Spring Trip-Matsuyama/Oita/Kumamoto/Saga-
春の小旅行-松山・大分・熊本・佐賀-

4/4 :愛媛（伊予大洲・内子・道後温泉）
Ehime(Iyo-Ozu, Uchiko,Dougo Spa)
4/5 :大分（臼杵）Oita(Usuki)
4/6-7:熊本Kumamoto
4/8-9:佐賀（唐津）・帰阪 Saga(Karatsu),Back to Osaka

大分（臼杵）Oita (Usuki city)

5:40小倉発の列車で大分方面へ。
博多方面への列車には乗ったことが数度あるが、大分方面は初めて。

途中何度も特急に追い抜かれたり、列車を待つ（単線なので）。大分には以前住んでいたことがあるが、その頃は九州の鉄道状況は悪いという認識があったため、列車を使うこと、まして青春１８切符を使うことは考えていなかった。

臼杵で列車を降り、荷物を預けて、まずは朝食。しかし、駅前の喫茶店は開いておらず、ビジネスホテルのラウンジで朝食。ボリュームはあったが、値段も予想よりは少しだけ高かった。

I left Kokura station for Oita at 5:40 am. I had taken trains for Hakata, but it was my first time to take a train for Oita.
I had stayed in Oita before, but I had heard that it had been inconveninet to take trains in Kyushu area and I had not thought to use "Seishun 18 kippu(special season ticket which one can use any local trains a day)".

After 4 hours moving by train, I got off the train at Usuki station.

Stone Buddha in Usuki

Usuki is a small local town in Oita, and the town is famous of stone Buddha.One of famous novelis in modern Japan, Nogami Yaeko was born in here. In these days,stone Buddha became National Treasures and people improved the environment.

I visited this area two times before. In the past there was almost nothing except these stone Buddha.I am not sure which is better, the scene in the past and that in these days.

臼杵はこれが三度目の訪問。一度目は中学の修学旅行で。二度目は大分に居た時にふらっと訪れた。

その後で臼杵の石仏群が国宝に指定されたようで、あたりは随分整備されていた。九州＝素朴とはいわないが、なんだか整備されすぎていて、また、「リストラ除け」祈願などのＰＲもしてあって、そういうところは少々興ざめだった。

旧市街をぶらつくのは、実は今回が初めてだったのだが、想像以上に、趣があって、素晴らしかった。

Once upon a time, there was a huge temple here...

The central Buddha is the most famous in these Buddha.
The head of this Buddha was fallen in Edo period
and people had left it as it had been for a long time.
Last two times when I paid a visit here, I had seen the head of stone Buddha.
In these days, people put the head again.

Old Area in Usuki

臼杵の旧市街はなかなか良いと聞いていたので、足を運んだ。想像以上に、良い街だった。

Some people said that the Old are in Usuki is beautiful and I tried to walk such an area.

It was a fine day and the surface of water was shining.
I like waterside.

Then I walked on a slope to the old area.

The scene of the end of slope.
From there,it is an area called "Niou-Za".
There were houses of high-class worriors and temples
and it keeps a good constraction.

The left house of the upper picture.

There was a good taste house on the Niou-Za street.

From the inside to the gate.
The fresh green of a maple tree was beautiful.

From the second floor of the house to the outside.

Another direction.
I appriciate this street.

From another room on the second floor.

From the second floor to the first floor. This house had belonged to the temple or used as a temple in the past. When there was no one who kept the temple, the city bought it. Since then,this house is a rest place for visitor.
Or as a information center of the area. So visitor can enter freely and take a rest..

We had met foreign tourists at Stone Buddha. We had taken same bus and we had got off earlier than them. And we met them again here.
As mother likes to take with strangers and was not hesitate to communicate with them though she doesn't speak foreign language. So she spoke to them and I, who enjoyed taking pictures on the second floor got to help her. They came from Shututgult in Germany. Visitor can have a tea freely and we made tea and enjoy having them and served them, so at first they thought we were local people...... yes like some Osaka people, we tend to relax at strange place easier than others...

二王座にあるこの建物は、かつてはお寺だったそうです。後継者が途絶えた後で市が買い取り、現在では観光情報ならびに休憩場として利用されています。建物にはほとんど手を加えず、当時のふいん気をできるだけ残したということでした。

　臼杵の石仏の所で外国人旅行者に出会いました。旧市街までバスで一緒でしたが、私が先に降りました。その彼等とここで再遭遇。二人の会話からドイツ語圏からの旅行客ということはわかったのですが、コミュニケーション意欲旺盛な連れが、日本語で話しかけたばっかりに、急遽（頼りないですが）通訳に駆り出されました。
彼等はシュトゥットガルトからきたそうでした。この建てものはお茶の準備もされていて、訪問者は自由にお茶を飲んで休憩することができるのですが、我が物顔でくつろいでいたためか、彼等はわれわれのことを、始めはここの人だと思っていたようでした。（「どこででもすぐにくつろぐ大阪人」・・・おそまつでした。）

最近臼杵は観光に力を入れているようです。

A western style house in moden age on the street.
二王座にあった私人の洋館
（後で見たら観光スポットの一つでした）

Inaba family's house. Inaba family was a lord of this area.
旧藩主、稲葉家の下屋敷。
西郷さんたちの集合写真が展示されていました。

Usuki Castle (ruin)

The scene from the top of the ruined castle.

A "Yagura(turret)" rebuit in these days.

On the next two days, the cherry blossom festival would be held here.
But because of warm days in March,
the cherry blossoms season finished before the festival.

At Usuki Station