英語による新見紹介(大佐山でのパラグライダー、山田方谷記念館での茶道)

新見市の海外の姉妹都市に新見の様子を映像で紹介するために送付する第3弾は、大佐地区の紹介です。

大佐地区では、①大佐山でのパラグライダー体験、②アーリーモーニングでのピザと紅茶、③山田方谷記念館での茶道体験

を収録しました。

そのうち、僕は①と③の英語説明文を作成しましたので、下記に紹介します。

Osa is a northeastern part of Niimi City.

①
Today, we are at the outskirts of Mt. Osa, Dainichi Highland.
The altitude of Mt. Osa is 988 meters. It is in Bisaku Sanchi Mountainous Area Prefectural Natural Park. The peak commands panoramic view all around. In the daytime, you can see Chugoku Mountain Range and sea of clouds, and at night you can see a great numbers of stars from the observatory. There is a water spring called “Natsu-hi no Gokujo-sui” which means Excellent water in Natsuhi. This water contains a wealth of minerals.
Dainichi Highland has huge green hills with fragrant lavender fields. It also has auto-camping sites and a spa as well as a lovely B&B and a tea garden. You can try paragliding here.
The origin of paragliding started in NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Paragliding as a sport started in France in around 1978. It became popular in Japan in around 1986.
Recent paragliders have much better performances now, so we can enjoy long flight using ascending currents like hang gliders. General flyers can enjoy 2-3 hours of flight with altitude of 2000 meters.

Now we’ll see if we can fly!

② B&B Early Morning

③
Now we are at Hokoku Yamada’s Musuem.
Hokoku Yamada was born in present Takahashi City next to Niimi City.
He started learning under the instruction of Shoin Marukawa, a great Cunfusian in Niimi Han. (“Han” was a domain that a lord governed.) He became a head teacher of Matsuyama Han School. Later he became a member of Matsuyama Han Government, and carried out a great financial reform of the government. His fame as a great reformist was spread around 1853. In a new era of Meiji (1870) when he was 66, he opened his school here in Osa, his mother’s hometown, after rejecting a number of invitations for important posts in Meiji Restoration. He had as many as 300 students from not only in Okayama Prefecture, but from other areas of Japan as well. He was an active private teacher.
This museum has variety of documents about Hokoku Yamada. It also has a tea room.
Here we would like to experience Japanese tea ceremony.
The origin of Japanese tea ceremony was introduced to Japan in the year of 1191 with Zen Buddhism from China. Sen-no Rikyu (1522-1591) was a founder of Japanese tea ceremony. Tea ceremony is a traditional Japanese culture with a history of more than 400 years. Tea ceremony has various kinds of elements in it such as art, moral education, religion, philosophy, mental training, and sociality.
Sen-no Rikyu described the motto of tea ceremony as “Wa (harmony), Kei (respect), Sei (clarity), and Jaku (serenity).”
“Wa” is harmony with which you become friendly with others, “Kei” means respect with each other. “Sei” is clarity of inner self as well as earthly things around you, and “Jaku” means serenity in mind.
Now let’s experience Japanese tea ceremony.

前回の英語による新見紹介は、千屋牛の碁盤乗り英文説明(Chiya Cattle's Stepping on a Go Board)をご覧ください。