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Day 7  |
Day 8, Sunday: Aug. 29, 2004 |
Day 9  |
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| We drove down to the small church on Sunday morning…in the town of Mombetsu…Six
ladies and two very bored children. But it was very warm and friendly.
This church is pretty much it for miles around. The voice of God is heard
very small in this part of the world. Buddhism and Shintoism are all over
the place, as are the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Can you imagine
what your life would be like if the only real church around was a three
hour drive away? Mombetsu, Engaru, Kamiyubetsu, Shibetsu are some of the
unusual town names we encountered. Most derive from the Ainu people’s
language. Ainus are Caucasian, and yet indigenous to Japan’s North Island
(Hokkaido) as well as Sakhalin Island, Russia. They are a dying breed,
and there may be none of them left already, but I have heard that there
were as many as 200 left. Save the whales. If you want more information
about the Ainu, here is a pretty good web-page: http://d21c.com/zenegata/ainuxx.html After the church, we drove along the Sea of Okhotsk to the town of Kamiyubetsu, and found a campground. The campground was practically empty and very wild. There was an old train car available for free use of motorcyclists who needed some sleep, but we went first class this time and found a bungalow. It had electricity and lights! We met Seiji-san and his son Kazuhiro at the onsen in the town of Kamiyubetsu. He has been corresponding with us since we got home, and we have hopes of meeting him and his son again on our next trip. For English-speaking Japanese in that area, it is a real treat, I guess, to speak to an American. And a treat for me as well, because the language barrier is like a prison in some ways…it is so nice to converse with someone once in a while. I am so happy that Hiromi is so fluent in English |
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| 日曜の朝教会のある紋別まで数時間南下。教会は6人の女性と退屈そうな2人の子供達が出席していました。暖かな親しみのある教会でした。その町で牧師のいる教会はここだけだそうです。神の声がこの辺りでは小さくしか聞こえません。お寺や神社、モルモン教やエホバの証人はいたる所にあるというのに。 教会の後、上湧別でキャンプ場を見つけました。ライダーが泊まれる無料の列車宿もありますが、私たちはバンガローに泊まりました。シーズンを終えて殆ど人影がありません。近くに公共の温泉、チューリップの湯があって、そこで聖治さんとそのご家族に出会いました。彼とはそれ以来メールの交換をしています。次回の北海道旅行で、一緒に釣りが出来たらいいなぁと思います。 遠軽では駅前のリサイクル店アリババで、去年会ってお馴染みになったおばさんに会って来ました。おばさんもJohnのことを覚えていてくれました。 |
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