カミさんの日程管理に従順に従っての東北〜道南サクラを愛でる旅路であります。
　とはいっても、現地に着いたら勝手にクルマを運転してあちこち「あ、ここだ。そしたらちょっとここにも」と連れ回す・振り回すの夫婦旅。波乱もまた楽しからずや（笑）。
　八戸までのフェリー旅は、ふだんまったく就寝の時間に運転〜乗船という非日常行動。なので八戸上陸後の１日も含めて、丸２日ワンデー感覚。さすがに本日早朝までホテル到着後バタンキュー。さすが２日分で疲れがあり爆睡ぶりが強烈。むしろ疲れが一気に晴れたかのよう。不思議。多少の負荷が効果的か？
　八戸では楽しみにしていた「八食センター」参観・朝食がなんと「水曜定休」という悲しい仕打ち。こういう調査不足は当然あり得ますね。事前準備はメンドイ。即アタマ切り替え。
　で、東北太平洋側北部の自然探訪で写真の蕪島〜種差海岸方面へ。蕪島の名物・海鳥さんたちのお迎えを受けておりました。ヒッチコックの「鳥」の恐怖大ファンのカミさんは大喜びで逃げ回っておりました。恐怖の実態はどうも「糞害」への恐怖のようで、着衣への攻撃に逃げ惑う一択。
　まぁそういう貴重な現場体験からの旅路スタート。

　で、青森県八戸周辺から一気に東北道を南下して北上展勝地へ。
　途中の高速名物「最高速度120km」地帯を抜けて２時間弱で到着。どうも前に比べて120km地域は拡大してきているようです。さすがに東北道は通行が活発。石油の供給不安下ですが備蓄放出もあってガソリン価格も小康状況。しかしさまざまに建築業界では影響が出てきつつあるようです。ぜひ沈静化期待。まぁ戦争での影響なので、一般人としては落着を願うばかりですね。
　到着した北上展勝地では、ウィークデーにもかかわらず展勝地駐車場への大渋滞が発生していました。これは困難と早めに切り上げ、北上駅周辺の駐車場までUターンして、そこから往復１万歩越えのウォーキングコースに切り替え。これは大正解でした。急がば回れ。
　展勝地のサクラは満開アナウンスでしたが、すでにやや「桜吹雪」気味。
　以前と比べるととにかく海外客がすごい。どうしても会話の言語に注意が向かってしまいますね。円安はこういう状況を長期化させるのでしょう。ぜひ日本のマナーを守って楽しんでいただきたい。

●お知らせ
拙書「作家と住空間」幻冬舎から電子書籍で発刊
お求めはAmazonで。
https://amzn.asia/d/eUiv9yO

English version⬇

[Tohoku Road Trip: From Our Starting Point, “Kabushima,” to a Scenic Spot in Full Bloom]
A road trip in our own car, taken with a brief break from helping raise our grandchildren. Due to a lack of proper planning here and there, our couple’s adventure begins…

　This is a trip to admire the cherry blossoms in Tohoku and southern Hokkaido, strictly following my wife’s itinerary.
That said, once we arrive, I’ll be the one driving the car around on a whim, dragging her here and there—saying things like, “Ah, here it is. Then let’s pop over here too”—so it’s a typical couple’s trip where I end up running her ragged. But isn’t that part of the fun? (lol)
　The ferry trip to Hachinohe involved driving right up to bedtime—a completely out-of-the-ordinary routine. So, including the day after we landed in Hachinohe, it felt like a full two-day trip packed into a single day. As expected, after arriving at the hotel, I crashed out until early this morning. With two days’ worth of fatigue, I slept like a log. It was almost as if all my exhaustion had vanished at once. Strange. Is a little stress actually beneficial?
In Hachinohe, we were looking forward to visiting the “Hachinohe Food Center” and having breakfast there, but we suffered the sad blow of finding out it’s “closed on Wednesdays.” This kind of oversight is, of course, bound to happen. Advance planning is a hassle. We switched gears immediately.
So, we headed out to explore the nature of northern Tohoku’s Pacific coast, heading toward Kabushima and the Tanezashi Coast, as seen in the photos. We were greeted by Kabushima’s famous seabirds. My wife, a huge fan of the horror in Hitchcock’s *The Birds*, was overjoyed and ran around frantically. It seems her actual fear stemmed from the “danger of bird droppings,” so her only option was to flee in panic from the attacks on her clothes.
Well, our journey began with that kind of valuable on-site experience.

　So, I headed south on the Tohoku Expressway from the Hachinohe area in Aomori Prefecture straight to the Kitakami Tenjōchi scenic spot.
After passing through the famous “120 km/h speed limit” zone along the highway, I arrived in just under two hours. It seems the 120 km/h zones have been expanding compared to before. As expected, traffic on the Tohoku Expressway is heavy. Despite concerns over oil supply, gasoline prices have stabilized somewhat thanks to the release of strategic reserves. However, it seems the construction industry is starting to feel the impact in various ways. I really hope things calm down. Well, since this is due to the war, as an ordinary person, all I can do is hope for a resolution.
Upon arriving at Kitakami Tenshochi, there was a massive traffic jam leading to the park’s parking lot, despite it being a weekday. Realizing this would be a struggle, I decided to cut the trip short, made a U-turn back to a parking lot near Kitakami Station, and switched to a walking route that totaled over 10,000 steps round-trip. This turned out to be the perfect decision. Haste makes waste.
The cherry blossoms at Tenshoji were announced to be in full bloom, but they were already starting to look a bit like a “blizzard of petals.”
Compared to before, the number of foreign tourists is simply staggering. I can’t help but notice the languages they’re speaking. The weak yen will likely prolong this situation. I sincerely hope they enjoy their visit while observing Japanese etiquette.

● Announcement
My book, “Writers and Living Spaces,” has been published as an e-book by Gentosha.
Available on Amazon.

Posted on 4月 16th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類