Lucky Not to Hear

When I’m traveling, I always look forward to where I’m going to sleep. If you are creative enough, there are many ways to sleep comfortably even when camping out. When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep though, I do have an advantage over most people.

When sleeping in mountain huts or sharing a crowded, Japanese-style room on a long-distance ferry, I always get up in a cheerful mood, while other people wake up with circles under their eyes. Maybe they just drank too much? Instead they say, “No, the guy next to me snored really loud” or “The sound of mosquitoes bothered me” or “I was afraid of the sound of storm outside.”

No matter how comfortable or soft the bedding, the noise is always unavoidable. I tell people to use earplugs, but they usually don’t work perfectly. Well, people like me are born with earplugs anyway. To be honest, some others I know (such as a certain Japanese editor of this magazine)—can sleep anywhere.

One time when I was sleeping at a ranch, I felt really sorry for my friend. From midnight, a mouse started to run around on the ceiling of the barn, then a chicken was clucking, and the cows, birds and dogs began to howl at the same time! In the middle of the chaos, of course, I was snoring loudly in a peaceful sleep.

My friend could not sleep at all, however, and felt dizzy in the morning on the way home. Everyone in my family is deaf, so I never have to worry about the sound of snoring.

Troll was born in Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Despite having a hearing disability, she is an active traveler who enjoys following the endless horizon while mountain biking, telemarking, skiing and kayaking.