THAT IS GOOD THAT IS GOOD

絶景 × Kuniyuki Takahashi | 宮城蔵王

Zekkei × Kuniyuki Takahashi | Miyagi ZAO

1月26日 宮城蔵王の樹氷の中、KUNIYUKIさんの撮影を行ってきました。厳冬期の蔵王、晴天率は2〜3割という状況の中、近年では稀なほど立派という樹氷林で、しかも一瞬の晴れ間をついて撮影する事ができました。

January 26th, we went to Miyagi Zao to shoot Kuniyuki in the snow monsters.In the severe winter season in Zao, the sunshine rate is only 20~30%, but we were able to take pictures in a magnificent *juhyo forest, which is rare in recent years, and took advantage of a moment of clear weather.
*Juhyo : frost-covered trees, rime on trees or the snow monsters.

この撮影の準備は、1月はじめの山形蔵王のロケハンから始まります。

The preparations for this shoot began with location scouting in Yamagata Zao in early January.

山形には、2017年まで12回開催され、東北最大級の無料フェスと言われる「龍岩祭」のステージ周りを担ってきたコネクテックという仲間の会社があります。
昨年末に「樹氷で撮りたい」というアイデアが出て、「それいいじゃん」と言ってもらったものの、大変だよ?、寒いよ?、晴れないよ?…と言われ続け、そんなに過酷なら現地をみておかないとと言うことで事前のロケハンをおこないました。

In Yamagata, there is a fellow company called Connectech Co.,Ltd,(hereinafter referred to as Connectech) which has been responsible for the stage area for the Ryugan-sai, which has been held 12 times until 2017 and is considered to be one of the largest free festivals in Tohoku.
At the end of last year, we had an idea to take a shoot with rime on trees, and they said, “That’s a good idea,” but they kept saying, “It’s too hard, it’s too cold, it’s rarely sunny. If it’s going to be that tough, we need to see the area, so we did a location scout beforehand.

1月5日さっそく新幹線で蔵王を目指します。山形駅からコネクテックのヤスくんが運転する車に乗せてもらい、山形蔵王温泉スキー場に向かいます。まずはコネクテックが経営する「音茶屋」に寄りました。音茶屋はとてもおしゃれなカフェで、普段は定期的にライブイベントなども開かれています。

On January 5th, we took the Shinkansen to Zao. From Yamagata Station, we were picked up by a car driven by Yasu from Connectech and headed for Yamagata Zao Onsen Ski Resort.
First, we stopped by “Zaoonsen Otochaya”(hereinafter referred to as Otochaya), which is run by Connectech. Otochaya is a very stylish café that usually hosts live music events on a regular basis.

蔵王温泉 音茶屋

そこで、寒い中で機材が動くのかどうか、機材と演奏者のためにどの様に暖を取るかなど話し合いました。コネクテックを紹介してくれたWaonのシンヤくんが「明日現場でPCが動くか試してみよう」と言い出し、そのPCはシンヤくんのを使うか、僕のを使うかで揉めたりしつつ、周辺に風除けを作ってはどうか?ブースに風防を付け足す方法はないか?どの様な暖房器具なら使えそうか?などなど、、深夜近くまで打ち合わせました。

We discussed whether or not the equipment would work in the cold, and how to keep the equipment and performers warm. Shinya from Waon, who introduced us to Connectech, said, “Let’s see if we can get the PC to work on site tomorrow,” and we struggled over whether to use his PC or mine. Is there any way to add a windbreak to the booth? What kind of heaters could we use? We discussed these and other issues until almost midnight.

ところが、翌日はなんと雲ひとつない晴天です。

The next day, however, it was sunny and cloudless.

蔵王ロープウェイで山頂駅に向かうと徐々に景色は代わり、足元から山頂までずっと、見たことも無い美しい樹氷の森が広がっています。もこもこと育った樹氷が、青空に煌めき、この世のものとは思えないような景観です。山頂駅から振り向くと、山形盆地の遠く向こうに朝日連峰の山々の連なりが輝いています。
正直なところ、樹氷は知っていたものの、自分の目で見るのは初めてでした。多分この撮影がなかったら、見る機会はもっとずっと先になっていたかも知れません。しかし初めてみる樹氷林の美しさは圧倒的で、、ぜひ樹氷の中で撮影したい…と改めて思いは強くなりました。

As we took the Zao ropeway to the top of the mountain, the scenery gradually changed, and from our feet all the way to the top of the mountain, the most beautiful juhyo forest I’ve ever seen spread out. It was an out-of-this-world sight, with the glistening ice trees growing thickly against the blue sky. Looking back from the mountaintop station, I could see the mountains of the Asahi mountain range shining in the distance beyond the Yamagata Basin.
To be honest, although I knew about the juhyo, this was the first time I had seen it with my own eyes. If I hadn’t taken this video, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to see it until much later. However, the beauty of the juhyo forest I saw for the first time was overwhelming, and my desire to shoot in the juhyo became stronger again.

しかし、翌日まで残ったシンヤくんは、その日の午後、目の前も見えないような吹雪を体験したそうです。果たして無事に撮影できるのか?

However, Shinya stayed until the next day, and that afternoon he experienced a snowstorm that made it impossible for him to even see in front of him. Would we be able to shoot safely?

樹氷はどうやってできる?簡単にまとめてみました。

How does a tree ice form? Here is a brief summary.

そもそも樹氷には「Rime」という日本全国はもちろん海外でもみられる気象用語としてのものと、「Snow Monster、Ice Monster」として蔵王や八甲田などでみられる愛称として使用される2種類があるそうです。
つまりSnow Monsterなどと言われる蔵王の樹氷は「アオモリトドマツが着氷と降雪による雪に覆われて巨大化した塊」の愛称として一般化したもので、蔵王ではアオモリトドマツに着氷し巨大化したものだけを樹氷と言い、それ以外の木々にできても正式には樹氷とは呼ばず、その希少性をもって観光資源としています。

There are two types of juhyo, one is “Rime” which is a meteorological term found all over Japan and overseas, and the other is “Snow Monster” and “Ice Monster” which are nicknames found in places like Zao and Hakkouda. In other words, Zao’s juhyo, also known as Snow Monster, is a popular nickname for “a huge mass of Aomori fir covered with ice and snow from snowfall. In Zao, the term “juhyo” is used only for ice that has formed on Aomori todomatsu (Abies mariesii) and has grown to a huge size, and not for ice that has formed on other trees. The scarcity of these trees makes them a tourist resource.

ところで皆さんは、ペットボトルの水が注いだ瞬間にシャーベット状になる様な映像をみたことは無いでしょうか?
これは水が「過冷却」されているために起こる現象です。過冷却とは水が0度を下回っても凍らずに存在している状態のことで、急激な刺激を受けるとその瞬間に氷に変化する、その様子を捉えた映像です。

By the way, have you ever seen the image of bottled water turning into sherbet the moment it is poured?
This phenomenon occurs because the water is “supercooled. Supercooling is a state in which water does not freeze even when it is below 0 degrees Celsius, and when it receives a sudden stimulus, it changes into ice at that moment.

冬の寒い時期に発生した霧の水滴(霧粒)は、そのような過冷却の状態で空中を漂っている場合があります。また、その霧の粒は小さければ小さいほど、より低い気温の中でも過冷却状態を保つそうです。それが高地の特殊な条件の中でアオモリトドマツなどの木々に一方向からぶつかり、その瞬間に結晶化していく…そうして風上に向かって結晶が大きく育ったものが樹氷となります。

Water droplets of fog (fog grains) generated during the cold winter months may drift in the air in such a supercooled state. It is also said that the smaller those fog grains are, the more they maintain their supercooled state even in lower temperatures. The smaller the grains are, the more they stay supercooled even in cooler temperatures. In the special conditions of high altitude, they hit trees such as Aomori todomatsu (Abies mariesii) from one direction and crystallize at that moment… Then, the crystals grow larger upwind and become tree ice.

特に蔵王は地形的にも樹氷の造形に適しており、シベリアから渡ってくる冬の風が日本海海上で湿り気をおび、朝日連峰で上昇し雪を降らせた後、適度な水分量を過冷却で含んだ雲が、山形盆地を経て蔵王連峰で再び上昇しこれを超えていくときに、蔵王連峰の熊野岳や地蔵山の山頂付近に自制するアオモリトドマツに一方向からぶつかり、世界でも珍しい立派な樹氷を形成していくのです。

In particular, the topography of Zao is suitable for the formation of juhyo, as the winter winds coming from Siberia moisten the waters of the Sea of Japan and rise in the Asahi mountain range, causing snow to fall. Afterwards, the clouds containing a moderate amount of moisture due to supercooling rise again in the Zao mountain range through the Yamagata basin. Jizoyama in the Zao mountain range, they collide with the abies mariesii from one direction and form magnificent juhyo, which is rare in the world.

ロケ地を宮城蔵王に変更

Changed the location to Miyagi ZAO

その後、諸々の事情を考慮し、山形蔵王での撮影の予定を宮城蔵王に変更することになりました。宮城蔵王でもコネクテックのアレンジで、すみかわスノーパークさんにご協力頂き、雪上車に乗って山頂付近の樹氷エリアまで行けることになりました。しかし撮影中の寒さ対策が必要なことに変わりはありません。天候を睨みながら撮影日を1月26日に定め、24日の夜から宮城蔵王入りすることが決まりました。毎日変化する気象情報を確認しながらハラハラドキドキして当日を迎え、25日は朝から現地のロケハン…、これがまたなんとドピーカンの晴天です。

After that, considering various circumstances, we decided to change the schedule of shooting in Yamagata Zao to Miyagi Zao. In Miyagi Zao, we were able to ride a snowmobile to the juhyo area near the top of the mountain, thanks to the cooperation of Sumikawa Snow Park, also arranged by Connectech. However, it is still necessary to take measures against the cold during the shooting. While watching the weather, we decided on January 26 as the shooting date, and decided to enter Zao, Miyagi Prefecture on the night of January 24. On the 25th, we started location scouting in the morning, and to our surprise, it was a beautiful sunny day.

45分ほど雪上車に乗り山頂付近を目指し撮影する場所を決定、さらに刈田嶺(かったみね)の山頂まで上り、樹氷と同様に過冷却水の着氷により巨大な雪の塊になった刈田嶺神社やその鳥居、そして峰の向こうの「御釜」と呼ばれる噴火口まで見学することができました。ただし頂上付近は吹きさらしで風が強く、とても長居はできません。翌日の撮影の成功だけ刈田嶺神社に祈願してロケハンに戻りました。そこに、午後の雪上車でKUNIYUKIさんも到着、現地を見て頂き、撮影に向けてインスピレーションを高めてもらうことができました。

We rode on the snow tractor for about 45 minutes to the top of the mountain and decided where we wanted to take pictures. We then climbed to the top of Kattamine, where we were able to see the Kattamine Shrine and its torii, which is a huge lump of snow formed by supercooled water icing, as well as the crater called ” Okama” on the other side of the peak. However, it was very windy and exposed near the top, so we couldn’t stay there very long. We prayed for the success of the next day’s shooting at the Kattamine Shrine and returned to the location.
Mr.KUNIYUKI arrived in the afternoon by snow tractor, and we were able to have a look at the site and get more inspiration for the shoot.

このまま天気がもってくれれば…、しかし翌日は下り坂の予報です。とりあえず温泉に入り、本番に向けて英気を養います。
ロケハンに同行してくれたコネクテックのメンバーは、いったん山形へ戻ります。なんと往復2時間以上かけて、翌朝の撮影にまた機材を持ってスタッフとして参加してくれます。

If only the weather would stay like this, but it was forecast to get worse the next day. At any rate, we took a hot spring bath to rejuvenate ourselves for the actual event.
The Connectech members who had accompanied us on the location scouting trip headed back to Yamagata. It took them more than two hours to get there and back, and they would join us again the next morning as staff with their equipment.

いよいよ撮影当日

Finally, the day of shooting

早朝に集合しすみかわスノーパークへ…普段より早く8時にゲレンデを出発する雪上車を用意してもらい、スノーモービルの先導を受けながら(ゲレンデ内はスキーやスノーボードを楽しむ人がいるため、またすれ違い困難な狭い箇所もあるため、スノーモービルが先導し注意しながら進みます)樹氷エリアまで機材を満杯に積んで向かいます。
道中はまだ良い天気で、太陽を受けて雪原の表面の結晶がキラキラと光り輝いています。

We gathered early in the morning to go to Sumikawa Snow Park…We had a snow tractor ready to leave the slopes at 8:00am, earlier than usual, and we were led by a snowmobile (snowmobiles lead the way as it is difficult to pass people skiing and snowboarding on the slopes and there are narrow areas where it is difficult to pass each other) with a full load of equipment to the juhyo area.
It was still a beautiful day on the way and the crystals on the surface of the snowfield were glistening in the sun.

撮影現場も昨日ほどの晴天では無いものの、逆に幻想的な景色が広がり山形盆地側の山麓は雲海の様な雲に包まれています。あの雲がやってくる前に撮影を完了したい〜。

The weather was not as clear as yesterday, but on the contrary, the scenery was fantastic and the foothills of the mountains on the Yamagata Basin side were enveloped in a sea of clouds. I want to complete our shooting before those clouds arrive.

急いで機材の準備を開始します。コネクテックのスタッフとして音茶屋の店長ゆういちろうくんも参加してくれています。音響機材やブースを設置し撮影開始です。少し曇ったりたまに雲海の雲が上がってきたりするのですが、撮影は支障なく行えそうです。離れた位置に雪上車を移動し待機しつつ、雪原と樹氷林に響き渡るKUNIYUKIさんの演奏を撮影しました。

We hurriedly start preparing the equipment. Yuichiro, the manager of Otochaya, also joined us as a staff member of Connectech. We set up the sound equipment and booth and started filming. It was a little cloudy and sometimes the clouds from the sea of clouds would come up, but we were able to shoot without any problems. We moved the snow truck to a remote location and waited while we filmed KUNIYUKI’s performance echoing across the snowfield and ice forest.

風もなかったため暖房を設備しなくてもなんとか演奏をして頂けましたが、それでも楽器を素手で演奏するには手元が寒かったと思います。しかし目の前に広がる樹氷林の美しい景色に気持ちが盛り上がったのか、KUNIYUKIさんも音楽に乗って楽しそうに演奏して下さいました。そして幻想的な風景にマッチした素晴らしい演奏を収録することができました。

There was no wind, so we were able to perform without heating equipment, but I think it was still too cold to play the instruments with bare hands. However, the beautiful scenery of the ice forest spread out in front of us made us feel excited, and KUNIYUKI seemed to enjoy playing along with the music. We were able to record a wonderful performance that matched the fantastic scenery.

撮影終了、その時雲が

Just as we were about to finish shooting, the clouds…

なんとか天候にも恵まれ撮影終了。よし片付けるぞと機材をばらし雪上車へ運びます。片付けを初めておよそ5分、振り返ると先ほどまでKUNIYUKIさんが演奏していたブースやその向こうの景色はあっという間に雲に覆われ、あたりは真っ白になってしまいました。

We were blessed with good weather and finished shooting. All right, let’s get cleaned up, so I unpacked the equipment and carried it to the snowmobile. About five minutes into the cleanup, I looked back and saw that the booth where KUNIYUKI had been performing and the scenery beyond it were quickly covered by clouds and the area had turned completely white.

これまでも数々の出会いや奇跡的な偶然によって素敵な作品を収録してきたTHAT IS GOOD、昨年中に収録ずみの沖縄県久高島も(近日公開予定)神がかりな一瞬の晴れ間での撮影でしたが、今回も奇跡の様に天候に恵まれ、無事に収録ができました。

In the past, THAT IS GOOD has recorded wonderful works through numerous encounters and miraculous coincidences. Last year’s recording on Kudaka Island in Okinawa (to be released soon) was shot in a moment of divine sunshine, and this time we were blessed with miraculous weather and were able to record it safely.

近年では珍しく立派と言われる樹氷と、その樹氷林に覆われた美しい景色、そしてKUNIYUKIさんの素晴らしい演奏をお楽しみ下さい!!

Please enjoy the beautiful scenery covered with juhyo, which is said to be unusually magnificent in recent years, and the wonderful performance by KUNIYUKI!


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山形蔵王への行き方

How to get to Yamagata Zao

東京から北へ向かい山形新幹線で約2時間半、山形駅からバスで約40分
または東北新幹線で約1時間40分、仙台駅から高速バスで約90分

From Tokyo to the north, take the Yamagata Shinkansen (approx. 2.5 hours) and take a bus from Yamagata Station (approx. 40 mins).
1 hour and 40 minutes by Tohoku Shinkansen, 90 minutes by highway bus from Sendai Station.

空路は山形空港から「おいしい山形観光ライナー(乗合タクシー)」で約60分
仙台空港から「蔵王号(スキーバス)」で約110分※スキーバスのため冬季限定

By air: 60mins from Yamagata Airport on the “Delicious Yamagata Sightseeing Liner” (shared cab).
From Sendai Airport: 110mins on the Zao-go (ski bus) *only available in winter due to ski bus service.

音茶屋への行き方

How to get to Zaoonsen Otochaya

住所:山形県山形市蔵王温泉 935-24
市内から蔵王街道を走って蔵王温泉へ向かうと、温泉街の入り口あたりでT字路にぶつかるそのちょうど正面あたり

Adress : 935-24, Zao Onsen, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
If you drive along the Zao Highway from the city to Zao Onsen, you will come to a T-junction at the entrance of the hot spring resort.

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山形蔵王温泉について

About Yamagata Zao Onsen (hot spring)

山形蔵王温泉は、湯量の豊富な強酸性の硫黄泉。スキー場の足元に広がるためリゾートホテルから温泉旅館まで宿泊施設も様々。
さらに「上湯」「下湯」「川原湯」という共同浴場が楽しめます。上湯は2011年に建て替えられましたが、昔ながらの風情があり、3つの湯の中では一番歴史が古く、江戸時代より共同浴場として利用されてきました。温泉街の街並みもそこかしこから湯煙が上がり非常に情緒があります。

Yamagata Zao Onsen is a strongly acidic sulfur spring with an abundance of hot water. Since it is located at the foot of a ski resort, there are various accommodation facilities from resort hotels to hot spring inns.
There are also three public bathhouses, Kamiyu, Shimoyu and Kawarayu. Kamiyu, which was rebuilt in 2011, has an old-fashioned atmosphere and is the oldest of the three bathhouses, having been used as a public bathhouse since the Edo period. The streets of the hot spring town are also very emotional with the steam rising from everywhere.

また温泉街のすぐ上にスキー場のロープウェイ山麓駅があり、そこから樹氷高原駅で乗り換え、樹氷源が広がる頂上付近まで一気に上がることができます。非常に広いスキー場で、山頂付近では樹氷のすぐ近くを滑ることができるため大変人気があります。頂上にはレストランやテラスも設られ、スキー客以外の観光客もたくさん訪れており、冬季以外もトレッキングの足として活躍しています。

The ropeway station is located just above the hot spring resort, and you can transfer at Juhyo Kogen station to go up to the top of the mountain where you can see the source of the ice. It is a very spacious ski resort, and is very popular because you can ski very close to the juhyo at the top. There is a restaurant and a terrace at the top, and many tourists, not just skiers, visit the resort, which is also used for trekking during the non-winter season.

宮城蔵王への行き方

How to get to Miyagi Zao

東京から東北新幹線で約110分、仙台駅から高速バスで約75分
または、同じく東京から150分、白石蔵王駅からタクシー

110 minutes by Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo, 75 minutes by highway bus from Sendai Station.
Or, 150 minutes from Tokyo by cab from Shiraishi-Zao Station.

空路は仙台空港から「宮城蔵王温泉号(バス)」で約1時間
(遠刈田温泉までとなります。すみかわスノーパークはそこから車で30〜40分)

From Sendai Airport, take the “Miyagi Zao Onsen Bus” for about 1 hour.
(From Sendai Airport to Togatta Onsen. From there it is a 30-40 minute drive to Sumikawa Snow Park.)

雪上車ワイルドモンスター号 Snow truck “Wild Monster”

車でしばらく走ると、みやぎ蔵王えぼしリゾートと、宮城蔵王スキー場すみかわスノーパークと2つのゲレンデがあります。今回ご協力頂いたすみかわスノーパークへは車で30〜40分、遠刈田温泉からゲレンデまでの定期バスも出ています。
暖房付きの雪上車「ワイルドモンスター号」で行く樹氷ツアーは圧巻で、片道45分程度雪上車に乗って樹氷原の真っ只中へ運んでもらえます。この雪上車で刈田嶺の山頂直下まで行けば、頂上までは徒歩で30〜40分程度で、ガイドの方をお願いすればそこからスキーやスノーボードで滑ってゲレンデへ戻るツアーも楽しめます。

If you drive for a while, you will find two slopes, Miyagi Zao Eboshi Resort and Miyagi Zao Ski Resort Sumikawa Snow Park. Sumikawa Snow Park is 30-40 minutes away by car, and there is a regular bus service from Togatta Onsen to the slopes. The juhyo tour on the Wild Monster, a snow truck with heaters, is a sight to behold. 45 minutes one way on the snow truck will take you right into the middle of the juhyo field. If you take this snowmobile to just below the top of Karitamine, you can walk to the top in about 30 to 40 minutes, and if you ask for a guide, you can ski or snowboard from there back to the slopes.

宮城蔵王温泉について

About Miyagi Zao Onsen (hot spring)

宮崎蔵王遠刈田温泉は、ナトリウム・カルシウムを多く含む硫酸塩・塩化物泉、中性で肌への刺激の少ない温泉です。こちらにも神の湯、壽の湯という共同浴場があり、神の湯は2006年に新しく建て替えられ、山形蔵王温泉の共同浴場に比べると少し大きな建物になっています。

Miyazaki Zao Togatta Onsen is a sulfate/chlorides spring that contains a lot of sodium and calcium, and is a neutral hot spring that does not irritate the skin. There are two public bathhouses here as well, Kami-no-yu and Kotobuki-no-yu. Kami-no-yu was newly rebuilt in 2006 and is a bit larger than the public bathhouse in Yamagata Zao Onsen.

文:THAT IS GOOD 編集部 中村
Text:THAT IS GOOD editorial department Nakamura

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