1月25日(木曜日)2018
雪の朝です。積もった雪は30センチほど。定休日なので少しほっとして、先ずは表通りの雪かきをして、雪の神社を見ようと家を出ました。融雪用の水が道路の中央から勢いよく四方に飛び出ているので、歩行者には決して有り難くありません。神社は既にきれいに参道の雪があけてありました。太閤橋はふんわりと雪で覆われ、広い境内も一面の銀世界。その中で神社の方が数人シャベルを持って雪かきをしていらっしゃいました。森に進んでいくと、そこに現実とはかけ離れた神秘の世界がありしばし目をこらしました。森を抜けると車道は除雪されて車が通っていましたが、広い歩道は手つかずの状態。中学生たちや出勤の人が歩いていました。8時ごろでしたがこの歩道は公共の除雪機で雪があけられるのだろうかと思いながら、人の踏み込んだ足跡を私もたどって歩きました。It was a snowy morning and about 1ft of snow has accumulated in my area. Since I am off from the cafe, I cleared the snow of the front street without any hurry. After that, I went to Taga Taisha because I wanted to see a White Shrine. There is a snow-melting system on the front street, and so the water used to melt the snow spurs out in different directions like a fountain. It really bothered pedestrians like me. At the shrine, the walkway was already cleared of snow. The arched bridge and the spacious precinct were all covered with snow. A couple of Shinto priests were working with shovels. I went into the woods. It was a mysterious world that made me forget about the real world. When I got through the woods, I saw many cars were passing by without any snow problem, but the snow was left in a walk way. Some junior high students and people who were going to work were walking there. It was around 8 am. I went on behind other people's steps thinking that the walkway by the public office should be cleared of snow, too.