Nikaho Highlands A Bite of Cheese by the Car, with Wind Turbines in the Distance

As I climbed up into the Nikaho Highlands, the grassland beside the road seemed to spread farther and farther out. I parked my red car in the car park in front of Hibariso, where I could see all the way to a distant ridgeline. Once I turned off the engine, I stepped outside and took a deep breath. Even on a summer afternoon, the breeze felt a little different from the heat I’d been feeling inside the car.

I was wearing a white short-sleeved blouse and a long green skirt. When I stood beside the car, the breeze lifted the hem. In the distance, small white wind turbines stood in a row. There were no huge turbines right beside me; I picked them out across the broad grassland instead. That sense of distance felt just right for being up in the highlands.

For my break, I’d brought along some cheese I’d picked out at the nearby Tsuchida Farm. Holding a little paper plate, I speared a piece with a wooden pick. When I looked out over the grassland, I spotted a tiny wind turbine in the distance. I wanted to savor the cheese slowly while taking in all that open space.

My friend stood beside the car with her camera raised, wondering if the distant wind turbines would make it into the shot. I kept savoring my cheese and looked toward the grassland. The grass close by and the trees farther off followed the gentle rises and dips of the land. Instead of picking out one big mountain today, I wanted to remember this whole stretch just as it was.

I found out the highlands have farms, ponds, and lookout spots too, and my friend and I started talking about where to stop next. I wasn’t going to try to see them all in one go; I wanted to get out of the car and take in each place one at a time. Even after finishing the last piece of cheese, I stood there with the paper plate in my hand, watching the distant turbines for a while.

After we’d chosen our next route, I straightened my skirt before heading back to the car. A quick detour was all I’d planned, but I ended up lingering there, taking in the grassland for quite a while. My friend laughed and got into the passenger seat; I took the driver’s seat. Once I’d checked the road ahead and pulled out, I wanted to keep driving along the highland roads a little longer.