Asuka 1 益田岩船

I visited Asuka in Nara on May 2. I haven’t been there for more than ten years. I woke up early morning, got on the first train.
I got off at Okadera station, headed to the biggest stone of mystery stoneworks in Asuka, Masuda-no-iwafune. I saw Tsutsuji (Japanese azalea) in full bloom at gardens of residential area.

奈良の岡寺では、シャクナゲが見頃だと知って、それでは久しぶりに飛鳥を歩こう、と早起きして出かけた。
岡寺駅で降りて住宅地を歩き、益田岩船に向かう。団地の前ではツツジが満開。なんだか良い日になりそうな予感。


I arrived at a park, climbed up a hiking path. Soon after, I saw a huge stone.
公園からハイキング道を登る。急なところもあり、道を間違えたのかも、と思っていると何か大きな岩が見えてきた。もしかして、あれ？


Huge! It was said the height was 4.7m.
でかーい。高さ4.7mだとか。迫力満点。


I walked around the stone, Masuda-no-iwafune.
ぐるっとまわってみた。岩肌には何か模様がある。


The path I had walked to the stone.
歩いてきた道。


I could see the top of the stone. It was said that it was made in the seventh century.
少し登ると、岩の上部が見えた。不思議なカタチ！


No one knows what it was used for. It looked like Nekobus in Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro.
なんだったんだろ。これ。ねこバス、みたい。。。


I was really impressed on the stone, gazed for a while.
この日の最初から、感動—。もっと眺めていたかったけど、先を急ごう。


I started walking on the hiking path. There was a beautiful bamboo grove.
きれいな竹林。


Then there were cedars and ferns. It was a pleasant hiking.
続いて、杉林。道はふかふかで、歩きやすい。気持ちいいー。