This series, featuring artist Miran and writer Ban Obara spending their days off outdoors, is already on its third installment. In summer, it’s all about yukata and fireworks. Avoiding crowded places, we’re heading to a nearby park for some fireworks this time, dressed in yukata.
Note: Rules vary by park, so be sure to check the park’s website in advance and follow the rules to ensure a fun time.
INDEX
Sweltering Summer: Handheld Fireworks (from Ban Obara)
I tried to put on a yukata for the first time in a while and struggled with it, which made me late. It was drizzling outside, and I didn’t want my carefully styled hair to get frizzy from the rain, but despite that, I walked with the clacking sound of my geta.
I helped Miran-chan with her outfit a bit at the office, and then, with the geta clacking again, we walked to Hanegi Park through the persistent drizzle. The sweltering heat and the distant sound of cicadas were all around. Miran-chan looked great in her light pink yukata, and her exposed forehead shone brightly, making her look adorable.
While Nanako-chan took pictures of us at Hanegi Park, the sunset soon blazed with colors. It was so beautiful that I stepped away from the group to take it in.
Sitting on a bench, I enjoyed some ramune, ate takoyaki, and nibbled on yakitori. I got bitten by mosquitoes everywhere—on the tops of my feet, the back of my neck, and even my butt. The takoyaki was especially delicious.
The sun has set and there is a breeze. I light a hand-held firework. A green light appears at the tip of my hand.
I look at the light and smile. There is smoke and sound, and it soon becomes dark before I can feel each of these things. My eyes only flicker and I can’t see anything.
Rather than lighting a firework from a candle, we bring our hand-held fireworks close together like a torch and connect them.
If we all use handheld fireworks together, darkness will be hard to come by.
We finished one bag of fireworks, but we decided we wanted to do more, so we looked at the photos we had taken while Miran went to the store to buy more fireworks. I had never seen Miran-chan with such an expression on her face when she was shooting the fireworks.
We all set off the sparklers together. The sparklers didn’t light properly, and we fumbled around. Miraculously, they were lit, they were beautiful, and then, “Oh, they fell off. But somehow, that flickering red light remained in my mind. There was a small light for a while, a small light that was not rusty, but majestic.
I love it when people do sparklers, when they all huddle together and look like they are unsure of themselves.
INDEX
Show Me Your Playful Side (from Miran)
While I was admiring the yukata of Evena-chan, who had put on her yukata by herself, she was putting on my yukata with great speed.
She even took care of my annoying request that the obi should be in the shape of a ribbon. As I was checking out how to wrap the obi, I was reminded of the feeling I had in high school. There was a time when I was working hard to become pretty.
In no time at all, one of the strips formed a ribbon on my back. Evening-chan is amazing. She is so dependable. She even taught me the Biscuit Brothers pose, which she says is a well-balanced pose.
When I went outside, it was raining lightly. It was the season of evening showers. I didn’t mind too much and headed for Hanegi Park under an umbrella. I was walking with my legs still in the air for a short time, but both Yoru-chan and the staff were very fast. I tried not to be left behind, but my clogs got stuck and hurt a little. But my heart, which had been looking forward to the day, leapt and bounded forward.
Hanegi Park has tables and chairs here and there, restrooms and concession stands, so it is very easy to use if it is not crowded. The last time I was here, it was Sunday and there was a battle for tables, but today was a weekday and there were only a few old men around. I put my luggage on the table and sat down on a chair to take a break, but my body immediately became hot. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to stop sweating if I just sat there, so I got up and started swaying. It’s like dancing in a yukata, even if it’s just swaying. Evening-chan took pictures of me, and I took pictures of her, and even took a selfie or two, and just as I was getting into the swing of things, the rain stopped.
We strolled around the area for a while, and Nanako took a lot of pictures with her camera.
We talked about what kind of poses would look good in a yukata, but in the end all we could do was act silly. All the time, all the time, we are laughing in embarrassment.
But when I looked at Yoru-chan smiling next to me, I thought that her smile had become much softer than it was when we started the exchange diary about a year ago. If she is relaxed, I am very happy.
Then we sat on the bench and I dropped a glass ball of Ramune. It spilled. But we drank it immediately! I was thirsty. By the way, I’m also hungry. Let’s eat takoyaki. Let’s eat yakitori. I eat them all.
Even today, Supper-chan is so full of food.
The sun was setting and it was dark. It is now nighttime in the park. The big round of the evening was the handheld fireworks. We had to do it, right? I hate sparklers, which are the first thing to be moved to the edge when spreading out various kinds of packaged handheld fireworks.
I picked one that looked lively and lit it at the same time as the evening’s fireworks.
It makes a sizzling sound and glows green, which may or may not be cheerful. What is this? Is it a firework? Is it a spark? What is this?
Still, it is a strange thing because it makes us want to get excited, and we burn one after another. There is no one to stop us. Burn the yellow bees, burn the rainbow showers! Burn it! Burn it all up!
After we had burned to our heart’s content, we lit the sparklers. When we lit them, we all curled up together and were very quiet. It was beautiful, and when I saw how fragile life is, I felt like I couldn’t compete with it.
On the way home, we stopped by a convenience store, but left without buying anything.
Miran
Miran is a singer-songwriter born in 1999.
In 2020, she released her first album “Houfu”, which was recorded at her home, followed by the release of many other albums. He produced and released his second album “Ducky”. Later, with Yusuke Kume (Special Favorite Music) as producer, she released “Natsu no boku ni mo me ni”, “Lemon tree”, and “Like it or not”, which were featured on Fuji TV’s “Love music”, and she also wrote an exchange diary with writer Ban Obara in the culture media NiEW. He will release his new album “WATASHIBOSHI” on December 13, 2023.
Ban Obara
Writer, self-published his first collection of essays, “Don’t Eat Fried Lunch Here,” in 2022, and published his first novel, “Let’s Luminate,” in “Shosetsu Subaru” in 2023, which became a topic of conversation. In September, his first commercially published work, “Kore wa Seikatsu na nanashiran” was published by Daiwa Shobo.
