Miyu, good evening.
I’m writing this at 11pm on a Saturday night. I’ve taken my make-up off and I’m lying in bed writing this letter.
There are thirty minutes to go until the chicken breast I’m preparing ahead of time cooks through in the residual heat of the pan.
The alleys outside the window are quiet, and all I can hear is the sound of the television my husband is watching in the living room. It’s a pleasant evening.

A pleasant evening?!

This is probably how the young me would butt in if she could see me this evening.
Yep, just like you Miyu, I have those “one-frame cartoon” moments of reality like this when I think, “It wasn’t supposed to be this way!”

When I was an elementary school student, I always used to watch Oretachi Hyokin Zoku and be excited by the cool music.
There was EPO singing “Let’s head DOWN TOWN!”, and Tatsuro Yamashita singing “Saturday night’s only just begun…”. As I child I had to go to bed right after the show, but I thought that adults in Tokyo turned off their TV, got dressed up and went out into the bright lights of the city. I couldn’t wait to become an adult so I could live it up on Saturdays!
But by the time I’d graduated from high school, the bubble economy had already burst, and the brights lights weren’t that bright. The cars when I went out driving on dates were rental cars, and instead of cocktails I drank grape sours in izakayas. “Walking down the alleys to catch the wind” ended in being blasted by wind from the densely-packed outdoor air conditioning units….

As a result, I became the sort of person who is happy to spend a sedate Saturday like this.
But the Tokyo I dreamt about and still yearn for is still there in the songs, and sometimes makes my heart leap.
I hope I can lock 2017 into music this way.
Is there any music that has that effect on you, Miyu?

Thirty minutes is up. The chicken has come out plump and tender. I’m happy about that. Tonight I’m going to try turning this modest yet immense joy into some dramatic lyrics.