When I first arrived and was being driven to my apartment, my supervisor jokingly said “welcome to the inaka”. Despite being officially part of Imabari City, the area certainly feels like it came straight out of an anime based in a small town. Green patches of farmland here and there with mountains visible in the distance. As you would expect, the place feels completely lifeless. Cars driving up and down the main street while the sidewalks are completely empty except for the occasional bicyclist. I went to the main downtown area itself on a Saturday afternoon, and even then the sidewalks were empty and lifeless. Shops were closed and a quick glance at Google Maps showed the local malls being ‘busy areas’. As a person coming from a city with ~700,000 people, seeing a city this dead was pretty astonishing.
I recently came back from a trip to Kinosaki Onsen in northern Hyogo. The onsen town itself was full of life from the sound of getas as people walked from onsen to onsen. I made a day trip down to the city of Toyooka, a short 10-minute ride on the train. The atmosphere was completely different, similar to what I felt here. Empty streets and cars everywhere. I think that the anti-car group would have a field day with this.
I hate to admit it, but having a car would really improve your life. Even with a train station nearby, the low frequency of trains really makes you structure your schedule around it. Miss a train? Have fun waiting an hour or more for the next one. The grocery store isn’t close either, but fortunately online grocery delivery is cheap (~300 yen).
It’s a rather boring but there’s a charm to it. Being able to see the mountains in the distance and the sea from a classroom on the upper floors is incredible. And walking home while watching the sun slowly set under the mountains is truly a memory I’ll cherish.