３匹の猫とともに
ふたりは日常から脱却した。

夢のまた夢。軽井沢に家を建てるなんて、サラリーマンにかないっこない。そう思い込んでいる人は多いだろう。Iさん夫妻もそうだった。

夫婦ふたりと猫３匹。都会でも田舎でもない、埼玉県の郊外でマンション暮らし。週末はホームセンター→スーパー→百貨店のルーティーン。猫がいるので旅にも行けない。車を買ったがほぼ活用できず、本人たちいわく「つまんない」生活を送っていた。そんなある時、人生を変える一筋の光が差し込んだのは、軽井沢での朝だった。知人が所有していた別荘に誘われ、遊びに行った日の翌朝。その時に見た風光があまりに素晴らしく、ただただ感動した。そこから「どうにかできないものか」と、あれこれ調べ始めたのだ。

まずは中古別荘を探し回った。ここだ！と思ったところを見つけたものの、すんでのところで他に決まり、地団駄を踏んだ。これがさらなるスイッチにつながり「もうひと背伸びして、建てちゃおうか」という案がにわかに持ち上がった。そしてモリノイエに相談。ネットであたりを付けた土地を事前に見に行ってくれて「やめといたほうがいい」とキッパリ。一緒に土地探しから行ってくれることになった。「ここは角地で、夜ヘッドライトに照らされるからダメ」「ここはくぼんで湿気が多いからダメ」とレクチャーを受けながら、丸２日間かけてあれこれとめぐった、最後。道よりも2mほど上がった、苔のある小体な土地にピンときた。唯一の問題は狭さだったが「人んちの庭を自分ちの庭だと思えばいい」と諭され、なるほどと納得した。

したはいいものの、最初の設計案が上がってきた時は愕然とした。何しろ自宅のマンションよりも狭い平米数で、収納もほぼなし。昭和人間である夫は「別荘といえばドーンみたいなイメージ」とのギャップに目が点になった。人ふたりと猫３匹だけとはいえ、手狭に感じないか正直不安だった。

しかしそれも、結果杞憂だった。ほぼ毎週末ここに来て、ほぼ外に出ず、ずっといる。昼は窓際のデイベッドに転がり、本を読んだり、猫とじゃれ合ったり。夜は買ってきた惣菜とともにワインを呑んだくれたり、猫とじゃれ合ったり。

まるで飽きないのは、生き物がたくさんいるから。鳥はもちろん、リスにサル、ウサギにキツネ……。ある春は、ヤマガラの巣立ちにも立ち会えた。テレビでは見たことがあったが、実際に目の前で繰り広げられる姿にはゾクゾクした。

うれしいのは、うちの猫たちがうれしそうなこと。人の都合などまったく考えず、気ままに階段を往来し、部屋のヘリを渡り歩く。野に放つことはできないけれど、ここにいながらにそれを感じている。それを見ながら、また呑んだくれるのだ。

Escaping their routine lives together with their three cats.

A complete fantasy? Most would consider the idea of building a house in Karuizawa impossible for your average company salaryman. Mr. and Mrs. Inoue (all names have been changed) were no exception.

The couple and their three cats lived in a condominium in the suburbs of Saitama Prefecture, which is neither urban nor rural. Their routine on weekends was visiting home centers, supermarkets, and department stores. They could not travel far because of the cats.

They had a car but could not use it very often, and lead what they called a “boring” life.

One morning in Karuizawa, they saw the ray of hope that would change their lives. A friend had invited them to visit his holiday home, and the next morning, they saw such a wonderful view that they were completely moved. From then, the Inoues began researching, wondering if there was anything they could do to make their dream a reality.

First, they looked around for a used holiday home. However, many times when they thought they had found the perfect place, someone else had already signed the contract, leaving them frustrated. So eventually they came up with the idea of just building it themselves.

So they talked with morinoie, who sent someone up to see the land the couple had found on the internet, and told them straight up, “better not buy that.” An agent agreed to accompany the couple in their land search. They spent two whole days going around, being informed by the agent that “this corner lot is no good because it is illuminated by headlights at night” and “it is not good as it is in a dip and too moist.” A small piece of mossy land, raised about two metres higher than the road, hit the spot. The only problem was the small size of the lot, but they were convinced by the agent’s suggestion to “think of other people's gardens as your own.”

However, when the first design proposal came in, the couple were dismayed. It ended up having a smaller area than their condominium and had almost no storage space. Mr. Inoue was of a generation that had specific ideas about how impressive vacation homes should be. Even though it was for just two of them, and their three cats, they were worried that they would feel cramped.

But that turned out to be a groundless worry. The Inoues stay there almost every weekend and remain there all the time, almost never going outside. During the day, they lie on the daybed by the window, read books, or play with the cats. At night, they drink wine with prepared foods they bought and play with the cats.

They never get bored because there are so many creatures to see. There are birds, of course, but also squirrels, monkeys, rabbits, and foxes. One spring, they saw a titmouse making its nest. Although they had seen it on TV, it was thrilling to see it happening in front of their eyes.

What makes them happy is that their cats seem happy. They go up and down the stairs and walk around the edges of the room as they please, with no regard for the convenience of humans. While they cannot be allowed out into the wild, the cats can still sense it from inside the house. Watching all this, it’s time for another drink.