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Weekly Topics/Archive
August 2007
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I watched the national high school baseball championship on TV evry day
this week.
As you may know well, the final match between Sagakita high school from
Saga and Kouryo high
school from Hiroshima prefecture was held at Koshien stadium yesterday.
It was very exciting game.
Sagakita won the championship dramatically by a come-from-behind grand slam in the second half of
the eighth inning.
Baseball fans throughout the country as well as the spectators at the stadium
were excited by this
grand slam.
Anyway, it was really the best refreshment to us in these heat waves.
[Note] come-from- behind homer ; 逆転ホ-ムラン, grand slam ; 満塁ホ-ムラン
heat wave ; 猛暑, refreshment ; 清涼剤
From last Saturday to this Monday, I took two night trip to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi area as summer
trip with my wife, my-mother-in-law, my sister-in-law and her daughter.
I and my wife joined them for trip in the shinkansen train who took from Kyoto.
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| Atomic Bomb Memoriao Dome |
View of Peace Memorial Museum and the cenotaph for the A-bomb victims |
On the first day, we saw the sight of Atomic Bomb Memorial Dome and Peace
Memorial Museum
at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima.
I remembered that 8.15a.m., August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb in history
exploded directly over
this area.
It was fine and in the heat wave on that day, but we walked from the Dome
to the Museum.
We offered our heartfelt silent prayer for the peaceful repose of all its
victims in front of the cenotaph
for the A-bomb victims on the way.
Looking at the various materials and documents of bombing at the museum, I felt strongly again that
human beeings should abolish all the nuclear weapons from all over the
world and Japanese
goverment should make every effort toward devising security arrangements
that do not reply on
a nuclear umbrella.
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| Vermilion-painted O-Torii Gate |
Itsukushima shrine |
And then, we moved to Miyazimaguchi by tram and changed to ferry for Miyazima-sanbashi.
We visited Itsukushima shrine where has been designated as a World Cultural
Heritage since 1996.
The vermilion-painted main building created a beautiful contrast with the
sea and green mountains.
When we visited there, the tide was at its lowest, so we could also walk
out to the vermilion-painted
O-Torii Gate.
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| The spcial local bus, Ikeske-gou for tourists |
The elegant Kintaikyo bridge |
On the second day, we started arround 8 a.m. from hotel to Miyazima wharf
to take a ferry.
Itsukushima shrine looked as if it was floating on the sea because the
tide just came in.
We visited Kintaikyo bridge in Iwakuni during the morning.
We could see the elegant bridge connected with five arches in series which
spanned Nishiki river.
After that, we came to Yamaguchi station by Shinkansen and JR local line
train.
We saw the sight in Yamaguchi city from there by the sightseeing bus of
which we had reserved
the seats.
The bus was as if it ws a chartered bus to us because there weren't any
tourists in the bus.
We visited some historical spot like Yamaguchi Xavier Memorial Church, Hanchomon gate, Rurikoji
temple and its five-storied pagota, Sesshutei and so on.
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| Yamaguchi Xavier Memorial Church |
Hanchoumon Gate |
According to a bus conductress and a travel brochure, Francis Xavier came
to Yamaguchi to
promulgate his faith from Spain.
This church was built in 1952 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Xavier's
visit to Yamaguchi.
But it was destroyed by fire in 1991 and reconstructed in 1998.
Hanchoumon Gate was the main gate of the Hanchou which was build as the stronghold for local
administration, when the lord, Takachika Mori of the Choushu clan moved
the Hanchou from Hagi
to Yamaguchi in 1863.
It is said that some brains like Shinsaku Takasugi, Kogorou Katsura, and Hirofumi Ito often used to
come in and go out the Hanchou at a smart pace through this gate for the
unsettled perood in the last
days of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
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The elegant five-storied pagoda
at Rurikoji temple |
Simple but spectacular Sesshutei
at Joeiji temple |
The five-storied pagoda at Rurikoji temple was built in the 15th century.
It is one of the national treasure in Japan and it is also counted as one of the three most outstanding
pagoda in Japan.
Actually, its appearance was really elegant combining with the surrounding
nature as the picture
showed.
Sesshutei was Japanese garden at Joeiji temple designed by the monk painter Sesshu in the middle
of Muromachi Period and was made mainly from water and stone.
It was really simple but spectacular.
As soon as we got to a hotel in Yuda-onsen, we relaxed ourselves with hot
spring.
On the last day, we visited Akiyoshidai and the cave Akiyoshi-dou by a chartered taxi.
The Akiyoshi plateau (or Akiyoshidai) is the largest karst topography in
Japan, where is situated in
Yamaguchi prefecture.
It had an undulating landscape and countless limestone pinnacles.
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| Entrance to Akiyoshi-do cave |
The view of Akiyoshidai |
The cave Akiyoshi-do was beneath Akiyoshidai.
It was the special natural monument in Japan.
The inside of the cave was also a paradise to visitors in midsummer because
it was really cool.
Anyway, it was very hot and humid during this trip.
But it was very joyful and fruitful for me.
[Noto] cenotaph ; 慰霊碑, silent prayer ; 黙祷, repose ; 休息(眠り)
abolish ; 廃(止)絶する, security arrangement ; 安全保障体制
vermilion ; 朱色の, travel brochure ; 旅行パンフレット, promulgate ; 布教する
lord ; 藩主, stronghold ; 拠点,本拠地, Chousshu clan ; 長州藩
unsettled ; (時代などが)不穏な, 動乱の, at a smart pace ; 足早に
Tokugawa Shogunate ; 徳川幕府, topography; 地形, limestone; 石灰岩(石)
pinnacle ; 尖塔， plateu ; 台地, cave ; 洞窟
Picture Picture / Trip / 「夏季家族旅行(広島・山口)」
On this Sunday morning, I went to vote to the nearby kindergarten for national
election of member
of the House of Councilors.
And then I went to Nasu to enjoy golf trip of three days and two nights
with my past company's
coworkers by car.
We stayed at the cottage which was set up as an annex to the golf club.
On second day, we got up early in the morning and played golf from 8:30
a.m.
It was cloudy in the morning, but it turned rainy from aftrnoon.
In addition, it thundered and lightened.
When it thundered heavily, the golf club announced to all the players on
the course by siren that they
should stop playing because of the danger of thunderbolt.
After a while, its microbus came to pick up us at the course and came back
to the club house.
After all, we waited there for about an hour and a half till the thunder
went away.
And then we started plaing again.
Anyway, our score were not good because of it. It was really a disaster
for us.
Last day, we could enjoy golf because it was very fine.
Off course, my score was excellent.
[Note] trip of three days and two nights ；二泊三日の旅
member of the House of councilors; 参議院議員, thunder ; 雷(が鳴る)
set up A as an annex to B ; AをB に併設する, It lighten ; 稲光がする
 TOPペ−ジへ戻る
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