The town where I was born.

I was born in Matsumoto, the second-largest city in Nagano prefecture. Its population is about 250000. There're several tourist attractions, including Matsumoto castle, which is the National treasure of Japan. 

Cool summers, and cold winters. Flowers bloom in spring and rice grows in autumn. 

When I tell people I am from Matsumoto, they say they would like to go there one day. But to be honest, it just doesn't feel right to me. The castle, and other tourists attractions, I never thought of them as belonging to our homeland. 

To me, it seems to belong to some other city. That's because I wasn't actually born in "Matsumoto city".

I was actually born in "Hata town" between Kamikochi and Matsumoto city. It was famous for watermelon and was located on the west side of Matsumoto city. 

The town was long, expanded from east to west ad also schools and other educational institutions, a town hall, a hospital, a shopping street (very local and small) and a train station in the centre. The town was on a river terrace and when I was in primary and secondary school, I had to walk up a steep hill to get to school. 

When I was in high school, the town merged with Matsumoto city. It was quite natural, considering the economic situation of the town. Hata town became "Matsumoto city".

The merger was decided by a referendum, but I was a high school student at the time and did not have the right to vote. I heard that the town was split in two, for and against the merger, but I didn't know much about it because I was 16 years old. 

For me, who went to high school in Matsumoto city by train, it didn't matter either way. 

"Hata town will disappear from the map!" said my second cousin who used to live in the same town, sadly. She was looking forward to coming to "Hata" for her summer vacation. 

I thought, "if it disappeared from the map, it doesn't mean we won't have a place to live" It was a feeling I didn't quite understand at the time.

Sometime later, I became a university student and for the first time, I started to live outside of my "hometown". I was in a student dormitory during my university days, where there were a lot of students from every prefecture. We're trying to get to know each other better by asking questions like "Where are you from?" I answered "Matsumoto in Nagano".They replied by saying "Oh, I know your city. There's a castle, right? I would like to go one day" "I've been there, it's a nice place, there are some sights to see"

I felt uncomfortable.

Yes, "I am from Matsumoto city" but as far as I could remember, there was no castle, nor tour attractions in my "hometown". Finally, I understood what my cousin had said and I felt a bit sentimental. "Hata town became Matsumoto city"

Every holiday, I took the Shinkansen and the Express Shinano to get to Matsumoto. Arriving at Matsumoto station, I changed the train which I used to take back in high school. The train left Matsumoto city and ran through the watermelon fields and rice fields. The train ran west to west. 

At Hata station, I got off the train and walked past the hospital, which used to be called "Hata hospital". I then walked past the building which used to be called the town hall. I walked past my junior high and primary schools. went down the steep hill and finally, I reached my "hometown".

I often say "My hometown has nothing, nothing to see, nothing to visit" I often think of it. The town where I was born, cool summer, and watermelon fields. Cold winter and the steep slopes are frozen. Flowers blooming around the river terrace in Spring and rice growing in the fields in Autumn. There used to be a small town, where I was born. 

Written by Anna.