Wisut Ponnimit(Illustrator/Thailand)

Me being Thai, I hadn’t heard of Otsu, but I was relieved when I looked at a map and saw it’s close to Kyoto, where I often go.

I came at night, after work. There was a hotel real close to the station, so getting there wasn’t tiring. Even though it’s a convenient location, you can see a lot of scenery and nature around, and that’s refreshing. Compared with the city and all the information that assaults you there, this place is much more relaxing.

After I got up in the morning, I walked toward a big green area I saw across the way, since I hadn’t been in a natural setting in a long time. I went to some pleasant rice fields to see the rice I’d heard about. When I’m surrounded by lots of greenery and I take a deep breath of the natural air, I feel at peace.

When I came to Lake Biwa in Otsu, I was only thinking of going to see some famous boat like Elvis, but I felt a healing sensation from the lake’s expanse and the gentle little waves. I then thought that with nature like this, Otsu might have some yummy fish, and I started getting ideas about what fish and dinner combinations to have that night.

When I went sightseeing, going to temples and shrines that aren’t overcrowded with people allowed me some deep introspection that I hadn’t done in a long while. The dinner I was looking forward to was, for some reason, even more delicious than I’d expected. I think that’s because as I was eating, I noticed the kind people in the pub, the peacefulness of my day, and the happiness in Otsu.