Let’s Go to Okutama!

I got my first bike in fifth grade—a perfectly ordinary 24-inch model my parents bought for me. Its frame was a deep orange with strong red tones, and I was so thrilled I rode it around almost every day.

With my sense of adventure growing (?), one day three neighborhood friends and I decided, “Let’s go to Okutama!” (Back then it was commonly called the Ogouchi Dam, and the station wasn’t called Okutama Station but Hikawa Station). We set off from our home in Suginami, but the destination was too far for our childish legs, and we ended up turning back somewhere past Ome.

Even though I knew it was bad, I didn’t get home until after 8 PM. Being the oldest, I got a severe scolding from my parents for the reckless plan (?).

自分の自転車を持ったのは、小学校５年生の時、親に買ってもらった24インチのごく普通の自転車でした。赤が強いオレンジ色の車体、嬉しくて毎日のように乗り回していました。

冒険心の高まり(?)とともに、ある日近所の仲間3人で”Let’s go to Okutama”(当時は一般的に小河内ダムと呼ばれ、駅名も奥多摩駅ではなく氷川駅)と、杉並の自宅から出発したものの、子供の脚力に目的地は遠く、青梅を過ぎたあたりで引き返すはめになりました。

まずいなと思いながらも、帰宅したのは夜8時過ぎ。年長だった私は無謀な計画(?)を親にこっぴどく叱られました。