っていうことでおそるおそる（笑）ドアを開けたらごらんの室内。そこそこの広さのビジネスホテルと同様の雰囲気。ベッドが造作の木工事で、一段高くなった床面には畳が１枚敷き込んであって、その上にふとんが敷かれておりました。わたしは普段はベッド派ですが、畳とふとんの組み合わせも好きであります。新築当時は畳部屋の寝室でふとんを上げ下げして寝ていました。
温泉なのでお風呂は10人くらいは入っても大丈夫なお風呂。湯質は無色無臭でジワジワあったまるみたいなここちよさ。部屋には洗面一体型のユニットバスもありましたが、洗面オンリーの使用。というか、わたしは朝風呂も温泉に入らせていただいた。６番目札所ということで千年以上前の空海さんの心配りは素晴らしい。ご住職の説明を伺っていると、八十八箇所の数カ所で宿泊施設を空海さんは企図されていたそうですが、徐々に廃れていっていまも続けられているのはこちらだけだということ。逆にそのことが空海さんの法統を伝えるみたいな使命感になっている。
宿坊内の各所、とくに食堂には背面に電光が仕込まれた空海さんの事跡、教えがパネル化されたようなインテリアが施されている。客室内写真の左手にもありましたが、そういった寺の性格を事前に知っている側からするとごく自然に受け入れられていました。
夕食後には寺院内の本堂、灌頂窟や仏像群をご住職の解説付きでご案内いただき、最後には多宝塔のライトアップに目を輝かせていただいた。同宿にはなんと「台湾」からというそれも若い年代のみなさんがいらした。片言の日本語を話されていたので会話して聞いたら、最近日本文化への関心が高まっているそうで、八十八箇所へまで関心が向かっているということ。ほえ〜、であります。確かにコロナ禍による停滞から一気に海外客、それも中国以外の欧米が５割近くで、中国以外のアジアが3-4割以上、なかでも韓国は大量、みたいなインバウンド状況。円安という追い風もあるのでしょうが、以前の中国観光客が大型バス乗りつけ一択みたいなものだったのに、最近の海外客のみなさんはそれぞれが個性的な探訪をされているようです。けっこう日本人でもマニアックな場所でこうしたみなさんと多く出会う。翌日玄関先で再会したらバイクで颯爽と出発されるところ。すごい。バイクのレンタカーって聞いたことがないのですが・・・、免許その他、どうなっているのか興味津々。
ということで、日本人なのにこの年になってはじめてお寺に泊まらせていただいた体験記録でありました。面白かったので、また体験してみたいですね。
English version⬇
I wonder what it is like to stay at a hot spring mountain or temple...
This was my first temple lodging experience at my age. I was surprised at the curiosity of the young foreign visitors. The spirit of inquisitiveness about Japanese culture that is even greater than that of Japanese people is wonderful. I was very impressed by their curiosity.
So I opened the door with trepidation (laugh), and as you can see, the room was just like a business hotel of a certain size. It had the same atmosphere as a business hotel of a certain size. The bed was made of wood, a tatami mat was laid on the raised floor, and a futon was laid on top of it. I am usually a bed person, but I also like the combination of tatami and futon. When the house was newly built, I used to raise and lower the futon in the tatami bedroom.
The bath is a hot spring, so it can accommodate up to 10 people. The water is colorless, odorless, and warms you up slowly and comfortably. There was a unit bath with a washbasin in the room, but I used it only as a washbasin. The sixth temple, Kukai's concern more than 1,000 years ago was wonderful. The priest explained that Kukai had planned to set up lodging facilities at several of the 88 temples, but they gradually fell into disuse, and this is the only one that is still in operation. On the contrary, this has become a sense of mission to convey Kukai's lineage of the Dharma.
Each part of the lodgings, especially the dining room, is decorated with an interior that looks like a paneled record of Kukai's things and teachings with an electric light installed in the back of the room. It was on the left hand side of the in-room photo, and was very naturally accepted from the side that knew such a character of the temple in advance.
After dinner, we were guided through the temple's main hall, the Perfumed Grotto, and a group of Buddhist statues with commentary by the temple's abbot, and at the end of the tour, our eyes lit up at the illumination of the Dabotou (pagoda). At the end of the tour, we saw the illumination of the Dabotou Pagoda. They spoke a few words of Japanese, so I asked them about it in conversation. They told me that their interest in Japanese culture had been growing recently, and that they were even interested in 88 temples. I was surprised. It is true that the inbound situation has changed since the Corona disaster, with nearly 50% of visitors coming from Europe and the United States, and more than 30% to 40% from other Asian countries, including a large number from South Korea. The weak yen may be a tailwind, but while Chinese tourists used to have no choice but to take large buses, the recent overseas visitors seem to be exploring the country in their own unique ways. However, it seems that these days, overseas visitors are exploring the country in their own unique ways. When I met them again at the entrance the next day, they were dashing off on their motorcycles. Amazing. I have never heard of renting a car with a motorcycle... I was curious to know about the license and other details.
So, this is a record of my experience of staying at a temple for the first time at my age, even though I am Japanese. It was interesting, and I would like to experience it again.
