面倒見のいい中学時代の同級生のお世話で一泊二日の小旅行に行ってきました。場所は京都府のるり渓温泉。山陰線園部駅下車、ホテルの送迎バスで３０分くねくねと山道を上っていくと景色はみるみる紅葉の世界。女性には嬉しいアメニティの巾着をいただいて部屋に入ってから、別館の温泉施設へ。5種類ほどのお風呂巡りをした後、皆で賑やかに夕食をいただきました。夕方から小雨が降り出したものの、有志で夜のイルミネーションコースに出てみました。入り口で係の人に「雨だから綺麗ですよ！」と言われた理由がまもなくわかりました。光と音楽のコラボレーションが幻想的な世界を創る中、光のトンネルをくぐり抜けると足元や両脇を小さな光がチョロチョロ走るのに驚き、やがて霧が立ち込め前方目の高さにまるで絵に描いたような雲が美しく流れていきます。光線の下は無数のキラキラがいっぱい！よく見ると雨が光に反射してそれはそれは美しいのです。雨だからこの現象が見られたというわけです。翌日帰りに京都駅近くで町家旅館「十四春（としはる）」http://14haru.com/を営む同級生を訪ねました。京都ならではのおしゃれで洗練されたしつらえがそこかしこに見られる素敵なお部屋を見せていただき感心することしきり。最近娘さんに女将の座を譲ったとはいえ、２０年あまり京都で女将さんとして力を発揮してきた同級生の彼女は流石と思わせる存在感でした。I went to a two day-one night trip organized by a classmate from junior high school who often takes very good care of us. The destination was Ruri Ravine hot spring in Kyoto prefecture. After getting off a train at Sonobe Station on the Sanin Line, and went up the winding mountain road for about 30 min by a shuttle bus to the hotel. We could enjoy the autumn foliage from the window of the bus. At the hotel, we got beautiful cloth bags with amenities inside, put our bags in the hotel room, and then went to a hot spring facility where we could enjoy several kinds of baths. After having dinner together at the hotel, some of us went to an illumination show outside of the hotel nearby although it was raining. At the entrance, the person who checked our tickets told us that we would enjoy the illumination much more because of the rain. We knew what he meant. The combination of music and LED lights created a fantastic world. Going through a dreamy tunnel, we saw countless small lights moving by our feet and our sides. Then the area was filled with mist, and we could see clouds running at the same height of our eyes. It was as if we were seeing beautiful clouds in a painting. Glittering crystal lights were shining underneath the lights. We knew that they were raindrops reflecting the lights. It was so beautiful!! The next day on the way back home, we got off the train at Kyoto Station and visited our friend who is also our middle school classmate and runs a Japanese style inn near the station named "Toshiharu". http://14haru.com/ She was willing to welcome us to her old nice house and showed the rooms which were all traditional Japanese style and decorated in a sophisticated way. She said that recently she gave the landlady position to her daughter, but nevertheless her experience of running the inn for twenty years in Kyoto is reflected in her beautiful personality and bold presence. We are proud of her.
