Join us as we follow two inseparable sisters Ms. Miwa Hori and Ms. Kana Hayashi who grew up in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya as they reminisce about their hyper-local commute during their high school years. In this edition of “Oh yeah, I know that feeling”, they take us on a journey down memory lane, sharing stories about a shortcut and a hill in Takami in Chikusa Ward and the memories that they hold dear. Get ready to relive their experiences and share in the nostalgia!

This back alley that connects our home and school is like the Panama Canal!

– Hi there! We have two ladies here who attended a girls’ school in Kakuouzan Nagoya, and they’re going to introduce us to their super-local commuting route that they used for three years. Welcome, ladies!

Miwa: Yes, that’s right, haha. To get to our high school from our home, it’s typical to go through Ikeshita station, but that route has a lot of traffic lights and turns that are a hassle. However, if you go through “this alleyway” near Takami intersection, you can almost go straight to our school in Kakuouzan from our house.

Kana: “This alleyway” is such a super-local shortcut that it’s not even on Google Maps. My friend used it as a shortcut, and she taught me about it. I think we were able to shorten our morning commute time by 5-7 minutes by using this route.

– It’s like the Panama Canal of commuting routes, haha. It simplifies the journey and makes your mornings easier.

Miwa: Yes, haha. That’s theoretically true. But we didn’t use that kind of expression back then, haha.

– Oh, sorry, haha. I just thought it was a good phrase.

Kana: Also, the size of the alleyway is just right to walk through while holding an umbrella on a rainy day. But you have to be careful about your sense of balance, or you might bump into something.

It's truly a privileged route for bicycle commuters.

Joyfully pass with an umbrella!

– And then, after you pass through this alleyway, you encounter “that hill,” right?

Miwa: We tried to climb it for three years straight, but we never made it to the top even once.

Kana:We could go up about two-thirds of the way… maybe around the first telephone pole on the left side.

The steepest slope on the school route with a 17% incline, ‘that hill’, is the biggest obstacle!

– So you spent three years climbing up that hill.

Miwa: We fought against this hill every day, rain or shine or snow. But on bad weather days, we had to walk from the bottom, so it was a hassle.

Kana: If it were now, I would definitely have bought an electric bicycle, haha.

It's a perfect for daily morning exercise.

The hill is much steeper than it appears!

– So this was the commuting route of your youth, where you were repeatedly turned away for three years.

Miwa: If you reach the top, you can see Nagoya Dome from there. This view is only available to those who have climbed this hill to the top.

Kana: You don’t get to see it even if you drive by. I think it’s a view that we earned with our own feet.

– Once you reach the top, you just have to go down the hill and reach the school, right?

Miwa: Actually, after this, we have to climb one more hill. Then, if we time it right, we can cross the signal at Hirokoji-dori without stopping and arrive at the school without any losses, haha!

– So there was still one last fortress remaining, haha! Thank you very much for sharing your story with us today!

Miwa & Kana: Everyone, try climbing this hill on a bicycle at least once!