*世界ふしぎ発見が好きで日立の樹を見に行った話
私は旅や世界遺産が好きなので、世界ふしぎ発見というTV番組が好きだった。世界ふしぎ発見で思い出すのが、CMで「この木何の木気になる木～♪」という歌と共に映し出されるモンキーポッド、通称日立の樹だ。ハワイには色々な観光地があるが、私はハワイではそこを一番訪れたかった。日立の樹はモアナルア・ガーデンという場所にあり、樹の他には何も無い場所だが、テレビでずっと見ていた樹を自分の眼でリアルに見るというのは感慨深いものがあった。ハワイへは家族で行ったので妻や子供達と樹を背景に家族写真を撮りたかったが、当時3歳の娘がたまたまその時だけ寝起きで機嫌が悪く、良い写真が撮れなかったことが非常に残念だった。
その翌年、今度は会社の社員旅行でハワイに行くことになり、私が旅行の企画をしていたので、自身のリベンジも兼ねてモアナルア・ガーデンを強引に旅程に組み込んだ。天気も良かったので、出来るのなら半日くらい木の下でのんびりしたかったが、社員旅行なので中々そういう訳にも行かない。短時間の滞在で写真を撮影して土産を買って次の観光地へ向かった。それ以降、海外出張の時にはその時に買ったモアナルア・ガーデンの革のネームタグを必ずつけており、それを見る度にあの時のことを思い出す。物と記憶は密接に結びついているので、ベタかもしれないが旅の記念に何を買うのは意外と良いことだと思う。
*Story of Visiting the Hitachi Tree Due to a Love for "Sekai Fushigi Hakken"
I love traveling and exploring world wonders, so I was a fan of the TV show "Sekai Fushigi Hakken" (World's Mysterious Discoveries). One of the things I always remember from the show is the Monstera deliciosa, commonly known as the "Hitachi Tree," shown in the commercial with the catchy song "Kono ki nan no ki ki ni naru ki~." There are many tourist spots in Hawaii, but the place I most wanted to visit was the Hitachi Tree, located in the Moanalua Gardens. It's a place with nothing but the tree, but seeing the tree that I had watched on TV for so long with my own eyes was a deeply moving experience.
When I went to Hawaii with my family, I wanted to take a family photo with the tree in the background. However, my then 3-year-old daughter happened to be in a bad mood, probably because she had just woken up, and we couldn't take a good photo, which was very disappointing.
The following year, I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii again for a company trip, and since I was in charge of planning the trip, I forcefully included Moanalua Gardens in the itinerary, partly as my own revenge. The weather was nice the second time, and if possible, I would have liked to relax under the tree for half a day, but it was a company trip, so I couldn't do that. We stayed for a short time, took photos, bought souvenirs, and headed to the next tourist spot.
Since then, whenever I go on a business trip abroad, I always wear the leather name tag I bought at Moanalua Gardens, and every time I see it, I remember that time. Objects and memories are closely intertwined, so I think it's a good idea, albeit cliché, to buy something as a memento of your travels.
