Today I walked along Mito Kaido from Ushiku Station on the Joban Line.
What? Ibaraki is a suburb of Tokyo? (Since the title of this blog is Explore around Tokyo.)
Yes, it is. Actually, Tokyo and Ibaraki are not adjacent to each other. But since there is the Tsukuba Express operated by the Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company, I guess it is near Tokyo.
Ushiku-juku
Less than 4km after I started walking from Ushiku Station, I crossed the Ono River, and when the road turned uphill and ended at a gentle left-hand curve, I saw a field on my right.
I looked to see what was planted there…
Broad beans bear fruit toward the sky.
The broad beans were bearing fruit against the sky! (I should have taken this photo from a lower position.)
For those who know about them, it’s probably obvious, but for me, seeing them for the first time was a shock.
It’s true that the Chinese character for “sky bean” is written…
I wonder why they bother to put the fruits up in the sky when they are so heavy. I wonder if it’s because they want to carry the fruit far away when it’s ripe and comes off in pieces.
Even if it’s going to the sky, it’s very open from the stem, isn’t it? I think there would be a strong force of leverage on the connection. I think it would be easier to follow the stem more to ensure strength. Or maybe it was along the stem at first, but the weight of the legume caused it to open up.
Broad beans are bigger than soybeans (big beans), so why didn’t they get the name “big beans”?
As I walked along, asking myself these questions, I saw the “Hitachino-Ushiku” station on my right, above a multi-level intersection.
I used to take the Joban Line when I was a student.
When JR was Kokutetsu, medium-distance trains were called Akaden (red trains). (Come to think of it, there was also a passenger train that went to Haranomachi, which I used to ride. The doors were manual and could be opened at any time, so I jumped off the train just before it stopped. When I went to the front of the train, I could see the pantograph and trolley lines rubbing against each other, and I realized that the trolley lines were stretched in a zigzag pattern, and I was impressed.)
At Nippori Station, when the Red Tram arrived, the station names were called out in succession: “…Fujishiro, Sanuki, Ushiku, Arakawaoki, Tsuchiura, …”
If you hear it called out every day, you will learn it on your own. (That’s a lie. I can’t remember unless I try to.)
Since then, more than 20 years have passed since I stopped using the Joban Line, and the name “Hitachino-Ushiku” does not exist in my dictionary. Oh, of course, the temporary station “Banpaku Chuo Station” is in the dictionary.
By the way, why is only “field” in kanji? If it’s in Hitachino, Ushiku City, shouldn’t it at least be “Ushiku no Hitachino” in Japanese?
Arakawaoki-juku
Nakane Ichirizuka
I could see the remains of Ichirizuka on my right. There were no large trees planted, but the shape of the mound was typical.
Ichirizuka of Arakawaoki
I thought to myself, “After all, one of the pleasures of walking along the highway is to see the Ichirizuka,” and looked at the other side of the road.
As I looked at the other side of the road, I thought to myself, “Wow, it’s rare to see a mound on both sides of the road,” but I felt something strange.
I have seen about a hundred Ichirizuka (ruins) in my life, and when there are two Ichirizukas, one on either side of the mound, there is only one signboard to explain it. Here, however, the sign was next to both mounds. At any rate, I took photos of both mounds, although I was not sure what to make of them.
When I got home, I checked the photos and found that one mound was called “Nakane Ichirizuka” and the other was called “Ichirizuka of Arakawaoki. The names are different. When I checked again, the former is “Designated Cultural Property of Ushiku City” and the latter is “Managed by Tsuchiura City.
Since Ichirizuka was located on the border of the cities, each city must have decided to manage it one by one in a friendly manner. Also, from the text, I think the original name was Nakane Ichirizuka. However, since Nakane is the name of a place in Nakane Town, Ushiku City, Tsuchiura City could not adopt that name, so they named it Ichirizuka in Arakawaoki.
Nakamura-juku
After about 8 km, there is a downhill slope. The Sakuragawa River, which empties into Kasumigaura, may have carved it into a slope. On the right hand side of the road, there is the Shimotakatsu road sign, a city-designated cultural asset.
Shimotakatsu road sign
It is said that Edo Michi (Road) is written on this side. The “do” is readable, but the “e” is weathered and unreadable. Why does it turn white? Is it because the marble has been weathered by acid rain? I wish I knew more about rocks. I can’t read “michi” either. What are the two indentations under the word “michi” for? There is a similar dimple under the next stone monument. There is also a dimple on the top of the signpost. What are they for?
The Sakuragawa riverbank where I ate my lunch
I came to the Sakuragawa River.
It’s nice to be by a river. It’s soothing. I decided to eat the lunch I had brought on the bank.
Tsuchiura-juku
Crossing the Sakura River, Tsuchiura-Juku begins.
It is a dignified town with a sense of history.
The exterior of the Machikado Storehouse “Daitoku,” which also serves as a tourist information center, had a nice atmosphere, so I took a tour of the Japanese-style room on the second floor.
When I came down the stairs, I found a shop selling tourist souvenirs. Tsuchiura is said to be the largest producer of lotus root in Japan. I remembered that I had eaten boiled (?) lotus seeds a long time ago, and I remembered that they were delicious. I asked if they sold lotus seeds alone, but they said they only had processed products, so I bought some sweetened lotus seeds and went home. It tasted just like ordinary sweet natto.
The time was almost 14:00.
From here, the Mito Highway and the Joban Line would separate, and the closest point would be Ishioka. That distance is more than 14 km in a straight line. I didn’t want to push myself too hard, so I decided to visit Kijyo Park and then go home.
Kijyo Park
Kijyo Park has a pretty nice moat. However, there is not much elevation difference. Was the Tsuchiura area a fairly peaceful place with little conflict?
Perhaps because of the lack of elevation difference, according to Wikipedia, the area was often flooded, and the name “Kijyo” was given because it looked like the shell of a turtle.
Tsuchiura Station with a magnificent station building
Tsuchiura Station had a great station building.
If you want to take a short trip to feel a bit of history, a walk around Tsuchiura is recommended.
Walking data
Course: JR Joban Line Ushiku Station -> Ushiku-juku -> Arakawa-oki-juku -> Nakamura-juku -> Tsuchiura-juku → JR Joban Line Tsuchiura Station
Distance: 16.4km
Time: 3h46m
コメント