Seaveral days ago, another crystalline fine day, I went for a drive to the northern part of Ibaraki prefecture, next to our prefecture, which lies east of us along the Pacific Ocean. I wanted to visit the book store I had been to this summer as already posted. The other object was to see the fall leaves in the mountain area.
The readers may suspect I too often go out for such a drive. Not so much. Once or twice a month in spring or fall. It helps me to get out of frustration caused by working as a full time house husband. It might be an inheritance from my mother who enjoyed outing with me for drive anywhere when she was with us. I could not forget how brilliantly her face was shining when I told her to go for driving.
On the way, there have been several gingko trees with full of burning yellow leaves. I love this kind of tree most. I won't be bored looking at them. In a town next to
Another view of a hilly farming village next to our town. Very quiet and few people even though the truncal road was pretty busy with traffic. The forest looked colorful. A very quiet place.
I have driven again the route 6 which ran north and south along the ocean in Ibaraki. One of the biggest city is Hitachi, the origin of Hitachi Co named after this town, I believe. As already written elsewhere, I used to drive this way purposelessly in week ends with my family when we both served residency at a med school hospital. The dorm was too small and messy to stay in the week end. Carrying milk and diapers, we drove there with our son in babyhood. It was a fun and let us get out of the frustration, maybe, the same kind I have had now. I remember this Zelkova trees along the main street of Hitachi. The scenary has not been changed so much. It may mean the economy has not developed so much since those days, I am afraid.
In the northern part of Hitachi, the route 6 runs straight along the ocean. Fortunately for me but maybe unfortunately for people there, things have not changed at all. I have loved driving this area. At a place north of here, we used to turn and go back home since it was getting dark. Getting closer to the dusk, I remember, I felt a bit sad to have to finish that drive and get ready for the hectic week ahead.
Sun seemed to start setting in a couple of hours when I drove there. I had to give up visiting the book store in Fukushima again and headed to the west to come back home. I got through the low mountain area. That way was also familiar to me. It was the area we often drove when coming back home in my resident days.
It was still amazing there were houses in solitude or in cluster even deep in the mountain area. There were very few people seen, though. Some rice paddies were along the road running in valleys. Rice must has been harvested. No one was working there.
This seemed to be an abandoned house. Maybe, of a farmer. It was starting to decay but still maintained its admirable outlook. Standing there, I wondered what people have spent their lives there.
seemingly, a spontaneously grown Zelkovs tree beautifully colored in a forest.
A close up with a bit of revision.
Another shot of a forest with fall leaves. Quiet and serene.
I have sometimes run across with the other cars on the road. But very few. There were some villages along the road. I wondered what the people were doing for living. The farms seemed too small for them to live on. Going for work to city areas? It was too far. There must be only old people living in such villages. It may be given up in a decade or two.
No comments:
Post a Comment