However, the way of working changed drastically with with COVID19. Currently, the attendance rate is about 50%, and half of the week is WFH. I don't think this situation will continue for our company today, but the combination of online and offline will not go away.

The way of working is changing. Lifestyles will change naturally. And the way of thinking has changed a little.

One weekend, I took a walk in Kita-Kamakura with my family from the morning. After going around Engakuji, I visited Kaizoji, my friend's favorite. We were greeted by a waterfall-like masterpiece of Hagi, and when we passed through the mountain gate and the side road of the main hall, the garden spread out in front of us.

A volunteer talkative elderly taught me that the garden inside the side hole (Yagura) on the rock wall is recommended !!

This temple is where various flowers bloom throughout the four seasons. It will be in full autumn color of leaves at this time of late autumn. The Kuzukiri of Fudo Chaya, which I stopped by while taking a walk, was also delicious.

After that, I visitted to my friend's house that moved to Kita-Kamakura and had lunch together. The passage of time, the feeling of air, and the feeling of having my feet on the ground are very comfortable.

If there is such a BBQ stove in my garden, I will have a party every week.

The grilled local Kamakura vegetables were also delicious with the sweetness of the vegetables themselves.

While saying that the garden is difficult to maintain, the happy face of my friend who took over the flowers for our souvenir was very impressive.

I have many friends who have already left the city center and have had a work style while being surrounded by the mountains and the sea in Karuizawa, Odawara, Chigasaki, Kamakura, Hayama, etc.

Nowadays, I'm getting more and more wondering what it's like to live in the city.