After lunch at the hotel's restaurant "Shikitei", both of us took a nap in our room.
When I woke up, it was still 2:30. According to the hotel staff, there are no places to visit nearby, but the weather is fine. Emiko hurried me to take a walk around the area.
Just like every dog has his day, good luck awaited us.

First, take a leisurely stroll through the hotel's large garden. Plants, trees and red dragonflies are the signs of autumn. Both of us feel at ease by those and the sound of small birds and kites. And, of course, Kintaro. He is carrying a broad-ax.

Leave the gardens and walk for a while. Along the street and back alleys here and there, persimmons, persimmons, persimmons. They are all fully colored. Even if you had anticipated it, it would be so fruitful! Countless.
On the other side of the alley, we saw a woman leaning on the bank of a little stream. We headed there.
The woman is absorbed in washing several somethings like a turban shell.
I muttered to her, "Turban shells?"
Emiko immediately admonish my talk out of place.
The woman, slowly lifting her chin, talks to no one after a beat delay,
"It's a taro."
But I've never seen such big and strangely dressed taro potatoes. I pretended to understand.

Another woman looking younger joins in. She seems to be a neighbor.
Now the woman washing taroes stands up and points to the persimmon tree in front of her. Countless persimmon fruits are almost spilled out.
"Could you take a few with you?"
After saying it, she goes back to her house close at hand and brings the scissors. Then she cuts out a dozen or so and put them in a bag, saying
"Please, these are fuyu kaki (fuyu persimmons)."
I am very grateful. I hold her hand with my both hands in spite of myself

Before I knew it, the neighbor wasn't here, and soon has showed up and gives a bag of about 10 persimmons to my wife, saying
"Here you are." These are jiro kaki (jiro persimmons) according to her. Emiko bows her head deeply to the neighbor.
When I say, "I'm going to stay at Kintaro Onsen for four days from today to celebrate my wife's 77th birthday," They say, "we are 84 and 79 years old." They are both older than us.
Lucky to meet the unexpected ladies of a rural place. The persimmons of two bags will be taken back to our Urayasu's home and we will be able to enjoy the heartfelt deliciousness of the two ladies for days.

October 26, other pictures

2nd day, October 27 (Sat)

Rain all day forecasted from before. Moreover maybe in full swing.
Therefore we planned to go sightseeing around Kurobe Gorge the next day, and instead to tour Uozu City nearby today where we wouldn't care raining.
Nevertheless, though dull, even a little bit of blue sky was appearing at 10 o'clock when we left the hotel with a lucky hint.

Arrived at Uozu Station in 10 minutes by shuttle bus. Then we transferred a city-circular bus. It took 30 minutes to Uozu Aquarium.

This long time blessed us and we enjoyed the sightseeing of Uozu City over the window. My wife often cried.
"What is that?" "Look, that roof!" "A lot of one-story houses," "Like a long time ago," "..."
That's what I felt. Certainly, there are buildings intermittently seen in every town, like a cultural hall, a music hall, a community hall, an event hall, and local residents' facilties,...... However, other than those, they are all detached Japanese-style one-story houses built some decades ago with a certain atmosphere. On the contrary, both of us may have been accustomed to skyscrapers in Urayasu, a city near Tokyo.

There are quite a few passengers on the bus. Almost all of them are elderly people (with us and the driver). I saw an obstetrics and gynecology hospital on the way, being extra worried for a moment about whether it would be okay from now. All the passengers spoke to the driver when getting on and off, which made me feel the warmth of the region.

Uozu Aquarium

For about an hour until noon, we looked around the separate exhibition corners.

Founded in 1913, it is "the oldest in Japan" as an existing aquarium.
According to the exhibition, "From iwana fish living in the mountain streams of the Northern Alps to benizuwai crab in Toyama Bay, the exhibition composition is tailored to the environment with a height difference of 4,000 meters."
From the 1st floor to the 3rd floor, there are various exhibitions.
Toyama River Corner (Iwana, Kajika, Tomiyo, ...... living in a mountain stream), Deep Sea Creatures Corner ( Benizuwai crab, Genge, ..... in the water temperature of about 1 degree Celsius). Toyama Bay Large Water Tank (water volume 240 tons, underwater tunnel), Jungle Corner, Seal Pool, Outdoor Penguin Pool, ......

Uozu Aquarium, other pictures

Uozu Buried Forest Museum
(Special Natural Monument)

Just after the aquarium, Emiko says while looking at the admission ticket.
"Dad, if you add 300 yen, you can also enter the Buried Forest Museum."
The staff at the counter also had a sense for our another visit to be realized.

It took us about 20 minutes by the same westbound city-circular bus to the Buried Forest Museum, one stop before the Sea Station "Mirage" where we planned to have lunch.

Referred to Toyama Bay as the wonders of actual nature, Buried Forests are spread out in each exhibition hall as they are. They are the remains of a primeval cedar forests that were buried by a combination of river flooding and rising sea level.
They are divided into two halls.
In the dry exhibition hall, displayed are buried forests discovered during the construction of Uozu Port in 1930.
In the underwater exhibition hall, where a giant tree towered 2,000 years ago, groundwater is filled and the giant tree roots are preserved as they were a long time ago.

Excavated in 1930 at Uozu Port (Dry Exhibition Hall)

Groundwater at the excavation site as it was 2000 years ago (Underwater Exhibition Hall)

The hardship of not having an archaeological hobby. I just looked around.
In spring, April - May, on a sunny day when the temperature rises and the wind is calm, you can see a mirage from here like the following pictures.

May 13, 2000 Actual view↑ ↓ Mirage

Uozu Buried Forest Museum, other pictures

5 minutes walk to the sea station Mirage. We had a late lunch at the Japanese style restaurant "Gengebo" in it
I ate a rice bowl of squid, crab and shrimp, and Emiko a wild vegetable soba noodle.

There was a glittering display at the entrance of the station. A lantern that imitates a sailing boat.

At the summer festival of Suwa Shrine in Uozu City, several such lanterns are active.
This festival was designated as an Important Folk Cultural Property of Japan and was registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. If you're interested, check it out on the first Friday or Saturday in August.

As well as the sea station, I liked the sea of Toyama Bay spreading out in front. White waves' sound was contrary to any noise. It was pleasant to eyes and ears. Waiting for the bus, I gaped at the sight for a while.

It takes only 15 minutes by bus to Uozu Station. In the bus, Emiko is talking to the woman next to her.
"We are going to visit Kurobe Gorge tomorrow."
"We went there yesterday. Both the scenery and the iwana cuisine were good. ...... When you get on a trolley train, it is bad under the blue sky. It is very cold there. Make it a vehicle with windows that can be opened and closed."

After getting off at the station, her husband and I joined them. I listened to the couple's experiences during this tour for a while. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

October 27, other pictures