Savoring Each and Every Day… Hidehiko Ishizuka of “Honjamaka” on “Summer Vacations as a Child”

I still remember it vividly

Hello, everyone. I’m Hidehiko Ishizuka—the guy who went to a steakhouse after looking up at the sky in my backyard and seeing a cumulonimbus cloud shaped like a sirloin steak.

In this article, I’d like to write about my summer vacations when I was in elementary school.

I was born in Showa 37 and am now 64 years old. So, I think those of you who lived through that era will understand what I mean. As I recall, summer vacation in elementary school started on July 21, so as soon as July rolled around, I’d get all restless and my mind would wander during class. There were so many things I wanted to do.

On the very first day, my friend Hisashi Yamato and I rode our bikes to the pond in the park to go fishing. We caught earthworms for bait near our houses and set off at 4:00 a.m.—even though it wasn’t a punishment or a chore. That’s the kind of plan only kids come up with. Since it was summer vacation, we could have fished for as long as we wanted, but we were kids after all. We got bored easily, so we called it a day by 7:00 a.m. and headed home.

Adults might stick to one activity a day, but that’s just how kids are. At noon, Yamato-kun and I headed to the pool. We walked 15 minutes from home to Hodogaya Station, took the city bus, and went to Honmoku Public Pool. I couldn’t stop fidgeting even on the bus.Since he didn’t want to waste any time, he started inflating his swim ring about three stops before we arrived at the pool.

Kids Are Something Else

We arrived safely at the Honmoku Public Pool. I know I’m repeating myself, but since I didn’t want to waste any time, I’d already slipped on my swim trunks under my pants. Clutching a float, I dashed across the scorching pool deck and plunged into the water. Kids don’t need any warm-up exercises.Yamataku and I floated and dove together. Swimming during school swim class is more than enough for me. Back then, for some reason, the background music at the Honmoku Public Pool was Shizue Abe’s smash hit “Mizuiro no Tegami” (Aqua-Colored Letter). I suppose the person in charge of the background music must have been a huge fan of Ms. Abe.

At 4:00 p.m., even our laughter from floating and diving eventually wore thin. We draped the bath towels we’d hung on the fence over our shoulders and headed to the changing room. Then, the day’s final mission began.After making sure no one was around, Yamato-kun and I would lift up the slats at our feet. More often than not, we’d find a 10-yen coin lying there. That day, too, we picked up enough to cover our bus fare home.

On the bus ride home, I slept like a log all the way to Hodogaya Station and got home at 5:00 p.m.As an adult now, my day would be over after just two events like that, but for a kid, it’s not over yet. No sooner had Yamahisa-kun said, “See you later,” and closed the door than the front door swung open again: “What time are the fireworks?” “Huh?” I thought to myself, but before I knew it, I found myself replying, “It’s still light out, so let’s meet at 7:00.”

Kids are something else.

Nowadays, when I think of a day off, all I can think about is lying down, but kids back in the Showa era made full use of their time. During our summer vacation, which lasted over a month, there wasn’t a single day I spent entirely at home.Swimming, fishing, fireworks, kick-the-can, and catching stag beetles. We’d do our homework in between all that. Since we’d be thinking, “I want to play, I want to play” while doing it, we didn’t get much done. I still remember my father telling me, “If you want to play, you have to finish your homework,” and me doing it while on the verge of tears.

Summer vacations where I savored every single day. Summers when the sound of cicadas filled the air. The summer of Shizue Abe that never ends. With just a bicycle and a bus, we could go anywhere—that’s the Showa era I love so much.

From the September 11 & 18, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*