きのうは久しぶりに「硫黄の匂いプンプン」のニセコ大湯沼の温泉に。カミさんはどうしてもこの硫黄の匂いへの拒絶反応が強く、夫婦別々の温泉浴。わたしは日帰り温泉の「雪秩父」へ。こちらは隣に大湯沼が写真のようにグラグラと「煮立って」おりまして、まことに野趣豊かな温泉。
泉質に硫黄がたっぷりと含まれているようで、わたしなど湯を浴びていると目がすこしショボショボと痛くなってきたりする。きっと日頃からのパソコン目疲れが反映しているのでしょう。
しかしだんだんと慣れていってそのうち気にならなくなっている。本当は風呂上がり後、清水で顔をあらった方がいいのでしょうが、・・・。でもいかにも北海道らしい、火山噴火口のすぐ横の野性味あふれる温泉で大好きであります。最近はこんな奥深い温泉にまで海外観光客の姿があって、驚く。
で、ふろから上がってクルマに乗ろうとしたら、なんとなく駐車場で隣に駐車されていた方と会話。なんでも静岡県の浜松から、ワゴン車で寝泊まりしながら、１ヶ月近く北海道周遊の夫婦旅とのこと。開口一番のあいさつが「北海道は暑い・・・」（笑）。
ついこのあいだ、40度越えが話題になっていた静岡市の話題を振って反論したら、もう10年ほど北海道夫婦ツアーをしてきているそうで、ここ２−３年、顕著に暑くなってきたとのこと。もう80才越えのかたたちで10年間の経験知から間違いなく実感されているようです。
「でもまぁ朝晩は内地とは違うでしょう」と寒冷地自慢をしようとしても、実感には敵わない。
浜松から北上して長野県を抜けて新潟港からのフェリーで北海道に来られるルートだそうで、引退後のワゴン車北海道ツアーが無上の楽しみだそうですが、さすがに奥さまはお疲れのご様子。ホテルなどを利用して外食もいいところで食べたりすると、あっという間におカネは羽が生えて飛んでいく。ということで、基本的にワゴン車を改造した車中泊で、食事はもっぱら「コンビニ食」とのこと。
わたしなどは、そういった過ごし方で十分に楽しいタイプですが、わが家の場合にはカミさんは同意してくれない（泣）。立派なホテル「いい料理」志向。このあたりは考え方の相違なので、なんとも言えないのですが、旅は楽しいけれどやはり疲れ・ストレスも溜まっては来る。リタイヤ後の過ごし方というのは、ひとつの面白い選択問題だとも思われますね。
結局人間、最後までなんらかの活動とか、仕事とかに没頭していた方がシアワセというタイプの人も多いのではないでしょうか。ふとした会話で「取材」できた次第。
English version⬇
A Hamamatsu man testifies that "Hokkaido is hot..." in Niseko Oyunuma.
The couple was looking for a refreshing summer in subarctic Hokkaido, but the temperature was mercilessly high. They said they had a hard time staying in the car. What's the happiest thing after you retire? by ...
Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, we went to a hot spring in Niseko Oyunuma, which has a "sulfur smell. My wife was very sensitive to the smell of sulfur, so we bathed in the hot spring separately. I went to "Yukichichichibu," a day-trip hot spring. The Oyunuma swamp next to this hot spring was "boiling" as you can see in the photo, and the hot spring was truly rich in natural beauty.
The spring water seems to be rich in sulfur, and my eyes began to ache a little when I was bathing in the hot water. I am sure this is a reflection of my daily computer eye strain.
However, I am gradually getting used to it and eventually it does not bother me anymore. In fact, it would be better to wash my face with fresh water after taking a bath, but.... However, it is a hot spring full of the wildness that is typical of Hokkaido and right next to a volcanic crater, and I love it. Recently, I was surprised to see foreign tourists even in such a deep hot spring.
After getting out of the bath and getting into the car, I had a conversation with a person who was parked next to me in the parking lot. He told me that he and his wife were traveling from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, to Hokkaido for a month while sleeping in their van. The first thing he said was, "Hokkaido is hot..." (laugh).
I countered by mentioning Shizuoka City, where the temperature had recently exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), but the couple had been touring Hokkaido for about 10 years, and said it had become noticeably hotter in the past 2-3 years. They are over 80 years old and have been touring in Hokkaido for about 10 years.
They are over 80 years old and have been experiencing the heat for the past 10 years.
They say that the route from Hamamatsu northward through Nagano Prefecture to Hokkaido by ferry from Niigata Port is the best way to come to Hokkaido, and they are looking forward to a wagon tour of Hokkaido after their retirement, but as expected, their wives seem to be tired. If they use hotels, etc., and eat out at nice places, their money will fly under their wings in no time. So, she basically stays overnight in a converted van and eats only "convenience store meals.
I am the type of person who enjoys such a way of spending time, but in our case, my wife does not agree with me (tears). She is more interested in "good food" at a nice hotel. This is a difference of opinion, so I can't really say anything about it. Traveling is fun, but it is also tiring and stressful. It seems to me that how to spend one's time after retirement is an interesting choice to make.
After all, there are probably many people who would be happier if they were immersed in some kind of activity or work until the end of their lives. I was able to "interview" them through a casual conversation.