本日の冒険は下北半島。目指すのは霊場恐山。青森から恐山まで約３時間がかかるから今日は朝早く出掛けました。ドンはもう一つのリクエストがあった。青森に行くならニホンザルが見たい。妻が情報を調べたら、下北半島の脇野沢に脇野沢野猿公苑がありました。ドンに食べさせたいものもあって、横浜町の手前にある豆腐の店で卯の花ドーナッツが販売してるところがある。卯の花ドーナッツはおからから作られたドーナッツ。焼きたてが超旨い！残念ながら月曜日はその店の定休日でした。ドンが卯の花ドーナッツが食べられないなら、横浜町の道の駅「菜の花プラザ」で菜の花ドーナッツが食べれる。
Yokohama Roadside Station [Nanohana Plaza] / 横浜町道の駅「菜の花プラザ」
Don's first taste of a rapeseed blossom donut.
またドンの初体験。菜の花ドーナッツ。
Whenever we stop here, my wife and I always pick up some fried scallops as well. This was another first for Don as he said most places in the U.S. do not use the entire scallop.
僕と妻がここに寄ったら、必ず買うものがある。それは帆立揚げ。これもドンにとって初体験。アメリカは帆立の柱しか使わないため、ドンがびっくりしました。
I think Don was enjoying those scallops quite well.
ドンが帆立揚げを結構気に入りました。
Strange. The last time my wife and I were here, the bridge wasn't blocked off.
あら。以前に来た時、橋は普通に渡れることが出来た。
The lake and the path leading out to it is akin to the River Styx where the dead make a passage into the nether world.
この池は死んだ人が渡る川みたいな場所。
Here we are at the entrance to Ozorezan. Founded in the 9th century by Great Buddhist Master Jikaku En'nin. This gate is called the Somon.
目的地に到着。霊場慈覚大師円仁開墓「恐山」。これが総門です。
For those of you that are interested, the legend and history of Osorezan as provided by their brochure in English:
[About 1200 years ago, the Japanese Buddhist priest En'nin was studying Buddhism in China. One night he had a mysterious dream. In the dream a holy monk said to him, "When you return to Japan, go eastward. You will find a sacred mountain in thirty-days walk from Kyoto. Carve a statue of the bodhisattva Jizo and propagate Buddhism there." En'nin returned to Japan. In spite of various hardships, he traveled through many provinces on foot in the hope of finding the sacred mountain. Finally he came to the mountainous area of Shimokita peninsula. There he found a place which met all the conditions required to be the sacred mountain for which he had been looking. It was this mountain, Osorezan.
At the center of the sacred area of Osorezan is Lake Usori, and next to it a large tract covered with white sand. Surrounding them are eight peaks: Mount Kamafuse, Mount Ozukushi, Mount Kozukushi, Mount Hokkoku, Mount Byobu, Mount Tsuguru, Mount Jizo, and Mount Keito. The landscape of Osorezan with the eight peaks surrounding it represents a lotus flower of eight petals, the symbol of the world of Buddha. In its central area there are 108 ponds of boiling water and mud, which correspond with the 108 worldly desires and the hells linked to each of them. Side by side with the hellish ponds the woods, the lake and the coast of white sand present a wonderful scene, which suggests the beauty of Paradise. When En'nin saw them, he noticed that this landscape of Osorezan coincided down to the last detail with that of the sacred mountain as described in his mysterious dream. Then with his own hands he carved a statue of bodhisattva Jizo, which was about 190 centimeters high, and he built a hall to house it. Having accomplished these tasks he devoted himself to the propagation of Buddhism with increased earnestness.]
I love that a lot of tourist spots in Japan provide you with a place you can take group photos which includes the date you visited the place.
日本の観光名所は大体記念写真が撮れるところがあって嬉しいですね。訪ねた日付もちゃんと書かれてます。
It wasn't so crowded as it's still before the Japanese holiday of Obon and it is a weekday!
全然込んでなかった。なぜと言えば、まだお盆の前だし、今日は平日の月曜日だ！
The six Jizos / 六大地蔵
Don in front of the sign that says "Osorezan".
The building to the right is the Temple office.
右側にある建物は寺務所。
We are nearing the second gate, the Sanmon.
二つ目の門に近づいた。それは山門です。
I love the elaborate woodwork on the Hondo or main temple.
刻んだ木の素晴らしさに圧倒されますね。これは本堂にあります。
Hondo / 本堂
The stone lamps on the sides of the path are called the Shijyu-Hatto. The small building on the right is an onsen (a hot bath) called the Yakushi-no-Yu. As the temperature was once again in the 90s, there was no way we were going to take a hot bath in Osorezan.
参道の両サイドにあるのは四十八燈。右側にある小さな建物は境内にある温泉、薬師の湯。今日また猛将日のため、絶対恐山にある温泉は入りません。
Yakushi-no-Yu (men only) / 薬師の湯 （男性用）
I think the big turtle has seen some better days.
大きな亀の顔がどうしたんでしょう？
My wife standing at the hand purification basin.
妻が手水舎の前に立ってます。
Jizo-den / 本尊安置地蔵殿
Prayer boards / 絵馬
That is Mount Jizo in the background.
後ろにあるのは地蔵山。
Don and I walked up to the Okuno-In Fudo-myo but my wife said she would wait for us as it was very hot and there wasn't any shade anywhere. She did not want to make the fifteen to twenty minute walk up to where the Fudo-myo was.
僕とドンは奥の院不動明日を見に行った。妻はこの３０度以上の天気で１５分から２０分の山登りはしたくないから、下で待ていた。
My wife is waiting for us at the bottom of these steps.
妻は階段の下で私たちを待ていた。
We are now headed into the Eternal Hell. I tell you, with the temperature being as hot as it was today, it felt like we were in hell literally.
これから無限地獄に入り。今日の暑さで本当に地獄に居る感じでした。
Mitama-Ishi / みたま石
Jikaku Taishi-do / 慈覚大師堂
I swear, we're burning up!
マジで体が燃えてるぜい！
Hakkaku-Endo / 八角円堂
An Osorezan resident / 恐山の住民
Mizuko Kuyo Gohonson / 水子供養御本尊
Enmei Jizo-son / 延命地蔵尊
Chi-no-Ike Jigoku (Hell's Bloody Pond) / 血の池地獄
Yes, we are in Hell!
はい、地獄に居ます。
There is no escaping the heat!
暑さに逃げ道がない！
Don at the edge of the world.
ドンが世界の片隅に。
Saino-Kawara / 賽の河原
Well, that's kind of creepy if you ask me.
ちょっと不気味ですね。
Gochi Nyorai / 五智如来
And back to the entrance as it was time for lunch. We decided to eat at the only restaurant available, a place called [Renge-An]. We all ordered the same dish - zarusoba.
そして恐山の入口に戻り、唯一の食事処「蓮華案」に行きました。私たち全員はざるそばを頼みました。
Lunch was decent but the restaurant was as hot as it was outside!
ランチは良かったけど、レストランの中も外と同じくらい暑かった！
Which means it was time for ice cream. Here is Don trying yet a new flavor. This time, it's mugwort!
ってことで、やっぱりアイスの時間だ。ドンがまた新しいアイスを食べてみた。今度の味はよもぎです。
My wife had the mixed flavor - vanilla, mugwort, and blueberry.
妻がミックスアイスを頼んだ ー バニラ、よもぎ、ブルーベリー。
And now, we're going to go and meet some monkeys!!
さて、これから猿たちを会いに行く！
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