My Recent Simple Pleasures | Toshiko Hirota, Administrative Director, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC)
2021.03.30
It has been almost a full year since life under COVID-19 began. I remember how we were all in a flurry this time last year when the campus closure was suddenly decided. Since then, staff members have been on a continuous rotation, combining working from home with coming to the office. Despite the nation's efforts, the end of the pandemic is still far from sight, and the campus feels desolate with only a sparse number of students.
It was in this context that I started my own simple pleasures.
About eight ducks kept by SFC live in Gulliver Pond (Kamoike), but in winter, a much larger number of ducks migrate from the north. My simple pleasure is bird-watching with binoculars in hand while having lunch at Subway. My favorite spot is a counter seat facing Gulliver Pond (Kamoike). I learned that a wide variety of birds actually visit, such as mallards, eastern spot-billed ducks, teals, falcated ducks, coots, grey herons, and great egrets... I find it soothing to watch the aerial battles between grey herons and great egrets, the territorial disputes between crows and ducks, the courtship behavior of mallards, and the way they eat, plunging their heads into the pond with their bottoms up and feet paddling. Now in mid-March, the number of ducks has noticeably decreased, perhaps because they are gradually returning north.
To combat the lack of exercise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to commute by bicycle from Shonandai to the campus. When I consulted a colleague, they told me, "You'd better not. It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and there are hills..." An electric bike wouldn't be exercise, and a *mamachari* (a standard utility bicycle) would be too tough for the hills, so I bought a hybrid bike. It looks very fast, but that's not the case at all.
I pedal at my own pace, even getting overtaken by *mamachari*. Since I started commuting by bike, I've begun to see scenery I never noticed before. On my morning commute, my spirits lift when I see the massive Mt. Fuji over the nets of the Jumbo Golf Center around the Shobuzawa-sakai area. When I have extra time, I take a little detour. Just one street behind the main bus route, a rural landscape unfolds. I buy fresh vegetables and fruits (which are surprisingly cheap and delicious) at "Jimono-san," the direct sales shop attached to the JA Sagami Endo branch, or go for a leisurely ride along the Koide River. About six months after I started commuting by bike, a station for the "Daichari" bike-sharing service was installed just before the campus's North Gate. And recently, another station was set up in front of the FamilyMart at the west exit of Shonandai, so when the weather looks uncertain, I conveniently use the bike-share (an electric bike) for a one-way trip. March has brought the flower season: plum blossoms, Kawazu cherry blossoms, rapeseed flowers, daffodils, pansies, and along the bus route, kobushi magnolia, cherry blossoms, hall crabapple, and flowering quince. The new buds on the ginkgo trees are also lovely.
The ducks of Gulliver Pond (Kamoike) will soon be returning to their northern homes, but from now on, I'll enjoy the colorful flowers and fresh green leaves.
The new academic year begins in April. While we must continue to avoid the "Three Cs" and prevent infection, I hope that all students will be able to enjoy a fulfilling, real campus life as soon as possible.