Hiraizumi Iwate 1 岩手県平泉町 1

I had whole day rest in Hiraizumi which has been registered the World Heritage by Unesco last June. Here is the heart of Ohshu Fujiwara family. Arriving in the late afternoon, I just entered a small cafe in front of Hiraizumi station. There were about five local elder people, watching Sumo match on TV.

この６月にユネスコ世界遺産に登録された平泉で、まるまる一日の休みをとる。ここは奥州藤原家の拠点。午後の遅い時間に着き、平泉駅前の小さな喫茶店に入る。地元のお年寄りが５人ほどテレビで相撲を見ていた。

I ordered Hatto jiru, this is one of many variations of Suiton, so to say dough ball in soup, and called in other places in Tohoku area such as Hittsumi, Tsumeri, Tottenage and so on. In Tono it was called Hittsumi. I had a bottle of beer, too.

はっと汁を頼む。いわゆる水団だが、東北にはいろんな呼び方があり、地方によってひっつみ、つめり、とって投げなどと呼ばれている。遠野ではひっつみだった。ビールも頼む。

The other customers, surely regular guests at the cafe were talking about Sumo intensively. I said nothing and just enjoyed my food. Around the time I finished my Hatto jiru, the match was over. Then a woman came up to me to take the plate back, I told her that Hatto is a little more solid and sticky than Hittsumi which I had in Tono. Then a man in the group asked me that I am going to Tono from now, I said that I came from Tono that day.

他のお客さんたちは、カフェの常連さんのようだったが、一心に相撲を観戦していた。何も言わずただはっと汁をいただく。食べ終わったころには相撲も終わっていた。店の女性が空いた皿を下げに来たので、遠野のひっつみよりももちもちしてますねと感想を言う。そうしたらグループのある男性が、これから遠野に行くのかと聞くので、遠野から来たと答える。

He asked me where I come from, I said I am from Vienna. I explained to him that I had stayed in Tono for three weeks to join the volunteer activities. Also other guests joined the conversation and asked me about that. I briefly told them all the situation in Kamaishi and Ohtsuchi where I had worked. The woman of the cafe asked me if I am going back to Tono from now, I said that I would enjoy Hiraizumi the next day before going back to Vienna and would going to my hotel from then. She asked me where I would going to stay that night, called the hotel for me if they could pick me up at the cafe. Gratitude.

どこから来たのかと聞かれるので、ウィーンから来たと答える。それで遠野にはボランティアできて３週間居たと。他のお客さんたちも会話に加わってそのことについて聞かれた。釜石や大槌でのことを簡単に話す。お店の人がこれからまた遠野に帰るのかの聞くので、ウィーンに帰る前にここに寄りたくて寄ったと。どこに泊まるのかと聞かれるので答えると、宿に電話をしてくれてそこまで迎えに来てくれるかどうか聞いてくれた。感謝。

We talked further while waiting for the car from the hotel. When leaving, the man who talked me first told me that he was so glad to talk to a total stranger with this palms meet in front of his chest. I left the cafe saying thank you for the conversation and calling to ask to pick me up.

宿から車が来るまでのあいだ更に話をする。車が来てお店を出るとき、最初に話しかけてくれた男性が胸の前で手を合わせながら、初めて会った人に話しかけて本当によかったと言ってくれた。みんなに、話をしてくれたこと、迎えの車を呼んでくれたことに御礼をしてお店を出る。

And onsen (hot spring) and a fine dinner was waiting for me that night.

そしてその晩は、温泉と豪華な料理が待っていた。