【首都圏行動拠点探し〜千葉「勝田台」逍遥】

　フリーの住宅探訪人としてあちこちと行動していますが、関東・首都圏地域ではだんだんと成田空港利用の頻度が増えてきています。頻繁な利用ではコスパから考えて、やはり成田が優位。東京都心までの移動がやや時間が掛かるけれど、それ以外の関東各地と考えると大きな差はない。関東各地をレンタカーを借りて高速を利用して移動するのがメインになるとそういった判断に。東京都心では公共交通・電車移動が基本ですが、やはり広域に関東各地を巡る場合にはレンタカー＋高速の一択。
　で、最近よく「京成勝田台」駅周辺を利用しております。成田からの移動は30-40分程度で手軽。東京都内での行動にはちょっとムリがありますが、関東一円レンタカー移動の拠点としては適地。
　街区と自然の環境的には東京都心とはすこし印象が違って、そこそこ建築の間に「ゆとり」が感じられ、緑地も多い印象を受ける。いちばん上の写真のように鹿島灘方面の太平洋からの日の出も、雲などの風景感も体感できる。江戸情緒の「浮世絵」っぽい風景が展開してくれる。東京都心では「明るい・暗い」しか日の出の感覚が受け取りにくいけれど、こんなふうに日の出が感じられると「大自然」感も得られるのですね。
　早朝の散歩は日本全国どこにいても気軽に歩きまわるので、ここでも「お、あの辺、ちょっと緑があるな」と目星を付けて探訪するのが楽しい。根っからの「風来坊」気質全開といったところ（笑）。まぁ北海道のようにヒグマまでの遭遇は考えられないので、見知らぬ緑地環境に入っていっても、そう大きな危険性はあり得ないので安心感がある。なにより都内ホテルのようなビジネス感ではなく、なかばは「暮らし」っぽい感覚が得られる。旅人と生活者の中間的な感覚とでも言ったらいいのか。

　で、写真のような公園的緑地を逍遥することもできる。ここは「黒沢池市民の森」というエリアだそうで、やや小高い土地に、この地域の植生が保持されている。その植生からの酸素の感覚が味わえる。温度と湿度のほかに「植物の匂い」「土の匂い」に独特の感じがあって、胸いっぱいに吸い込んでみたくなるのですね。「お、いいじゃん、この空気感」。
　とは言っても、やはり面積は小さいので、ほかの緑地も合わせて歩き巡っているのですが、ひとつの散策スポットとしては「数寄」になってくる。そういう雰囲気に惹かれてこの緑地周辺にはこの景観と親和的なレストランの建物が集中していたりする。
　・・・どうもここのところ、ヒグマとかシカとか、自然的な「呼び声」に惹かれるようになってきている。やはり年齢的にそういう内心が顕在化してくるのでしょうか？


English version⬇

Searching for a base of operations in the Tokyo metropolitan area - Floundering in Katsutadai, Chiba
There are some areas in Japan where one can gradually narrow down the search for a base of operations for "house-hunting," based on the ease of action. Is that what "fate" is all about? ...

　As a freelance housing explorer, I travel from place to place, but the frequency of Narita Airport use is gradually increasing in the Kanto and Tokyo metropolitan areas. Narita is still superior in terms of cost performance for frequent use. It takes a little longer to get to central Tokyo, but there is not a big difference when considering other parts of the Kanto region. This is the case if you mainly rent a car and use the expressway to travel around the Kanto region. In the center of Tokyo, public transportation and trains are the basic means of transportation, but if you want to travel around the Kanto region over a wide area, renting a car and using the expressway is the only choice.
　Recently, I often use the area around "Keisei Katsutadai" station. It takes only 30-40 minutes from Narita. It is a good location for car rentals in the Kanto area, although it is a bit difficult to get around Tokyo.
　The city and its natural environment are slightly different from those of central Tokyo, and there is a sense of "spaciousness" among the buildings and a lot of green space. As shown in the photo at the top, you can experience the sunrise from the Pacific Ocean in the direction of the Kashima Sea, as well as clouds and other scenery. The scenery is like an "ukiyoe" of the Edo period. In central Tokyo, it is difficult to receive a sense of sunrise only as "bright and dark," but if you can feel the sunrise like this, you can also get a sense of "great nature.
　Early morning strolls are a casual way to get around anywhere in Japan, so it is enjoyable to spot a green area and explore it. I have always been a "windbag" at heart (laughs). Well, it is unlikely that we will encounter brown bears as in Hokkaido, so there is a sense of security even if we enter an unfamiliar green environment, as there is no great danger. Above all, it does not have the business-like feel of a hotel in Tokyo, but rather a more "lived-in" feel. It is a feeling that is somewhere between that of a traveler and that of a resident.

　In this area, you can also wander through a park-like green space like the one in the photo. This area is called "Kurosawa Pond Citizen's Forest," and the vegetation of the area is preserved on a slightly elevated piece of land. You can taste the sensation of oxygen from that vegetation. Besides the temperature and humidity, there is a unique feeling of "plant smell" and "soil smell," and you want to inhale it with your chest full of air. You think to yourself, "Oh, that's nice, this airy feeling.
　However, the area is still small, so I am walking around with other green areas, but as one walking spot, it becomes a "sukiyaki". The atmosphere of this green space has attracted many restaurant buildings that are friendly to this landscape.
　.......Recently, I have been attracted by natural "calls" such as brown bears and deer. Is it because of my age that such inner feelings are becoming more apparent?