Prelude

お金では買えない
贅沢を求めて

In Search of
a Luxury Beyond Price

ゴールデンウイーク、人混みを避け、"お金では買えない贅沢"を求めて静かな海へ向かった。豪華な旅ではなく、ただ海を眺める時間こそ大人の休日だと思えたから。思い立つまま愛車で舞鶴方面へ。行き先は決めず、予約もない自由な旅。途中で「伊根湾を見よう」と気が変わり、山陰海岸ジオパークの景色にも惹かれた。GWは町を外れると休業の店が多い。だから弁当を持参し、静けさの中で過ごす。誰にも急かされず、自分のペースで海沿いを走る。大人になってようやく分かる。

During Golden Week, instead of joining the crowds, I set out toward a quiet sea — in pursuit of a luxury no money can buy. Not a lavish trip, but one where simply sitting and watching the waves felt like the truest kind of adult holiday. On impulse, I pointed my car toward Maizuru with no destination locked in and no reservations made. Midway, a whim led me to Ine Bay; the dramatic coastline of the San'in Geopark then pulled me further west. Away from the towns, most shops stood shuttered for the holiday — so I packed a bento and savoured the stillness. No one to hurry me. My own pace along the shore. It takes growing up to understand: silence is a luxury, and the sea is the most generous space-maker of all.

安寿ロマン海道。舞鶴市の由良川沿いに残る、安寿姫と厨子王の悲劇の伝説ゆかりの地。「山椒大夫」の物語の舞台として知られるこのエリアは、かつて奴隷として売られた姉弟の悲しい記憶を秘めている。しかし今、目の前に広がる海は穏やかで、その歴史的な悲劇を微塵も感じさせない。歴史に想いを馳せながら、海岸線の絶景をドライブする。

The Anjū Roman Kaidō follows the Yura River in Maizuru — sacred ground linked to the tragic legend of Lady Anjū and her brother Zushiō, protagonists of the classic tale Sanshō Dayū. This is where the siblings were sold into servitude, their story one of Japan's most heart-rending. And yet, the sea stretching before me is utterly serene, utterly unburdened by history. I drive the coastal road, letting memory and beauty coexist in silence.

安寿ロマン海道 · Anjū Roman Kaidō

Ine, Kyoto

伊根の船宿 ─
海に浮かぶ暮らし

Ine's Funaya —
Life Afloat

海際に立ち並ぶ家々。まるで海に浮かんでいるようにも見えます。伊根湾の沿岸にはこのような「舟屋」と呼ばれる建屋が約230軒。丹後半島の東端に位置するこの静かな漁村は、重要伝統的建造物群保存地区にも指定された、日本で最も美しい村の一つです。

Row upon row of houses perched at the water's edge — they seem almost to float on the bay. Around 230 of these funaya (boathouses) line the shores of Ine Bay, their ground floors serving as garages for fishing boats. Nestled at the eastern tip of the Tango Peninsula, Ine has been designated an Important Preservation District for Historic Buildings and is widely considered one of Japan's most beautiful villages.

伊根町観光協会周辺 · Ine, Kyoto

伊根を後にし、世界ジオパークにも認定された雄大な海岸線へ。日本海形成の歴史を伝える地質遺産が続く。ハワイで過ごすような開放感。美しく厳しい自然の造形美を駆け抜ける。旅の締めくくりは、丹後松島の絶景。長く続く海岸線の旅が、深い満足感と共に幕を閉じる。無理しない。求めすぎない自分の時間。

Leaving Ine behind, the road opens onto the sweeping coastline of the San'in Kinosaki UNESCO Global Geopark. Geological monuments narrate the ancient birth of the Sea of Japan. The air feels like Hawaii — boundless, salt-bright, free. The journey ends at Tango Matsushima, where the sea stacks and pine-clad outcrops echo Matsushima in Miyagi, only wilder. The coastline road closes with deep satisfaction. No forcing. No over-reaching. Simply one's own time.

＠丹後松島 · Tango Matsushima