Driving in Mountainous Region

　　Fun driving on my way home after the technical assistance of a surgery in a hospital located in a rural area --- I made a detour to look around in the central area on Shikoku island. The sun rose higher in the cloudless sky. My car doesn't generate unpleasant noise except the wind noise being driven by electricity. When I opened windows, the sound of wild birds came in --- the experience only in the cars without combustion engines.
　　Pulling over my car, I looked down from the road shoulder. A narrow river was running. I didn't know its name, but it surely was one of the tributaries of Niyodo river, which is renowned for its transparency and color called "Niyodo Blue".
　　By the way, did you notice a small shabby bridge over the river? This type of bridge is generally called chinkabashi, which means literally "sunken bridge". This type of bridge indicates that the stream often changes into a torrent. This bridge is designed to avoid the strong pressure from the current even in a swift stream. That's why it has no bridge-rail. When the water increases and the current becomes rapid, the bridge get sunken and avoids being destroyed. It's the collected wisdom of many centuries.

山の中のドライブ

手術応援からの帰り、山の中をドライブ。天気が良くて、快適なドライブとなった。車の騒音がないので窓を開けていると野鳥の鳴き声が聞こえてくる。電気自動車ならではのことだ。道路脇に車を止めて川を覗き込むと沈下橋が見えた。何の飾りもない、手すりすらない石橋だ。水量が増えても水の流れに逆らう部分を極力なくしたこの形は橋が流されることを防いでいる。この川は美しい水、景色で知られる仁淀川の支流で、最近は外国からカヌーイストもやってくると聞く。たまにはこういう田舎のドライブも楽しい。