14 Stories in braille on the handrail of

TOKYO SKYTREE（R)

★★★14 Stories in braille★★★

１－Ｂ（神奈川沖浪裏）

Let's swim to that rock!

"Let's swim to that rock!"

Somebody cried pointing to the rocky place seen in the distance. Oh, did it become like that?

I visited a beach with my friends of the university. All were good until we began playing volleyball in a sandy beach and drinking beer in a seaside cottage. I could not swim, so I had been praying all the time not to develop like that. I was weak in the swimming from the old days.

You may think if it rains, a pool class would be cancelled. But unfortunately, the elementary and junior high school where I went had an indoor pool. Though I was depressed in every summer, I endured earnestly without playing truant from school and survived the season. It was lucky that the class was light and did not demand to be able to swim, too.

Thus, I just became a university student, and flocked in the midsummer beach with my friends. No matter what happens, I couldn’t say." I can’t swim a stroke!" Anyway, only the pride is awfully high in me.

‘That rock’ seemed to be enormously far away. Suppressed fear I entered the sea after them. I might feel generous as I had drunk beer. Maybe I was thinking "I can manage it" in a light though. Because I was unrealistic in everything.

However, the world was not so sweat. The seawater was very salty. When I went to the area where my legs did not reach, I sank in the water with a sound and was taken care of by a rescuer. ‘Because I was drunk’ was my word. Anyway, it was a hard goal, wasn’t it?

２－Ｃ（尾州不二見原）

A cooper and a strange old man

Our boss is a slave driver as ever, isn’t he? He ordered us to finish this tub by the day after tomorrow. We will not be able to make it in time if not working from such an early morning.

And yet, what is this big tub such as 5 shaku 5 sun width used for? Is it used for making the slices of a living tuna ordered by Daimyo Yashiki of Owari? As for me, the fish I have ever eaten is only sardine.

Apart from it, who is that baldheaded old man with a writing brush staring at us? Somehow, I have been interested in him since a little while ago. He is a stranger in this neighborhood and seems to be already over 70.

Dear me! That old man is approaching toward us.

"Hi, craftsman, what are you making?"

"As you see, it’s a tub."

"By the way, is Mt. Fuji of the morning glow seen behind you always such a color?"

"I have not minded it very much, but it may change by the weather of the day. Sometimes it looks reddish, whitish, and pink.

"You are drawing something with a paintbrush since a little while ago, are you an illustrator?"

"No, I’m not such a splendid man."

"May I only watch your work a little more?"

"Just as you like."

At any rate, he is a strange old man, isn’t he?

３－Ｄ（五百らかん寺さざゑ堂）

Spiral tall building

Scenery opened out in the place where we had finished climbing the spiral staircase. Under the deep blue sky, Mt. Fuji was keeping its outline clearly in the distance.

When we took a deep breath while looking at it, suddenly a step shook just a little. Other worshippers looked wondering. Someone might think it was only imagination. But I know the reason. In fact, thisi Gohyaku Rakan-ji Sazai-do (Turban Shell Hall of the Five Hundred Arhat Temple) grows up little by little.

Day after day many worshippers climbed the spiral staircase round and round to look the sacred Mt. Fuji at a glance. Tempted by the power, spiral staircase itself turns only a little, too. A spiral staircase will step forward if it turns. That is what's called spiral.

Sazai-do is digging along the sky today, too, like a screw turns itself. Just when I thought I would be able to look down even the crater of Mt. Fuji from here, my step shook again as if it was saying " You shall see!"

４－Ａ（山下白雨）

Borderline

In winter the top of Mt. Fuji is covered with snow, but now is the season when red rocks become bare. The rest house of the fifth stage which is a starting point of a mountain climb to the Japanese highest peak was great turnout. It becomes approximately -0.6 degrees Celsius whenever we climb 100m. So according to this simple calculation, the temperature difference with the downtown area is approximately 14 degrees Celsius.

Though it was midsummer, chilly and a commanding atmosphere make feel a unique non-daily life and I understood Mt. Fuji had been targeted in the faith from ancient times. Having come here unintentionally, I thought I should have come intending to climb. It seemed not only me to have thought like that.

There were around two hours until the time of the return bus, we decided to do trekking. Though we could make a round trip of the fifth stage, we dared to go down after climbing to the sixth stage because it was a precious opportunity.

We left for a mountain climbing feeling triumphantly, the sky became dark suddenly and began to fall ices of the fist size of the child when we arrived at the sixth stage. At moment we escaped into the edge of the eaves of the mountain hut and became like sardines, the electric wire of the hut flashed making a loud sound of ‘Bachii’." And under eyes, many lightnings like drawn pictures were running.

The scene which was not able to be imagined just several minutes before was evidently filled with the power beyond mankind's ability. Waiting until the falling ices became small, we all rushed to the fifth stage with a shout of ’Se-no’.

６－Ｂ（神奈川沖浪裏）

Alarm

They say a huge man-eating wave appears every summer. To hear such a story, curiosity is really aroused. Instantly some young men got in a ship and stood out to the sea. In a short time, a thunderhead climbed into the sky. Surprisingly, it was crying! Why? What happened! The young men asked a reason, it said that man-eating wave bit it at one gulp by mistake.

Though they could not forgive that the wave interfered in the thunderhead, they were relieved not eaten by it fortunately. And the wave might eat nothing for a while because it was full, so they approached it courageously. However, it didn’t attack them. Why not? How strange! Watching in the wave well, they found it overate itself and became full and was sleeping zzzz. The wave did not move at all and time was stopping.

In this way, winter had come. However, the wave did not move at all. Villagers were pleased first, but they gradually turned pale. Because if the wave did not approach, the fish would not come over. When the village was completely at a loss, it was this one(person)that moved time after all. Dō~n!! MT. Fuji tore the stillness of the area with the eruption only for low sounds.

Though the eruption was small, it became an alarm and the wave regained spirit again. For Mt. Fuji which played a role, it became a moderate degassing. It is said that from this time, Mt. Fuji became a guardian of time and had been worshipped as an object of the faith of people.

７－Ａ（山下白雨）

Cross-border

To climb a high place, the scaffold had to be taken off. Because it cannot be called the miracle as far as there is a scaffold.

An old painter let them make an oar like which we make when we dig the deep well. Climbing to the top smoothly, he let them dismantle it and floated alone in the sky. There was a transparent spiral corridor there.

While he climbed up it slowly, a town, the fields, a forest and the river under eyes went away becoming the clouds of the light. Glaring sunlight deepened the blue of sky and something flashed briefly and keenly at the foot of far-off Mt. Fuji.

"Riding on the back of a dragon;

Heavy shower beneath the summit."

Thus, a picture was completed. Though being a superb view, it was apparent to everyone that was not a thing in this world.

8－Ｃ（尾州不二見原）

To classify

A picture called " Bishu Fujimi-ga-hara (Fuji- view Moor in Owari Province)" of Hokusai KATSUSHIKA is the one Mt. Fuji is seen in the distance in the barrel a craftsman is making.

Watching this picture, I remembered Tokyo in the days of the child unexpectedly. I came to the aunt’s house of Hatsudai in 1958 to enter the school for handicapped children of Tokyo. There were tatami-makers and joiners there.

Most were similar houses that had two-rooms except the entrance. And a workshop and a house were double uses. In the depths of this area, there was an owner’s house and sometimes the sound of the piano was heard from there.

Coming home from school, I always went to the joiner’s shop. I liked to see the counterattack of a chisel and a plane and I wanted to be able to use them in that way, too. The signboard of the movie was also attractive. I had been wondering why they were able to draw such big picture of the person’s face and its background only watching one piece of a small photograph. There were so many jobs I wanted to do absolutely when I became an adult that I could not decide which one I should choose.

Before long a housing complex was established in Takashimadaira, working in a big company became a longed-for work and places of the life and places of the work became separate. Various things were selected, and as for us with a disability were selected, too. The houses became the facilities and the workshops became the workplaces. Recently I have understood that selecting things will select persons gradually and discrimination will be born from there.

９－Ｂ（神奈川沖浪裏）

Peeking Fuji

"Congratulations, Say!"

I was raising a toast to celebrate the promotion of Say of the same period. Strangely, the jealousy did not spring out. I felt only relief and joy that Say was evaluated fairly.

"It is only you that celebrate me heartily. You are really an innocent guy". "All will be the same, too".

"No, I knew it", Say said. His eyes had turned red probably because of sake (rice wine).

"You don’t believe in fact, do you? "

"What?"

"That’s I am able to read another's feelings."

"It’s natural you have identification eyes".

"No, it’s not so. I can understand the person’s personality by looking in the mouth.

"In the mouth?" I was listening absentmindedly.

"Yes. You have only to look in the mouth of the partner calmly. Look in mine for trial".

Though I was drunk, I tried to keep taking a Sonkyo (squatting position) of the kendo. Before long I saw an unbelievable scenery in Say’s mouth.

"It’s a ship! I can see a boat tossing about by a big wave!"

"Can you see it, too? It’s my original figure. I am making up for a worry symptom by an effort."

"You are a hard worker of genius, aren’t you? Above all things, I am proud of you".

Despite the power of sake, it was a good celebration because I was able to do a mysterious experience this night. Suddenly I projected it on the mirror in my mouth. Small Fuji was standing in the depths of the throat.

１０－Ａ（山下白雨）

From the edge of Miyama

One old man was sitting on the rock near the top of Mt. Fuji lighted by sunlight. Though his aged body could no longer climb this steep Miyama, he was looking down the lower bound with a gentle smile. That scene was also unbecoming with the aspect of the old man. It was swallowed into the darkness together with the life of all people and was cut off by the lightning like the blade which had sucked blood.

Seeing such a scene, the old man could be still calm because this was a common one for him. He had been there for dozens of years and several hundred years. But his figure was not seen by the pilgrims who visited there. And after, long after, many mountaineers began to come and an iron wing (airplane) come to cross the side, nobody could see him.

But the old man had noticed. He looked at Edo covered with dark clouds in a far distance. You who are there and drawing Mt. Fuji, your mind’s eye will catch the figure of the old man, ……but he will never appear in your work.

Clouds were going to clear in the distance. While all were changing, the painter cut a moment and drew it. Because the old man was essentially unchangeable, he would be considered as if he had never been there. Though he had known it, he was unable to endure slight loneliness.

１４－Ｄ（五百らかん寺さざゑ堂）

World tree

Many people gathered in the watchtower. I who was passing by out of curiosity joined in a line of the crowd and climbed up with great effort. A big tree was seen from the observation tower. It was strange the big tower standing darkly on the sea looked like the torii of Sirahige-jinjya (a Shinto shrine) growing from Lake Biwa.

"That’s a world tree, isn’t it? I have been wanted to worship it one time". Sightseers who had become like shadow pictures were praising it individually.

After having worshiped it, I went down according to the movement of the crowd slowly from the spiral staircase. There were some people holding fast to a wooden rail and watching that world tree, too. Grasping a rail, I was absorbed the tree which stood darkly on the sea.

Staring at the epidermis of the tree bark, I found many people were piled.

Now and then people who did not hold tight might be tired, they released their hands and fell into the sea. I felt as if I were dreaming.

At that moment I realized it was lucid dream. But I doubted "Who am I standing in the observation tower in my eyelids, then?" As soon as I doubted, the handgrip and the footstep went out and I fell into the milky-white sea.