昨日早朝から孫と息子夫婦を連れ立ってカミさんも含めて５人の旅路。息子の嫁さんの実家が九州・久留米なので、そちらの実家に孫初見参〜たっぷり「顔見せ」旅路であります。
　なんですが祖父母夫婦としては、送り届けた後は「どうぞごゆっくり、孫との溺愛を」という配慮から、まったく別行動で気ままなあちこちブラブラ歩きをと計画しております。しかし、「ブラブラ」が主目的なので、それこそ１日１万歩以上のブラブラが最大の願望。昨日はさっそく夕方〜夜には久留米の街探訪。
　夫婦とも日頃からこの程度の運動量を日課にしているので、昨日は新千歳空港から福岡空港のなかでも、活発に歩きまわっていました。しかしやはりそれだけでは足りないので、夕方４時頃にホテルに入った後、さっそく周辺の散歩〜よさげな夕食店舗探しをしておりました。
　若いときならそのままお酒が入るのでしょうが、カミさんは別としてわたしは、ほとんどお酒は「付き合い」だけなので、手づくり感のある食事店舗という目的意識で探した結果、ありついたのが上のセットメニューの和食店。「ごはん屋一の剣」さんの揚げ出し豆腐メインの定食。ちょっと軽すぎかなぁということで牛スキ焼き椀単品も追加していただいた（写真撮り忘れ）。
　しかし一番感動させられたのは、右側にひっそりとあったひと椀の「手づくり豆腐」。ひとくち味わって無言。直撃のうま味。高齢者なので、たくさん食べたくなる、という反応ではなく、その口中での「味わい」に完全に翻弄されて、ただただ無言化させられる瞬間を楽しませていただいた。
　で、その他の小皿類もそれぞれがみごとに「控えめなのにしっかりとした自己主張」を感じさせられた。
　あ、カミさんは別セットメニューでしたので、そちらも「和食」。
　街歩きで、「お、なんとなくこの店、いいかも」という瞬間的ひらめきで店選びする楽しみですが、こういうのんびり散歩がてらの時間は、なんとも至福のいっとき感があります（笑）。
　梅雨まっ盛りの九州ですが、ひとの縁につれられてのこういう旅路を、ゆっくり楽しみたいと思っています。あ、次の写真は散歩道で「火産霊神（ホムスピノカミ）」を祀っているという秋葉神社にあった、狛犬さん。ちょっと異様ないでたちでしたが、なぜか可愛いかった。う〜む、負ける・・・。

●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⬇

[A Trip to Leave the Grandkids with Family: A Leisurely Stroll Through the City / Kurume Edition]
A trip where we leave our grandchildren with our son’s wife’s parents so we can fully indulge in some much-needed relaxation. A carefree, spontaneous journey focused on health, with over 10,000 steps a day…

　Yesterday, starting early in the morning, the five of us—my wife, my son and his wife, and my grandchild—set off on a trip. Since my son’s wife is from Kurume in Kyushu, this was a trip to introduce our grandchild to her parents for the first time—a proper “meet-and-greet” visit.
However, as grandparents, we plan to go our own way and wander around at our leisure after dropping them off, out of consideration for them to “take your time and dote on your grandchild.” Since “wandering” is our main goal, our greatest wish is to clock over 10,000 steps a day. Yesterday, we immediately set out to explore the streets of Kurume from the evening into the night.
Since both my wife and I make it a daily habit to get this much exercise, we were already walking around energetically even during the flight from New Chitose Airport to Fukuoka Airport. But of course, that wasn’t enough, so after checking into the hotel around 4:00 p.m., we immediately went for a walk around the neighborhood to look for a nice place for dinner.
　When I was younger, I probably would have gone straight for drinks after that, but—aside from my wife—I rarely drink unless it’s for social occasions. So, with the specific goal of finding a restaurant serving home-style food, we ended up at the Japanese restaurant shown in the set menu above: “Gohan-ya Ichinokeni.” We ordered the set meal featuring deep-fried tofu. Thinking it might be a bit too light, we also added a bowl of beef sukiyaki (I forgot to take a photo of that).
　But what impressed me the most was the single bowl of “handmade tofu” sitting quietly on the right. I took a bite and fell silent. It was a direct hit of umami. As an older person, my reaction wasn’t one of wanting to eat a lot; instead, I was completely captivated by the “flavor” in my mouth, and I simply enjoyed that moment of being rendered speechless.
　As for the other small dishes, each one perfectly conveyed a sense of “subtlety with a firm sense of identity.”
Oh, my wife had a different set menu, so hers was also “Japanese cuisine.”
One of the joys of strolling through town is choosing a restaurant on a whim—that split-second flash of inspiration when you think, “Oh, this place might be nice.” These leisurely walks feel like moments of pure bliss (laughs).
　Kyushu is in the thick of the rainy season, but I intend to take my time and enjoy this journey, guided by the bonds of human connection. Oh, the next photo is of the komainu (guardian dogs) at Akiba Shrine, which I came across on my walk—a shrine said to enshrine “Homusupinokami” (the Fire-Creating Spirit). They had a slightly bizarre appearance, but for some reason, they were cute. Hmm, I’m no match for them…

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

Posted on 5月 21st, 2026 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 未分類