Ramune Soda and Floating Balloons

 

By a curious turn of events, I was recently asked to prepare and sell a water yo-yo (balloon yo-yo) fishing set, that is, to open a stall at an event, and this past Sunday, I went ahead and did just that.

 

Never in my life did I imagine a day would come when I’d personally prepare water yo-yos and serve as a vendor for children. But to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

 

For starters, I learned for the first time how air and water are simultaneously filled into a water yo-yo, the mechanism and method behind it. I also discovered that the strength of the paper string used for fishing the yo-yos varies depending on how many times you twist it. That means you can subtly adjust the difficulty based on the age of customers.

 

I also now know roughly how much a water yo-yo set costs to purchase and how much time it takes to prepare each one. I gained valuable knowledge through hands-on experience.

 

Alongside the water yo-yos, I filled a basin with ice and sold ramune drinks. But surprisingly, it’s not so easy to find a place that sells bottled ramune drinks in bulk. I had assumed they’d be available anywhere.

 

And to my even greater surprise, I learned that the company famous for ramune drinks, Tonbo Beverage Co., Ltd., is based in Toyama. When I went to a store that sells old-fashioned candy by the box to look for bottled ramune, they didn’t sell it and said, “Why don’t you go directly to Tonbo and ask them?” That’s when I discovered the company was local.

 

I also didn’t know that the central wholesale market has a vending machine for ice, where you can buy 20 kilograms for 800 yen (USD $5.16).

 

I remember a line from a TV drama I loved as a teenager. Kimura Takuya played a pianist who said, “When someone invites you to do something, it’s good to go along for the fun of it.” And it is true.

 

It’s precisely those invitations that fall outside the everyday path we’re used to walking that bring the richest and most unexpected learning experiences.

 

Above all, I was reminded of how much both children and adults love ramune drinks and water yo-yo fishing, and how deeply these things evoke a sense of extraordinary stepping outside the everyday.

 

In rural areas, where the mundane and repetitive can often take over, that sense of the extraordinary carries immense value. I’m reminded once again how important it is for Hokuroku to continue seeking out the wondrous moments and experiences hidden within the Hokuriku region, and to become a media outlet that supports the people trying to create those worlds and spaces.

 

Wishing you all a great week ahead.

 

Masayoshi Sakamoto
Editor-in-Chief, Hokuroku