Sitting in Nakanoshima Park, hearing the sound of fish leaping out of the water

After the last seminar before Golden Week, I took a walk and had coffee in Nakazakicho.

Walking all the way back to Umeda, I felt like the walk wasn’t quite enough, so I slowly strolled over to the Kitahama area. Seeing familiar place names and landmarks along the way always reminds me of the various studies related to these places that I’ve read in seminars over the past few years.

Although I conduct research on Tokyo’s urban history while in Osaka, and initially had various dissatisfactions with Osaka as a “huge city” when I first moved here, through studying Osaka’s history with my mentors and friends and participating in discussions with fellow Osaka history researchers, I gradually felt that my feelings for Osaka have gone beyond “like/dislike” to a sense of familiarity that has become intertwined with my research life.

I remember learning from a senior doctoral student last month that Osaka’s city emblem is the waterway’s navigation marker, and it made my chest feel warm. This truly is a proud port city. #OsakaTrip

Post by 浑水摸鱼 | Apr 30, 2025