Neighbors Higashijujo Tsubasa vol.1｜How a Festival Laggard Started Going to Outdoor Festivals with Ten Friends

This is a corner where we ask residents to share their experiences in social apartments with us. This time, we would like to introduce the column "Second Youth, Social Apartment" vol.2 by "Inoue Tsubasa" who lives in Neighbors Higashi Jujo.

...

Two and a half years in Social Apartment was my second youth.

As I became a working adult and grew older, I made fewer and fewer friends. I had fewer opportunities to make new friends, and I gradually lost touch with my old friends due to changes in life stages.

I vaguely thought about making new friends and joining a new community, but never took concrete action. When it came time to move, I stumbled upon a social apartment.

I had never lived in a share house before, and being a person with a dark side, it was a very difficult choice for me, but I decided to take the plunge and give it a try.

And so, my life changed forever.

When I went to the lounge after work, someone was there, and every day was like a banquet. On my days off, I went to festivals, went camping, traveled, and took a sauna. I hadn't played like this since I was a college student. No, if I think about it, I don't think I had ever played with such a large group of people even when I was in college.

I made a lot of friends. I was able to do many things I had left undone as a student.

It was truly a second youth. What would I call this life without saying so?

In this series of articles, I would like to look back on the " days of my second youth " that I experienced during the two and a half years I spent at Social Apartment.

My first large-group camping festival in my 30s

I have never been to such a dazzling outdoor festival with a large mixed-gender group. I thought I had never had the chance to attend such a dazzling event. But now, for the third year in a row, I have attended an outdoor festival with nearly 10 people.

This is an amazing experience for me, as I have only ever attended live concerts solo or with a small group of music-loving friends. I never thought I would be able to have such an experience in my 30s. Living in a social apartment is a lot of fun because there are countless "never thought so" experiences.

Since living in Neighbors Higashi Jujo, I have participated in Asagiri JAM three years in a row and FUJI & SUN two years in a row. Both are held in Shizuoka Prefecture, where you can enjoy camping and music at the same time in a vast natural setting with a panoramic view of Mount Fuji from the event site. It is the best festival imaginable.

Well, this October I went to Asagiri JAM for the third time.

We rented two cars to go with a group of 10 people, but since some of the members had already moved out of their social apartments, we had to pick up our friends who lived in different parts of the country and head to the venue.

The first thing to do when we arrived at the venue was to set up the tents. I had not been camping since I was an indoor person in elementary school, so I relied on those who were used to camping to help me set up the tents. As I helped them, I learned that this is how tents are set up.

One of the good things about living in a social apartment is that I was able to learn the joys of camping through this experience.

Once the tent was up, the first thing to do was to eat. While grilling the meat, we take out the long cans from the cooler box. After everyone makes a toast, it feels like the festival is about to begin.

Whether camping or at a festival, the first toast is the signal for the beginning of the festival, and I am excited to be a part of it.

From the campsite, we take a bus to the venue. As I get off the bus and walk to the venue, I gradually hear the music, and I get the feeling that I've finally arrived at a festival. Once at the venue, everyone decides on a place to gather, even if they are far away from each other, and lays out leisure sheets to make a base.

Since the signal is difficult to get at festival venues, making a base is essential for large groups of people.

Each person enjoys the live show in a free style, watching the artists he or she wants to see. When the artist is the one you want to see, everyone gathers together to share the music over drinks. I like this free feeling.

A night of singing along to classic lounge tunes and talking around the campfire.

I have many memories during the live shows over the past two and a half years, but I think "that song that everyone knows! I especially remember the moments when we were able to share our memories with "that song that everyone knows!

For example, at FUJI & SUN in May this year, never young beach sang "Farewell Song" and "Bright Future" on the stage lit up after the sun went down, and we all joined in a big chorus.

These songs were a regular part of the "DJ time" that was held sporadically at the Neighbors Higashi Jujo lounge. How could we not get excited?

When such a standard song is played, everyone gets excited. Summer Soul" by cero at Fuji & Sun and "Summer Situation" by STUTS at Asagiri JAM were also a hit. I heard them in May and October, respectively, so I remember feeling the beginning and the end of summer.

After the concert, we returned to the tent to cook dinner. We made a fire and talked around the fire.

Since we were drinking and watching the concert, we were so-so drunk by the time we had dinner that I honestly don't remember much of what we talked about. I think we are probably talking about nothing else. But that's what makes it fun.

Someone said to me as I watched the flickering flames.

I wonder how long we can keep coming to festivals like this.

I have a feeling that it will be difficult to keep the same members together forever. Each member's life stage will probably change, and even where they live may change.

Perhaps after everyone leaves Social Apartment, we may naturally stop meeting together.

Someone said, " But it would be nice if we could all get together with our children in the future.

Everyone said, " That's a good idea.

Many families with children come to camping festivals such as Asagiri JAM and Fuji & Sun. The abundance of nature, the spacious venues, and the lack of crowding make it easy to bring small children to these festivals.

People enjoying camping with their children. Such a scene seems to me to be a form of happiness itself.

I think this kind of thing is great.

Someday, I hope to bring my children and gather here together. This was my third camp festival after living in the Social Apartment, and I felt I could see a little bit of the future.

(Writing: Tsubasa Inouye, Photography: Tsubasa Inouye, yukimasa)