（続き）
Though,I have been to Osaka last month,too. ......
I like to look at the station in the early morning. It's a world seen only by those who have to leave really early, before it gets crowded with commuters.
If it's a big station, there's a nice hotel inside and you can watch the last train or the first train leave if you want to.
I really wanted to photograph the first train and the people using it. However, I woke up at 5am. It took me a little while to get out of there.
The sky was getting light earlier, probably because I was further east than home.
On the way to the station, I was approached by an old man in front of the primary school. He seemed to be a volunteer to watch over the children on their way to and from school, but I doubt if any children go to school after 5am. It is too early for him to be ‘’on duty‘’, but is that the rhythm of his life? He sat in a small chair in front of the main gate and gave something to the sparrows.
I rarely use the inner loop line from Tennoji station.
With the opening of the Hanshin Namba Line, though, it will be the inner line that goes from Nishikujo to Tennoji.
For some reason, as I was shooting, I was reminded of two old songs with the name of Osaka in them. One was in the early 1970s. The other was at the end of the 1970s. I used to listen to both of them quite intently, but before long, I found it hard to listen to them. Would it be fair to say that the anger and passion in the lyrics, rhythms and singing voice became hard to take?
Still, I will never forget what I loved. Is it because as I get older, leave my job and find it painful to see people, I remember who I used to be?
I was looking at Osaka with rust floating here and there.
With regret that I couldn't live another way, and remembering an old singing voice. ......
先月も大阪へ出向いたのだが。……
早朝の駅を眺めるのが好きだ。通勤・通学で混雑する前の、本当に早く出ていかなければならない人たちだけが見る世界。
大きな駅なら、その構内に立派なホテルがあって、見ようと思えば終電車、始発電車の出ていく様を眺めることができる。
この撮影も、本当は、始発電車とそれを利用する人たちを撮ってみたかった。しかし、起きたのは５時。そこから出るまでに少しばかり手間取った。
自宅よりも東の所為か、空が明るくなるのも早かった。
駅へ向かう途中、小学校の前で、或る老人に「おはようございます」と声を掛けられた。登下校を見守るボランティアのようだが、５時過ぎから登校する児童はいないだろう。あまりにも早い「お勤め」だが、彼の生活のリズムがそうなっているのか。正門前に小さな椅子を置いて座り、雀に何かを与えていた。
天王寺駅から環状線内回りを利用することは滅多にない。
阪神なんば線が出来て、西九条から天王寺へ向かうのは内回り線になるのだが。
何故か、撮影しながら、大阪という地名の入る古い歌を二つ思い出していた。一つは1970年代初頭。もう一つは70年代末。どちらもかなり入れ込んで聞いていたのだが、いつの間にか、聞くのがしんどくなってしまった。歌詞やリズム、歌声に込められた怒りや熱い思いが、しんどくなったと言えばいいのだろうか。
それでも、好きだったものは、忘れない。歳をとり、仕事を離れ、人に会うのが辛くなると、昔々の自分を思い出すからなのか。
別の生き方は出来なかったのかという後悔と古い歌声を思い出しながら、
あちらこちら錆の浮かんだ大阪を眺めていた。
Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/kei-suenobu.bsky.social/post/3lpsezfzwok22
The music used for the slides was
Coversplay
Smells Like Teen Spirit
SoundCloud
