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It is a trip of about four and a halfhours to reach the town of Maruoka from Tokyo — first by Shinkansen bullet train to Maibara, transferring there to a Hokuriku Trunk Line train, getting off at Fukui, and tak-ing a bus to Maruoka. From Kyoto, one can get there in less than two hours, by taking a limited express and a local train. As soon as we got off the bus, people of the Maruokatown office took us first to Maruoka Castle. Ever since it was built in 1576, this castle has always been the symbol of this region. It was leveled in the Great Fukui Earthquake of 1948 but wasrestored at once. 80% of the posts, beams and other wooden parts of the old castle were used in the restoration. Because of this, one can feel its sober beauty in the quiet bearing of the castle that has withstood wind and snow for 400 years.
Mr. Masato Kitakaze, Secretary General of the Maruoka-cho Cultural Foundation, explained;
"This is among the oldest existing castle architectures in this country. Its stone walls, which did not crum-ble even in the big earthquake, appear very crude but they are masoned solidly with good drainage."
Two-thirds of the town area consist of woodland and one can see the gentle row of mountains from anywhere in the town. And, on the other side, as close as 14 kilometers as the crow flies, lies the Japan Sea coastline. Thus, the town is in a position to enjoy the products of both the sea and the mountains. The town also lies in fertile rice land. At the same time, it has been reputed since earlier days for the deliciousness of its soba (buck-wheat noodles). That's why you will see many attractive soba shops when you walk through the town.
The district is known for its heavy snowfall in winter, but when we went there this summer it was steaming hot. The municipal swimming pool adjacent to the town hall echoed with the happy voices of children. The town's shopping dis-trict was resplendent with the colorful decorations of the Star Festival (a summer event). However, the number of people in the streets was few, even if the effect of hot sun was taken into account. We wondered whether the town's daytime population was small because many residents, especially the young, commute to nearby Fukui City, the prefecturalcapital of 256,000 people. Mr. Masao Ishida of the town office's Commerce and Tourist Section provided the answer:
"The main industries here are cloth weaving and sewing which prospered because this district used to be a major silk producing area, but the number of weaving and sewing firms today is barely 20% that in the peak years." |
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| The Japanese and English books containing the prize-winning letters of the first shortest letter writing contest whose theme was "Mother". Representatives of more than 50 local governments throughout the country come to Maruoka town every year to learn the secret behind the success of this event. |
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