A morning on Mt. Goro, looking up at the tower I was already high up, yet I could still go higher

On an early-June morning, I parked in the car park on Mt. Goro. I stepped out in one of the spaces marked with white lines, holding my straw hat against my chest. Goro Sky Tower stood beyond the hedge. I craned my neck to see the windows at the top. I was already at the top of a mountain, but I could still go higher.

I took another look at the tower from beside the car. It rises in a slender column, then flares out at the observation deck. The morning light caught the windows, and I wondered where the view opened up. With the trees nearby for scale, I could really see how tall it was. Knowing I'd be going up there next made me eager to get started.

My driving friend glanced toward the bay beyond the fence. I followed her gaze and saw water between the green mountains. “Maybe we can make out more of the shoreline from up there,” I said. My friend looked up at the windows again, too. I wanted to see how the view changed from up there.

A path runs beside the hedge and leads toward the tower. Sunlight touched the leaves, and tree shadows fell across the path. A breeze caught the hem of my white dress, and I adjusted my hat. After driving up through all those turns, I had another path ahead to follow on foot. I wanted to savour the walk toward the tower, with the greenery alongside me.

My friend and I agreed it was about time to go. Before walking away from the car, I glanced at the windows one last time. We decided to look for the bay from above. I wondered how that small glimpse of it from the car park would look from the observation deck. I couldn't wait to see the bay through those windows, so I adjusted my hat and set off.