世は連休まっ盛り。
　カミさんのカラダのコリ・痛み緩和のためにお好みのニセコの日帰り温泉へ。片道1.5時間。なかなかの長距離運転ですが、先般の北東北〜道南サクラの旅路も無事完走したので、たのしく往復。
　先日は函館方面からの帰路でこちらのニセコ周辺を通ってきましたが、今回はことしはじめての札幌からのルート走行であります。やはり普段の交通量に比較してクルマが多い。当方はそれほど急がないので、希望者にはどんどん道を譲って追い越ししていただいておりました。ようやくわたしもそういうドライバーになってきた（笑）。さすがに連休なので大阪とか、関東とかのナンバーのクルマが元気よく追い越していく。「おお、広大な北海道に着いたぜ、未踏の大地だ、爆走だ。前走車なんて邪魔だ〜」という心理かなぁ・・・。
　もっと若いときにはわたしがそういう追い越しドライバーだったのですが、逆の立場になってくると、いろいろ違う「風景」、人間心理が見えてくるものですね。
　そういうドライブ先ですが、日頃の10.000歩以上散歩習慣は維持したいと、ニセコに着いてから日帰り温泉施設周辺を、入浴希望時間の夫婦間相違からカミさんとは別ルートで歩きまわっておりました。今時期は北海道西部日本海側地域で、写真の〝エゾエンゴサク〟が散歩の道端を彩ってくれている。
　太宰治の短編小説『富嶽百景』では「富士に月見草」という対比が、秀逸な表現として日本人のハートを射貫いたのですが、北海道ではやはり蝦夷富士・羊蹄山がその姿カタチが富士山と相似している。富士山は遠くから遠望するのが普通だけれど、羊蹄山はごく身近にその山容の均整ぶりを訴えかけてくれる。
　一方、この時期の〝エゾエンゴサク〟の控えめな美感はかわいらしい。
　こういう極大と極小のふたつを心象対比させるという感覚は、太宰さんが日本人に訴求した「新感覚」だったのでしょう。そしてこの〝エゾエンゴサク〟との対比は北海道西部の特殊な春の様相かと思われました。
　そしてこの高地平原でもサクラは最後の盛り。北海道でも味わえる日本人の定番基層心理・・・。

●お知らせ
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English version⬇

[I wonder if “Ezo engosaku” would look good on Ezo Fuji…]
“Moonflowers on Mount Fuji” is a poetic image with which Osamu Dazai pierced the hearts of the Japanese people. Such contrasts struck a chord with the Japanese psyche at its core. …

　It’s the height of the long holiday weekend.
We headed to my wife’s favorite day-trip hot spring in Niseko to help relieve her muscle stiffness and aches. It’s a 1.5-hour drive each way. It’s quite a long drive, but since we successfully completed our recent cherry blossom tour from Northern Tohoku to Southern Hokkaido, we enjoyed the round trip.
The other day, we passed through the Niseko area on our way back from Hakodate, but this time we took the route from Sapporo for the first time this year. As expected, there were more cars on the road compared to usual. Since I wasn’t in a particular hurry, I kept letting other drivers pass me whenever they wanted. I guess I’ve finally become that kind of driver myself (lol). Being a long weekend, cars with license plates from places like Osaka and the Kanto region were zooming past us energetically. I imagine their mindset was something like, “Oh, we’ve made it to vast Hokkaido—uncharted territory! Let’s go full throttle! The car in front is just in the way…”
　When I was younger, I used to be that kind of overtaking driver myself, but now that I’m on the other side, I can see a whole different “landscape” and human psychology.
Speaking of this drive, I wanted to maintain my daily habit of walking over 10,000 steps, so after arriving in Niseko, I walked around the area near the day-trip hot spring facility—taking a different route from my wife due to our differing preferred bathing times. At this time of year, in the western Hokkaido region along the Sea of Japan, the “Ezo Engosaku” (Ezo evening primrose) in the photo is coloring the edges of the walking paths.
In Osamu Dazai’s short story collection *Fugaku Hyakkei* (One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji), the contrast between “Fuji and the evening primrose” struck a chord with the Japanese heart as a brilliant expression. Similarly, in Hokkaido, Mount Yotei—known as “Ezo Fuji”—resembles Mount Fuji in its shape and form. While Mount Fuji is typically viewed from afar, Mount Yōtei stands right before you, showcasing the harmony of its form.
On the other hand, the understated beauty of the “Ezo Engosaku” at this time of year is simply charming.
This sense of contrasting the extreme large with the extreme small in one’s mind was likely the “new sensibility” that Dazai sought to convey to the Japanese people. I had thought that this contrast with the “Ezo engosaku” was a unique feature of spring in western Hokkaido.
And even on this highland plain, the cherry blossoms are in their final bloom. A classic, fundamental aspect of the Japanese psyche that can be experienced even in Hokkaido…

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

Posted on 5月 4th, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類