Hello this is Philip Cadzow, one of the Physical Education teachers.
 13 students from the Nature & Adventure club climbed HAKUSAN (Mt. Hakusan, below, Hakusan) on Saturday (2nd of July) with beautiful weather. The group departed Hakusan Campus at 5am and arrived at Ichinose at 6am, from Ichinose there is a small road that winds its way up the mountain to the hiking start point of Bettodeai, there is a shuttle bus that runs between Ichinose and Bettodeai but that service would start from the following week, and as there was a high number of people hoping to climb Hakusan that day, cars overflowed the small parking space at the top and flowed halfway down the already narrow road. This created a chance to nervously watch our expert bus driver thread his way around tight corners and small gaps; an interesting start to the day! 

 We started hiking from 6:30 and were split into two groups to make passing people easier, which they made full use of by sprint hiking the first 2 and a half hours. We paused only for small breaks at the two huts along the way and reached some snow and the big boulder by roughly 9am where the pace of the morning started to take it's toll. From the big boulder up the the top the pace slowed dramatically, although even then there were some of the students who wished they weren't constrained by the groups pace and wished they could run the whole way up and down. Even with some long resting breaks we managed to reach the top by 11am, which was wonderful to beat the clouds and have a beautiful view. Lunch was extra delicious - having walked all morning for it, and the sun was hot when it peaked out from the clouds. The way down was fairly uneventful and we reached the exit bridge by around 3pm. Within 15minutes all but one student was asleep. It was a good hike. 

Philip Cadzow

　こんにちは、保健体育を担当しているフィリップ・ケザウです。　
　天候に恵まれた7月2日（土）、ネイチャー＆アドベンチャークラブの13名が白山登山に出かけました。午前5時に白山麓キャンパスを出発し、6時に市ノ瀬に到着しました。市ノ瀬から登山道入口の別当出合までは小さな山道があります。市ノ瀬から別当出合までシャトルバスが運行されますが、そのサービスは翌週からで、この日は白山登山をする人が多かったからか、別当出合の小さな駐車場は車が溢れ、狭い道路の半分くらいまで流れ出ていました。そのため、私たちの送迎バスの熟練運転手が狭いコーナーや隙間を通り抜けて走るのを緊張しながら見ることになり、面白い一日の始まりとなりました。
　
　午前6時30分に別当出合から登山を開始しました。通行人とすれ違いやすいように2つのグループに分かれ、最初の2時間半はスプリントハイクのように進みました。途中、2つの小屋で休憩を少し取りながらも、午前9時頃には雪渓と大岩に到着しました。午前中に勢いよく登ったことにより、大岩から頂上まではペースが大幅に落ちました。それでも中にはグループのペースにとらわれず、登りも下りもずっと走っていたいと思う学生もいたようです。長い休憩を取りながらも、午前11時には山頂に到着し、雲がかかる前に美しい景色を眺めることができました。朝から歩いていたので、昼食は格別に美味しく、雲間から顔を出した太陽は暑かったです。下りは特に問題なく、午後3時ごろには出口の橋に到着しました。帰りのバスの中では15分もしないうちに、一人を除いた全員が眠ってしまいました。いいハイキングでした。

フィリップ・ケザウ

　こんにちは。白山麓高専事務室の間加田 侑里です。今回はネイチャー＆アドベンチャークラブで行われた校内キャンプについて紹介します。

　6月18日（土）の午後から6月19日（日）の朝にかけて、白山麓キャンパス内の中庭でネイチャー＆アドベンチャークラブの学生によるバーベキューとキャンプが行われました。これは、計画、準備、実施、片付けというイベントの一連をクラブ員の手によって成立させることを目的としたものです。イベント当日の午後から、学生たちは夕食の買い出し組とテント設営組に分かれて行動しました。買い出し組は自転車で最寄りのスーパーへ出かけました。近くといっても、白山麓キャンパスから最寄りのスーパーまで自転車で往復2時間程度掛かります。体力が有り余っている学生たちはそんなことお構いなし！自転車でスーパーまで出かけていきました。しかし、帰り道は荷物が重くて大変だったようです。テント設営組は、テント設営経験者の学生が、初心者の学生にレクチャーしながら、テントを４つ組み立てました。

　買い出し組が戻ってきて調理を開始するまで、中庭でフリスビーやバレーボール、サッカーなどをして汗を流したり、持参したハンモックやヨガマットを並べてのんびりしたりしていました。その後、調理が始まり、大量に購入したお肉を焼き、「おいしい～！幸せ！」「最高～！」との声がたくさん上がりました。また、顧問の潟辺先生が用意した特製のタンドリーチキンも学生たちに振舞われ、美味しすぎると大好評でした！食事を終えた学生たちは、再びスポーツを始めたり、お菓子を焼いて食べてみたりするなど、それぞれの時間を楽しんでいました。
　日が暮れ、学生たちは比咩の湯へ温泉に入りに行き、気付けば就寝の時間となりました。テントで就寝についた学生や、中庭に布団を並べて就寝についた学生、朝方まで語り合っていた学生など、夜中の楽しみ方は様々でした。
　テントの外で寝ていた学生達は、早朝雨に見舞われ、慌ててテントの中へ駈け込むことになったという笑い話があったそうです。

 Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Office. Today, I would like to introduce an on-campus camp held by the Nature & Adventure Club.

 From the afternoon of Saturday, June 18th to the morning of Sunday, June 19th, the Nature & Adventure Club students held a BBQ and went camping in the courtyard on the Hakusanroku campus. The purpose of this was to have club members plan, prepare, execute, and cleanup the event. In the afternoon of the 18th, the students were divided into two groups: one to buy dinner and the other to set up tents. The shopping group went to the nearest supermarket by bicycle. It is two hours roundtrip by bicycle from the Hakusanroku Campus to the nearest supermarket. The students, who had more than enough energy, did not care about that! They cycled to the supermarket. However, they had a hard time on the return trip because of the heavy shopping bags. The tent group set up four tents, with experienced campers showing the students how to assemble a tent. 

 Until the shopping group returned and started cooking, students worked up a sweat playing Frisbee, volleyball, and soccer in the courtyard, or relaxed on the hammocks and yoga mats they had brought with them. Then the BBQ began, and they grilled the meat and ate their meal. Student were very happy and said, "It's so delicious!!" and "This is so great!" The students were also treated to a special tandoori chicken dish prepared by their advisor, Katabe sensei (Prof.). The chicken was a big hit with the students, who said it was too good to be true! After finishing their meal, the students enjoyed their free time by playing sports again or cooking and eating sweets.
 After the sun went down, the students went to Hime no Yu for a hot spring bath, and before they knew it, it was time to go to bed. Some students slept in tents, some went to bed on futons laid out in the courtyard and some stayed up until the midnight talking and enjoying each other’s company before going to sleep.
 There was a funny story about the students who slept outside their tents. It began to rain early in the morning and those students had to rush back inside quickly.

 

　そしてこの日はもう一つイベントがありました。それは潟辺先生が企画した「蛍ウォッチングツアー」です。これは白山麓キャンパスの学生全員を対象としたイベントです。白山麓キャンパスから徒歩３０分ほど先にある瀬戸丸山公園は、かつて蛍スポットとして有名な公園でしたが、2015年に白山源流域で発生した地滑りによる手取川への土砂流失で蛍は絶滅したと考えられていました。それでも潟辺先生は前々日と前日に現地へ尋ねてみたところ、５、６匹の蛍を確認することができたそうです！
　この時は学生９名と教員３名が集まり、19:30に蛍ウォッチングツアーへ出発しました。瀬戸丸山公園では２、３匹、さらに白山麓キャンパスまでの帰り道で一番光を放っていた蛍を観察することができたそうです！学生たちに蛍ウォッチングツアーの感想を聞いてみると、ほとんど全員が帰り道で蛍を見つけたと満面の笑みを浮かべていました。それほど嬉しかった瞬間だったことが分かります。風情があり、初夏を感じられたのではないでしょうか。

　白山麓に広がる大自然、そして寮生活だからこそ楽しめる活動が詰まった日だったと思います。天候にも恵まれ心地よい気温の中、思う存分楽しみ、日々のストレスも発散することができたことでしょう。

 There was one more event that day. This was the Firefly Watching Tour, organized by Katabe sensei. This event was open to all students at the Hakusanroku campus. Setomaruyama Park, a 30-minute walk from the Hakusanroku Campus, was once a famous spot for fireflies. However due to a landslide that occurred in 2015 in the Hakusan headwaters area, the landslide sediment went into the Tedori River, so the fireflies were thought to have become extinct. Nevertheless, Katabe sensei had visited the park for two days before the event, and was able to confirm that there were at least five or six fireflies! 
 On this occasion, 9 students and 3 faculty members gathered and left for the firefly watching tour at 7:30 pm. They were able to see 2 or 3 of fireflies at Setomaruyama Park, and then they could see the brightest glowing firefly on the way back to the Hakusanroku campus! When I asked the students how the firefly watching tour was, almost all of them had big smiles on their faces when they talked about the fireflies they had seen on their way to the Hakusanroku campus. It was such a joyful moment for them. It was a memorable experience, and I think they felt that summer had really begun,

 It was a day filled with the natural beauty that is found in HAKUSANROKU (foothills of Mt. Hakusan) and activities that can be enjoyed only on campus. The weather was nice and the temperature was comfortable, so the students were able to enjoy themselves to the fullest and release stress from their daily lives. 

 

間加田 侑里
Yuri Makada

　こんにちは。白山麓高専事務室の間加田 侑里です。今回は、２年生のエンジニアリングデザインの活動について紹介します。
　２年生が履修するエンジニアリングデザインでは、地域の課題解決に取り組んでいます。白山麓は住民の少子高齢化による耕作放棄地の増加や猿による農作物への獣害が深刻化しています。本校ではSDGsで地方創生というテーマから地域活性化に着目し、学生たちはAIやIoTを用いて獣害対策に取り組む「獣害対策班」とサツマイモの生産販売とブランド化を行う「アグリビジネス班」の2チームに分かれ、校舎前の休耕田を活用して問題解決に挑んでいます。

 Hello, this is Yuri Makada from Hakusanroku Office. This time, I would like to write about what the 2^nd-year students have been doing in their Engineering Design class.
 In this class, students are working on solving local issues. In HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan, below, Hakusanroku), the amount of abandoned farmland is increasing due to the aging population and decreasing birthrate. Also, monkeys are causing serious damage at the remaining farms. Our school is focused on local revitalization based on the goals of regional development found within the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Students have been divided into two teams: the Animal Damage Prevention Team, which uses AI and IoT to tackle the animal damage prevention problem, and the Agribusiness Team, which produces, brands, and sells sweet potatoes, and students are trying to solve the problems by utilizing the fallow fields in front of the school.

「獣害対策班」

　白山麓では猿による農作物への被害が年々深刻化しています。そこで獣害対策班はAIとIoTを使い、自然の中でも猿を認識できるシステムの開発を始めました。一昨年には猿の写真をAIに数千枚学習させたことにより、認識信頼度を90%まで向上させることに成功しました。さらに、一般社団法人電気学会「U-21学生研究発表会」では最優秀賞を受賞しており、注目が集まっています。（詳しくはこちら）そして昨年からは、音と光による威嚇機能や、生産者が所有するスマホのLINEアプリに向けたアラーム通知機能の開発、検証を開始しました。（去年の活動の様子はこちら)
　昨年度の成果を基に、今年度はスマホのLINEアプリの通知機能で画像も通知できるようにさらに強化し、そして畑には映像を遠隔で確認できるIPカメラを複数台、学内にはデータ処理用のパソコンを設置し、カメラからの映像をパソコンに送ることで猿の映像を遠隔で処理するシステムを開発しています。また、音による威嚇についても開発中のシステムだけでなく、スピーカーを搭載したドローンを併用した威嚇効果も検証中です。

【Animal Damage Prevention Team】

 At Hakusanroku, damage caused by monkeys to crops is becoming more and more serious every year. This team has started to develop a system that uses AI & IoT that can recognize monkeys. In 2020, the team successfully improved AI recognition reliability to 90% by having the AI study several thousand photos of monkeys in nature. Furthermore, it has attracted much attention as it won the top presentation prize at the U-21 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. (For more information) Last year, students began developing and testing a sound and light intimidation function and an alarm notification function for the LINE app on the smartphones owned by producers. (For more information on last year's activities )

 Based on the results of last year's activities, this year students are further enhancing the notification function of the LINE app so that it can also send photos as well as notifications. Then students will develop a system to remotely process monkey images by installing several IP cameras in the fields that can remotely check and process images of monkeys and send them to a PC on campus. In addition to the system under development, students are also testing the effectiveness of animal scarers in combination with a drone.

「アグリビジネス班」

　白山麓は住民の高齢化、担い手不足によって耕作放棄地が増加しています。アグリビジネス班でもこれらの土地を活用した地域活性化を目標に、持続可能なビジネスモデルの考案と検証をするため、サツマイモ「紅はるか」の栽培から広告、宣伝を含む販売計画の立案、企業経理まで、農業法人のビジネスシミュレーションを実践しています。　
　4月下旬、地元の方にトラクターと耕運機の操作方法を学び、校舎前の畑を耕しました。学生たちはトラクターを運転するのが初めてなため、真剣な眼差しで運転をしていました。地面の凸凹に、学生からは「ガタガタな道を運転している親の気持ちが分かった！」と声が上がりました。その後、紅はるかの苗を300株植え、畑の周りに獣害対策用のワイヤーメッシュ、そして獣害対策班と協力し電気柵を設置しました。収穫は９月末を予定しており、その間は、草刈りや水やりを交代で行い畑の管理をしていきます。
　また今年度は地域活性化の一環として、地元の白山麓地域活性化協議会が実施するアサギマダラのマーキングイベントにおいて、地元の方の協力のもと、アサギマダラに関するオリジナル商品を開発し販売を行う予定です。

【Agribusiness Team】

 The amount of abandoned farmland is increasing in Hakusanroku due to the aging of the local population and the lack of farmers. With the goal of revitalizing the region by utilizing these lands, the Agribusiness Team is also devising and verifying a sustainable business model through a business simulation of an agricultural corporation. This involves the cultivation of Beniharuka sweet potatoes and makings sales plans including advertising, promotion, and corporate accounting.　
 In late April, a local farmer taught students how to operate a tractor and cultivator and they plowed a field in front of the school. It was the first time for the students to drive a tractor and they took it very seriously. When the ground was uneven, one of the students said, “Now I understand how my parents feel when they drive on bumpy roads!” After that, they planted 300 Beniharuka seedlings, installed wire mesh and an electric fence, in cooperation with the animal damage prevention team, around the field to prevent damage from animals. Harvest is scheduled for the end of September, and during that time, the students will take turns mowing the grass around the field and watering the plants.
 This year, as a part of the local revitalization efforts, students plan to develop and sell original products related to the chestnut tiger butterfly at the chestnut tiger butterfly marking event held by the local Hakusanroku Community Revitalization Council, in cooperation with local residents.

　6月2日（木）、アグリビジネス班は白山麓キャンパスから車で3分ほど先にある里山総合会社「山立会」にお邪魔し、社会見学と毛刈り体験を行いました。
　山立会は白山麓で新規事業を立ち上げ、里山を舞台に農業や商品開発・販売・野生動物管理などの多角的な取り組みをされています。また、石川県の白山麓に増加しつつある耕作放棄地を活用し、羊たちの野草放牧を始め、現在は石川県立大学と連携しながら飼育技術の確立にも取り組まれています。
　代表の有本 勲氏は白山麓の観光と農業に着目し、白山麓には観光スポットがなく特産品の肉もないことなどから、羊の放牧や羊肉に可能性を感じ、白山麓の新たな特産品開発に向けて事業展開しています。有本氏から学生たちは羊飼育の年間スケジュール、飼料計算、収支計画、経営方針や羊の飼育方法などの説明を受けた後、山立会から車で10分ほど先にある鳥越地区の羊小屋で、羊担当の山本 真奈未氏の指導のもと、羊の蹄切りと毛刈り体験を行いました。羊の体重は100kgぐらいあり、歩き回る羊を捕まえるだけでも一苦労のようでした。3名の学生が羊を取り囲み、小屋の外へ誘導し、それからハサミを使って蹄切りと毛刈りを行いました。学生からは「ハサミで毛を刈る作業よりも、左手で毛を抑えるほうが重くて力が必要だから大変！」や「羊の毛はふわふわしていて、油っぽい！」との声があがりました。また、草本 留嘉寿さんは、寮生活の中で学生の散髪を頻繁に行っているそうで、羊の毛もハサミで刈ることはお手の物だと話していました。
（里山総合会社「山立会」公式HP ：https://yamadachi.com/）

　学生たちが活動している同じ白山麓地域で新規事業を立ち上げた山立会から経営に関するノウハウを学ぶとともに、羊の毛刈り体験を通して、新しい働き方や仕事の意義を考える良い機会を得られたと思います。ここ白山麓地域には、人口減少や獣害被害、文化継承など、今の社会における課題を多く抱えています。現在は、地域活性化の問題を地元のみなさんの協力を得ながら、共に考えることができるという、将来を担う学生にとって、絶好の学びの環境になっています。

 

 On Thursday, June 2^nd, the Agribusiness Team visited Yamadachikai, a mountain village landscape company located 3 minutes by car from the Hakusanroku Campus, for a social tour and sheep shearing experience. 
 Yamadachikai has established a new business in Hakusanroku and is engaged in multifaceted activities such as agriculture, product development, sales, and wildlife management in the mountain village landscape area. In addition to utilizing the increasing amount of abandoned farmland in Hakusanroku, they have begun grazing sheep on wild grass, and are currently working to establish breeding techniques in cooperation with Ishikawa Prefectural University.
 Mr. Isao Arimoto, the representative of the company, focuses on tourism and agriculture in Hakusanroku. Since there are no tourist spots and no specialty meats from Hakusanroku, he sees potential in sheep grazing and mutton, and is developing a business to develop new Hakusanroku specialty products. Mr. Arimoto explained to the students the annual schedule of sheep farming, feed calculations, income and expenditure planning, management policies, and sheep breeding methods. After that, they went to a sheep pen in the Torigoe area, about 10 minutes by car from Yamadachikai, to experience hoof trimming and sheep shearing under the care and guidance of Ms. Manami Yamamoto, who is a shepherd. Each sheep weighed about 100 kg, and it was a challenge just to catch them as they roamed around. 3 students surrounded the sheep, led them out of the shed, and then trimmed their hooves and sheared their wool. Students commented, "It was more difficult to hold the fleece with my left hand than it was to shear. The fleece is very heavy and requires more strength,” and "Sheep's wool is fluffy and oily!” Lucas Kusamoto, who frequently gives students haircuts in the dormitory, said that because of giving haircuts he is very good at shearing sheep.
（Yamadachikai, a mountain village landscape company, Official HP:  https://yamadachi.com）

 I think the students had a good opportunity to learn management know-how from Yamadachikai, which has launched a new business in the same Hakusanroku area where the students are working, and to think about new ways of working and the meaning of work through the sheep shearing experience. Here in the Hakusanroku region, we are faced with many issues in today’s society such as population decline, crop damage by animals, and passing on cultural practices. Now, with the cooperation of local residents, we are able to think about regional revitalization issues, which is an excellent learning environment for students who will be responsible for our future.

 間加田 侑里
Yuri Makada

　初めまして！国際高専二年の木下 観です。今年度のネイチャー＆アドベンチャークラブの部長です。このクラブでは白山麓の雄大な自然を生かして、登山やハイキングなどのアクティビティを思いっきり楽しむクラブです！

　今回は全行程６５ｋｍにも及ぶサイクリングが行われました！ＩＣＴ白山麓キャンパスを出発し、そこから１０ｋｍほどウォーミングアップ。一向一揆の里で休憩をはさみ、いざヒルクライムへ。先生が先導してくれましたが速すぎて誰もついていけず（笑）、足がパンパンになりながらなんとか登り切り、トンネルを超えるとめっちゃ気持ちのいい下り坂。心地よい風が汗ばんだ肌をなでて頑張って登ったかいがあったなと思いました。下った後は十二ヶ滝で休憩、と思ったら我慢できず川に飛び込んでしまいました。結局十五分ほど泳いで服までびしょびしょになりました。これが功を奏して濡れた服のお陰で真昼の熱さを乗り切れました。そのあとは頑張ってランチをするところの「おもてや」に行きました。大判焼きを食べた人や店の中に入って空いたお腹を満たしました。お陰で帰り道は楽勝でした。学校についた後サンサル君が舞い上がって、転んでいました。

　今回はヒルクライムがあってとてもきつかったので、次回のサイクリングは下り坂だけを走りたいです。

木下 観

 Hey guys! My name is Kan Kinoshita, a 2^nd year student and this year’s nature and adventure club’s leader. In this club, we use Hakusan’s magnificent nature to climb mountains, hike, and enjoy ourselves!

 This time, we cycled 65km. First, we left the ICT Hakusanroku campus, then warmed up for about 10 km. After warming up we had a huge hill climb and had break time in Ikkouikki no Sato. One of the teachers led the way, but he was so incredibly fast that no one could follow him. Also, our legs were already tired, but we could arrive at the goal. When we were going back through the tunnel, we felt very good because of the gentle breeze. Although, our T-shirts were sweaty, the wind made us feel comfortable so we tried to do well. On the way to lunch, we had another break around the waterfall called Junigasaki. We didn’t plan to play in the river, but we couldn’t stop ourselves from playing. Therefore, we spent about 15 minutes there. After that, we went to Omoteya and ate Oban-yaki and filled our stomach. When we were coming back to school, Sansar soared and fell off his bike.

 For this cycling, there was hill climbing, so it was very hard. If I have another cycling trip, I want to do just the downward slope.

Kan Kinoshita

我が恋は水に燃えたつ蛍々　物言はで笑止の蛍
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　from "閑吟集" (a collection of Muromachi period songs)

(My love is like fireflies burning by the water. I’m a poor firefly, unable to say a word to you.)                         
＊The word "mizu ni" is a cross between "by the water" and "not seeing".
　Namely it means "I want you, but I can't hold you or even say the word".

This is KTB, the N & A Club advisor. When I was walking around my house in Kanazawa City every night in preparation for climbing Mt. Hakusan in July, I started to see fireflies. Hokuriku is blessed with a rich natural environment. Let me introduce you to some of romantic date ideas in Toyama, Kanazawa, and Noto areas.
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First was the Toyama Prefectural Art Museum (3-20 Kiba-cho, Toyama City). This museum has a permanent collection of works by Chagall, Duchamp, and others. Previously, my wife and I visited the exhibition of photographs by Mika Ninagawa, a well-known photographer and film director (we made it just in time for the last day of the exhibition, May 15th). The leaflet stated that "All exhibition rooms are open for photography. Photos taken can be shared on social networking sites." So, whatever you do, please take a look at Ms. Ninagawa's amazing works.

 

           

               

*The projection mapping work was a highlight of the exhibition. However, sorry to say that I can’t show you a video of it, because other visitors were also caught on video.

The 21st Century Museum is always crowded with tourists. Therefore we recommend this museum in Toyama, where you can enjoy the exhibition in a relaxed atmosphere. In honor of Atsuhiko Misawa's bear sculpture (three of them, large and small, are displayed inside and outside the museum), visitors who bring their own bear goods can get a 200 yen discount on the admission fee. Hence, anytime I visit there I'm wearing a Grateful Dead bear T.
After enjoying Ninagawa's marvelous works, we went to the Fugan Canal Kansui Park adjacent to the museum.
It was a cloudy day, but fortunately we were able to view the peaks of the Tateyama range.

And more luck: ......

STARBUCKS COFFEE in Toyama KANSUI PARK is said to be the most beautiful coffee shop in the world. We started that day so early that we were able to easily enter this café, prior where we had always given up on entering after seeing the long line at the entrance.
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The next stop was 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (1-2-1, Hirosaka, Kanazawa). June 5th was the last day of Ishikawa Prefecture's comprehensive art exhibition "Art Exhibition for High School Students". My wife, who works as an art teacher at a high school in the prefecture, had to work on her day off in the afternoon to clean up. The weather was so fine that I decided to accompany her. The rule of thumb is to act early to avoid the crowds in Kanazawa. Therefore my wife parked her car in the museum's underground parking a little after 10 a.m.

Museum Logo & Phots: from the official web page

Photos: from the Shiinoki Geihinkan official web page (http://www.shiinoki-geihinkan.jp/about/index.html)

First, we went to the Shiinoki Geihinkan, located across the road to the north. The Shiinoki Geihinkan is a comprehensive tourist information facility. The front of the building has been unchanged since 1924, while the back has been renovated into a modern glass space. Two 300-year-old shiinoki trees stand as symbols in front of the building. The building is also equipped with a restaurant,gallery, etc. It just so happened to be the last day of the "Contemporary Kanazawa Butsudan and Handicrafts" exhibition, and we took a look at some stylish contemporary butsudan pieces. 

My favorite was a small one named "Mandala" about 20 cm high, an exotic and elegant piece with beautiful mother-of-pearl inlays on the door. Inside the mandala is what appears to be a statue of Ganesha, reasonably priced. I told my wife, "This is the one I’d like to enter after I was called to heaven". She smiled gently and took a pamphlet from the workshop.
Afterwards, we had an early lunch (my wife chose cabbage rolls and I chose bouillabaisse) and entered the 21st Century Museum....... And we were overwhelmed by the energy of the high school students! Photography of the exhibited works was allowed, but my wife said "You can't post the works without her permission! 

No, no, no!” I followed my wife's advice, (it was as it were categorical imperative) and refrained from posting the photos I took, (I just only wanted to introduce a self-portrait of a female student at the same high school as my son, she posed as Ryunosuke Akutagawa).
After seeing the high school students' masterpieces, my wife went to work and I went back to the Shiinoki Geihinkan. The reason was that the "Hyakumangoku Kanazawa Classic Car Festival 2022" was being held in the plaza, where about 100 classic cars were on display. I could not help but be impressed by the fact that all of the old cars, including Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia and more, had license plates, meaning that they were all still in use and had driven themselves from far away to participate in the festival. 　

Portrait of Ryunosuke Akutagawa 芥川龍之介 Source: 'Portraits of Modern Japanese', National Diet Library (https://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/）



　　

　　 

Among those cars, I was most attracted to this car, the bright red Mazda Cosmo. It was my mother's car when I was in the sixth grade of elementary school (My mother has already passed away, but was considered a beauty at the time). I was so happy and felt nostalgic that I was taking a lot of pictures of it, and then the owner of the beautiful car came. I talked to him and I found out that Masayuki Kawahara, the owner, was born in 1962, the same school year as me who was born in early 1963. I explained to him about ICT and the Hakusanroku Journal, and he readily agreed to give me permission to use his name and photos for this journal. Mr. Kawahara, I made good on my promise.

 

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The last stop was Togi town, Noto. On May 5th, I went touring in the Noto area on motorcycles with my friend of over 20 years, Naoya Ukita (Uki-chan). Uki-chan is a chemistry teacher at a high school in the prefecture. We became colleagues at another high school in Ishikawa Prefecture (although we worked together for only about three years,) 

but we hit it off right away over the same hobbies such as skiing, mountain climbing, motorcycles, and we are still friends today (we no longer drink alcohol together after the Corona disaster, but sometimes we drink coffee and talk together about world peace & original sin of mankind, or the beauty of João Gilberto's voice and guitar.etc.).It has been a long time since I had the liberating feeling of riding leisurely along the coastal road of Noto Sotoura with a pleasant breeze. We got off the motorcycles at Ganmon in Togi and headed for the sightseeing boat pier. There were not many tourists because it had not been long since the painful case of sinking Shiretoko sightseeing boat (April 23rd “rest in peace”),but it was a good time to "board and cheer" and board the boat. There were five passengers in all on that boat, 2 of us and 3 other parents and son.

It was a slightly windy day and there was a swell from the waves, but it was also pleasant. It was a good decision to board. We had sashimi set meals at a Japanese restaurant in Togi town, stocked up on convenience store sweets (the Japanese sweets shop we were looking for was unfortunately closed on that day), and headed to the beach. I had a blissful time with a fresh cup of coffee brewed by Uki-chan while the sea breeze blew. It's great to have friends.
Togi High School, long since closed, where I worked when I was still in my twenties. After riding our motorcycles slowly through the nostalgic town, we went to “Samon Food Store”. There, I bought a pack of "Samon no Shiokara" (Not salmon. "Samon" is the name of the store. It is a　very tasty "salted squid", a specialty of Togi town).We drove our motorcycles home safely, thinking that tonight would be the night for sake, and happily finished the last day of the Golden Week.

 

Dear guardians of ICT, Hokuriku area offers wonderful sights, relaxing hot springs, fresh and delicious fish, Noto beef, and good sake. You and your child can also enjoy a relaxing stay together in Hokuriku by using the dormitory's monthly overnight stay permit.

Please come and visit us.　
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Yutaka Katabe, Japanese Language Department
* Text and photographs (except 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Shiinoki Geihinkan, the leaflet of "Contemporary Kanazawa Butsudan and Handicrafts" exhibition, and the Portrait of Ryunosuke Akutagawa ) are by KTB.
* I have studied "Medieval Songs" in college, and "Medieval Buddhist Discourses" in graduate school. Hence, I have not had any education in English for 40 years since I finished my liberal arts course at Kanazawa University. Therefore, after finishing this article, I asked Edward Basquill sensei to check it out. Translation software has its limitations and there are nuances that I just can't understand unless I'm a native speaker. Ed helped me a lot. Thank you Ed! There are things that can only be learned from native teachers. The education system of the I C T makes this possible. I would like to study from now on. I want to be still in progress.

我が恋は水に燃えたつ蛍々　物言はで笑止の蛍　　　　　　　　　　　　閑吟集(室町時代の歌謡集)より

(私の恋は水辺で燃え立つ蛍のよう。ものも言えない哀れな蛍よ｡)
※「水に」は「見ずに」との掛詞で、「逢うことも叶わずに」の意を内含しています。

Ｎ＆Ａクラブ顧問のＫＴＢです。
７月の白山登山に備えて金沢市内の自宅の周りを毎晩ウオーキングしいていたら、蛍を見かけるようになりました。豊かな自然環境に恵まれている北陸、今回は、富山、金沢、能登の素敵なデートコースをご紹介いたします。

まずは、富山県美術館(富山市木場町3-20)です。こちらは、シャガールやデュシャンなどの作品が常設展示されていますが、今回、映画監督としても著名な写真家・蜷川実花さんの写真展に私の細君と行って参りました(最終日の５月15日に滑り込みセーフ！)。撮影写真については、リーフレットに「展示室はすべて撮影可能です。撮影された写真はSNSでのシェア可能です。」と記載されていましたので、何はさておき、蜷川さんの素晴らしい作品をご覧ください。　
※プロジェクションマッピング作品が圧巻だったのですが、他のお客さんも映り込んでいるため残念ながら動画でご紹介できません。
金沢市内の21世紀美術館はいつも観光客で大混雑ですが、こちらの富山美術館はゆったりと展示を楽しむことができてお勧めです。三沢厚彦さんのクマの彫刻(館の内外に大小三体展示されています)にちなんで、クマグッズを持参すると入場料200円引きの特典があります。私は上着の下にデッドベアT着用です。
蜷川さんの素晴らしい作品を堪能した後は、美術館に隣接する富岩(ふがん)運河環水公園へ。
この日は曇っていましたが、幸いなことに立山連邦の稜線を眺めることができました。
そして、さらに幸運が……
世界一美しいと言われるSTARBUCKS COFFEE 富山環水公園店、今日は時間が早かったためか、いつも入り口の行列を眺めて入店を諦めていたこのお店に、すんなりと入店できたのでした。
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さて、次は金沢21世紀美術館(金沢市広坂1丁目2-1)です。6月5日は石川県の総文・総合美術展「高校生の芸術展」の最終日。美術科教諭として県内高校に勤めている細君は午後から後片付けのため休日出勤。お天気もよいので私も付き合うことにしました。金沢市内の混雑を避けるためには早めの行動が鉄則です。それで午前10時過ぎには美術館の地下駐車場に車を入れました。まずは、道路を挟んで北に位置する「しいのき迎賓館」(樹齢約300年のシイノキをシンボルに、正面は1924年の建築デザインそのまま、背面は現代的なガラスの空間にリノベーションされた、レストラン・ギャラリーなども備える総合観光案内施設)へ。ちょうど「現代の金沢仏壇と手仕事展」最終日で、お洒落な現代仏壇を見学しました。私が気に入ったのは、高さが20cmほどの小ぶりな「MANDARA」という扉の螺鈿(らでん)が美しい瀟洒な作品。中にはガネーシャ像らしきものが安置されていて、価格もお手頃。「死んでから入るならこれがいいなあ」と言うと、細君は優しく微笑んでその工房のパンフレットをもらっていきました。
その後、早めのランチを済ませて21世紀美術館に入館したのですが……、高校生のエネルギーに圧倒されました。展示作品の写真撮影はOKでしたが、「本人の許可を直接得ずに作品を載せるのはダメよ！ダメダメ！」という細君の忠告(絶対命令)に従い、撮影写真の掲載は控えました（愚息の通う高校の女子生徒の佳作受賞作品が「芥川龍之介ポーズ」の自画像でそれをご紹介したかったのですが…）。
高校生の力作群を見終えてから、細君は仕事へ、私は、再び「しいのき迎賓館」へ。広場でクラシックカー約100台を展示する「百万石金沢クラシックカーフェスティバル2022」といイベントが開催されていたからです。アルファロメオやフェラーリ、ランチアなどの相当の旧車のすべてにナンバープレートが付いている、すなわち、どの車も現役であり、遠くから自走して参加していることに感動を禁じ得ませんでした。その中でも私が一番、「ああつ」と喰いついたのがこの車、真っ赤なマツダコスモです。というのは、私が小学校6年生の頃の母親(既に鬼籍に入っておりますが、当時は美人と言われておりました)の愛車だったからです。懐かしくて嬉しくて写真を撮りまくっていると、オーナーさんがいらっしゃいました。(私としては珍しく)話しかけてみると、なんとオーナーの川原政之さんは1962年生まれ、1963年の早生まれの私とは同学年ということが判明したのです。国際高専と白山麓ジャーナルのことをご説明して、写真とお名前を掲載させていただくことについてご快諾頂きました。川原さん、約束果たしましたよ。
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最後は、能登の巌門（羽咋郡志賀町富来牛下巌門）です。5月5日、20年来の友人の浮田直也さん(ウキちゃん)とバイクで能登方面へツーリング。ウキちゃんは石川県内の高校の化学科教諭。私とは22年前に同僚になり(一緒に勤めたのは3年ほどですが)、スキーや登山、バイクなどの共通の趣味で意気投合し、今でも付き合いが続いています（コロナ禍以降、一緒にお酒を飲むこともなくなりましたが、たまにお茶を飲みながら、世界平和や人類の原罪について、或いは、ジョアン・ジルベルトの声とギターの美しさについて語り合ったりしています)。能登外浦の海岸沿いの道を心地よい風を受けながらのんびり走っていく久々の解放感。富来の巌門で下車し、遊覧船乗り場へ。あの痛ましい知床遊覧船沈没事故から程なく、観光客も少なかったのですが、こんな時期にこそ「乗って応援」ということで遊覧船に乗り込みました。乗客は我々2人の他に親子連れ3人の計5人。やや風が強い日で波のうねりもあったのですが、これがまた心地よく楽しい。乗船して正解。富来町内の和食店で刺身定食を頂き、コンビニスイーツ(お目当ての和菓子店がお休みでした)を仕入れて海岸へ。潮風に吹かれながら、ウキちゃんが豆から碾いて淹れてくれた珈琲で至福のひととき。友達っていいなあ……。廃校となって久しい富来高校も私が二十代の頃の勤務校。懐かしい街中をゆっくりと流してから、富来名物の「さもんの塩辛」(サーモンではありません。「さもん」は屋号。とても美味しいイカの塩辛です。）を購入、今夜はやっぱり日本酒だなあ、と胸を膨らませながら安全運転で帰路につき、ゴールデンウイークの最終日を楽しく終えたのでした。

 国際高専保護者の皆さまへ、北陸には素敵な見どころ、温泉や、美味しい魚(能登牛も)とお酒があります。月に一度の外泊許可ご利用で、親子でゆったりとご宿泊なさることも可能です。ぜひ、一度足をお運びください。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　国語科　准教授　潟辺 豊

＊本文の英語訳にあたって、大学の教養課程修了以来40年間英語教育を受けていない国語教師である私の拙い英文を同僚のエドワード・バクスウエル先生にチェックしていただきました。ネイティブスピーカーでなければ気づかない微妙なニュアンスなども教えていただき、大変勉強になりました。翻訳ソフトは万能ではありません。ネイティブの先生からでなければ学べないことがあります。国際高専はそのような学びを可能にしています。