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静岡県の中部を流れる大井川の支流、寸又川と大間川の合流地点にかかる吊橋、長さ90m、湖面からの高さは８ｍ。
この付近は大間ダムでせき止められたダム湖となっており、普段はその水の色は深い碧さを湛えている。「チンダル現象」の為の碧さが印象的だったのか、このダム湖の愛称を決めるとき、応募された候補の中から決まったのは「チンダル湖」、２００２年のことだった。それから１０年以上たったのだが、この名称は定着したのだろうか。
残念ながら、今回はあまり水の色がよくない。また、寸又峡は紅葉の名所なのだが、今年は例年よりも色づきがよくないように思える。それでも名所らしく、紅葉見物の観光客がひっきりなしにやってくる。この橋は「定員１０名」となっているので、観光客が多い時にはちょっとした行列になることもある。
この橋、足元に敷かれた板は細く、またよく揺れる。渡るときには少々怖い。しかし、橋の中央付近で見る景色は絶景だから、渡る価値は十分にある。ただ、渡り切ったその後には３００段以上ある急こう配の階段を登らなければならないので、少々厄介でもある。
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The eight islands of Japan sprang into existence through Divine Intervention.The first two gods who came into existence were Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, the Exalted Male and Exalted Female. It was their job to make the land for people to live on.They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and, using a jewel-encrusted halberd, Izanagi and Izanami churned up the sea into a frothy foam. As salty drips of water fell from the tip of the halberd the first island was formed. Its name was Onogoro.So far, so good. But when Izanagi and Izanami first met on their island, Izanami spoke to Isanagi without being spoken to first. Since she was the female, and this was improper, their first union created badly-formed offspring who were sent off into the sea in boats.The next time they met, Izanagi was sure to speak first, ensuring the proper rules were followed, and this time they produced eight children, which became the islands of Japan.I'm sure you did not fail to miss the significance of this myth for the establishment of Japanese formal society.At present, Japan is the financial capital of Asia. It has the second largest economy in the world and the largest metropolitan area (Tokyo.)Technically there are three thousand islands making up the Japanese archipelago. Izanagi and Izanami must have been busy little devils with their jewelled halberd...Japan's culture is highly technical and organized. Everything sparkles and swooshes on silent, miniaturized mechanisms.They're a world leader in robotics, and the Japanese have the longest life-expectancy on earth.Text by Steve Smith.
