第4回：登る

富山在住の先輩夫婦にお誘いをいただき8月下旬の夏休みに北アルプスの立山に夫婦で登ってきた。
立山駅からケーブルカーに乗り、高原バスに乗り換え室堂へ向かった。あいにく前線の影響で天気は大荒れ。初日の登山は断念し、黒部ダムへ向かった。ダムカレーを食し、アーチを描くダムからの豪快な観光放水を見、関西電力の途方も無い挑戦を感じ、犠牲になった方々の冥福を祈った。室堂のターミナルから10分ほどの距離にあるみくりが池の宿までも重装備をしなければならないほどの暴風雨で翌日の登山も絶望的であったが標高2400mにある温泉宿に泊まり源泉から直接引いた温泉に入れるだけでもよしとしよう、などと思っていた。ところが翌日は予想に反して頂上がくっきりと見える程の快晴となっていた。

前日は全く見えなかったみくりが池の周りを散歩すると雷鳥にも遭遇した。“普段の行いが..”などと言うほど若くはないが、山の神様には感謝した。ゆっくりと霊峰を登り頂上の雄山神社では改めて登山の無事を感謝した。運動不足の身体には3003mの登山は大変であったが、せっかく富山まで来ているということもあり翌日は飛騨・高山、五箇山を観光し、夜にはおわら風の盆へ連れて行ってもらった。

越中八尾で行われるおわら風の盆は300年の歴史をもつ詩的な唄と踊りが３日間にわたり行われる叙情豊かで気品の高いお祭り。11の旧町が各々の唄と踊りを披露する。友人の撮った一枚をご覧あれ。このお祭りのすごさが伝わるはずです。
長く続くものには意味があり、それを守り伝えようとする人達がいる。我々の病院ももうすぐ50周年を迎える。当院がここにある意味を考え、ここを職員とともに守っていきたい。

I climbed Tateyama, a mountain in the Northern Alps, with my wife during the summer vacation in late August, after I was invited by a married couple I respect who live in Toyama.
We took the cable car from Tateyama station and changed to the bus to the Murodo plateau.
Unfortunately, the weather was rough as a low-pressure front was coming in.
We gave up on climbing the first day and headed to Kurobe Dam.
We tried their special curry called the “Dam Curry”, which consists of spicy curry and white rice in the shape of the arched dam.
We could also see the spraying waters which spring from the beautifully contoured arch of Kurobe Dam. (The damn was constructed over a seven-year period. Many difficulties were encountered in the process, and over 170 people lost their lives during the project. ）
I felt the tremendous challenges faced by the Kansai Electric Power Company and we prayed for the victims. While the Mikuriga-ike inn is only about 10 minutes away from the Murodo terminal, the storm was so heavy that we had to put on our burliest clothing, and we gave up hope of climbing the next day. However, I thought it would be good to just stay at a hot spring inn at an altitude of 2400m and to take a bath in the hot spring.　
However, the next day, contrary to expectations, the weather was so clear that we could see the summit clearly.
When we walked around the pond of Mikuriga-ike, we were even able to see the ptarmigans.
(Ptarmigans, or Raicho in Japanese, are a special bird that can be found only in mountainous areas.)
I'm not young enough to think that things always go this well, so I gave my thanks to the mountain god.
I slowly climbed the sacred mountain, and at the Oyama Shrine at the top I gave my thanks again for our safety during the climb. It was difficult to climb 3003 meters in my state of fitness, but since I had come all the way to Toyama, the next day I went sightseeing in Hida, Takayama, and Gokayama.
At night, my friends took me to see the Owara Bon Dance of the Wind in Yatsuo Town in Toyama Prefecture.

This festival has taken place for about 300 years, and the bon dance is absolutely bewitching along with the poetic songs that accompany it, making the atmosphere cozy and elegant.
Each of the 11 areas of the town has a unique song and dance.
Take a look at this photo taken by my friend.
You should be able to see how incredible this festival is.

We would like to think about what this hospital means, and work to protect it along with our staff.
Our hospital is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary too.
Long-lasting things have great meaning, and there are people who work to protect them and carry them on.