Early Sunday morning, I flew back to Singapore after spending 10 days in Maebashi, my Japanese hometown, to spend time with my father.
Maebashi is a medium-sized inland city located around 100 kilometers to the northwest of Tokyo, with a population of around 300,000. I was born and raised there until I was 12, when I went to Shanghai, China to study in a Chinese middle school. This is a city in which I spent the second longest period of my life after Singapore, where I have been living for the last 22 years.
Growing up, I didn’t have a deep appreciation for this city, as it was the only place I knew and took everything about it for granted. While I didn’t find it boring, I didn’t find it too exciting either–in short, I was neutral about it when I was living there.
Nonetheless, it is indeed well said that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Having been away from Maebashi for close to four decades, in recent years I’ve grown more and more attached to this city, so much so that I can actually picture myself spending my retirement years there.
There are several things I like about Maebashi.
First, it’s an esthetically pleasant city with nice urban planning and several beautiful parks. Except for the relatively short peak hours, there are hardly any traffic jams and its roads are well maintained and a breeze to drive on. Unlike in big cities like Tokyo, buildings along the streets are constructed sufficiently apart from one another, freeing residents from a cramped, claustrophobic feeling.
Second, Maebashi boasts several suburban shopping malls, making shopping for daily items extremely convenient. There are sizable supermarkets, drug stores, and electric appliances stores, as well as outlets of famous retailers such as Uniqlo, Ikea, and Don Don Donki that are far bigger than their counterparts in Tokyo.
Having lived in Seattle before, I feel like I’m in North America when I shop at those humongous malls in Maebashi. Speaking of Seattle, I’m also thrilled that Starbucks has been opening more new outlets in Maebashi, equipped with American-style drive-through facilities. It seems that the global coffee chain operator has finally realized that its Seattle-flavored coffee blends in well with the suburban middle-class vibes of Maebashi.
Third, living expenses including housing and food items are much more affordable in Maebashi than in Tokyo. You can buy a brand-new landed house of a decent size for around USD 160,000, a steal in many parts of the developed world. Maebashi is surrounded by mountains and blessed with fresh air and clean water, with numerous hot spring resorts in the vicinity. Situated close to farm areas, local supermarkets are always stocked with cheap and tasty produce.
Last but not least, Maebashi has some great bookstores with a decent enough collection of books that wouldn’t shame any bookstore in Tokyo. Being a book lover, this has a special significance for me. Whenever I’m in Maebashi, my favorite thing to do is to shop till I drop at a local bookstore, and then swing by Starbucks to read to my heart’s content while drinking a cup of latte.
The only drawback about living in Maebashi is that it’s a totally automobile-based community, and it’s practically impossible to live there without a car. As I don’t consider myself a particularly skilled driver, this can present a bit of difficulty for me. However, with the advent of self-driving cars, I might not need to drive the vehicle myself in the future. I hope that technological advancements can make those cars more affordable soon.
As I’m still working, I have yet to decide where I will spend my retirement years. Aside from Singapore, living in my hometown of Maebashi is definitely an enticing option. Regardless of where I choose to live in the future, I hope to enjoy a chilled and peaceful life.
