I drove my car from Osaka port to Otsu Tesla charging spot in one go, then charged my car and ourselves quickly with breakfast from a nearby supermarket. We'd like to have breakfast here leisurely, but we had a long distance to drive. As soon as the charging finished, we headed for the east.
(Vocabulary)
in one go 一気に、一編に、まとめて（１回の試みで）、一回で
leisurely ゆったりした, のんびりした; [副](書き言葉) ゆっくりと
a leisurely pace/speed ゆっくりとした歩調［スピード］
I own a timeshare condominium in Hawaii, but I wasn't able to use it in recent years due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. The ownership of the condominium can be exchanged with other resorts' accommodations, so I decided to stay at Hakone Spa Resort for a few days instead of visiting Hawaii. The exclusive Tokyu Harvest Club for members only was really gorgeous. It was located in the middle of the forest and was covered with a serene atmosphere. My wife and I spent a relaxing vacation. (hotel link)
Among a few options for transportation to Hakone, we chose our car as we could drop in at places as we liked. Additionally we utilized a night ferry(link) from Ehime to Osaka to effectively use our sleeping time. At every generation change, Japan's ferry became gorgeous. The ferry boat which we got on board was built in 2018. All cabins are single or group occupancy. We used a twin room whose picture is shown below. I thought that the room was elaborately designed. We took a bath and then enjoyed quintessential Japanese cuisine, sushi.
Hotel:
https://www.harvestclub.com/Un/Hotel/Hm/
Ferry:
https://www.orange-ferry.co.jp/en/osaka.html
(Vocabulary)
night bus 夜行バス
I came across a dual-mode vehicle. I don't know if this word can be correctly understood by native English speakers, but it's actually used in Japan. You can see it here(link). How about "Two-way vehicle" for it?
Anyway, I knew about it through news reports, but it was the first time to see it directly. Take a close look at the following picture. The Chinese letter means "Asa Coast Railways". Railways!! To tell the truth, this bus can run on the rail. You'll notice a section of wheels under the floor of the back of the bus. The word "dual" indicates "bus" and "train" at the same time.
A beach which is well-known for the deposit of carettas has been attracting my interest for a long time. I dropped in at the beach and Hiwasa Chelonian Museum Caretta along the beach. The museum also serves as a facility for carettas' preservation and animal specialists are tackling various environmental issues.
Coming down to the carettas, I remember HAWAII! All Nippon Airways connects Narita and Honolulu with three A380s. The body of the A380s are painted with adorable carettas and those A380s are dubbed Honu, which means caretta in Hawaiian. Carettas are venerated in Hawaii. Recalling wonderful memories in Hawaii, I took a walk along the beach. I haven't visited Hawaii for almost three years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I'm going to visit it next year and join the Honolulu Marathon.
(Vocabulary)
deposit of carettas ウミガメが卵を産み付けること
chelonian 亀、亀の
caretta アカウミガメ=loggerhead turtle
deposit (安全な場所に)〈貴重品など〉を預ける;〈鳥･魚･昆虫などが〉〈卵など〉を産み付ける.
We are about to enter the rainy season in southern Japan. Hydrangeas and irises are in glory this season. My wife and I visited a botanical garden whose irises are widely known for their beauty. Then we headed for a seaside restaurant for lunch, but it was closed down due to the pandemic. We like the restaurant and we were disappointed to know its closing down. The aftereffects of the pandemic seem to be far-reaching.
(Vocabulary)
hydrangea /haɪdréɪndʒə/ [名] [C] アジサイ
iris 菖蒲
I visited Hiroshima city on business after long years of interval. Seeing how the port was, I was surprised. There was almost no one in its main hall, though it was Sunday. I understood it was from the pandemic, but even so, the situation was awfully terrible.
The passengers in the ship were sparse. I simply hoped that the pandemic will end as soon as possible.
I'm currently working as a company doctor in a huge manufacturing company. I'm entrusted with keeping all employees healthy and secure and I regularly patrol various workplaces, checking harmful particles in the air and organic solvents like toluene.
The following pictures show a bridge under which I passed on the way back. I used to be indifferent to such a structure itself before I became a company doctor, but I wasn't what I used to be. I was interested in the path added under the bridge for maintenance work. I was gazing at the small parts of the bridge until the ferry boat passed under the bridge.
(Vocabulary)
toluene 芳香族炭化水素の一つ。染料・火薬・医薬・合成樹脂・合成繊維の原料。また溶剤として重要。
We dropped in at the famous temple of Rurikoji. My wife visited it for the first time and was enthralled with the beauty of the Five-Storied Pagoda, which was designated a national treasure. It was built 600 years ago and survived several times from earthquakes and indiscriminate bombing by the U.S. It had a 5-layered roof and its reflection on the pond in front of the pagoda was really beautiful.
(Vocabulary)
enthralled by/with 魅了されて, 心を奪われて
indiscriminate 〈攻撃・殺人・暴行などが〉 無差別の, 手当たり次第の; 〈人が〉 見境のない, 思慮に欠けた
I visited Nakahara Chuya Museum in Yamaguchi City. I knew the presence of this museum the last time I visited this city. I'd wanted to visit the museum at that time, but as I was not alone, I gave up visiting. I was so sorry then, but I could tour the museum this time. He is well-known but to the few as a poet and translator.
A teacher of my junior high school days was a fan of him. That's why I knew about him. His active period was only 3, 4 years because he died at 30 years-old due to tubercular encephalomeningitis. I'd never read his works, but I learned about his life from his chronological record and it stirred me to read his works.
(Vocabulary)
well-known but to the few 知る人ぞ知る
a chronological record 《of somebody's career, of the development of an event》 年譜
chronological 年代順の, 年代順に配列した
stir [他]〈人〉を駆り立てる
stir somebody to/into action ＜人＞を行動に駆り立てる
stir somebody to do something ＜人＞を駆り立てて＜…＞させる
[同意] stir up
The Doigahama Site Anthropological Museum is designated as a historic spot by the government, which is a graveyard ruin of the Yayoi Period (10th or 4th century B.C. to 3rd century A.D.). By the elaborate works of excavating, human bones of 300 Yayoi-period people and lots of burial accessories like items made of seashells were found. The museum's main attraction was the Doigahama Dome. I was able to see how the site had been at the time of excavating there. After all the genuine human bones were recovered, the detailed replicas of them were crafted and returned to their original place for exhibition. The following pictures seem to show human bones, but they are imitations and don't worry. However, those bones were so real that it felt uncanny. The bodies were set to the direction of the sea. Did they want their spirits to come back to their original place? I remembered the scene which I saw in the Hirota Site (LINK). This burial form was just the same as that in the Hirota Site.
A few imaginary human robots were exhibited in the main hall of the museum. Their faces have been investigated using various scientific techniques. Their faces were so human-like and I received a sense of uncanny recognition. I wondered what they ate, wore, and enjoyed. What scenery did they view around the site. I imagined their lives for a short time.
(Vocabulary)
anthropology 人類学; 文化人類学; 人間学
historic spot 史跡
site 遺跡
uncanny 不可思議な, 気味の悪い
The uncanny valley is a term used to describe the relationship between the human-like appearance of a robotic object and the emotional response it evokes. In this phenomenon, people feel a sense of unease or even revulsion in response to humanoid robots that are highly realistic.
Tsunoshima island is known for its beautiful bridge connecting the island and the mainland. Several TV commercials have been shot on the bridge. We crossed the bridge and pulled off at the opposite end of the bridge. There was a monument and its description surprised me, which was written about the recent archeological research on ancient physical distribution.
According to the description, 1843 pieces of mokkann wooden plates along with lots of earthenwares were discovered from the former sites of Heijo-kyo in fall 1963. "Mokkann" is a narrow strip of wood on which an official message is written and used in the Nara period(710-784). Heijo-kyo was located in present Nara city and it was the capital of Japan at that time. Seven Ten-nohs (the 43th to the 49th) reigned there. By the way, one of the mokkanns was an invoice attached to the cargos which were sent from this island to the imperial palace. It had the sender's name and the shipping date of Mar. 29th in 746 (converted to the western calendar). The material was wakame seaweed (Undaria). That is to say, people on this island had paid wakame seaweed as the tax 1200 years ago. The noble people in the palace would love the seaweed from this island. This historical fact would be an honor for the inhabitants.
(Vocabulary)
physical distribution 物流
earthenware 陶器、土器
We dropped in at a few scenic spots, a camp site and a shrine facing the sea of Japan. This camp place is called "Senjoujiki", which means the area of a thousand tatami mats. It indicates the vastness of the land, but it might be funny for people who know extensive plains.
(Vocabulary)
area 面積, 広さ
[＋area of]
The lake has an area of 2,000 square miles. その湖は面積が2,000平方マイルある．
The 126th Ten-noh throned 4 years ago. Ten-noh is often called "emperor" internationally, but Ten-noh is perfectly opposite to the image which you imagine from the general sense of "emperor". That's why I insist on writing this way.
I heard of the renewal of the palace and a picture which was drawn by a famous Japanese painter would be hung on the wall of the reception room. The picture apparently depicts the beautiful scene of the Nagato Coast. I've never seen the coast and I'd like to visit there. A part of the coast is not reachable by land and it is the best scenic area. I took a sightseeing boat to visit the site, but the waves' condition wasn't good for sightseeing, and the boat returned at half way. The waves are usually rough in winter on the Sea of Japan. The waves in the following pictures were relatively mild, but those outside of the bay would make the tourists sick. We took lunch in a restaurant adjacent to the pier. The seafood was really great.
(Vocabulary)
by land 陸路で
We came by another sightseeing spot which was not in our plan but the boatman of the sightseeing boat recommended us to visit. It was the crater of a dormant volcano, Mt. Kasayama, whose lava is considered to have formed flat islands closely off the coast. The pond in the following picture is also considered to be the vestige of the eruption. The pond seems to be connected to the sea and the water is supplied and circulated from the sea. Fishes in the pond were sea fishes and they apparently formed their closed ecosystem in the pond. To my regret, fishing in the pond was prohibited.
(Vocabulary)
boatman 船頭; 貸しボート屋（の主人）
vestige 痕跡, 名残
They want to destroy every vestige of colonialism.
彼らは植民地時代の痕跡をすべて破壊したがっている．
ecosystem 生態系
The Hagi clan used to own their shipyard but it was closed and abandoned after building only two ships. The site is now being excavated and showing up in front of our eyes. Viewing the overall scenery, I felt the pioneering spirit of people.
(Vocabulary)
shipyard 造船所
show the spirit [enterprising mind] of the citizens of Osaka.
浪花っ子の心意気を示す
A reverberatory furnace was preserved as it used to be on a hill and we dropped in at the site. The furnace had been researched by the Hagi clan. They couldn't accomplish the plan, but their motivation should be highly evaluated.
Japan had long adopted its restricted trade policy until the latter half of the 19th century. This was a contributing factor to about 250 years of the peaceful period. On the other hand, Japan's military power didn't develop due to the peaceful days. Japan didn't need to develop arms.
The condition had completely changed when several military ships showed up around Japan in the 19th century. People of integrity in this area collected various information from other countries and knew that Japan had been on the brink of being invaded. They started to research and develop the technology of casting and forging. Three furnaces of those people are preserved in Japan and I've visited one of them before(link). Viewing the incomplete furnace, I thought that I'd like to visit last one some day.
(Vocabulary)
reverberatory （炉が）反射式の
We strolled around the Hagi Castle Ruins and then the old castle town. The town was well-preserved. There were several houses along the street related to heros, like Takasugi Shinsaku, Kido Takayoshi and so on, of the Meiji Restoration. I learned much in the museum of the city and felt the breath of the Meiji Restoration. Next, we visited Shoukason-juku, a private school run by Yoshida Shoin. Lots of young men learned at this juku (school) and some of them became the leaders of Japan. I was overwhelmed by its poorness and forgot to take pictures.
We got on a sightseeing boat which I had found yesterday. The guide provided us the detailed information on the city and it was very instructive. Many cherry trees were lined along the river and I recalled its beautiful scene in spring. I noticed there were no high buildings. Even the principal hospital was three-story. The hospital was located at the opposite side of the World Heritage Site across the river, but the local rule prohibited building four or more story buildings to keep its historical scenery. After World War 2, railway construction was planned in the city, but people didn't permit the line cross the old streets and the train had to detour for several kilometers. It is thought to be a judicious decision currently.
The story from the guide has changed from history to a geological one when we were going out to the sea. As you see in the following pictures, the shape of the islands off the coast was characteristic. This is due to the loose - less viscous - lava, and the lava erupted from the nearby volcano couldn't form hills and it flew to the sea. That's why such flat islands were formed. While I was listening to his story, I became eager to see the volcano.
Getting off the boat, we headed for the mausoleum of the 1st lord of the Hagi clan. Several samurais from this clan were protagonists of the Meiji Restoration. I bowed with respect to him and his wife.
Hagi City is listed on the World Heritage Sites. It has several historic assets and one of them is the old streets in the Samurai era. The streets are well preserved and one of the tourist spots in the city. Our hotel was located in the midst of those streets. There are so many Ryokans, the traditional style of Japanese hotel, across Japan, but it's rare in the midst of a World Heritage Site. After check-in, we went out for a walk around the Ryokan. The first picture shows the main gate of the Ryokan, and I came across the sightseeing boat's boarding site. I decided to get on it the next day.
Hagi City is located on the Sea of Japan coast in Yamaguchi Prefecture. There has been a narrow and winding path from the side of the Seto Inland Sea to Hagi City across the mountainous area since long ago. The current road is built roughly along that old path.
We dropped in at a rest area called "Hagioukan". Several heros of the Meiji Restoration welcomed us as you see in the following pictures. An exhibition was showing that many young promising samurais were studying and discussing about Japan's future. Then we had lunch, "Kawara-soba", which was a regional specialty. Soba noodles were stir-fried on a roof tile called "Kawara". People apparently used Kawara as a frying pan in the times that frying pans weren't widespread. It's definitely a token showing how poor lives people spent, but this simple stir-fried Soba has become a famous specialty now.
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