「レッツゴー キャム！」Cam, Ikuzo! Come follow Camden’s journey! June 2023

The weather has been a bit up and down recently, but the other weekend turned out to be a great day for a walk, so I walked over to the “Yakiri no Watashi” river crossing on the Edo River. I had gone there before during the winter, but my reason for going this time was to ride the historic wooden ferry boat, and see some scenery that might remind me over the riverside in my hometown in Maine (United States).

The river in my hometown (the Kennebec River) had a trail alongside it that I often went to for jogging in the summertime, it was the perfect spot for some exercise. On the way to walking to Yakiri no Watashi, there was a path next to the fields for growing negi (green onion) where not many cars passed through, so I was happy to find a good place for jogging on a trail near a river like in my hometown.

There is actually a classic song of the same name, “Yakiri no Watashi.” And in a famous novel called, “Nogiku no Haka,” as well as a movie called “Otoko wa tsurai yo,” Yakiri no Watashi is one of the settings within each of the stories. Similar to my last column where I talked about “Seichi Junrei” as a culture among anime fans, Yakiri no Watashi is a place in Matsudo you can visit that is known by many from being referenced in media.

The person guiding us on the boat gave me a laugh as he told a lot of funny jokes as we crossed the Edo River. I had a great time soaking in the surrounding nature as well. If you ever have the time, I recommend you give it a ride as well!

最近は天気が不安定な日が続いておりますが、先日の天気の良い日に矢切方面を散歩しました。以前、冬にも矢切の渡しに来ましたが、今回矢切を訪れたきっかけは歴史がある渡し船を体験したいという思いと、故郷（アメリカのメイン州）の町と同じような川沿いの風景を見たかったためです。

故郷の川（ケネベック川）にある河川敷には、夏によくジョギングで使用していた道端のトレイルがあり、運動するには打ってつけのスポットでした。矢切方面の道にも、ネギの畑の側に車があまり通らない道があり、江戸川に近くということもあり、故郷にいた頃と似た感じを彷彿させられました。

実は、この渡し船に乗れる場所と同じ名前の「矢切の渡し」という有名な歌謡曲があります。また、「野菊の墓」という小説と「男はつらいよ」という映画の舞台の一つにもなっています。前回のコラムに載せた「聖地巡礼」の経験と同様にメディアで知られている場所を松戸で訪れることができます。

渡し船で江戸川を渡っている間、ガイドさんのユーモアが溢れる話を聞きながら周りの自然を感じられる優雅なひとときを過ごしました。時間があればぜひ乗ってみてください！