いまから1000年前後を遡る北海道島、それもわが家周辺４−５ｋｍほどの近隣で営まれていた暮らしの遺跡を見て来ました。歴史大好き人間で本州以南地域を旅するときはいつも、積層している時間、その複層性が訴えてくる「こだま」のような部分に惹かれ続けていたのですが、ようやくそういった時間を超えた体感のきっかけが得られたように思っています。
北海道に暮らしている人間にはたぶん、そういった一種の「開放感にも似た喪失感」がある。あんまりそういう感覚が持てないことをハッキリと受け止めて、「しょがないっしょ」と前向きにしか捉えないというような心理に繰り返しさらされてきたようなことでしょうか。
現代北海道はやはり明治以降の「殖民・移住」が基本の生活文化要因であって、わたしたちの生活文化の先人としてはやはり本州地域の生活習慣が基礎になっていると思います。
そういうなかでこういったあきらかな生活痕跡、文化習慣痕跡は非常に興味深いものをもたらしてくれる。多くは追体験可能なことがらですが、そうではないものもある。
そんなひとつの生活文化として「土中穴を利用した食品保存」という人類普遍的な知恵がある。ジオラマのいくつかでこの生活習慣が表現されていた。
現代都市生活では、ほとんど顧みられなくなった知恵だけれど、とくに寒冷気候の当地では、土中は温湿度環境が一定であることを利用しての食品保存策として活用された。ただ、ジオラマだけではそこにどんな食品が保存されたものか、わたしの想像力が不足しているので強く知りたくなった次第。
見た感じでは土中深度は約１m超程度掘り下げられている様子。そうするとこの札幌の年平均気温８度程度の温度環境が維持され、しかも一定の湿度が保全されてもいたでしょう。そのうえで空気には直接触れないので、腐敗の進行は抑えられる。
電気冷蔵庫のない時代、究極の食品保存法だったことは間違いない。
見た感じでは布製の１ｍほどの大きさの袋が確認できる。ということは、内容物としては動物性のタンパク源、豊富に採れただろうサケなどは燻製や乾物としての保存の方が合理的だとも思えるので、乾燥させた穀類などが想像可能だろうか。前に記載したヒエとかアワなどが考えられるのだろうか。
まぁこういう想像を刺激されることで、もっと地域の昔人と対話できるので、その機縁と考えれば、たいへん楽しい。「ねぇ、なにを保存しているの？」「あはは、そんなことわかんないのかよ、もの知らずめ（笑）」
というような会話。個人的にこういう妄想に浸っているのが大好きであります（笑）。

English version⬇

The universal wisdom of preserving artifacts in the ground
Hey, what are you preserving? The old-timers pointed out my lack of common sense. I must learn with humility. I must learn with humility.

I visited the ruins of a lifestyle that was practiced on the island of Hokkaido, a region about 4-5 km from my home, dating back about 1,000 years. As a lover of history, I have always been attracted to the “echo” of layered time and its multi-layered nature when traveling south of Honshu, and I think I finally had the opportunity to experience something beyond time.
People living in Hokkaido probably have a kind of “sense of loss that resembles a sense of freedom. I think we have been repeatedly exposed to the mentality of accepting the fact that we cannot have such a sense of loss clearly, and only seeing it in a positive light, as if “it can’t be helped”.
The lifestyle and culture of modern Hokkaido is based on “colonization and immigration” after the Meiji period, and I believe that the lifestyle and culture of the Honshu region is the foundation of ours.
In this context, these obvious traces of lifestyle and cultural practices are very interesting. Many of them are things that can be experienced, but some are not.
One such culture of life is the universal human wisdom of “food preservation using burrows in the ground”. This lifestyle was represented in several of the dioramas.
In our modern urban life, this is a little-neglected wisdom, but especially in the cold climate of this region, it was used as a measure to preserve food by taking advantage of the constant temperature and humidity in the soil. However, I am not sure what kind of food was stored in the diorama alone, and my imagination is lacking, so I was very curious to know more.
The depth of the soil is about 1m or more, which means that the annual average temperature in this area of Sapporo is about 25°C. This means that the soil is about 1m deep. This would have maintained the average annual temperature of about 8 degrees Celsius in Sapporo, and also preserved a certain level of humidity. On top of that, since there is no direct contact with the air, the progress of decomposition is suppressed.
In an era without electric refrigerators, this was surely the ultimate method of food preservation.
From the look of the bag, we can confirm that it is made of cloth and is about 1 meter in size. This means that animal protein sources such as salmon, which would have been abundant in the area, would have been more reasonably preserved as smoked or dried food, so we can imagine dried grains. Could it be millet or foxtail millet, as mentioned before?
Well, it is very enjoyable to think of it as an opportunity to talk with the local people of the past by stimulating their imagination. What are you preserving?” “Haha, you don’t know that, you ignoramus!
(laughs)” Conversations like this. Personally, I love being immersed in this kind of fantasy (laugh).

Posted on 12月 12th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

人間の死はその属する社会にとって、その家族にとって痛恨事であることは論を待たない。ただし、その社会段階によって、それを悼む方法と鎮魂の道行きには違いが生じる。
わたしたちは基本的には日本人社会という大枠のなかでその価値感世界で生きている。その社会の中には国家として統合されてきたあらゆる地域社会のそれが昇華されてきているのだろう。だから、旧石器由来の狩猟採集社会のそれも意識下の世界に実存していると想像できる。
死者の魂の表現として，多くが「石」に仮託されて鎮魂される習慣が多いというような意識下のカタチ、精神の進化過程の初源を探る、というようなアプローチがいるのだろう。これは石器時代という長い人類の精神史が反映しているとみなせるだろう。
土偶というものは、農耕以降の社会は比較的に「断絶感」をもってきている。歴史家の多数派意見としては、宗教以前の社会の「祈り」が外化した文化伝統とは言えるだろう。とくに北海道島で発見された上の土偶の表情、たたずまいからは独特の死者へのリスペクトを感じる。
本州以南の「日本」社会では死者の葬送はその身分階級による分化を表現するものになっていった。集団墓から権力者の独自の墳墓、古墳が造営されていって、さらにそれが同時にヤマト王権連合のシルシとしての「前方後円墳」という形象化にまで至っていた。それが行きすぎていったことと、中央集権国家の成立とが同時進行して、仏教の導入による寺院建築に繋がっていった。
しかし、北海道島ではごく一部を除いて（江別地域の古墳）古墳文化は広がらず、縄文由来の葬送形式が継続し、土偶も同様に継続していったとされている。土偶には死を悼む以上に、あらたな命、女性の妊娠・出産への社会の強い祈願が込められもした。生と死というふたつの側面が平行した。

しかしすでに見たように、上の職人仕事図に表現されるような生活文化の最先端様式は、活発な交易活動によって北海道の擦文社会にも流入していた。イラストは「曲げ物」と言われた「たらい」とかの日本社会の当時の「最先端」技術木製品容器。これらは擦文社会になくてはならない生活文化様式を構成し深く浸透していたとされる。その木製品の素材として樹種があきらかに北海道には自生しないものであること、そういう工芸文化がまったく擦文の社会には見られないことなどから日本社会との交易の結果であることは明白。
そうであるとしたら、葬送という人間社会の根幹をなすような精神文化様式についての交流というものはまったくなかったのだろうか、と不思議な気持ちになる。異性間での恋愛や混血というようなことも普通にあっただろうし・・・。
古代以来の北海道島社会の葬送形式として知られるのは周堤墓。これは地面に円形に竪穴を掘り、掘り上げた土を周囲に環状に積み上げることで大規模なドーナツ状の周堤を作り、その中に複数の墓を配置した大規模な集団墓とされている。
墓制と社会システム、その哲学には強い相関があることは自明。わたしたち現代人にもこういった墓制への心理のルーツのようなものがあり得るのだろうかと自問しています。

English version⬇

Religion and Funeral Service in Hunter-Gatherer Society: Exploration of Sapporo “Rubbun” Site-5
The death of a member of society is expressed in accordance with its importance, but on Hokkaido Island, mass grave sites are predominant. Furthermore, what is the meaning of the continued culture of clay figures? …

It is indisputable that the death of a human being is a painful event for the society to which he or she belongs and for his or her family. However, the way of mourning and the path of repose differ depending on the social stage of the society.
Basically, we live in a world of values within the framework of Japanese society. Within that society, we are sublimating the values of all the local communities that have been integrated into the nation-state. Therefore, we can imagine that the Paleolithic-derived hunter-gatherer society also exists in the world of consciousness.
We should take such an approach as to search for the origin of the evolutionary process of the spirit, which is a subconscious form of the souls of the dead, many of which have the custom of being reposed in “stone” as an expression of the souls of the dead. This approach may reflect the long spiritual history of mankind during the Stone Age.
Post-agricultural societies have had a comparative “sense of disconnection” with clay figurines. The majority opinion of historians is that they are a cultural tradition that is an outgrowth of the “prayers” of pre-religious societies. In particular, the expression and posture of the above clay figurine found on the island of Hokkaido shows a unique respect for the dead.
In “Japanese” society south of Honshu, the burial of the dead became an expression of the differentiation of status and class. From mass graves, the burial mounds of those in power were constructed, and this led to the figuration of “front-rear round tombs” as a silhouette of the Yamato royal union. This went too far, and the establishment of a centralized state coincided with the introduction of Buddhism, which led to the construction of temples.
However, with the exception of a small portion of Hokkaido Island (Kofun tumulus in the Ebetsu area), the Kofun culture did not spread, and the Jomon-derived funerary practices continued, as did the use of clay figurines. Clay figurines were not only a form of mourning for the dead, but also a form of prayer for new life, and for women’s pregnancy and childbirth. The two aspects of life and death were paralleled.

However, as we have already seen, the cutting-edge lifestyle culture represented in the craftsman’s work illustration above also flowed into Hokkaido’s abraded society through active trading activities. The illustration shows “cutting-edge” technological wooden vessels of Japanese society at the time, such as the “tub,” which was known as a “kenkemono” (curved object). These products were an indispensable part of the lifestyle and culture of the Abravaean society, and are said to have penetrated deeply into that society. The fact that the species of wood used as the material for these wooden products is clearly not native to Hokkaido, and the fact that such craft culture is not found in the Abravaean society at all, makes it clear that they were the result of trade with Japanese society.
If this is the case, one wonders if there was any exchange at all in terms of funerary rituals, a spiritual and cultural practice that is fundamental to human society. It is also likely that intersexual romance and mixed blood were common.
The funeral style known in Hokkaido Island society since ancient times is the shuutsutsumi tomb. This is considered to be a large-scale mass grave, in which a circular pit is dug into the ground and the dug-up earth is piled up in a ring around it to form a large doughnut-shaped peri-dike, within which multiple graves are placed.
It is obvious that there is a strong correlation between the tomb system, the social system, and its philosophy. I ask myself whether we modern people also have psychological roots in this kind of tomb system.

Posted on 12月 10th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究, 歴史探訪 | No Comments »

現在の札幌市は年平均気温が10°前後。ちょっと20年くらい前には８°程度と言われていたけれど、最近の温暖化の影響が大きいのかと思われます。ことしの異常な野生動物の人間界への接近遭遇には、巨視的にはこの温暖化、とくに今年かなり暑かったことが影響しているのかも知れませんね。
こうした気候変動は歴史年代に入ってもさまざまに社会的影響を及ぼしている。王朝貴族の女性たちが十二単というファッションに身を包んでいたことにも関わりがあったと言われるし、さらに江戸中期〜末期にかけての飢饉は寒冷化の直接的影響と言われる。
ざっくりとした時代ごとでは縄文時代は暖かく弥生時代は寒く、平安期にはやや温暖、江戸時代は再び寒冷化した（14〜19世紀半ばは「小氷期」とも）。
北海道札幌周辺についてどうであったか。この擦文期の遺跡からは写真のようにアワ・キビ・ヒエなどの、自然由来とはいえ人間が「管理」していたであろう植物食物が発見されているという。ジオラマ絵画では、女性たちがさまざまな植物資源を採取している様子が活写されている。
明治のごく初期からこの遺跡にほど近い「桑園」地域ではクワが栽培されたけれど、植物性資源もこの札幌・石狩中部扇状地は比較的適地であったことが偲ばれる。
わたしのようなお米大好き人間からすると、こういった穀類は心の底からうれしくなる（笑）。「おお、これならオレでも暮らしていけるかも」と思えるし、同時にこういった採取食品はどうも歴史的に女性的な雰囲気が感じられて「母の味わい」という郷愁をそそるのかも知れない。ジオラマ表現に女性たちが描かれているのは、たぶん人類史全般としてのそういう常識があるのだろうと推測。


こういった植物・穀類はそれぞれ品種毎に土器に収納されて保管され、いまの「米びつ」のように調理台所周辺に貯蔵されて、毎日の食膳を彩ったに違いない。食生活としては米のように単独で「炊き上げる」という食習慣はなかったのではないか。そうではなく、男達が狩猟・漁撈活動の結果、獲得されたサケ・エゾシカなどの動物性タンパク源との「鍋料理」として食したことが想像される。穀類は雑炊の主役として、ひとびとの食感に染みわたっていたように感じる。
おとこもおんなもそれぞれの必死な生産活動で暮らしを支え合ってきた、そういう光景が脳裏に立ち上ってくる。一方で本州社会での米作についての情報知識はあっただろう。後の時代のアイヌ期の婚姻儀礼のなかに「米を腹一杯食う」という所作があったとされる。北海道島では生産できなかった「輸入品」である米への独特の心理があったとも想像できる。

English version⬇

Exploring the rich plant and grain gathering Sapporo “Abrasive Culture” site-3
The main ingredient of one-pot dishes harmonizes with animal protein, a masculine food source obtained through heroic hunting and fishing. Grains like porridge may be a nostalgic taste of mother’s cooking. ……

The current annual average temperature in Sapporo is around 10°. It was said to be around 8° a little more than 20 years ago, but recent global warming seems to have had a significant impact. The unusual encounters of wild animals with the human world this year may have been influenced by this macroscopic warming, especially the fact that it was quite hot this year.
Such climate change has had various social effects in the historical period. It is said that the fashion of the women of the royal aristocracy of the time, known as junihitoe, had something to do with this, and the famine of the mid to late Edo period is said to have been a direct result of the cold weather.
The Jomon period was warm and the Yayoi period was cold, the Heian period was slightly warmer, and the Edo period was cold again (the 14th to mid-19th century was also known as the “Little Ice Age”).
What was the situation in the Sapporo area of Hokkaido? As shown in the photo, plant foods such as millet, foxtail millet, and Japanese millet, which are of natural origin but would have been “managed” by humans, have been found at the ruins of the Aburibun period. The diorama paintings vividly depict women gathering various plant resources.
Mulberry was cultivated in the “Mulberry Garden” area near the site from the very beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), and the Sapporo/Ishikari Chubu fan-shaped area was a relatively suitable location for plant resources.
For a rice lover like myself, this kind of grain makes me happy from the bottom of my heart (laugh). At the same time, such harvested foodstuffs have a historically feminine atmosphere, and may stimulate a sense of nostalgia for “mother’s taste. I assume that the fact that women are depicted in the dioramas is probably due to the common sense of human history in general.

These plants and grains were stored in earthenware vessels for each variety, and stored around the kitchen like today’s “rice cribs,” and must have been part of the daily diet. They must have been stored in earthenware and stored around the kitchen like today’s “rice hibi,” and must have been used as a daily staple food. Rather, it is imagined that the men ate it as a “one-pot dish” with animal protein sources such as salmon and Ezo sika deer acquired as a result of their hunting and fishing activities. Grains seem to have played a leading role in the porridge, which seems to have permeated the people’s palates.
The scene of men and women supporting each other’s livelihood through their frantic production activities rises up in my mind. On the other hand, they probably had information and knowledge about rice cultivation in the mainland society. It is said that in the Ainu marriage rituals of later times, there was a custom of “eating a full meal of rice. It can be imagined that there was a unique mentality toward rice, an “imported product” that could not be produced on the island of Hokkaido.

Posted on 12月 8th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

自分自身の情報メディア人としての「終活」を兼ねて、撮影してきた大量の写真類を整理整頓作業。まぁ基本的には自分の興味のおもむくままに撮りためてきた写真データなのですが、着手してみるとその大量さに驚かされる。これを基礎に別途まとめ作業していくのは、多大な労力だとほとほと実感（泣）。
しかしまぁ、自分自身での整理整頓であり、過去に自分がたどってきたことの追体験なので、興味のありかはしっかり浮かび上がらせることはできる。時間と労力はかかるけれど、あらたな気付きもあって有意義であります。
そんななかに札幌市埋蔵文化財センターの取材写真が発見された。
文字記録のない時代の人間記録からその時代相を掘り起こしていく、それも住まいと暮らしという側面から照射して事実把握を行っていくという作業は自分自身でもかなり刺激的です。で、確認作業を進めていったら不覚にも、この埋蔵文化財の発見場所はわが家から2-3kmほどの北大構内だと知れた。K39遺跡と名付けられて位置は札幌市北区北23条西14で、わたしがよく散歩する宮の森地区から北大方向に流れていく「琴似川」の流域地域だというのですね。俄然、整理整頓作業に加速スイッチが入ってしまった。
展示ではジオラマに発掘成果が落とし込んであって、暮らしぶり・住まい方などの情報がクリアに明示されている。
この段階、西暦で600年代後半から1100年代にわたる時期の北海道は「擦文時代」という、続縄文から少し発展した時代相。基本的には狩猟採集社会が継続している時代。最終的には鎌倉幕府の成立によって、あまり実質はないけれど、直轄地域として認識されていった。アイヌ文化期へと引き続いていく時代。それまでは「竪穴住居」だったものが、アイヌ期には「平地型」住居に変容していく。この住居形式の変化は非常に興味深く、アイヌ民族という存在のナゾにも繋がっていくと思っています。

遺跡の説明としては以下。「K39遺跡は旧琴似川沿いに北海道大学構内とその周辺に広がる遺跡。1996年から1999年に市内の「環状通」の改築にともない調査を実施。調査の結果、擦文時代の竪穴住居跡、焚き火跡、土器・鉄製小刀・斧・琥珀製の玉などとともに、アワ・キビ・ヒエ、サケ・エゾシカ・カワシンジュガイなどの食料の一部も発見。また、古い川跡からは川を横切るように打ち込まれた杭列（漁撈用の杭？）や舟・矢・杵・容器・箸・櫛・杭・編み具・おもり・カンジキ、縄・ヒモ・わらじなどの繊維製品が大量に出土。木製品などの腐りやすい生活具がまとまってみつかることは珍しく、当時の生活の様子が顕在化している」。＜要旨＞
いちばん上のジオラマは当時の竪穴住居の様子。結構大型で繊維製品の「袋」に多量の植物性保存食が確保されている様子がわかる。
ということで、ジオラマや発掘品などを素材にして1000年以上前の先人と対話を試みたい。

English version⬇

Exploring the “Abrasive Culture” Site in Sapporo, Hokkaido, over 1,000 years ago.
The history and life of people are visualized in a realistic way right under our noses! It is a pleasure to be able to compare and contrast with the ancient times in the Honshu area. The “Rubbun” site is located right next to our house.

I have been organizing the large number of photos I have taken as part of my “life after death” as an information media person. Basically, it is the photo data that I have been taking as my interests dictate, but when I started, I was surprised at the sheer volume. I realized how much effort it would take to organize this data into a separate set of basic data (I cried).
However, since this is my own reorganization, and since I am reliving what I have done in the past, I am able to clearly see where my interests lie. It takes time and effort, but it is also meaningful because it brings new insights.
In the midst of all this, I discovered a photograph taken by the Sapporo City Archaeological Center.
It is quite stimulating for me to dig up human records from a time when there were no written records, and to grasp the facts from the aspect of housing and daily life. As I proceeded with the confirmation work, I was surprised to learn that this buried cultural property was discovered on the campus of Hokkaido University, about 2-3 km from my house, in the area of the “Kotoni River” flowing from the Miyanomori area where I often take a walk to the direction of Hokkaido University, in Kita 23-jo Nishi 14, Kita-ku, Sapporo City. I was suddenly turned on to organizing the exhibition.
In the exhibition, the results of the excavation were incorporated into a diorama, clearly indicating the lifestyle and way of living.
Hokkaido at this stage, from the late 600s to the 1100s A.D., is in the “Scrubun period,” a slightly developed phase from the post-Jomon period. Basically, it was a period when hunter-gatherer society continued. Eventually, with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, Hokkaido was recognized as a region under its direct control, although it did not have much substance. A period that continued into the Ainu cultural period. What had previously been “pit dwellings” were transformed into “flatland” dwellings during the Ainu period. This change in housing form is very interesting, and I believe it is connected to the riddle of the existence of the Ainu people.

The following is a description of the site. The K39 site is located in and around the Hokkaido University campus along the old Kotoni River, and was surveyed from 1996 to 1999 in conjunction with the reconstruction of the “Ring Road” in the city. As a result of the survey, we found the remains of a pit dwelling from the Aburumon period, the remains of a fire, earthenware, iron swords, axes, and amber beads, as well as some foodstuffs such as millet, millet, Japanese millet, salmon, Ezo sika deer, and Japanese mussels. In addition, a row of piles (fishing piles?) driven across the river were found at the site of an old river. A large amount of textile products such as boats, arrows, pestles, containers, chopsticks, combs, stakes, weaving tools, weights, candlesticks, ropes, twine, and straw sandals were also excavated from the old river site. It is rare to find wooden products and other perishable household utensils in such large quantities, and this is a clear indication of the way of life at that time. <Summary
The diorama at the top shows a pit dwelling of the period. It is quite large, and you can see that a large amount of plant food was stored in textile “bags.
Therefore, we would like to try to have a dialogue with our ancestors more than 1,000 years ago using the diorama and excavated items as materials.

Posted on 12月 6th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

本日は住宅探訪については閑話休題。
現代生活では日帰り温泉というのは生活の句読点として定着している。日本人はお風呂好き民族ですが、それも公衆浴場文化というのが最大の特徴でしょう。広い浴槽、開放的な環境というのが風呂好きには堪えられない。
そんなことから大都市圏ではあの手この手、さまざまな温浴施設が休日の利用客を狙って趣向を凝らした温浴環境を提供している。建築設備のメーカーでも、戸建て住宅の高コスト化の波の中で、高価格にならざるを得ないユニットバスが今後、どのようなマーケット推移を見せるか、注意してきている。単純にコスパを考えれば、週末２日間を「外風呂」で済ませることになると、５日間の就業時間の「身支度」用だけということになるけれど、であれば、欧米並みにシャワーブースで十分ではないか、どうせ週末は温浴施設利用で家風呂にはない開放感を楽しめるのであれば、というムードとのにらみ合い。
思い切って家風呂をキャンセルしてシャワーブースだけの設備にしてしまえば、コストダウンの余地が生まれてくる。今後のマーケット動向として興味深い。
おっと、本題からズレている（笑）。
ご多分に漏れずわたしも週末には温浴施設に通ってきている。で、こういう楽しみをより高めてくれるのが、ときどきの「環境変換」。普段とは違う温浴施設にドライブする楽しみ。わたしのような年代はクルマ社会の第１次世代。人類進化の結果としての「移動の自由」の最大化を実現させてくれたクルマとともに生きてきた。そろそろ免許更新時の教習では「高齢者」へキビしい対応をされてきていますが、従順にしていてできるかぎり移動の自由は確保していたい。
きのうはカミさんが超忙しということで、ふらっと単独ドライブ。数年ぶりくらいの石狩市浜益の日帰り温容施設まで往復。行き帰りとも大好きな北海道らしい風景が和ませてくれた。
上の写真は札幌から国道231号線、日本海オロロンラインの開始点とも思える石狩市望来（もうらい）の遠望。ひさしぶりの景色との出会いに一瞬でカムバック感が襲ってくる（笑）。


きのうのような雲行きの初冬の日というのも、なかなかに奥行きが深い。スピルバーグ監督の「未知との遭遇」でも同じような姿の山が、宇宙人とのインスピレーション型コミュニケーションで地球人に「目印」場所として指定されていたけれど、まるでそっくりな浜益の「黄金山」。
帰りは石狩湾に面した厚田から遠くに積丹半島側を遠望する景観。

なんですが、温泉施設の方に聞いたら、ことしはヒグマ情報が超頻発しているとの情報。さらにエゾシカの群による突然の襲来など相次いでいるとのこと。自然は生々流転、いろいろに様相を変えてきている。つねに最適な距離感を心がけて行かねばなりませんね。

English version⬇

Ishikari Hamamasu round trip
A relaxing weekend at a one-day hot spring spa. The natural scenery healed me after a long absence, and my mood was liberated. However, brown bears have also expanded their range of activity. I reconfirm my sense of distance from the natural world. The day trip

Today, I’d like to take a quiet moment to talk about house-hunting.
In modern life, a day spa is an established punctuation mark of life. The Japanese are bath-loving people, and perhaps the most significant feature of this is their public bathhouse culture. The large bathtubs and open environment are unbearable for bath lovers.
For this reason, various bathing facilities in metropolitan areas are providing elaborate bathing environments for holiday visitors. Building equipment manufacturers are also paying attention to how the market for unit baths will evolve in the future, given the trend toward higher costs for detached houses, which will inevitably lead to higher prices. If we simply consider the cost performance, if we have to take a “bath outside” for two days on weekends, we will only be using it for “getting ready” during our five-day working hours. The mood of the room was a standoff with “Why not use a hot-spring bath on weekends?
If the house baths are cancelled and only shower booths are used, there will be room for cost reductions. This is an interesting future market trend.
Oops, I’m getting off topic (laugh).
As you may have guessed, I too have been going to hot bath facilities on weekends. What makes my enjoyment even greater is the occasional “environmental change. Driving to a different bathing facility than usual is a pleasure. People my age are the first generation of the car society. We have lived with the car, which has maximized “freedom of movement” as a result of human evolution. Although the “elderly” are now being harshly treated in the lessons for license renewal, I would like to remain obedient and maintain my freedom of movement as much as possible.
Yesterday, my wife was extremely busy, so I took a drive alone. It had been several years since I had been to a day spa in Hamamasu, Ishikari City, and back. On the way there and back, I was comforted by the scenery typical of Hokkaido, which I love.
The photo above is a distant view of Mourai in Ishikari City, which is the starting point of the Sea of Japan Oloron Line on Route 231 from Sapporo. The encounter with the scenery for the first time in a long time instantly brought back a sense of comeback (laugh).

An early winter day with clouds like yesterday’s is also quite profound. In Spielberg’s “Encounter with the Unknown,” a mountain with a similar shape was designated as a “landmark” for the earthlings in their inspirational communication with the aliens.
On the way back, the view from Atsuta facing Ishikari Bay with the Shakotan Peninsula side in the distance.

However, when I asked the staff at the warming facility, they informed me that brown bears have been reported very frequently this year. In addition, there has been a series of sudden attacks by groups of Ezo sika deer. Nature is a dynamic and ever-changing place, and its aspects are changing in various ways. We must always keep in mind the optimum distance from nature.

Posted on 12月 4th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »