もうすぐ春だ、そわそわする

　群馬に生まれて以来、住み続けて良かったことは、日本列島のほぼ中央に位置しているためでしょう。概して自然災害が少ないこと、及び素晴らしい山々の存在です。その光景は日々私の家の三階から眺められます。代表格は谷川連峰と浅間山です。そして赤城山、榛名山、妙義山、荒船山、武尊山、白根山、四阿山、御荷鉾山など、それぞれ個性ある姿を呈しており、眺めて飽きません。良かったことは若き日から、これらの山々のすべてを登頂しました。

　特に心に残ってるのは、２０代に３回登頂した浅間山、四半世紀前に登った谷川岳、そして谷川連峰の平標山です。写真右下は平標山から見た仙の倉山です。写真左下は赤城の地蔵岳から見た小沼です。また、群馬といえば尾瀬です。ここへは４回訪れ、西に聳える至仏山頂から見た尾瀬ヶ原の光景は脳裏に焼き付いてます。

　ところが、退職後、予想もしてなかった一人暮らしが始まり、これらの山岳に登ることは少なくなり、遠くから眺めることが増えました。近くへ行くことはあっても愛車でのドライブに変わり、それでも、山奥の露天温泉など群馬の自然を心から満喫し、年齢に即した楽しみも味わい深いです。

　先日、夕食のため倉賀野から高崎の街中まで、北風の吹く寒い中、数Km歩いて行けたので体力に自信がつきました。明日は節分、明後日は立春で「何だか、そわそわしてきました。」そうだ、家の前の５０mある道を毎日往復ウォーキングし、一往復したらご覧の石を隣に移動し、端から端までで１Kmです。姿勢に注意し、群馬の低山への体力増進に備えよう。

【日本文と英文には微妙な差異があります。】

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about mountainous beaty.

　One of the great things since I was born and lived in Gunma in Japan is that it's located almost in the center of the Japanese archipelago. Therefore, natural disasters are generally rare, and there are magnificent mountains beyond your expectation. I can see these views every day from the third floor of my house. The most notable are Mt. Tanigawa Range and the active volcano Mt. Asama. Then there are Mt. Akagi, Mt.Haruna, Mt. Myogi, Mt. Arafune, Mt. Hotaka, active volcano Mt. Shirane, Mt. Azuma, Mt. Mikabo. Each has its own unique appearance, and I never tire of looking at them. The great thing is that I've been able to summit all of these mountains since I was 17 years old.

　Particularly memorable are Mt. Asama, which I summited three times in my twenties, Mt. Tanigawa, which I climbed a quarter of a century ago, and Mt. Tairappyo in the Tanigawa Mountain Range. Mt. Sennokura seen from Mt, Tairappyo in the bottom right of the photo. Lake Konuma seen from Mt. Jizo in Akagi's mountains in the bottom left. Speaking of Gumma, Oze is also a must-see. I've been here four times, and the view of Ozegahara plateau from the summit of Mt. Shibutsu is burned into my memory still now.

　However, after my retiring, unexpectedly starting living alone, I climbed these mountains less and instead viewed them from afar. Even when I go nearby, I now drive in my beloved Audi TT Quattro. Even so, I still thoroughly enjoy Gumma's natural beauty, such as open-air hot springs deep in the mountains, and I deeply appreciate the pleasures with my age the same as Barry in NZ.

　The other day, I walked several kilometers from Kuragano-town to downtown Takasaki for dinner in the cold north wind, which gave me confidence in my stamina. Tomorrow is Setsubun that means the end of winter, and the day after is the beginning of spring, so I'm feeling a bit expectation to go somewhere. That's right, I walk 50-meter path in front of my garden back and forth every day. After each round trip, I move the stone you see on the fence other side, making it 1 kilometer from one end to the other. Watch my posture and prepare for the physical training needed to climb Gumma's low mountains in the near future together with sweetheart in heart.

暫くぶりにコハクチョウを身近に観察

　ついに今年やっとコハクチョウに会えました。考えられないほど遠方のロシアから飛来してきたと想われます。今日、念のために、高崎市木部町の鏑川の川岸に行ったら７羽がゆったりと泳ぎ、羽を休めてました。これから暫くの間、湖のようで流れの緩やかなここで過ごし、３月中旬になって太陽の高度と気温の高めを察知すると、生まれ故郷に帰るのでしょう。この習性は先史時代から続いているのかもしれません。

　ところで、別件ですが、昨日のニュースで群馬県藤岡市日野で山林火災が起きたと伝えてました。今でも鎮火してないとのことです。たまたま、コハクチョウのいるこの鏑川の土手から日野方面を見たら、今日の正午に、ご覧の通り、山から煙が昇っており、未だ、山林火災は収まってないことが確認できました。

Dear my friends who are crazy about natural phenomenon

　This year, I finally confirmed some Tundra swans. They seem to have flown all the way from northern Russia, an incredibly faraway place. Just to make sure, I went to the bank of the Kabra River in Kybe-town, Takasaki City, today, and found seven Tundra swans swimming leisurely and resting their wings. They'll likely spend here at the gentle and like a lake until mid-March. When they sense the sun's rising high and warm temperature, and head back to their homeland. This habit may have continued since prehistoric times, I guess.

　By the way, on a different note, yesterday's news reported a forest fire in Hino, Fujioka City, Gumma Prefecture. Apparently, the fire is still not under control. By chance, I looked toward Hino from the bank of the Kabra River where the Tundra swans were resting, and as you can see in the photo, smoke was rising from the mountain at noon today, so I confirmed that the forest fire was still not under control.

紅葉が低山でも進んでます。

　１１月も下旬となり、群馬県の北部山岳地帯で紅葉は終わりを告げ、落葉のシーズンです。紅葉は次第に南部の低山へと推移しています。今日の午後、私はお気に入り日帰り温泉「牛伏ドリームセンター」へ１週間ぶりに行ってきました。

　驚いたことに、周囲の山々はきれいに紅葉し、いつもの牛伏山とは色彩を異にし、暫し景色に見惚れてました。ここ数日の西高東低の気圧配置が紅葉を一気に南下させたのでしょう。

　その後、３時半頃より、今度は、やはり愛車でお気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」へ向かい、１時間ほどカフェラテでリラックスしましたが、今までと異なり、日没がかなり早まってることに気づきます。皆さん、晩秋から初冬の今、お互いに温かくして過ごしましょう。

Dear my friends who are crazy about autumnal tint

　As approaching the end of November, the autumn tint in Gumma Prefecture's northern mountainous region has come to the end, so it is ushering in the season of falling leaves. The autumnal tints are gradually moving to the lower mountains in the south. This afternoon, I visited my favorite day-trip hot spring named "Ushibuse Dream Center" for the first time in a week.

　To my surprise, the surrounding mountains were covered in beautiful autumn tints, a different color from the usual Mt. Ushibuse, and for a while I was mesmerized by the scenery. The high pressure in the west and low pressure in the east over the past few days in the Japanese archipelago must have caused changing the leaves in the southern area all at once.

　After that, around 3:30 p.m., I again drove to my favorite cafe, Sampo-michi, and relaxed for about an hour with a cafe latte and reading due to alone. I noticed that the sun was setting much earlier than usual. Everyone, let's stay warm during late autumn and early winter.

初冠雪を堪能

　今日は秋晴れで、少しドライブします。午後、日帰り温泉に行き、その後は気晴らしに喫茶「さんぽ道」に行くつもりです。

　追伸・・・昨日の木枯らし一番により、運転中に眺めた群馬県の谷川岳、活火山・浅間山、草津白根山で初冠雪が見えました。特に谷川岳はかなりの降雪で、美しさは想像を超えてます。

　It's a beautiful autumn day, so I'm going for a short drive. In the afternoon, I'll go to a day spa, and then I'll go to the cafe "Sampo-michi" to relax.

　P.S. Yesterday's first cold wind brought the first snowfall to Mt. Tanigawa, the active volcano Mt. Asama, and Mt. Kusatsu-Shirane in Gumma Prefecture, during driving. Mt. Tanigawa in particular saw a heavy snowfall, and the beauty was beyond description.

山々と温泉の群馬県

【写真左下は浅間山の航空写真より】

　今日８月１１日は「山の日」。私が生涯で最も高い山に登ったのは北アルプスの「乗鞍岳」です。と言っても、当時の愛車「いすゞ１１７クーペ」で８合目辺りまで行けたので、そこから山頂をめざし歩きました。標高３０２６mの山頂には祠があり宮司さんもいて驚きました。夏休みだったので半ズボンで登ったら真夏でも寒かったです。

　しかし、生涯で最も感銘し３回も登頂したのは活火山・浅間山です。軽井沢の峰の茶屋から３時間です。山頂からは遥か東北地方の山々まで見え、景色は最高、視界にはいつも見てる群馬の谷川岳、北アルプス連峰、そして広大な関東平野が一望です。その中を利根川が蛇行して光ってました。高い山に登るとそれ以上に高い山が誠に雄大に見えます。それは富士の姿でした。

　しかし、浅間山山頂でそれにも増して感銘したのは、直径約500ｍ、垂直な深さ推定２００mほどの巨大な火口です。火口周囲を一周できる道があり、滑り落ちたら一巻の終わりです。恐る恐る上から覗くと火口の底は地獄を思わせ、火口内部の岩肌のあちこちから常に煙が出ており、その匂いは硫黄で異様です。

　写真は数年前に今は亡き友人と群馬県沼田市から赤城山の北側を通過し、「南郷温泉シャクナゲの湯」に入り、その後、大間々へ抜ける途中に昼食に立ち寄ったログハウスのレストランです。愛車は先代の黄色のＴＴです。あまり知られてない山奥の「南郷温泉シャクナゲの湯」には今一度ドライブで行ってみたいです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about mountaineering and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for our mutual understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

..........................................................

　Today, August 11th, is Mountain Day in Japan. The highest mountain I've ever climbed was Mt. Norikuradake in the Northern Alps. That said, I was able to get to the eighth station in my beloved Isuzu 117 Coupe at the time, and from there I hiked to the summit. I was surprised to see a shrine and a priest at the 3,026m summit. It was summer vacation, so I climbed in shorts, therefore, it was cold even in midsummer.

　However, the most memorable mountain of my life is the active volcano Mt. Asama. I've summited three times, It's three hours from Mine no Chaya in Karuizawa. From the summit, I could see the mountains of the Tohoku region. The view is breathtaking, with views of the familiar Mt. Tanigawadake in Gumma, the Northern Alps, and the vast Kanto Plain. The Tone River meanders and shines. Climbing a high mountain makes higher mountains appear truly majestic. That was Mt. Fuji.

　But, what impressed me even more at the summit of Mt. Asama was the enormous crater, approximately 500m in diameter and estimated to be 200m vertically deep. There is a path that leads all the way around the crater, and if I slip and fall, it will be finished. Peering cautiously from above, the bottom of the crater resembles hell of this world, with smoke constantly rising from various places between the rock inside the crater, and the smell is eerie and sulfur.

　The photo shows a log cabin restaurant named "Rogtei" where we stopped for lunch a few years ago with a now-deceased friend on our way from Numata City, Gumma Prefecture, to the north side of Mt. Akagi, after we went to "Nango Spar Rhododendron" on our way to Omama. My beloved car is the previous-generation yellow TT. I'd like to drive to "Nango Spar Rhododendron" situated deep in the mountains, which isn't well known.

　

いつまでも眺めていたい故郷の山々

　先日の夕方のウォーキングでは、帰路に倉賀野一高いマンションの最上階から暫し故郷の光景を眺めました。高い位置からはいつもとは視点が変わり、改めて倉賀野町の全体像を捉えることができ感銘です。数多い家々の中から我が家を探したり、眼下には倉賀野小、東に広がる鯉池などを角度を変えて見ると、見慣れた風景も一味違い新鮮に見えます。

　しかし、最も感銘したのは赤城、榛名、妙義の上毛三山、並びに活火山の浅間山、テーブルマウンテンの荒船山、そして長く連なる谷川連峰の雄姿です。不思議なことに、これら平素見慣れた山々も高い位置からは、一段と立派で堂々とし、山岳の持つ威容さが迫ります。

　写真は有名な赤城山【標高１８２８m】です。私は若き日に赤城山のすべての峰に登頂し、それぞれの思い出が蘇ります。中でも深く感銘したのは最も西(写真では左)に尖って見える鈴ヶ岳【標高１５６５m】です。この山頂からの光景には、ため息が出ます。群馬県西部に広がる榛名、妙義の山並み、利根川の蛇行、浅間の雄姿、そして南には富士山が高く聳えてます。

　群馬県の多くの学校の校歌には上毛三山のどれかが歌詞の中にあり、雄大な山の姿から揺るぎない心の在り方を詠ってます。私が勤務した榛名高校では「榛名」、高崎商業では「三山」、富岡高校では「妙義」、最後に勤務した前橋高校ては「赤城颪」で始まりました。群馬県民にとって群馬の山々は「故郷そのもの」として深く心に刻まれてます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about mountains of hometown and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for our mutual understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

.........................................................

　In recent evening walk, I took a moment to gaze out at my hometown from the 13th floor of Kuragano's tallest apartment building near Kuragano-Station. From a high vantage point, my perspective changed, and I was impressed to be able to get a fresh, the whole view of Kuragano-Town. Searching for my house among the many houses, Kuragano Elementary School below, and the Carp pond to the east, all looked different and fresh when I looked at them from different angles.

　But what impressed me most were the majestic views of the three well-known mountains in Gumma such as Mt. Akagi, Mt. Haruna, and Mt. Myogi, as well as the active volcano Mt. Asama, the table mountain Mt. Arafune, and the long Tanigawa mountain range. Strangely enough, these familiar mountains appear even more impressive and imposing from a higher vantage point, and their imposing presence is truly captivating.

　The photo shows the famous Mt. Akagi (elevation 1,828m). I climbed all of Mt. Akagi's peaks in my youth, still young in heart, and the memories of each one come to mind. The one that made the deepest impression on me was Mt. Suzugadake (1,565m above sea level), which can be seen furthest peak to the west (left in the photo). The summit offers breathtaking view and Mt. Haruna and Myogi mountain ranges that stretch across western Gumma Prefecture, and the meandering Tone River, the majestic active volcano Asama, and the famous Mt. Fuji highest in Japan to the south.

　The school songs of many schools in Gumma Prefecture include lyrics featuring one of the three well-known mountains, singing of an unshakeable spirit inspired by the majestic mountain scenery. Haruna High School, where I worked, with "Mt. Haruna," Takasaki High School of Commerce with "three mountains," Tomioka High School with "Myogi," and Maebashi High School, where I last worked, began with "Akagi wind." For the people of Gumma Prefecture, the mountains of Gumma Prefecture are deeply etched in their hearts as "hometown itself."

　

突然、眼前にこの光景が出現し驚く

　この山は、群馬県の中央に聳える榛名山系の最も東の峰の「水沢山」です。今は亡き友人Ｔさんと西隣の雌岳(めだけ)の山頂に着いたら、突然、眼前にこの「水沢山」の全貌が現れ、誠に感動しました。この瞬間は生涯忘れません。

　　

  Ths mountain is Mt. Mizusawa which is the easternmost peak of the Haruna mountain range which stands in the center of Gumma Prefecture. When I reached the summit of Mt. Me-dake, located to the west with my deceased friend Mr. Todokoro, the view of Mt. Mizusawa suddenly appeared before my eyes. Therefore I was truly moved. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life.

今朝、暫くぶりに利根川の川辺に佇む

【画像をクリックすると、水辺にいる臨場感が出ます。】　

　今朝早く、次女の家に行く前に利根川の川岸で撮りました。いつも青いきれいな水なのに昨日の夕立のためでしょう。今朝は濁ってました。この川の水源は尾瀬戸倉、奥利根湖、谷川岳、三国峠、白根山など群馬県の北西部の山岳で、その後、沼田市、渋川市を流れ、ここ前橋市を通過し、太平洋へ流れます。上毛かるたでは「利根は坂東一の川」と詠われ、流域面積は日本一といわれます。

　昔、小学６年頃でしょうか、両親と水上温泉へ行ったことがあり、利根川の支流の浅瀬のボート乗り場で私が漕ぎ、両親を乗せて３人で最初で最後のボート乗りを思い出します。あまり両親と遠出したことはなく、これ以外では私が成人してから、当時の愛車「いすゞ１１７クーペ」で、鹿沢温泉に行ったことくらいです。もっと親孝行すればよかったと悔やまれます。

　川と言えば、子供の頃、プールがなかった時代ですから、夏休みには烏川で毎日のように泳いだ記憶があります。そしたら、一度深みに嵌ってしまい、１分ほど川下へ流されました。水の中で上を向いたら水面が天井のように見えたので、かなり深かったのです。息が出来ず苦しかったことは覚えていません。夢中だったのでしょう。

　あのとき、あのままだったら皆さんとフェイスブックで永遠に会えなかったのです。助かって良かった！夏休みが終わると「くろんぼ大会」(今は使われない言葉)が行われたものです。健康を期して、今年は少し陽に焼けよう。

Dear my friends who are crazy about real health in daily life and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for our mutual understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

......................................................

　I took this photo early this morning on the bank of the Tone River before going to my second daughter's house in Maebashi-city. The water is usually blue and clear, but it must have been murky this morning because of yesterday's evening shower. The source of this river is the mountain region in northwest Gumma Prefecture, such as Oze-Togura, Lake-Okutone, Mt. Tanigawa, Mikuni-Pass, and active volcano Mt. Shirane , and then it flows through Numata-City and-Shibukawa-City, passes through Maebashi City, and flows into the Pacific Ocean. In the Jomo Karuta which is Japanese syllabary cards, it is written that "Tone is the best river in Kanto district" and it is said to have the largest drainage area in Japan.

　A long time ago, when I was in the sixth grade of elementary school, I went to Minakami Spar with my parents, and I remember rowing at a boat in the shallow waters of a tributary of the Tone River, and taking my parents for a ride, the first and last time we went on a boat. I didn't go on many trips with my parents, and the only other time was when I went to Kazawa Spar by my beloved Isuzu 117 Coupe after I became adult. I regret that I should have been more devoted to my parents.

　Speaking of river, when I was a child, there were no swimming pools in my Kuragano-town, so I remember swimming in the Karas-river almost every day during summer vacation. One time, I was drown in deep water and was swept away downstream for about a minute. When I looked up in the water, the water surface looked like a ceiling, so it was quite deep. I don't remember being unable to breathe or feeling uncomfortable. I must have been engrossed in the water.

　If I had drown away at that time, I would never have been able to meet you all on Facebook. I'm glad I was saved! At the end of summer holidays, a "Kurombo Tournament" (a word no longer used) was held. For the sake of my health, I'm going to get a little tan this year.

　　

今夏は、気圧の低い湖畔一周ウォーキングを予定

　梅雨の最中ですが、今日から暫く太平洋高気圧が張り出し、日本列島は真夏のような猛暑になると予報されてます。雨も降った後のため、気温のみならず、湿度も５０％を超え不快です。一方、高気圧にも気をつけたいところですが、一般住宅にあっては気圧への対処はできません。私の部屋は現在１０１3hPaで丁度１気圧です。

　しかし、気圧への対処が全くできない訳ではありません。ご存じの通り、気圧とは上空の空気の重さであり、高度が増すほど空気が減り、気圧も下がります。ですから、気圧の低い所へ行きたい場合は山へ行けばよいのです。私たちは山でペットボトルの水を飲んで蓋を閉めたまま下山すると、平地ではペットボトルが凹んでいた経験をします。これは山の気圧が低かったことを証明してます。

　気温の場合は「標高が１００m高くなると、およそ１°C下がる」と言われます。例えば、群馬県の榛名湖付近のように海抜１０８４m付近であれば、平地の高崎市街地より１０°ほど下がることになります。同様に気圧については、標高1000ｍ地点では平地に比べ約9割の気圧といわれますから、榛名湖付近では９００hPa前後でしょう。赤城大沼の 標高は1345mですから、気温は平地より１３°ほど低くなり、気圧ももっと低くなるでしょう。

　今夏は暫くぶりに榛名湖や赤城大沼へ水色の愛車で訪れ、健康を期して気圧の低い湖畔を一周ウォーキングしてみます。たまには、一人でなく誰かと涼しい湖畔を一周したいです。

Dear my friends

　Although we are in the middle of the rainy season in Japan, the Pacific high pressure system will extend for a while from today, and the Japanese archipelago will experience scorching heat like midsummer, I guess. After the rain, not only the temperature but also the humidity is over 50%, which is uncomfortable. On the other hand, we want to be careful of high pressure, but in the ordinary house, it is impossible to change the air pressure. My room is currently at 1013 hPa, which is exactly 1 atmosphere.

　However, this does not mean that we cannot deal with the air pressure at all. As you know, air pressure is the weight of the air in the upper atmosphere, and the higher the altitude, the less air. Therefore, if we want to go to a place with lower air pressure, we should go to the mountain. We have experienced that when we drink water of a plastic bottle in the mountain and go down with the lid closed, the plastic bottle is dented on the plain. This proves that the air pressure on the mountain was low.

　When it comes to temperature, it is said that "for every 100m increase in altitude, the temperature drops by about 1°C." For example, at around 1,084m above sea level of Lake Haruna in Gumma Prefecture, the air pressure is about 10° lower than in the flat area of ​​Takasaki-City. Similarly, the air pressure at the altitude of 1,000m at around Lake Haruna, is said to be about 90% of the flat place. It would normally be around 900hPa. Lake Akagi-Onuma is at the altitude of 1,345m, so the temperature will be about 13° lower than at sea level, and the air pressure will be even lower.

　This summer, I will be visiting Lake Haruna and Lake Akagi-Onuma in my light blue coupe after a long interval, and walking around the lakeside where the air pressure is low, praying my health. Sometimes I'd like to go around the cool lakeside with a sweetheart in heart, not alone.

　

倉賀野から見ると、荒船山に沈む夕日

　私の住む倉賀野町から西南を見ると、今日の太陽は荒船山【標高１４２３m】に沈みました。毎年、早春の今日２月１７日～２０日までと決まっているので、天体と暦は一致してることが分かります。もちろん秋にも同様の現象が起こります。

　前にも書きましたが、この頂上が平らなテーブルマウンテンの端から端まで歩くと約１時間かかります。ここは断崖絶壁の上で気をつけなければなりません。景色のよいこの高原の中をレース鳩の入った籠を持って歩きました。そして、左端の山からから５羽の鳩を放しました。鳩はこんな高い所を飛んだことはなく、驚いた様子でしたが、倉賀野に向かって約５０㎞を飛んで行きました。もちろん、５羽とも私より先に着いてました。

　ところで、今日は寒波の襲来で一日中寒い風が吹き、枝垂れ桜や枝垂れ桃など植物に少し水を撒いただけで、室内にいることが多かったです。このため、ピアノを弾きました。次回、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」で弾く曲「雪と虹のバラード」等を練習しました。メロディーを歌うように弾くのはやはり音だけの世界に入れる暗譜が良いです。左手の伴奏は主要三和音や属７などのアルページョです。

Dear my FB friends who like nature and great music

　Looking southwest from Kuragano-town in Takasaki-city where I live, the sun today set behind Mt. Arafune [altitude 1,423m]. This happens every year from February 17th to 20th in early spring, so we can understand that the celestial body coincides with the calendar. Of course, the same phenomenon occurs in autumn as well.

　As I wrote previously, it takes about an hour to walk from one end of this flat-topped table mountain to the other. We must be careful here, due to a perpendicular cliff about 200 meters in surroundings. I walked through this scenic plateau with a cage including five racing pigeons. Then I released five pigeons from the mountain on the left side. The pigeons had never flown so high before, and seemed surprised, but they flew about 50km towards my Kuragano-town. Of course, all five of them arrived before me.

　Not change the subject, but a cold wave hit the Japanese archipelago today, so that the northwestern wind blew cold all day, so I mostly stayed indoors thinking of you, only watering the plants such as the weeping cherry and weeping peach. For this reason, I played the piano. Next time, I will play the music named "Snow and Rainbow Ballad" at my favorite cafe "Sampo-michi". In order to play a melody as if singing it, it is best to memorize it so that we can immerse ourselves in the world of music alone. The accompaniment for the left hand is arpeggios of primary triads and dominant 7ths.

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