DR#186 “Summing up of my stay in Japan for the winter of 2011”「2010-2011年冬の帰国」

DR#186 “Summing up of my stay in Japan for the winter of 2011”

My wife visited me in Korea last December. I went to see her at Inchon Airport and we went to Busan, after visiting Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. We had a sightseeing tour to Gyongju, then went back to Daejeon, because I had to give the final term exams to my students.

She helped my job, and we stayed at a hotel in Daejeon for two nights. A friend of mine had reserved the hotel for us, and she kindly paid for the cost. We went back to Japan together at the end of the year (12/30.)

I stayed in Japan until Jan. 28. While I was in Japan, I went to Tsuruoka, Yamagata prefecture and spent the first 3 days there with my wife’s relatives, and our 2nd son, Ryo. (I climbed Mt. Haguro as my first hike in 2011.)

Besides this short trip, a friend of mine invited me for skiing, and two of my Korean students visited me, etc. I had been busy almost every day.

Among them, biggest events were; climbing North Yatsugatake and joining the class reunion of my elementary school.

[We got together at the exit of Kamakura Station, 鎌倉駅前に集合、가마쿠라 역 앞에 집합]

I saw two fellow students after more than 50 years! They were a man and a woman. The boy was the prince of the class and the woman was the queen of the class, at least in my memory.

[The owner of the restaurant is a son of my classmate,『自遊人処』は同窓生の息子がオーナー、『自遊人処』는 동창생의 아들이 경영 주인]

But if we saw each other in a street, we could not recognize each other. We have changed so much. Yet I saw the trace of being prince and queen of the class. It was a happy reunion for us.

[A picture of my elementary school day, 小学校時代の写真、초등학교시절의 사진]

As for my biggest interest, I climbed North Yatsugatake with my friend from Kyushu. Since he retired from an elementary school in Kamakura two years ago and now lives in Kyushu, he had to come all the way to Kamakura to go hiking with me. So, I thank him very much.

Actually, beginning from 2009, I visit Kyushu during Korean holidays almost regularly. Last week, it was a lunar New Year holidays in Korea, so I visited him in Kyushu and we climbed Mt. Sobo together.

There are a lot of hikers all over the year, and any mountains in Korea. But not so in Japan, esp. during the winter.

So I am very lucky to have such a friend in Japan. With him, I can enjoy hiking in Japan safely.

My hiking target is 60 times a year, same as last year. Hiking is my motivation to do daily physical training in Korea. I should keep this custom, as well as brushing up my language proficiencies while living alone in a foreign country.

DR 186号「2010-2011年冬の帰国」

昨年末に妻が単身訪韓。仁川空港へ迎えに行ってから水原の「華城」を見学。次に釜山へ下って、翌日慶州を１日バスツアー。釜山で2泊した後、大田へ戻り、友人がとってくれたホテルで2泊して、私の仕事(大学の期末試験)も手伝ってもらってから、一緒に帰国した。

日本では12/30-1/28とほぼ1ヶ月間過ごしたが、元日夜から妻の実家の鶴岡へ行ったり、大船へ戻ってからすぐにスキーにでかけたりで、イベントが多かった。

最大のイベントは九州の友人と中部山岳地帯の北八ヶ岳へ登ったこと、それから小学校の同窓会に出席したことだ。

[Class reunion was held at "Jiyujindokoro" in Zushi, 同窓会会場は逗子の『自遊人処』,동창회 장소는 즈시(逗子)의 『自遊人処』

同窓会では51年ぶりに再開した人が男女1名ずついた。私の記憶の中では6年梅組のマドンナとプリンス。どちらも街で会ったならお互い、わからず通り過ぎたことだろう。

[We drew a map of our houses in our elementary school days,小学校時代の各自の家の場所を描いた地図、초등학교시절의 집 장소를 그린 지도][With the planner of this class reunion, 同窓会企画者と、동창회기획자와 함께]

さて、現在の最大関心事、登山について。九州の友人とは昨年もタスマニアを旅行したり、旧正月には厳寒の阿蘇山に登ったり、また秋の秋夕(チュソク)にはメキシコの友人もいっしょに四国の剣山や石鎚山に登ったりした。彼もすでに退職しているので、私の都合に合わせてくれるのでありがたい。

特に冬山は危険度が増すので、ベテランの友人と登山できることはどんなに心強いことか。実は先週の韓国の旧正月には、今年も昨年同様、私が釜関フェリーで九州に渡り、この友人と日本百名山の１つの「祖母山(1756m)」に登った。

祖母山は南国・九州の山であるが、標高1000m以上は積雪しており、特に1400m以上では積雪量は50cm以上にもなり、登山路が雪に覆われて歩行が非常に困難だった。

山頂への最後のアクセスは急傾斜の断崖で、鉄梯子が設置されていたが、雪で埋もれていて登山はスリル満点だった。

私は昨年、年間60回登山する目標を立て、ぴったり60回登山したが、今年も同じ目標だ。昨年の登山は、旅行記とともにすべてブログに上げた。もし、同じ山を登山する人がいれば参考になれば幸いである。

週に1回以上の登山は、私の生きがいで、毎日のトレーニングのモチベーションとなっている。

今年も語学の学習とともに、健康の維持・増進に努めたい。