After the dinner show, our attendant took us to the shopping street, but I wasn't interested in shopping there and dropped in at the Ukulele Exhibition Site. The procedure of the production of ukuleles was exhibited there. It was interesting.
ウクレレ奏者には堪えられない展示館だと思う。製造工程から始まっていろいろなウクレレが展示され、ヴィンテージ物も。
The most known attraction in the Polynesian Cultural Center would be its extravagant dinner show, and that was really great as I had expected. I'd like to show you some scenes of the wonderful pageant, but picture shooting was prohibited. The pictures below were from the warm-up show performed by students of BYU. In such a situation, I don't drink a beer to avoid spending time in the washroom, but it was sad to eat steaks without wine. The center was run by the Mormon foundation and alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the park due to religious reasons.
The long-waited dinner show started at 7.30 after the stage was blanketed by darkness. While I was watching the show, I often forgot to eat the gorgeous dinner. The story was gripping and was about a baby who was born in a King's family and grew up to a great leader of the nation. It's worth while to visit Hawaii and watch!
ポリネシア文化センターの一番の呼び物は、ディナーショーだ。ただ、ショーを写真に撮ることは禁じられていた。下記に並べる写真は、前座のショーを撮影したものでここまでは撮影を許可されていた。演者はおそらく学生たち。彼らのショーに続いて行われたプロによる(と思われる)時代劇を豪華な食事をいただきながら鑑賞。このようなとき、トイレへ行かなくてすむようビールは飲まないが、ワインが飲めなかったのが辛かった。
プロによると思われるショーは完全に暗くなった１９時３０分開演。食事の手が止まってしまった。どうやら、一人の男が生まれ、いろいろな試練を経て次世代を率いるリーダーに成長する物語。迫力満点の素晴らしい野外劇だった。一見の価値、十分に有り。
Next, we were led to the canoe tour. The tourists were able to enjoy the scenery of the Polynesian villages from on the water, but I thought that the canoes might have been a speedy transportation to take lots of tourists efficiently, who were tired of walking after wandering a long way, to the central area of the park, where the dinner show would be held.
カヌーツアー
続いてカヌーツアー。水上からポリネシアの国々の雰囲気を味わうという建前だが、おそらくは歩き疲れた観光客をメインの建物がある地域へ効率よく運ぶためのもののような気がした。(^_^;)外観からは各国の伝統的な家屋にはあまり差が無いような気がしたが、もちろん間違っていると思います。
I'll show you a picture of a map which was displayed at the exhibition site of an old Samoan boat. Take a close look at its part of the Sea of Japan. Do you find an erasure of something? I imagined that "the Sea of Japan" should have been there. I assumed that it was the wrongdoing of Koreans. Almost all the old maps which show that the Senkaku islands are the territory of Japan selling in secondhand bookstores were bought up and those in the public libraries were damaged by Chinese people in Japan. Likewise, Koreans are erasing "the Sea of Japan" on the maps, which is globally acknowledged everywhere in the world. I couldn't even imagine that they are committing such crimes in the Polynesian Cultural Center. They seemed to want all human beings to call the Sea of Japan the East Sea. Additionally, let me write that the border between Japan and Russia was also wrong. Conclusively I can't say that the wrongdoer is Korean, but considering that similar incidents by Koreans have been happening globally, the suspect must have been a Korean. I've written about my disgusting necktie before. Would they want to change the lies to be fact by continuing to say them loudly.
改ざんされた地図
サモアの船を展示している場所に掲げてあった地図を写真に撮った。良く見て欲しい。日本海と書かれてあるはずが、消されている。世界のあちこちで報告されている南朝鮮人の仕業じゃないのか？案内をしてくれたアテンダントも呆れていた。早速元に戻すという。ついでに言えば日露の国境線も間違っているのだが。この件、朝鮮人の仕業と断定するわけにはいかないのだが、世界中で同種のことが報告されている以上、おそらくは朝鮮人によるもので、施設損壊にあたるのではないか？
先日は日本の竹島をトクドと表現している忌まわしきネクタイの記事を書いたが、言い続ければ嘘も事実になるというわけだろうか。朝鮮は何世紀もシナの属国であり、その間にシナから習ったのだろうか。
After enjoying the show on the rafts, we walked around the park with our attendant. The first stop was the Tongan Village and we learned about Tongan culture and history, then enjoyed Tongan music. The park was divided into several areas by the nation and I'll show you pictures which I took in the Tongan area.
While I was viewing the Polynesian folk houses in the park, I became eager to visit some countries in them. If you ask me which country is the best for me, I'll probably answer "Tahiti", which showed us beautiful and elegant dances. I now have a pamphlet which I got at the entrance gate of the park, and I'll show you below.
ショーを見た後、アテンダントの案内で園内を見て回った。最初に寄ったのがトンガ村。トンガの文化や歴史を学び、トンガの楽器を使った演奏を楽しんだ。国ごとにエリアが分かれていて文化の説明があった。写真はトンガの写真を呈示する。それぞれのお国柄を見ていて、ポリネシアのどこかの国へ行ってみたくなった。その中でもどこかと問われたら、優雅なダンスを見せてくれたタヒチかな？入園時にもらった園内のパンフレットがあるのでいっしょにＵＰします。
The dances from various Polynesian islands were partly alike and partly different, and their dances were really nice and entertaining. I didn't understand their words, but I was able to roughly imagine what they were describing from their facial expressions, behavior, and outfits. The team with blue outfits was from New Zealand, the red one from Tonga, and the yellow one was from Tahiti. The Tahitian dance was very elegant. The Samoan dance, of which I didn't take pictures, was a bit manly and made me feel a sense of deja vu. It was the dance that I had seen before the rugby match of Samoa.
各国のダンスは似ているようでも有り、違うようでも有り、様々で楽しいショーだった。彼らの言葉はわからずとも、表情や身振り、衣装の華やかさなどで表現していることは理解できた。青は確かニュージーランド、赤はトンガ、最後の黄色いグループはタヒチで優雅な感じがした。写真はないが、サモアのダンスは男性的でどこかで見た気がしたがラグビーの試合の時のダンスそのものだった。
Who do you think were performing there? Actors? Or, local dancers? They were the students of Brigham Young University(BYU) from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, and so on. They make money for learning in BYU by performing their traditional dances and working for the publicity for their cultural aspects. The lives in Hawaii weren't financially easy for the students from poor countries. The Polynesian Cultural Center was not only a theme park but the means for the fulfillment of those students' studies.
I found an important fact from their outfits, particularly from the ornaments of their ankles and wrists. The last picture shows the monument in front of the Hilton Village, and I had been wondering what that meant. I understood, it was the Polynesian dance.
さて、この演じている若者たちはいったい誰だろうか？俳優？地元の人たち？実は皆ブリガム・ヤング大学の学生だという。サモア、フィジー、ニュージーランド、トンガ、、、などからの留学生だという。自らの文化をここで披露することで収入を得て学費の足しにしているという。貧しい国からの学生にとってハワイでの生活は楽ではない。ポリネシア文化の広報活動をすると共に、自らの勉強に資するという意味で２重の恩恵のある施設なのだ。単なる娯楽のためのテーマパークではなかった。
彼らの足下、手首を見て、ハッと思ったことがある。最後の写真はヒルトンビレッジの前にあるモニュメント。いったいこれは何なのだろうと初めて訪れた去年から疑問に思っていたのだが、まさにこれはポリネシアのダンスではないか。そうだったのかと、目から鱗体験。
Various kinds of Polynesian traditional dances were performed on the rafts moving on the pond which was artificially set in the Polynesian Cultural Center. I didn't understand the differences between the dances of various nations and our attendant briefed us on them. The women's movement of rocking their hips means small fishes and the men's movement of continuing to open and close their legs, bending their knees means the fishery nets. That is, men catch women, and it contains something erotic. The rafts were controlled by a boatman and some boatmen were thrown away from the raft due to the strong rolling from energetic performances.
ポリネシア文化センターの中に水路が作られていて、次々に現れる艀の上でポリネシア各国家の伝統的なダンスが紹介される。それぞれのダンスに違いがあるようだが、門外漢の僕には区別がわからないのでアテンダントがダンスの意味を教えてくれる。女性が腰を激しく振るのは小魚を意味し、男性が膝を曲げてピンクレディーのように股をパカパカと閉じたり開けたりするのは漁網を意味していて、男性が女性を捕まえる、、、ちょっとエロチックな面もあるダンスだとか。艀は船頭によってコントロールされているが、あまりの激しい動きに艀が揺れ、艀から落ちてしまった船頭もいた。(^_^;
Pay attention to the right hand of the statue in the first picture! That's the "SHAKA SIGN". This statue stood in front of the gate of the center. I read only the conclusion part of the description of the statue; DESCENDANT OF HAWAIIAN CHIEFS, A FAMOUS FISHERMAN, A BELOVED COMMUNITY LEADER, AND "FATHER" OF THE SHAKA. After this statue and the advice of our attendant, we are showing the Shaka sign in the picture, but.... Anyway I was excited to think what tour would start from then.
To tell the truth, I was astonished to read the full description of the statue after coming back to Japan. How and when was the Shaka sign born? The description is written monotonously, but its contents were sad. The person of the statue was born in 1882 at Laie, where we were. That means, when he was 16 years old, Oahu island was swallowed up by the U.S.. He must have been worse off than before. He seemingly lost his first three fingers of the right hand in a nearby sugar mill accident. Then he was transferred to the railroad company. He had given signals with his two-fingered right hand on his duty. That's the origin of the Shaka sign. For detailed information, please read the description below. Focusing on the right hand in the picture, his three fingers are surely cut down.
(Vocabulary)
He is worse off than before. 前より暮らし向きが悪くなった.
ポリネシア文化センターの入り口の前にあった像の右手に注目。あのシャカサインだ！銘板の最後のまとめの部分だけを読んで、（ハワイの酋長の末裔、有名な漁師、愛された地域の代表、そしてシャカサインの父とある）、、、、アテンダントの指示に従い、銅像の真似をしてシャカサインをしてみたのだが。
実は帰国後、この銘板を読んで驚いている。シャカサインがどのようにして生まれたのか、、、が書かれている。文章は淡々と書かれているが、内容は悲しい。銅像の男性は１８８２年ライエに生まれたとある。ということはアメリカに飲み込まれたのが彼が１６歳の時。アメリカ統治下のサトウキビ工場の事故で右手の「最初の３本の指」をなくしたとある。仕事が出来なくなったのか、サトウキビ鉄道へ移り、右手を振って合図をしていた。つまりそれがシャカサイン。後は碑文をお読みください。写真を良く見ると確かに指が切れている、、、
（注：英語では親指はthumbでfingerに含まれず、人差指が第１指で小指方向へ順に第２指、第３指、、と呼びます。なので最初の３本の指とは人差指から薬指を指します。フィンガー５というグループがありましたが、英語的には誤りです。指は５本ありますが、フィンガーは４本しかありませんから。）
The Polynesian Cultural Center is located at Laie, which we passed by yesterday. That could be accessible by a fixed-route bus, but if the show was performed longer than its schedule, you'd miss the last bus. What's more, some places between Laie and Waikiki were poor in public security. That's why I chose a tour for sightseeing the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The chartered bus arrived at the designated site on time. The tour guide was a female Japanese student from Brigham Young University - Hawaii. She gave us some lessons about Hawaii on the way to the center. She had lived there for 2 or 3 years and her perspective contained the student's distinctive mind-set and it was new to me as I'd never lived overseas. If I could mark her guidance, I'm sure to give her full marks. However, if some historical aspects were added to her explanation, her result would have been much better. Brigham Young University is a famous private one and its founder is the Mormon foundation. Under Mormon rules, alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the campus and associated facilities, naturally including the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was sad to keep away from wines during the dinner.
The total 30~40 passengers were on the bus and they were grouped into several subgroups. We chose the most high class one, which was all-time attended by a guide in the center. Our seats were set at the front in the show, and the dinner was great. The attendant in the center was also a Japanese student from Kagoshima. His explanation was great as well as the one of the guide in the bus. They were useful to me.
ポリネシア文化センターは昨日通過したLaieにある。路線バスで行けないことはないのだが、ショーの終了後、遅れずにバスに乗って帰るのは難しく、また道中は治安が悪いのでセンターまでの往復を考えてツアーに参加するよう勧められた。
指定された場所で待っているとバスがやって来た。バスガイドは日本人学生でブリガム・ヤング大学ハワイ校に在学しているとのこと。道中約１時間、ハワイの現状を説明してくれた。学生ならではの視点も有り、バスガイドとして点を付けるなら１００点！ただ、もう少し、歴史の勉強をしていればもっと良かった。ブリガム・ヤング大学は有名な私立校で母体はあのモルモン教。その関係で施設内は禁酒らしい。夕食時、飲めないのがちょっと残念。
同じバスに乗ったツアー客だが、いろいろなコースに別れており、我々はこれが最初だが、最後と思い、一番高価なコースとした。バスから降りると他のツアー客とは別行動。昼間も夜もショーは最前席、一人の学生がずっとアテンドしてくれていろいろと説明してくれる。彼をいじるのが楽しかった。(^_^;)バスガイドの女子学生の話と、このエスコートしてくれた男子学生の話はためになった。
I got up fairly early on the 10th. It was seemingly getting better. We had already a reservation of the Polynesian Cultural Center tour in the afternoon, and so I was going to stay at the beach or the poolside until noon. However, as I was a member of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club and was invited to the lecture on the club over a light meal, I attended it. I felt that my option of travelling became wider. Every island of the Hawaiian islands has its own features and all of them attracted me. I'd like to visit Hawaii next year and the short trips from Oahu island to other islands are also great, though I had to stay several days on Hawaii island, as it's far bigger than Oahu island. The following pictures were taken from the office of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the 34th floor of Waikikian, which is a building in the Hilton Waikiki Village. I think that persons on the neighboring balcony are maybe recommended to buy a room there.
１０日は昼からポリネシア文化センターツアーを予約しているので午前中はビーチでのんびりするつもりだったが、閑だったし、ヒルトンバケーションクラブの会員になっているのでクラブの説明会に参加してきた。無料だけど超軽い朝食を食べながら話を聞いた。また旅の行き先が拡がったような気がした。ハワイ諸島それぞれの島に特徴があり、他の島にも行ってみたくなった。来年もハワイに行くつもりだが、一泊二日くらいで他の島にいてみるのも良いな。ハワイ島だけはでかいので何日も滞在しなければいけないと思うが。写真はオフィスのあるワイキキアン３４階からの眺め。隣には購入を勧められている人たちがいた。
When I visited Hawaii for the first time last year, I asked an American for his advice and he suggested Hanauma Bay as the most beautiful beach on Oahu island. However, that was a little far for me, a first-time visitor. This time, our drive was already behind schedule and there was a short-cut route, but I wanted to drop in at this beach at least. My impression was just "What a beautiful bay!" I heard that the beach was shot in the movie starring Elvis Presley, "Blue Hawaii".
The beach was not a park, but located in a preserve. The colonies of coral prevent sharks from sneaking into the bay, and it leads to the safety of small fishes and humans. The fishes in the bay seemed not to fear humans. You can swim with fishes there. I thought that snorkelling would be fine. I decided to swim in Hanauma Bay next time. The parking lot along the road was fairly high, but you can use a tram to the beach.
Just after leaving Hanauma Bay, our car got into an area called Hawaii Kai, which was really beautiful and looked peaceful. Admiring its gorgeous atmosphere, the driver told me that the area was included on the route of the Honolulu Marathon. I felt that it would be wonderful if I was able to run the street in Hawaii Kai. However, the runners have to run more than 30 km until arriving at Hawaii Kai and then the slope of Diamond Head was waiting for them. In order to enjoy running in Hawaii Kai, I would have to build my strength up, but I wanted to join the Honolulu Marathon in the not so distant future.
One more thing. I noticed at Hanauma Bay that we had passed by a steep slope on the right side. Koko Crater was along the road. The three big craters on Oahu island are Diamond Head, the Punchbowl, and Koko Crater. I stood on two of them. I'd like to climb the last one, Koko Crater next time. The scenery from the summit must be great. I heard that it took an hour to reach its summit. The trail to the summit used to be an important route for supply to the military fort on the summit. A part of the railroad seemed to remain.
We parted in front of my condominium after receiving his contact number to get in touch with him during our stay on Oahu island. I got various information from him during the drive, like an annual senior bus pass on Oahu island, issues of garbage and industrial waste, supplies of water and electricity, reasonable and secure bars and pubs in downtown, and so on.
We got tired and bought some food which was easy to eat. I think that it's the best way to save money in the Waikiki area. We went out to the beach with wine and ate the food viewing the boats on the ocean. Today was also a wonderful day!
ハナウマ湾
昨年、あるアメリカ人に初めてハワイに行くのだと話したら、ハナウマ湾へ行って見ろとアドバイスを受けた。だが、ホノルルからは意外に遠く、行きにくい場所にあったため立ち寄ることは出来なかった。なので今回初めて来て見たが、何と美しい海だろうと思った。聞けばエルビス・プレスリーのブルー・ハワイの撮影地だと言うではないか。
ここは公園ではなく、保護区になっており、サンゴが群生しているためサメが入ってこないし、魚類は保護されているため人間を怖がらないらしい。次の機会には絶対にここで泳ごうと思った。シュノーケリングが楽しそうだ。道路はかなり高い位置にあり、ビーチまで下りていかねばならないのだが、トラムが運行しているようなので大丈夫。
ここを出てワイキキに向かうとすぐにハワイカイと呼ばれる地域に入った。実に美しい街並み、入江に感心していると、フルマラソンではこのあたりを走る、ということでコースを走ってもらった。ここを走ったら気持ちいいだろうなあと感じた。ただし、３０キロくらいからのコースで、しかもハワイカイからダイヤモンドヘッドの登りになるので若干きつめになる。なので楽しむためには十分な走力を身につけておかねばならないがフルマラソン、走りたいぞ。
通り過ぎてわかったのだが、右側がいやに急で、左側も落ちている。ドライバーから聞いた。ココ・クレーターが右側にあったのだ。我々の車はそのクレーターの東側斜面を走ったことになる。頂上まで登山道が有り、かつてはトロッコで頂上にある陸軍基地までトロッコで物資を運んでいた名残りで、今も線路が残っていて、線路を歩いて上るらしい。そんなことを聞くと登らずにはいられない。
うちまで送ってもらってチャーターしたタクシーとはお別れ。連絡先をしっかりと聞いているのでまた利用したい。路線バスの年間シニアパス、ハワイの粗大ごみ事情や、産廃事情。電気や水の供給問題、地元の人たちが利用する飲み屋など、、、いろいろな情報を仕入れることが出来た。
今日も疲れたのですぐに食べられるものをいろいろ買い込んで帰宅。結局これが一番安い。ワインを下げてビーチへ出て海岸で軽く食べたらもう眠い。素晴らしい一日だった。
Our car went south again to Makapuu Point after leaving Laie. There were various tourist spots on the way, but we didn't stop at them. We didn't have enough time. However, the around-the-island trip gave me a rough idea about the magnitude of Oahu island. It made it easier for me to visit the places which I want to see by fixed-route buses.
We passed by the neighborhood of the former sumo grand champion wrestler Akebono's original house. There seemed that his statue used to stand in the nearby shopping center, but it had fallen down due to the strong wind. No matter how strong the wind was, the fact that the big statue had collapsed was funny. I wanted to see the statue, which had gone. Our driver was really a nice guy and his talk was fun. I saw bits of glass at the lookout of Makapuu Point, and it indicated a recent vehicle burglar.
Makapuu Point was in the midst of volcanic terrain, and there were several trekking routes around. I'd like to enjoy trekking there.
マカプウ岬
Laieを出て車は南下。途中数多くの観光ポイントがあったのだが、時間の関係で寄ることはできず、一気にマカプウ岬展望台へ。しかし、この一周でオアフ島の大体の大きさはつかめたので、路線バスを使って今後自由に行き来できる気がしてきた。
マカプウ岬の手前で曙の生家近くを通った。ショッピングセンターに曙の銅像があったらしいのだが、風で倒れたらしい。風で倒れるとはいったいどんな銅像だったのか、見てみたかった。（笑）この運転手は実に楽しい人だった。いろいろなことを教えてもらった。この展望台にもガラスの破片が散らばっていた。最近の車上荒らしを示しているという。車内に貴重品を置かないことが肝心とのこと。このあたり、火山活動の名残が残っていて楽しそうなトレッキングコースがあった。治安上の問題をきちんとした上で歩いてみたいと思う。
Your surprising face comes to my mind. You might utter, "Aren't you in Hawaii?" This is Byodoin Hoo-oh-do, which had been built in 1968 in Hawaii on the 100th anniversary of the 1st Japanese immigrants' arrival. The magnitude was regrettably a third or fourth of the original one, but its atmosphere was as great as that of Japan. The original Byodoin Hoo-oh-do is a Buddhist temple which doesn't belong to any Buddhism sect. That on Oahu island, what's more, doesn't take any specific religious dogma, getting out of Buddhism. Byodoin Hoo-oh-do was designed and built so that all the Japanese on Oahu island could think of their original land of Japan by seeing it, no matter what religion they believe. There was the Shinji-ike pond in the grounds, in which gorgeous carps were kept. The ponds called Shinji-ike are found in several places in Japan. "Shinji" is a kanji character which stands for heart or soul and "ike" means pond. The shape of this pond was modelled after the kanji character, Shinji. I think that this pond might be for calming yourselves before the Temple.
Just before the arrival at Byodoin, I found several graveyards separated by their religion. Among them, there was a small graveyard, in which Japanese style tombstones were arranged. All of them were made of black granite and directed toward Japan. I couldn't help thinking of Japanese people who had been born in Japan, moved to Hawaii, and became the soil of Oahu island. What lives had they spent? Anyway, I chatted with other foreign tourists in an adjacent gift shop. I was asked if Byodoin was famous in Japan. I thought it a silly question, but politely answered as follows: It has 1000 years of history and is listed on the World Heritage Sites. They told me that they're interested in Japanese history, and so I added that the first-ever Seppuku - committing suicide by cutting open the abdomen - was done in Byodoin. I hoped that it was not wrong.
(Vocabulary)
granite 花崗(かこう)岩, 御影(みかげ)石
平等院鳳凰堂
写真を見て『あれ、ハワイを旅行中ではなかったの？』とびっくりされる方もいらっしゃるでしょう。これはハワイにある平等院鳳凰堂。明治維新の年に渡航した第一次日本人移民の１００年記念として、１９６８年に建てられた。規模はさすがに実物の数分の一だが、美しさは実物に劣らない。鳳凰堂は仏教の特定の宗派には属していないが、この考えをさらに拡げて、ハワイに住む日本人が、信仰する宗教の垣根を越えて故国日本に思いを馳せることが出来るよう、無宗教を旨として創られている。庭には立派な鯉が泳ぐ心字池も。
ここへ到達する直前には黒い石で作られた日本式のお墓が並ぶ一角があった。全てのお墓は同じ方向を向いており、その先は日本だという。奥津城タイプもあった。日本に生まれ、ハワイに移住し、ハワイの土となる、、、どんな感じなのだろうと考えずにはいられなかった。売店の叔母さんや他の外国人旅行者との雑談で、鳳凰堂は日本でも有名かと馬鹿な質問をしてくるので、１０００年の歴史を持つ世界遺産だと教えた。日本の文化や歴史に興味があるというので、切腹が初めて行われたのが平等院鳳凰堂だと教えてあげると横にいた日本人も驚いていた。間違っていなければ良いが、、、、(^_^;)
Our taxi entered the Windward area, going south on the Kamehameha Highway, which roughly circles Oahu island. The driver took us to Laie Point State Wayside Park. There was Brigham Young University(BYU) Hawaii and the Polynesian Culture Center in the neighborhood. As we had already reserved a tour to the Center and didn't have enough time, we skipped the BYU-related facilities, like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center, the university cafeteria, shops, library in the campus and so on.
Getting back to the track, Laie Point State Wayside Park wasn't on my travel guidebook, but its distinctive terrain was impressive. How was that shaped? I didn't know if that had newly happened or a story of long ago, but a fisherman who had lived on either Molokai or Kauai island safely drifted to the rock in the picture. These rocks in the pictures were said to have mysterious powers to save lives, but I didn't remember the driver's words in detail. I'd like to search for the details about his story later.
(Vocabulary)
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 末日聖徒イエスキリスト教会
Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center ライエ・ハワイ神殿訪問者センター
オアフ島をほぼ一周するカメハメハ・ハイウェイを南下してウィンドワードという地域へ入った。ドライバーが案内してくれたのはLaie Point State Wayside Park。すぐそばにあのモルモン教の大学ブリガム・ヤング大学ハワイ校がある。そして同校が経営するポリネシア文化センターがあるが、翌日にツアーを予約しているのでこの日はパスした。時間があれば大学周辺を、例えば末日聖徒イエスキリスト教会、ライエ・ハワイ神殿訪問者センター、またブリガム・ヤング大学キャンパス内にも入って、学食とか学生用のスーパーや図書館にも寄りたかったがあちこち見てきたので時間が無くなってきた。これもまた次回に路線バスで訪れることにした。
さてLaie Point State Wayside Parkだが、手元の旅行ガイド『地球の歩き方』には載っていなかった。非常に特徴的な風景だった。モロカイ島か、カウアイ島の漁師が流れ着き、この岩には命に関わる神秘の力があるというのだが、詳しい説明は覚えていない。後ほどゆっくりと調べたい。
Now, lunch time! Our driver took us to his recommended street stall, Giovanni, in Haleiwa, but it was heavily crowded. We headed for another stall with the same owner in Kahuku. Hearing the word "Kahuku", I remembered the starting day of the Great East Asian War. All the Japanese fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers took off from their carriers and got together once off the coast of Kahuku Cape, then headed for Pearl Harbor. Looking up at the sky, I was seized by mixed feelings.
Anyway, the lunch was great! I ate the famous local food of "garlic shrimp". I assumed that the waters around the Hawaiian islands must have been a good ground for shrimps, but they were artificially grown and I saw a shrimp growing field on the way to Honolulu. The dish was nice, but my hands got greasy taking their shells off.
It seemed that Giovanni has something secret in its cooking method, but they didn't disclose that. A Korean running restaurant in the neighborhood, which was opened 6 months ago, was almost vacant. Giovanni's method would be hard to mimic.
さて、ランチである。ハレイワの町で食べるつもりが運転手おすすめの店(ジョバンニ)はかなり混んでいたためパス。ガーリックシュリンプが名物らしい。ハワイ近海でエビが捕れるのかと思ったら養殖業が盛んらしい。この店のすぐそばに養殖場があった。この店が流行る理由を詳しく聞いたが覚えていない。何か他の店では真似の出来ない技があって流行っている店で、同じ店がKahukuにあるのでここへ寄った。それでも１５分くらいは待った。美味しかったが、手が油まみれに、、、(^_^;)
カフクといえば、カフク岬の沖に真珠湾攻撃機が集合してここから真珠湾へ向かったのだった。この空を数百機の攻撃機が飛んだのだなと感慨深かった。
最後の２枚の写真は笑いのネタ。６ヶ月前にジョバンニの繁昌を見て開業したコリアンの店。ご覧の通り、客はコリアンだけで閑散としており、味を真似ることは難しいようだ。
The sea of the North Shore was brilliantly blue. Our car was a chartered minivan, but if I drove my car, SLK200, along the coastline of of the North Shore of Oahu island, what a pleasure I would get. I told my driver such a wish. His answer was an unexpected one to me, i.e. that idea was terrible. Convertible cars seemed to be unnecessary in the all-time hot island of Hawaii. All the convertible Mustang cars which were found everywhere in Waikiki were apparently rental cars without exception. When it comes to rental cars, I asked him if there is some mark on the license plate which indicates that the car is a rental one. In Japan, the license plate of rental cars has a specific mark on it. His answer was NO, and he added that such marks could attract vehicle burglars. I understood.
Several beaches were along the coastline and lots of tourists were viewing big waves and surfers. Unexpectedly, the best season of the beaches on the North Shore of Oahu island was winter. The waves in winter seemed to be far higher than those in Honolulu.
Three days after the cold front progresses to the Sea of Okhotsk and Japan is hit by a storm in winter, the waves produced on the Sea of Okhotsk reach the North Shore and they make there a paradise for surfers.
ノース・ショアの風景
オアフ島北岸のドライブは実に気持ちが良い。ミニバンではなく、自分のＳＬＫならどれほど気持ちが良いだろうかと思う。ドライバーにそう話すと、暑いハワイでオープンカーなどとんでもないとの返事。ムスタングのオープンカーが目立つのだが、すべてレンタカーだという。ついでに聞いてみた。ナンバープレートからレンタカーだと判断できるのかと。できないとのこと。レンタカーだとわかると車上荒らしに遭いやすいので、そのようなシステムにはなっていない、、、なるほど。
ビーチがいくつもあり、サーファーの姿もちらほら。波を眺める観光客も多かったが、ここのベストシーズンは冬だという。１２月の波は今よりも遙かに高く、サーファーが集まるとか。波の大きさはワイキキの比では無いと言う。オホーツク海に前線が張り出し、日本が冬の嵐になると、その３日後くらいに良い波が来るのだそうだ。遙かオホーツクの海から。日本の冬の嵐はノース・ショアのサーファーにとっては楽園を意味するようだ。
The next stop was the small neighbor town of Haleiwa. There were many tourists for its magnitude. I had two places there which I had long wanted to visit. One was a street stall which served shaved ice with simple flavoured syrup. The story dates back to 30 years ago. My junior ate shaved ice at a street stall in the northern area of Oahu island, when he dropped in at the island on the way back to Japan after three years' work in the U.S.. The owner of the stall had worked for years turning the ice shaving machine by hand and raised his three sons. My junior was impressed by his being devoted to his work. I didn't know why, but I remembered his story, and I wanted to visit the stall. I wasn't able to find such a small stall there and I heard about the famous shaved ice shop, "Matsumoto Shave Ice". However, due to lots of people waiting, it seemed to take some time to get its shaved ice and I gave up eating it.
The other was Liliuokalani Protestan Church. As you see, Liliuokalani is the last queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The lives of ancient Hawaiians are still unknown, but the influx of the Western culture into the northern part of Oahu island was in 1832, when a group of missionaries came to the North Shore of Oahu island. They were allowed to build a church at present Haleiwa. FYI, the shape of the church resembled a hurricane bird, which was "iwa" in Hawaiian, and "hale" meant house in Hawaiian. The name of the town "Haleiwa" was born from the shape of the church in these ways. There was Liliuokalani's summer house near the church and during her stay, she seemingly attended the church. The present church was reconstructed and had no atmosphere of those days, but I wanted to walk around on the grounds. I knew from my travel guidebook later that there were several goods related to her. Next time, I'm sure to visit the church.
Around the end of the 19th century, lots of immigrants from various countries came to the North Shore of Oahu island and the area had remarkably developed by the sugar cane industry. What's more, a railroad line to Honolulu was constructed, but with the outbreak of the Great East Asian War, the clock of Haleiwa stopped and the railroad was abolished. In the 1950's surfers began to come to the North Shore, but the prosperity of Haleiwa didn't come back. At present, several houses, which had been built in the times of the prosperity, still remain and produce its nostalgic atmosphere of passed days.
(Vocabulary)
summer house 夏の別荘
ハレイワにて
次に立ち寄ったのは隣町のハレイワ。小さな町なのに観光客は多かった。訪れたい場所が２ヶ所あった。ひとつはかき氷屋。３０年近く前のこと。後輩が、アメリカ留学から帰国途中、ハワイに寄り、レンタカーでハワイを一周したときに北の端にあるかき氷屋でかき氷を食べた。そこの親父は毎日毎日、屋台でかき氷を作ることで息子を３人育てた。後輩が、その勤勉さに感心していたことをずっと覚えていて、まだ営業しているなら一度その店に寄って親父のかき氷を食べてみたかった。ところが、屋台のかき氷屋はなく、マツモト・シェイブアイスという有名な店があると聞いたので寄ってみると、、、その店は大繁盛。並ぶ時間が惜しくて食べるのは諦めた。
もう一つがワイアルア・プロテスタント教会。ノース・ショアの古い歴史はよくわかっていないが、オアフ島北部に西洋文化が流入したのは１８３２年に宣教師の一団がやって来たときから。宣教師は地元の酋長から教会建設を許され、近くにサマーハウスを持っていたリリウオカラニ女王も滞在中はこの教会で礼拝したという。現在の教会は再建されたもので当時の面影はないのだが、女王の歩いた土地を歩いてみたかった。ここには女王にまつわる品々があるというのだが、時間の関係で中には入れず。
１９世紀末には各国からの移民がやって来て町はサトウキビ産業で繁栄。ホノルルまで鉄道も引かれたが、１９４０年代に鉄道は廃止。大東亜戦争が始まるとハレイワの時計は止まってしまった。１９５０年代に入り、サーファーたちが波を求めてやって来るようになったがハレイワが元の繁栄を取り戻すことは無かった。現在も砂糖産業華やかなりし時代に建てられた家屋が残り、当時のノスタルジックな雰囲気が漂う田舎町である。
Our taxi proceeded north on the Kamehameha Highway for the North Shore. I learned the history of the area from the driver. The town where we were was Waialua. This town used to be prosperous with the cultivation of sugar cane and the sugar manufacturing industry, but it gradually declined. He told us that some shops in the area were getting popular and he took us to the shops; "Island X Hawaii" and "North Shore Soap Factory". Those shops were built utilizing the ruins of the factories. They were handling coffee, chocolate, and soap at present. I was seized by a weird feeling as if I was taken back to 100 years ago. It was really enjoyable to see around. I tasted several kinds of coffee and I liked them. I hoped that I would be back on the next visit to Hawaii. The soil around was reddish and the area might as well have been on another planet.
I found an elementary school on the way back to the Kalakaua Highway, though I didn't think so many people lived in the neighborhood. When I checked our route on the Google Maps after coming back to Japan, there were lots of folk houses around. I wanted to see how the street was. How is the way of their living?
ワイアルアの町で
タクシーはノース・ショアへ向かってカメハメハハイウェイを北上。ドライバーからこの地域の歴史を聞く。ワイアルアという町で、かつてはサトウキビ栽培・製糖業が盛んだったが衰退し、寂しい街になっていると聞いた。最近よく話題に上る店があるというので寄ってもらった。製糖工場跡にあるIsland X HawaiiとNorth Shore Soap Factoryという店がそれ。今はコーヒー、チョコレート、そして石鹸を製造している。内部はいわゆる雑貨屋で建物を見ていると１００年前にタイムスリップしたかのような感覚に襲われた。ウロウロ見て回るのが楽しい店だった。試飲したコーヒーはどれも美味しく、また寄りたい店だ。このあたり、土は赤い色を呈しており、ワイキキからほんの少し離れただけだが別の国に来たようだった。
カラカウアハイウェイへもどる途中、小学校を見つけた。あまり人が住んでいるようには見えなかったのだが、帰国後グーグルマップでたどったルートを確認すると結構民家があった。どんな街並みだったのか、見てみたかった。この後寄ったハレイワでも、通ったのは観光用の道だけ。このあたりの暮らしはどんな感じなのだろう？
The pineapple field along the Kamehameha Hwy around the Dole Plantation was much smaller than I imagined before my visit. As I had precisely learned about the history of Hawaii I thought that the Dole Company must have been huge and dominant on Oahu island. I was surprised to see the unused field and looked into some information on the revenue from farming, and found that revenue from nuts and coffee stand high, but that from pineapples was really small. The management of the company seemed to be hard. I had nothing to feel in the Dole Plantation, but "Dole" reminded me of a historical fact like the following.
In the first picture you see "SINCE 1900". It's 2 years after the annexation of Hawaii. Do you know how the Hawaii islands were annexed into the U.S.? The U.S. sent lots of friendly Americans to the Hawaii islands and when the population of the U.S. citizens reached an absolute majority, the U.S. forced the Kingdom of Hawaii to hold what you call a democratic election to establish a U.S.-friendly government. Dole, the founder of the Dole Company, was the ringleader of that plan. His unfair way was just the same as the way that the U.S. adopted half a century ago in the battle with Mexico. They robbed Mexico of Texas, saying "Remember Alamo". What's more, when the U.S. engaged in the Great East Asian War, they fought in the same way as they did against Mexico, saying "Remember Pearl Harbor". I'm going to write about this theme later in detail.
You know, the Americans tell us that they developed wild land with pioneer spirit in heart, but it's totally and absolutely wrong. They slaughtered numerous native people and deprived them of their land. They proceeded to the west and reached Hawaii and then Japan. One of the history textbooks, published by McGraw-Hill, contains unbelievably malicious stories. I'm going to specify the real story about Hawaii for the young and promising American people.
When the U.S. citizens were inhabiting the Hawaii islands, the Royal House of Hawaii asked Japan for help, feeling that the U.S. was trying to occupy Hawaii. Unfortunately, however, Japan didn't have enough power to save the Hawaiian Royal Family. Then the king of Hawaii, Kalakaua, was the first overseas chief of state, who visited Japan. His name remains in Kalakaua Avenue, which goes through Waikiki, and I ran on the avenue, thinking of him.
The Queen Lili'uokalani was enthroned in 1891. You might know, but she's known as the writer of "Aloha Oe". Cowardly Dole plotted to run the government in the U.S.'s favor and gave the voting rights to only the white and very few islanders. On the other hand, the queen announced that she'd bestow the rights to vote on all the islanders. Lots of native islanders took to the street to support the queen, but the movement finally triggered the destruction of the Kingdom of Hawaii by the U.S. side. The native islanders' demonstration was held in front of Iolani Palace, and this palace is the singular palace in the U.S. which remains today. I ran the half-marathon on the street in front of the palace, recalling the historical incident which had broken out 127 years ago. The U.S. minister to Hawaii, Stevens, commanded the U.S. marines on the battleship Boston dispatched to Honolulu military port to take the queen in custody on the excuse that he would save the lives and properties of the U.S. citizens. At that time, the Kingdom of Hawaii disappeared from the world, and the Republic of Hawaii was established. Stevens was going to annex the Hawaii islands into the U.S. in good time.
What, do you think, did Japan do concerning the incident? Japan dispatched two warships, "Naniwa" and "Kongoh" to Hawaii and both anchored on both sides of battleship Boston just like they would do in a pincer attack. Their behaviour was nothing but overpowering. You'd be surprised to know this act of Japan, which hasn't been able to rescue abducted people from North Korea.
The captain of "Naniwa" was Heihachirou Togo, who had suddenly become famous as a great admiral later during the Russo-Japanese War. Togo declared that a reckless attempt to destroy the Kingdom of Hawaii by violence was going on, and they would keep security and protect the lives of innocent citizens. The two warships stayed in Honolulu Harbor for three months. They went back to Japan once, but "Naniwa" was sent to Hawaii again the next year.
Togo was asked to fire a gun salute to mark the first anniversary of the Republic of Hawaii by the president, but he firmly refused his proposal, saying that he didn't think that the gun salute was necessary. Consequently, other military vessels on Honolulu bay followed Togo. The news media from all over the world reported that the day of celebration had silently passed just like mourning the Kingdom of Hawaii. That's Japan's conscience, which the U.S. hasn't had even until now.
Japan showed its Navy's power off and lots of Japanese historians explain that the U.S. started to think of Japan as its enemy at that time, but I don't think so. I suspect that the refusal of the gun salute might have triggered the disgust against Japan among the U.S. citizens.
訪問前、一面に拡がるパイナップル畑を想像していたが、カメハメハ・ハイウェイの両側のパイナップル畑は荒廃していて驚いた。調べてみるとハワイ州の農産物収入はコーヒー、ナッツ類が上位を占めパイナップルは微々たるものだ。経営は楽ではなさそうだ。この場所には特に感慨は無い。ただ、ドールと聞いて思い出すことがある。
最初の写真にドール・プランテーションは１９００年創業とある。ハワイ併合の２年後だ。ハワイがどのような経緯でアメリカ領となったのか。アメリカは友好的な顔でアメリカ人の入植を進め、ある程度の人口に達した時点で民主主義に則り公平に選挙をするという口実で親米政権を打ち立てた。このときの中心人物がドール、この会社の創立者だった。彼の卑怯なやり方はその半世紀前にメキシコからテキサスを奪ったときと同様の手口だった。このとき、アラモ砦に籠城する仲間をまず殺させておいてから『アラモ砦を忘れるな』という掛け声でメキシコからテキサスを奪った。後に書くが、真珠湾を攻撃させておいてから『パールハーバーを忘れるな』といいながら日本と戦ったように。
未開の地を開拓してきたとアメリカ人は言う。それは違う。先住民族を虐殺し、彼らの土地を奪ってきたのが彼らの歴史、西へ西へと進み、行き着いた先にハワイがあり、日本があった。アメリカの歴史教科書、例えばマグロウヒル社のものを読むと嘘ばかり。ここでハワイの本当の歴史をアメリカの若者のために書いておく。
アメリカ人が続々と入植していた頃、ハワイ王室は日本に助けを求めたが日本にはハワイ王国を救うだけの国力は無かった。救いを求めてやって来たカラカウア王は日本へやってきた初めての外国の元首だった。今ではワイキキを貫く大通りの名前になっていて、そんなことを思い出しながらマラソンを走った。
１８９１年リリウオカラニ女王が即位。あの『アロハ・オエ』の作者と書けば知らない人はいないだろう。卑怯なドールが白人の意見が通るように、白人とごく一部の島民にしか与えなかった選挙権を女王は貧しい島民にも与える憲法改正を発表したところ、イオラニ宮殿前に数千人のハワイ人が集まって女王支持のデモを行った。しかしこれはアメリカにとっては都合が悪い。白人側はこれを機に一気に王制打倒に動き出した。（イオラニ宮殿は現存しており、マラソンコースから広場を眺めた。１２７年前にここで起きたことを想像しながら。）米国公使スティーブンスは「米国人市民の生命と財産を守るために」と言ってホノルル港に停泊中の米軍艦「ボストン」の海兵隊を上陸させて女王を退位させ、ここにハワイ王国は消滅し、ハワイ共和国が樹立され、頃あいを見て米国は併合しようという計画だった。
しかし、当時の我が国がこの状況を放置するはずがない。北朝鮮に拉致された人たちを救えない日本にもこんな時代があったのだと驚くが、巡洋艦「浪速」、コルベット級「金剛」がホノルル港に入り、ハワイ王国乗っ取り中の戦艦「ボストン」をはさむように投錨した。威圧である。
「浪速」の艦長は東郷平八郎。後に日本海海戦を指揮して世界に勇名を馳せた名提督だ。東郷平八郎は、「武力でハワイ王制を倒す暴挙が進行している。我々は危険にさらされた無辜の市民の安全と保護に当たる」と宣言した。「浪速」は３ヶ月ハワイに留まった後、いったん帰国するも、一年後に再びホノルル湾に派遣された。
ハワイ共和国大統領から「建国一周年」を祝う礼砲を要請されたが、東郷艦長は「その理由を認めず」と拒絶。するとホノルル軍港の各国軍艦も東郷にならい、世界の新聞は「ハワイ王朝の喪に服するような静寂の一日に終わった」と伝えた。これがアメリカにはない日本の良心である。
日露戦争で日本はその海軍力を世界に見せつけた。この時点でアメリカが日本を敵国と見なすようになったという意見があるが、僕はこの礼砲拒否あたりからではないかと考えている。
Recent Comments