Zao Observatory Above the town lights, with the melon I picked that afternoon

I stepped onto the night walkway, and tiny blue lights were scattered across the floor. I followed the railing with my eyes, and the town lights spread out beyond it. Still holding the bag with the melon I'd bought on the Atsumi Peninsula that afternoon, I stopped walking. I wanted to take my time looking at the lights close by and the ones in the distance.

When I opened the bag, the paper gave a soft rustle. I took out the melon and held it in both hands, feeling its weight. As I looked at its netted skin, I remembered how long I'd spent choosing one that afternoon. I love how choosing just one thing to take home can bring the whole day back.

The Atsumi Peninsula is known for its musk melons, and in summer you can enjoy them at local farms. I chose a whole melon to take home as a souvenir. I want to chill it, cut into it at home and eat it while talking about today. I haven't even tried it yet, but I'm already looking forward to that moment.

When I looked up from the melon, the town lights stretched far across the view. I compared the lights almost directly below with the tiny ones in the distance. From up here, I could take in the whole town. I'd been driving around down there just moments ago; now I wanted to pick out the roads I knew.

The railing curved gently ahead of me. I put the melon back in its bag and started walking again, following the curve. Each time I looked down at the lights at my feet, then back up toward town, the lights seemed to change in size and the view stretched farther. I thought I was here just for the night view, but I've come to love walking this path, too.

Before leaving the observatory, I shifted my grip on the bag handles. If you're visiting the Atsumi Peninsula in summer, why not pick out a melon by day and take in the town lights at night, all in one trip? Even when I cut the melon at home, I want to remember this view from the walkway.