At the western foot of Odaigahara, there is Kodokoro Onsen, one of the most secret hot springs in the Kansai region, which was once used only by mountaineers.  If you change buses, it’s a 2-hour walk from the last bus stop.  If you go by car, take a side road from National Highway 169 and follow the road along the Kotochi River for 10km.  It’s now such a place, so when I first went there, it was a hot spring where I had to be prepared to die. It was reopened in August 2001, and the building is made with plenty of wood, taking advantage of the taste of mountain villages.  There are “rock baths (valley hot springs)” that use natural stones of various sizes and “wooden baths (Taiki no Yu)” that have the scent of Maki, and each has an open-air bath facing the mountain stream, and the sound of a clear stream. You can enjoy the seasonal atmosphere (summer fireflies, autumn leaves, etc.) while listening to.

大台ヶ原の西麓に、かっては登山家達のみが利用する関西地方でも有数の秘湯、小処温泉があります。バスを乗り継いで来たら、最後のバス停で降りてから徒歩で２時間。車で行く場合は、国道169号線から脇道に入って小橡川(ことちがわ)沿いの道を行くこと10km、２台の車がすれ違うのもやっとと言うような道を行きます。今でもこんな所ですから、初めて行った時には正に決死の覚悟で行くような温泉でした。平成13年8月にリニューアルオープンし、建物も山村の味を活かし、木材をふんだんに使った造りとなっています。温泉は、自然の大小様々な石を使った「岩風呂（渓谷の湯）」槙の香り漂う「木風呂（大樹の湯）」があり、それぞれ渓流に面した露天風呂があり、清流の音を聞きながら、四季折々の風情（夏の蛍・秋の紅葉 etc.）を満喫できます。

The colorful cosmos flowers having been blooming all over the area fades as the setting sun goes down, and eventually only the black silhouette appears in the setting sun. All the more for because the daytime scene is so beautiful, the current scene is not only beautiful, but makes me think about various things. A day that begins at dawn and sets at sunset is a microcosm of a person’s life.  However, even if one day comes around again, a person’s life is only once.  Autumn reminds us of cosmos, and cosmos makes us be deep in thoughts.  Well, what will happen this autumn?

一面色とりどりに咲いていたコスモスが、夕日が落ちて行くにつれて色褪せ、やがて黒いシルエットだけが夕日に浮かびます。昼間の光景が美しいばかりに、今の光景はただ美しいだけでなく、深く思いに沈みます。夜明けに始まり夕日が沈む一日は人の一生の縮図です。ただ一日はまた巡り来ることはあっても、人の一生は一回切りです。コスモスといえば秋、秋といえばもの思わする季節。さーて、この秋はどうなることやら。

Chestnuts have arrived from Shinshu.  The chestnuts around Osaka are still in a state of chestnuts in burs, so I’m a little surprised.  I immediately made chestnut rice and enjoyed a sense of taste in the early autumn.  The Japanese archipelago is long from north to south, so if we travel from Okinawa to Hokkaido, we can enjoy two or three seasons, if not four seasons.  Also, if there is a high mountain, the same is true from the foot of the mountain to the top.  Autumn is the season of autumn leaves, and it is said that the autumn leaves are the most beautiful in the world.  “Great Yamato, of all lands most supreme! Enclosed by ranks of verdant banks on surrounding hills, Great Yamato-unmatched for beauty!”  sung by Yamato Takeru thinking of his hometown. When I’m immersed in the taste of autumn in this way, it seems that not only Yamato but the whole of Japan is like that.

信州から栗が届きました。大阪近辺の栗はまだ毬栗状態ですからちょっと驚きです。早速栗ご飯にし、一足早い秋の美香に舌鼓を打ちました。日本列島は南北に長いですから、沖縄から北海道を旅すれば、四季折々とは言わないまでも、二つか三つの季節を楽しめます。また高い山があれば、山の麓から天辺まででも同じです。秋は紅葉(こうよう)の季節、その紅葉振りも世界で最も美しいと言われています。倭建命が故郷を思って歌った「倭（やまと）は　国の真秀（まほ）ろば　たたなづく　青垣（あをかき）　山籠（やまごも）れる　倭し麗（うるは）し」は、こうして秋の味覚に浸っていると、大和だけでなく日本全体がその様に思われます。

It’s so cool today that the heat until recently seems like a lie. I don’t think it’s going to be a full-fledged fall as it is, but given the recent unseasonable climate, it may be surprising.  However, the seasons of the Shinshu plateau are changing as usual.  Colorful flowers dye the plateau in autumn colors.  The breeze is definitely the autumn breeze.  However, what is different from the usual year is that there are few people.  Obviously the effect of the coronavirus.  It seems unlikely that the number of people will increase as autumn deepens this year.

ついこの間の暑さが嘘の様に思える涼しさです。とてもこのまま本格的な秋に突入するとは思えませんが、最近の不順な気候を思えば、意外にそうなるかも知れません。しかし、信州の高原はどこも例年通りに季節は巡っています。色とりどりの花が高原を秋の色に染めています。そよ吹く風は確実に秋の風です。ただ例年と違うのは人影の少ないことです。明らかにコロナウイルスの影響です。秋の深まりに合わせて増える人出も今年は望めそうではありません。

A big water wheel is turning around when I follow the village road.  The amount of water is large due to the rain that fallen a few days ago, and I can clearly hear the sound of pounding with pestle from inside the watermill.  Shortly after entering the road beside the water wheel, the cobblestones becomes narrow, and splendid Yaburan(bush orchid) is in bloom.  It is tall and the purple color stands out.  The temperature will still be over 30 degrees Celsius, but the path of the forest where Yaburan bloom is cool.  Even if I do this, my spirits can’t be refreshed.  This is probably due to the influence of the depressed world. The fact that I can’t meet more people I want to meet may have more influence.

里道を辿ると大きな水車が回っています。二、三日前に降った雨で水量も多く、水車小屋の中から臼をつく杵の音がはっきり聞こえてきます。水車脇の道に入り、辿ると間もなく石畳の細い小径になり、見事な藪蘭が並び咲いています。背丈も高く紫色が際立っています。気温はやはり30度を超えているでしょうが、藪蘭が咲く森林の径は涼しいです。こうしていても、なかなか気が晴れません。鬱屈した世情が多分影響しているのです。それ以上に会いたい人にも会えない事がもっと影響しているのでしょう。

Today is September 1st.  The heat of summer has continued for the past week or two, but today the temperature has dropped a little and the weather is downhill.  It will be raining for a week from tomorrow, and the temperature is forecast not to exceed 30 degrees Celsius.  When I go for a walk around in the light cloudy weather, I can see a mixture of late summer and early autumn everywhere.  Yoshida Kenko said that there is something interesting at the turn of the season, but the taste is different between the transition between summer and autumn and the transition between autumn and winter. The taste is naturally different between this time of year when the hot summer is finally over and the fruitful autumn is reached, and the time of late autumn when the flowers are scattered and there are no leaves and the cold winter is just around the corner.  In any case, I feel lonely at this time.

今日は９月１日。この一二週間はまた夏がぶり返した様な猛暑が続きましたが、今日はやや気温も下がり、お天気も下り坂。明日から一週間は雨模様で、気温も30度を超えない予報です。薄曇りの中、辺りの散策に出かけると、晩夏と初秋を織り交ぜた光景が至る所で見受けます。折節のうつりかはるこそ、ものごとにあはれなれ、と兼好法師は言いましたが、夏と秋の変わり目、秋と冬の変わり目ではやはり趣が異なります。暑い夏をやっと乗り切り、実り多い秋を迎えるこの時期と、花は散り木の葉も無く、ただ寒い冬を迎ええる晩秋では、自ずから趣は違います。いずれにしろ、この時期、やたら寂しさを覚えます。

Hohsenka(鳳仙花) is derived from the Chinese word “凤仙华”.  “鳳(Phoenix)” is because the shape of the flower resembles the flapping of the phoenix, which is an imaginary bird, and “仙” is taken from the hermit who appears in Chinese folk tales about phoenix flowers,  In addition, Hohsenka flowers have long been used by girls to dye their nails, so they are also known as nail red (Tsumakurenai, Tsumabeni).  Put the petals of impatiens balsa and a little alum in a plastic bag, crush them with a weight, apply the crushed ones to your nails, wrap them in a wrap, and leave them overnight. Your fingers will turn red and the color will not come off in about a week.  Furthermore, when the black ripe fruit of Hohsenka is touched, the seeds are characterized by popping far away.  It is the wisdom of Hosenka to prevent it from growing poorly in the same soil.

鳳仙花は中国語「鳳仙華」に由来します。「鳳」は、花の形が想像上の鳥である鳳凰の羽ばたく姿に似ていることから、「仙」は、鳳仙花にまつわる中国の昔話に登場する仙人から取られました。また、鳳仙花は昔から女の子が爪を染めるのに使ったため、爪紅(ツマクレナイ、ツマベニ)と言う別名があります。ホウセンカの花弁とミョウバン少々をビニール袋に入れて重しなどで潰し、潰したものを爪に塗り、ラップで包んで一晩ほどおいたら指が紅く染まり、１週間ほどで色が抜けません。さらに、鳳仙花の黒く熟した実に触れると、種が遠くへ弾け散る特徴があります。同じ土壌では育ちが悪くなるのを防ぐ為の鳳仙花の知恵です。

The sky is clear.  The temperature is 32 degrees.  There are no people on the beach where the hot sun shines.  Colorful kayaks are lined up as if they were basking in the sun.  All I can hear is the sound of the rushing waves and the barking of seabirds.  It’s still like in the middle of summer.  This year was a lonely summer.  The coronavirus, which may end at any time, is rampant and will be heavily veiled in the coming autumn.  Suddenly there are children’s voices in the distance.  It seems that they’re playing on the beach on his way home from school.  Suddenly I returned to myself and recovered a little my spirits.

空は快晴。気温32度。暑い日差しが照り付ける浜辺には人影はありません。色とりどりのカヤックが甲羅干しをするかのように並んでいます。聞こえてくるのは打ち寄せる波の音と海鳥の鳴き声だけ。まだまだ夏真っ盛りの気配です。今年は寂しい夏でした。いつ終息するとも知れないコロナウイルスは猛威を奮い、これから訪れる秋にも重いベールを被せます。突然遠くで子供達の声がします。学校帰りに浜辺で遊んでいるようです。ふと我に帰り、少し元気になりました。

On the way to shopping, when I come to a certain Tsuji, I can smell a very nice scent. When I follow the road like the back alley, the splendid Nioibanmatsuri(Brunfelsia latifolia) is blooming in a vacant lot that is not sunny.  The flowering season of Nioibanmatsuri is from May to July, so it will soon be out of season in late August.  The cold air in the back alley probably lengthened the flowering season.  The flowers of Nioibanmatsuri have a deep purple color at the beginning of blooming, but gradually turn purple over time, and after two days, they turn white, and it seems that two colors are blooming in one tree. The scent is very strong.  It is a completely different variety from jasmine. Nioibanmatsuri is also neurotoxic.  Neurotoxicity has been identified in all roots, stems, leaves and flowers, and accidental eating of fruits and seeds can lead to death in the worst case.  By the way, the English name is Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow.

買い物に行く途中、とある辻に差し掛かるととても良い香りが匂ってきます。路地裏の様な道を辿ると、日当たりの良くない空き地に立派なニオイバンマツリが花を咲かせています。ニオイバンマツリの花期は５月から７月ですから、もう間もなく９月の今は季節外れということになります。路地裏の冷気が花期を長くしたのでしょう。ニオイバンマツリは花は、咲き始めの頃は濃い紫色をしていますが、時間が経つごとに次第に紫色になり、２日経つころには白色になり、一本の木で2色咲いているように見えます。香りがとても強く、和名の匂蕃茉莉は、匂（香り）があり、蕃（外国）からの、茉莉（ジャスミン類）という意味合いでで付けられました。ジャスミンとはまったく別品種です。また、ニオイバンマツリには神経毒性があります。根、茎、葉、花などすべてに神経毒性が確認されており、果実や種を誤って食べてしまうと、最悪の場合死に至ることもあります。因みに英語名はYesterday-today-and-tomorrowです。

Early in the morning, Michinaga handed Murasaki Shikibu an Ominaeshi which was just wet with the morning dew. Murasaki that she received it immediately brought the inkstone by her side, and she composed the song, wondering how ugly she was  with an older sleepy face, even though Ominaehi was so beautiful.  Then Michinaga immediately replied, and no,  Ominaeshi was trying hard to be beautiful, and encouraged Murasaki that beauty depends on your heart.  It is a passage that appears in Murasaki Shikibu’s diary “Ominaeshi”.  At that time, Murasaki was a widow with a child who had passed 30.  She was then an elderly woman.  On the other hand, Michinaga was a some elderly person who had just passed 40.  It is a passage that reminds us of the relationship between the two.

早朝、朝露に濡れて輝かしいばかりの女郎花を道長が紫式部に手向けます。受け取った紫は直ぐに硯を取り、女郎花はこんなに美しいのに、年増の寝ぼけ顔の私はなんて醜いことでしょうと歌を読みます。すると道長は直ぐに返歌し、いやいや女郎花は美しくなろうと一所懸命努力しているのですよ、美しさは貴女のお心次第ですよと紫を励まします。紫式部日記「女郎花」に出てくる一節です。この時紫は３０を過ぎた子持ちの未亡人。今で言えば初老の女性です。一方道長は40を過ぎたばかりの初老。二人の関係を偲ばせる一節です。