All day, reflected in the gently moving stream, I watch the carp swimming. A friend arrives soon after lunchtime, and we spend a balmy afternoon together munching on rice balls. I hear a ring-a-ling: it’s that pretty girl again, whooshing by on her bike. Today’s a lazy day. The Aiba River flows leisurely, and occasionally a cat stalks the fish as the city is mirrored in the waters amid the fresh green of spring.

*In the old days the Aiba River was used to carry timber and other supplies from the mountains to the castle by raft, via the Abu River. Today a stream stocked with carp, it remains a fond part of the local people’s lives, a treasured reminder of Hagi’s past.