As I have no hobbies in particular, the closest I can come to a hobby is probably taking a walk. I am at a loss to answer if walking is a hobby, but it is a hobby in the sense that it is a distraction outside of my main job.
However, there are many different types of walks. A casual stroll in the neighborhood.
A walk at the destination of a trip, or a walk with a specific purpose. Conversely, a walk without a destination in mind. The most appropriate is a stroll around the neighborhood.
I don’t mean to sound philosophical, but I think it is more common among philosophers than novelists to prefer strolls. Rousseau wrote “The Dreams of a Solitary Walker. Kant, who walked the same route every day for the same amount of time, and whose residents are said to have adjusted the hands of their clocks accordingly. Kitaro Nishida, the originator of the term “path of philosophy” in Kyoto, and many others.
Most of them, however, may be described as a means of contemplation rather than a way to see the scenery. In this respect, I feel that literary artists’ love of walking is more of a side trip, more distracted, and more curious.
Taneda Yamatoka, who wrote free-verse haiku, and Shotaro Ikenami, who walked in search of food. Soseki Natsume strolled around Ueno and Asakusa in his spare time, going to the public baths. Rather than deep contemplation, I think of it as a literal “walk” that dissipates the mood of a contemplation-weary mind.
I, too, am more of a curious strolling person. I like to go to places I don’t know, be it a neighborhood, a travel destination, or anywhere else. I just wander around. Sometimes, I can’t say it too loudly, but sometimes I walk while drinking.
Maybe some people who like trains also prefer this kind of train ride.
The nice thing about walking is that it basically costs no money. And the thing about walking is that you can discover all sorts of little things. Oh, the pine tree on this house here is oddly shaped, or there might be a sparrowhawk nest in this vacant lot here, etc. You can catch sight of things that you might otherwise miss by driving, biking, running, etc.
And if I get tired, I take a break at a store that catches my eye along the way. Deciding on a restaurant is appropriate. I don’t care about scores on GuruNavi or Google. If I get a good score, it’s a good answer, and if I don’t, I just think, “Hmmm. At one time, I used to take a walk around the city with the intention of going to a restaurant, but I gradually stopped doing so because I was worried about opening times and how hungry I was, which made it difficult to enjoy the walk.
Of course, if I got sick in the middle of the walk, I would immediately withdraw. Sometimes I stop at a super public bath, although this costs money. I just walk, and when I feel like it, I take pictures, write haiku, and sometimes tweet. Everything I do is just a no-brainer.
I often liken walking to life, but if you have too many dreams, ambitions, or other big goals, you will not be able to enjoy the sights along the way. On the other hand, if you have too little, you will be swept away by your desires.
The way you take a walk may reflect the way you live your life. A philosopher lives a life of contemplation throughout his life. And a novelist sees various landscapes and events and sublimates them into a story.
And the best thing about taking a walk is that, like other hobbies, there are no definitions, rules, conventions, and various noisy masters of the art. And it can be done by one or two people. There is no limit to the number of people.
See you soon.
I like aimless walks.
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