第49回 全国大会結果

大学の部 2位
板橋 穂乃花(慶応義塾大学)

The Young Hold the Power to Change the Future

 A couple of weeks ago, my grandmother and I were walking around a neighborhood approximately 30 minutes away from our house. Many houses with similar facades lined the streets – white or grey walls with square windows neatly placed equally apart from each other. Amongst such houses however, there were ruins of small buildings that were once parts of a thriving shopping street. There were many closed shops on the street-a tofu store, rice store, bakery, butcher's shop; all of which had no apparent plans for renovation. The windows of these shops were brown from the accumulation of dust and the words on the rusty signs resting at the top were faded from age, making the words barely legible. Occasionally, a bicycle storing a plastic bag sitting in the front basket would brush past us. Imprinted on the plastic bags were the logo of a large supermarket.
 Upon looking at the ruins of the shopping street, my grandmother suddenly turned to face me and started talking about her childhood days when large supermarkets hadn't dominated the sales of groceries in small neighborhoods in Japan.
 "You know," she said, "back when I was a child, the shopping street near my house would be packed. In the mornings and in the afternoon, housewives would move from shop to shop collecting ingredients for that day's lunch and dinner. At around three in the afternoon, children let out from school and hungry for a snack would crowd around the Dagashi or cheap sweets store. Later in the evening, people returning from work would scour the streets for a side dish to go with a mug of beer or glass of wine. The street markets made interactions amongst the people in the neighborhood inevitable. Shopkeepers would remember their patrons' names and customers would engage in small talk while standing in line for the cash register, gradually bringing them closer. Back then, the street markets where what connected the people in the neighborhood who were otherwise unrelated, indifferent individuals."
 I know for a fact that the neighborhood my grandmother and I happened to pass by that day isn't the only neighborhood where a sense of community has weakened considerably throughout the years. All too often, we hear that many communities existent in present day Japan are nowhere near close to the warm, welcoming community my grandmother depicted or the ones we see so often in old Japanese comic books and TV programs where people share condiments with a next-door neighbor without a second thought. How many of you know what your next door neighbor looks like, or what they do on the weekend? I assume not many. For all we know, a serial killer could be taking refuge next door, the only thing separating yourself from that person being the fragile walls of your bedroom. The sad truth is that many of us are no longer closely tied to our community.
 Surprisingly though, that’s not the case in my neighborhood. To prove that, the street markets in my residential district are still thriving. During the daytime, I see many people lining up at the tofu store to buy handmade tofu from an old married couple, or at the bakery to get freshly baked melon bread and baguettes. I’ve seen herds of children gather at a small candy shop after school to get their hands on the widely popular 10 yen gummy bear.
 There are also various events held throughout the year where large numbers of people assemble. In August, my parents and three younger siblings participate in the summer festival held at an elementary school where young parents in the district set up tents in the school courtyard to sell food like shaved ice and cotton candy. Some tents offer games such as shooting down toys with fake guns and scooping up goldfish with thin paper spoon-like tools. Areas where people can dance the traditional Bonodori are also set up. During New Year's, my family joins in the rice-cake making activities held at the community center. At this event, everyone takes turns holding big, heavy wooden hammer-like tools to pound the mochi.
 These events are always filled with people of all gender and ages, but especially young people- people in their teens and people in their early twenties or thirties. Many of the shops during the summer festivals are run by young moms with small children. Naturally, this makes it easy for people to gather around. Other young moms who are friends come and engage in small talk. Older people who would otherwise have stayed at home come to look after the small children. Also, the majority of people dancing the Bonodoi are teenagers who have brought along a large group of friends. Their energy and enthusiasm attract both younger and older audiences to join the dance circle. As you can see, active young people have the power to bring people of all generations together and provide people with the opportunity to strengthen bonds within the neighborhood.
 When we think on a bigger scale, these young people who have helped liven up the neighborhood have the power to shape the future of the country of Japan, which in itself is one large community.
 In the age of globalization, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Japan to remain one of the leading countries of the world. Neighboring countries are gaining momentum in many fields, providing the world with cheaper, higher quality goods and technology. Not only is it essential for Japan to adjust to the rapidly changing global standards by taking in ideas from other countries, but it is equally important to make our stance as a country clear. To achieve this, we must first learn to preserve our tradition, our culture, our language, our uniqueness amongst the many other existing Asian countries to strengthen ties within the country. I think it is young people, myself included, that have the responsibility to act accordingly and also aim to instill such a mindset in the whole population for the sake of future generations. If young people who are generally more open-minded take the initiative, people from other generations are sure to follow suit.  Like the young residents of my neighborhood who are working hard to revitalize the community, I hope I can, with other members of the young population, encourage the further development of Japan in the international community.  Thank you for listening