Mother's scolding voice echoing in the house of a tekiya, sunset in the heat of the bubble economy - Late 1980s

Mother's scolding voice echoing in the house of a tekiya, sunset in the heat of the bubble economy - Late 1980s

At dusk, when the protagonist had sold more than 2,000 apricot candies and earned 200,000 yen in a single day, the air in the house still had a thin layer of the heat characteristic of the bubble era. Stock prices continued to rise in the city, land prices soared to an extraordinary level, and people spent money one after another, and money seemed to flow in and out of the city. Even the sweets sold like apricot candies, the main character's candy, and the ingredients ran out. The lights of the stalls and the enthusiasm of the customers shone brightly, as if they were reflecting the economic momentum of the time.

Inside the house, however, there was a calmness that was different from the excitement. The protagonist, buoyed by the large sum of money he had suddenly acquired, began to frequent the downtown area and was immersed in a youthful mood in which he could not help but enjoy spending money. My mother, who was looking at him sideways, suddenly turned around and dropped one word of certainty into her voice, as if she were shaking the steam from a pot of hot water. She said, "You must be losing your sense of money these days. You'd better start saving for the future." His words were not a long sermon, nor did he raise his voice. They were just quiet and yet had a weight that resonated deep in my heart.

Although my mother was a native of Edo (Tokyo), she was born and raised in a family of businessmen, and she was of a generation that knew the fear of money on a daily basis. From the chaos of the postwar period through the period of rapid economic growth and the oil shocks, she has witnessed many moments of economic boom that suddenly collapsed. This is why the sense that one should be more cautious during good times is so ingrained in our bodies. If you get carried away, you will lose your footing. Economic conditions do not last forever. In his short words, this wisdom and realization quietly resided in his mind.

Parents of the Showa era were always aware of the danger lurking in the shadow of success, and if they felt that their children were getting carried away, they did not hesitate to warn them at that moment. While understanding the mood of young people who want to go out and have fun and the fervor of the times, they still have to keep their feet on the ground in reality. The mother's words were the briefest and deepest blow to pull the protagonist back at that very boundary.

The world outside was glittering, the neon lights of the stores and the voices of the hustle and bustle radiated the buoyant glow characteristic of the bubble era. Inside the house, however, there were quiet shadows that seemed to absorb the light, where the wisdom of life of people who had lived modestly remained. Mother's scolding voice gently placed the weight of reality on the shoulders of the young protagonist, who was about to be engulfed by the heat of the times. Her voice was surely echoing in the house at dusk, conveying the importance of living with one's feet firmly planted on the ground and not being swayed by the waves of the economy.