富山で １ (Visited Toyama -1-)

　祖先の霊をまつる行事の盆（「盂蘭盆」の略、「お盆」とも）は、ほぼ全国的に新暦8月15日に行なわれるが、東京・横浜・静岡旧市街地、函館、金沢などでは、新暦7月15日（もしくは前後の土日）に行なわれる（『ウィキペディア』の「お盆」による）。私の郷里は金沢なので、おおむね7月中頃に金沢へ墓参に行くのが、私の定年退職後、わが家の恒例行事となっている。

　今年は、墓参の前の7月13日、少し足を伸ばして、富山市婦中町の「かんぽの宿 富山」に一泊した。JR 高山本線速星駅から、宿の送迎車を利用した。晴天ならば、富山平野と立山連峰のすばらしい眺めを楽しむことが出来るはずだったが、あいにく、くもり時々雨の天候だった。それでも、道中で雨に会うことはなく、宿の付近の婦中ふるさと自然公園の緑多い眺め、富山湾でとれたキトキト（新鮮で活きがよいことを形容する北陸地方の言葉）の海の幸、ゆっくりしたローカル線の旅などを楽しんだ。その折の写真を2回にわたって掲載する。

Bon or obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. It is commonly celebrated on August 15 based on the lunar calendar. However, it is celebrated on or around July 15 based on the solar calendar in Tokyo, Yokohama, old town of Shizuoka, Hakodate, Kanazawa, etc. ("Obon" in Wikipedia Japanese edition). Since my hometown is Kanazawa, it has become our home tradition to go to Kanazawa and visit the graves of our ancestors in the middle of July, after my retirement.

This year, my wife and I went a little far from Kanazawa before visiting the graves. Namely, we stayed at the night of July 13 at the hotel Kampo-no-yado Toyama, Fuchu-cho, Toyama. From the station of Hayahoshi of JR Takayama line, we took the courtesy car of the hotel. If it had been fine weather, we should have been able to see the splendid view of the Tateyama mountain range and the Toyama plain. Though it was, unfortunately, cloudy with intermittent rain, we had no rain along the way and enjoyed fresh seafood from Toyama Bay, a green landscape of Fuchu Furusato Nature Park in the vicinity of the hotel and slow pace of the local-line trip. I show photos taken during this trip in this and the next blog post.

「かんぽの宿 富山」入り口。
Entrance to the hotel Kampo-no-yado Toyama.

宿の建物。
The hotel building.

宿の前庭からの眺め。
View from the front yard of the hotel.

宿の部屋からの眺め。
View from the room of the hotel.