I went to the Hahagawa! 「海陽で行ってみた！」 母川編
Hey there, its Tony here!
こんにちは、トニーだよ！
I’ve been wanting to go outside to enjoy the warm spring weather and blooming cherry blossoms, so in late March, Global team member Kyoko and I checked out the Hahagawa river!
3月下旬、グローバルチームの英語推進員・暁子さんと一緒に、桜と春の暖かい天気を楽しみながら、母川に行ってみたよ！
The last time I went to grab photos of the Hahagawa, it was very cloudy. Although the weather wasn’t perfect this time around either, I think we managed to get some better photos. We’ve actually had some unpredictable weather recently in Kaiyo, but I think that may have worked in our favor this time.
前回、母川に写真を撮りに行った時はとても曇っていたね。今回も理想の天気ではなかったけど、何とか挽回できたかな？最近、海陽町では変わっている天気が続いていたのが、今回はそれが逆に良かったかもしれない。
I’ve always been captivated by the sight of milky, turquoise waters a day or two after heavy rain, more so than crystal clear waters, although I’m not entirely sure why. I definitely don’t remember seeing water like this when I lived in Sydney.
大雨の翌日、いつも透明な水がミルキーな青緑色の水になるので、それを見ていつも心を奪われるんだ。シドニーに住んでいた頃は、こんな色の水を見た記憶がないね。
In the photo above, you can see flat ground right next to the river. Apparently, this is where the firefly festival is held every June. The small staircase that leads into the water is where people would get on the boat to see the fireflies, which I’m excited for. Hopefully it goes ahead this year, and maybe we’ll have our own booth?
上の写真にある、母川のすぐ横の平地で、ホタル祭りが開催されているよ。水面に続く小さな階段があって、そこで高瀬舟に乗って、蛍を近くで見ることができるから、とても楽しみだね。今年はホタル祭りが開催できるといいよね！グローバルチームも屋台を出そうかな？
The next thing I wanted to check out was the seriwari rock formation that’s in the river. I often drive on the road that runs along the Hahagawa, but I’ve never seen it up close before.
次に向かったのは、川の中にある「せり割り岩」だよ。母川沿いの道路を通る時は一瞬だけ見えるけど、近くで見たことはなかったよ。
On the way downstream, Kyoko spotted an interesting plant. It’s a Japanese knotweed, a type of wild, edible vegetable that can be enjoyed with salted kelp. I think I might’ve had some before.
せり割り岩に向かう途中、暁子さんは面白いものを見つけてくれた。それはイタドリと言って、塩昆布と一緒に食べる山菜の一種なのだそう。食べたことがある気がする！
After a short walk, we spotted the rock formation on the other side of the river. The rock is split cleanly, almost like it had been cut in two with a sword.
しばらく歩くと、母川の向こう側にせり割り岩を発見したよ。まるで刀で切られたような感じできれいに割れているよ。
I quite enjoy the legend of the great eel that split the rock, and with the shadows and milky turquoise water, it actually looks like something could be hiding in there, even now.
この岩を割った大うなぎの伝説はとても気に入っているし、水の色と影が相まって、今でも何かが隠れているように見えるね。
We also crossed the nearby bridge and found a sign describing the giant eels and Hahagawa. From the sign, it looks like the giant eels can grow to a circumference of up to 60 centimeters, which is a bit smaller than a soccer ball. I guess that’s why they’re called giant eels!
また、近くの橋を渡ると、母川や大うなぎについて書かれた看板があった。看板によると、大うなぎの体囲（太さ）は６０センチまで成長することがあるので、サッカーボールよりちょっと小さいくらいかな？さすが大うなぎだね！
And that concludes our short visit to the Hahagawa! Walking by the river and hearing the calming flow of the river was definitely a fresh breath of air. I would’ve liked to walk upstream to the Namikiri Fudoson temple, but maybe I’ll save that for another day!
そして、これで私たちの短い母川訪問が終了！川の穏やかな流れを聞きながら散歩して、息抜きができた感じ。もう少し歩いて波切不動尊まで行きたかったけど、また別の日に取っておこう！