WOTADIAMONDGEEZER-BLOG

カンボジア旅行 2009 パート⑤ - Cambodia 2009 Part Five

2009-05-02T20:23:00.003+09:00

今日でカンボジア旅行最終日～。

三度目の正直を信じて今日もアンコールワットに朝日を見に行くつもりだったけど、さすがに5時前に起きる余力はなく...。結局起きたのは8時（笑）。さすがにこの時間になるとホテルのレストランも空いてる。

今日はまずシエムリアップ川沿いの庶民の生活ぶりを見てからお土産ショッピングに。いや～ぁ、お土産ショッピングは本当に大変。お土産に相応しいものを探すのだけでも一苦労。むしろ価格交渉は楽しいもの。お土産ショッピングだけで3時間以上も使ってしまった。

しばらくシエムリアップ市外を散歩した後は、Dr. Feetというマッサージ屋さんで最後のクメールマッサージ！いや～ぁ、これがまた気持ちよかった～ぁ。それにしても一番奥でマッサージを受けていたやたら大きい外人のイビキにはさすがのマッサージ師の女の子たちも爆笑。

裏バー･ストリートでチップスを食べならが余韻に浸った後にホテルに向かい、そこから空港へ。こういうときに限ってATMでお金が出せなかったり、チェックインカウンターでとんでもない待ちぼうけを食らったりというハプニング。あれだけの人が並んでいたのに気が付くと僕たちだけ...。

ベトナムの空港ではたっぷり買い物をする時間が。そして空港にもかかわらずモノが安いこと！ついついいろいろ買ってしまいました～。

寝たり朝焼けを見たりしながら気が付くと成田に到着。

それにしても盛り沢山で独り占めのカンボジア旅行、本当に帰ってきたくなかった、それぐらいとっても良い旅になりました～。

----------

Today is the last day of our Cambodia trip!

We were planning to go to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat for third time lucky, but were too tired to get up at 5:00AM. We ended up waking up at 8:00AM. :-) The restaurant at the hotel was quite empty by this time.

We started today by looking around the lifestyle alongside the Siem Reap river, and went for souvenir shopping. Souvenir shopping is sooooooo hard. We scratched our head over finding right items for souvenir. Haggling was more of fun it has to be said. We ended up spending over 3hrs just for shopping.

After going for a walk in the city, we had our last Khmer massage at Dr. Feet. It was sooooooooooo good! Snoring this big foreigner was making at the far was corner was so loud that even girls doing massage couldn't stop laughing.

Once we enjoyed the last minutes of our time in town by having chips in the "back" Bar Street, we grabbed our bags at the hotel and headed to the airport. We ended up having a few last minute problems. First I couldn't take cash out from ATM. And we had to wait for a long time for check-in. Although there were lots of people queuing up, when we realised it was just us at the counter...

There were lots of time for shopping at the airport in Vietnam. Because everything was so cheap even at the airport, we ended up buying quite a bit!

While sleeping and looking at sunrise, we arrived at Narita.

This trip to Cambodia was packed with lots of things to see. We really didn't want to come back... our was that good!

カンボジア旅行 2009 パート④ - Cambodia 2009 Part Four

2009-04-30T23:09:00.000+09:00

今日は昨日のリベンジも兼ねて4:45AM起きでアンコールワットの朝日を見に行った。雲はかかってるものの雨もなく昨日よりはましだったけど、ちょこっとしか朝焼けは見れなかった。まぁ、ちょっとでも見れただけでもましかな？

その後、トゥクトゥクドライバーが帰り道にあるポルポト政権時代の処刑場に案内してくれた。ここでは処刑された人々の遺骨が積み重なるように陳列されていた。ここにいるだけでも身震いがした。

朝食をとった後ロリュオス遺跡群に出発。ここではもともと貯水池の中心にある島に立てられていた寺院ロレイ、「聖なる牛」を意味する寺院プリア･コー、そしてピラミッドのような形をしたバコンに行きました。僕は特にバコンが気に入った。

その後は孤児院を訪問することに。様々な境遇を抱えてここにやって来た子供たち。でもみんな明るく元気。一人ひとり日本語できちんと挨拶してくれました。歌を歌ってくれたり、いろんな質問をしてくれたり、楽しい時間を過ごすことができた。日本から持ってきたお米もみんな喜んでくれた。少しの間しか一緒にいれなかったけど、さよならした時はちょっぴり寂しかった。

午後はトンレサップ湖のクルーズに。乾季ということもあって水かさがかなり低かった。ここではかなり多くの人たちがこの湖で仕事をし、ボートもしくは高床式の家に住んでいる。テレビで見たことはあったけど、こうして目の当たりにするとやっぱりかなりのカルチャーショックだった。でもこれが普通のベーシックな生活なんだな、と考えさせられた。

これでチャンダラーさんによるガイドは終了。チャンダラーさんの流暢な日本語には本当に驚かされた。

夜はわれらがトゥクトゥクドライバー、ミスター・クロックの運転でアンコールワットのライトアップを見に行った。ライトアップされたアンコールワットは凄く綺麗だったけど、全然客がいないのにびっくり。まぁ、通常のパスは使えずチケットは結構高いし、マーケティングもよくないのかな。でもここで本格的なカンボジアの伝統舞踊を見ることができた。ほんとに凄く壮大なスケールのダンスだった。

最後はナイトマーケットでちょっと買い物。ここでは若い人たちが家計を助けるために働いているのが結構目立った。ホテルのそばの地元の人が行くような食堂でミスター･クロックと鍋を食べて4日目は終了！

いよいよ明日でカンボジア最後だ～～～ぁ。

----------

We headed to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise as a revenge for yesterday. Although it was better than yesterday without rain, it was cloudy and we could only see the sky burning a bit. But, perhaps, it's better than nothing as they say...

After we left Angkor Wat, our Tuk-Tuk driver took us to the former killing field for Pol Pot regime on the way back to our hotel. The remains of those innocent people who were killed were piled up here. It was really chilling just being there.

We headed towards Rolous after breakfast. We saw an old temple Lolei that's built on island in the centre of artificial lake, Preah Ko that means 'holy cow', and Bakong that looks a bit like pyramid. I especially liked Bakong.

After visiting Rolous, we visited an orphanage in a village that's miles away from Siem Reap. Although the kids came here under various different circumstances, they were all smiling. Every one of them introduced themselves in Japanese. They sang songs and asked us various questions. We really had fun time here. We were delighted that they were happy with the rice we brought from Japan. Although it was such a short visit, it was really sad that we had to say goodbye.

In the afternoon, we went for a cruise in the Tonle Sap lake. 午後はトンレサップ湖のクルーズに。Because it'a a dry season, there's not much water in the lake. Many people work here in the lake, and live on a boat or a tall house in the lake. Although I have seen this on TV, it was a bit of a shock to me. Having said that, this is what basic life is. It really made me think.

Tonle Sap lake was the last destination that Chandaler was taking us. We were really impressed with his Japanese language skills.

Our Tuk-Tuk driver Mr. Kroch drove us to Angkor Wat to see the building lit up in the evening. The Angkor Wat that's lit up was amazing, but we were surprised to see very few visitors. Perhaps this is because normal tickets are not valid and the special ticket is pricey. Also, they may have problems with how they are marketing it. Having said that, we were able to see more Cambodian Dance that was quite frankly incredible.

We did a bit of shopping in the Night Market where lots of young people are working to help their family make ends meet. We finished our fourth day in Cambodia by having a hot pot with Mr. Kroch at a local restaurant near the hotel!

Tomorrow is our last day in Cambodia!

カンボジア旅行 2009 パート③ - Cambodia 2009 Part Three

2009-04-29T23:47:00.000+09:00

カンボジア旅行3日目がスタート！

今日は夜明けのアンコールワットを見に行くために4:30AM起床！とにかく眠い！しかし辿り着くと雨が...。残念ながら朝日は見れず...。

朝食を済ませてから、スラスランという昔の王様の浴場、そしてその反対にある小学校見学に。小学校はちょうど休憩時間で、子供たちが元気にサッカーをして楽しんでました。来客に慣れているのか、近くに来て日本語で話しかけてくれる子も。

そのあと、バンテアイ・スレイへ。規模は大きくないけど、彫刻が綺麗で、周りを囲むお堀からの眺めはとても綺麗。

お昼前にはオールドマーケットへ。激しい雨が降り始めて客入りの悪さを予想したのか、僕たちが帰るのを遮ろうとするお店も！でも他のお店で何とか値切っていいもの買いました～。

ご飯を食べた後は、クメールマッサージ！これがまた気持ちいいっ！体が温かくなって気が付くと落ちてました...（笑）。

プリア・カンでは珍しい円柱状の柱と二階建ての建物も。ここでもかなり多くの菩薩の顔が盗まれていた。金銭目的でタイ方面に持っていかれたらしい。その後ニアックポアンという昔の病気を治すための浴場を見学。

夜はバーベキュー屋さんで食べ放題！このバーベキューは、豚の脂肪とバターのようなもので肉や海鮮を焼いて、野菜は沸騰する汁で茹でるというもの。美味しかった～ぁ。

今日の締めくくりはバーストリートにある Red Piano というバーで「トゥームレダー」というカクテルを！このカクテルはかなり有名らしく、暑いカンボジアにはもってこいのさっぱり系のカクテル。

今日も中身の濃い一日でした～。

----------

The third day of our Cambodia trip started!

As we were going to see Angkor Wat sunrise, we had to get up at 4:30AM! So sleepy! But as soon as we arrived at Angkor Wat, it started raining... and we couldn't see the sunrise...

Once we finished breakfast, we headed to Sras Srang, a bath for an old king, and an elementary school opposite to the bath. Because the kids were having a break at the school, they were enjoying playing football in the field. It seemed to us that they are used to visitors, and some of them even came to us and said hello in Japanese.

Our next destination was Banteay Srei. This place is not huge, but hosts some beautiful sculptures and the view from the moat was nice.

We went to the old market before lunch. Maybe because they predicted that there wouldn't be many customers as it started raining really hard, there was one shop that even tried to block us from leaving! But we managed to find some lovely items after haggling!

After lunch, it was time for Khmer massage! It was sooooooooo nice! As I started feeling warm, I passed out when I realised... :-)

At Preah Khan, we saw round poles and a building with two floors, which are unusual in Angkor. This place had so many Budda's faces that were stolen and taken to Thai border for financial gain. We also saw Neak Pean, a bath that was used to cure illness in the past.

We went to an eat-as-much-as-you-like BBQ restaurant for dinner! This BBQ was interesting in a sense that you use pig's fat and butter to cook meat and seafood while boiling vegetables in a soup. It was delicious!

We finished today with Tomb-Raider cocktail at the Red Piano bar in Bar Street. Apparently this cocktain is very popular, and is very refreshing in such a hot country like Cambodia.

Today was also packed!

カンボジア旅行 2009 パート② - Cambodia 2009 Part Two

2009-04-28T22:09:00.000+09:00

今日から本格的なカンボジア観光がスタート！

まずはアンコールトムへ。ここでは象に乗って南大門をくぐりバイヨン寺院へ行くことに。象に乗ってるのが僕たちだけということもあって、地元の人も含めて観光客の注目の的に（笑）。ここには有名なクメールの微笑といわれる菩薩像も。

その後、僕が行くのを楽しみにしていたものの一つ、タ・プロームという仏教寺院へ。ここではお寺の建物の上に絡むようにして建つ巨大な木が見もの。それにしても想像していた以上に凄い！

午後はホテルの近くで美味しい郷土料理を食べた後、ホテルで休憩。天気もよかったのでホテルにあるプールで日焼けをしつつ一泳ぎ。気持ちよかった～ぁ！

一休みした後、遂に待ちに待ったアンコールワットへ。すごいぞ～ぉ！空も綺麗に晴れ上がって、写真でも映える！アンコールワットのスケールの大きさにも圧倒されるけど、至る所にある彫刻も素晴らしい。

観光の最後はプノンバケン山に昇り夕日を見ることに。しかし雲がだいぶかかっていて夕日はほとんど見れなかった。残念！

夜はバイキングを食べながらカンボジアの伝統舞踊を堪能。昨日見たのも良かったけど、今日のも良かった。

かなり密度の濃い充実した二日目でした～。

----------

Cambodia sightseeing started today!

We headed to Angkor Thom first where we walked through the South Gate and got to the Bayon by elephant. Because it was only us riding an elephant, everyone including locals was watching us! :-) This place also had famous smiling Budda.

After seeing Angkor Thom, we headed to Ta Phrom temple that I was really looking forward to seeing. This place has huge trees standing on top of buildings. It was more amazing than first imagined!

Once we had some tasty domestic food near our hotel, we had a little bit of a break at the hotel. Because the weather was nice, we decided to enjoy the hotel swimming pool. It was so refreshing!

As we had enough rest, we went to Angkor Wat that we had been waiting for. It's just amazing! As the sky cleared, Angkor Wat was looking great for photos. As much as we were impressed with the size of Angkor Wat, sculptures around this place also caught our eyes.

The final sightseeing of the day was to see the sunset on top of the Phnon Bakheng. Unfortunately, we could hardly see the sunset because of the cloud. Gutted!

We enjoyed Cambodian dancing while enjoying viking dinner. Today's dance was also as good as yesterday's.

It was such a packed second day of our trip!

カンボジア旅行 2009 パート① - Cambodia 2009 Part One

2009-04-27T23:21:00.001+09:00

今日から待ちに待ったカンボジア旅行！朝10時半発の飛行機ということで、朝4時45分起きで出発～。

やっぱりゴールデンウィーク直前ということもあって飛行機は結構空席が目立った。お陰でゆったりとしたスペースで寝ることができました～。

ホーチミンからシエムリアップ行きの飛行機では大量の韓国人観光客と出くわす羽目に。それにしても彼らはうるさいしとにかく失礼。キレた僕は数人に怒鳴りました（笑）。

遂にシエムリアップに到着！それにしても暑い！

何とツアー参加者は僕とてるちゃん二人。ということはツアー中はやりたい放題？！

夕方前には到着したこともあって、シエムリアップ市街の散策に。早速マーケットにも行ったけど、初日ということもあって偵察だけにした。

夕飯はアプサラダンスが見れるということでTemple Clubに。やっぱり食べ物も飲み物も安い！クメール料理も中々美味しく、カンボジアの伝統舞踊もとても興味深かった。

明日からのシエムリアップ観光、楽しみだ～ぁ。

----------

Trip to Cambodia that we have been waiting for starts today! Because our flight was departing Narita at 10:30AM, I had to get up at 4:45AM!

Unsurprisingly, there were empty seats on airplane because it's just before the Golden Week. Thankfully, we were able to have a nap comfortably.

We encountered a whole bunch of Korean tourists on the flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. They were really noisy and rude. As I lost temper, I had a go at a few of them. :-P

Finally... we arrived in Siem Reap! It's so hot here!

It was only myself and Teruko who were joining this tour. That means we can do as we please?!

Because we arrived before the sun set, we decided to go for a bit of walk around in the city. Although we went to a market, we chose not to buy anything because it's our first day in town.

We went to the Temple Club because they were showing Apsara Dancing. Food and drink was so cheap! While Khmer food was delicious, Cambodian dance was also very interesting.

Can't wait for sightseeing from tomorrow!

亀井サヨナラ弾！ - Kamei hit Sayonara home run!

2009-04-25T23:35:00.003+09:00

今日はてるちゃんのお母さんに貰ったチケットで東京ドームに巨人対中日の試合を見に行った。

激しく雨が降ってるので行くのを躊躇ったけど、結局もったいないので行くことに。

試合は巨人が点を取っては追いつかれるシーソーゲーム。9回表に和田のツーランで勝ち越され嫌なムードが立ち込める。しかし岩瀬を打ち込み、代打で登場の亀井が初球を叩いてスリーランホームラン！巨人サヨナラ勝ち！いや～ぁ、めちゃめちゃ興奮した～ぁ！

雨の中躊躇いながら行った試合、ものすごいクライマックスがまってました～！

----------

We went to Tokyo Dome to see Yomiuri Giants vs. Chunichi Dragons with tickets we got from Teruko's mum.

We were rather reluctant to go because of heavy rain, but decided to go because it would be a waste not to.

It was a thrilling game with Giants lead and Dragons followed. Dragons took the lead in the upper 9th inning with Wada's 2RBI home run. However, Giants got two hits from Dragons' pitcher Iwase, and pinch hitter Kamei hit the first ball, which became a game ending 3RBI home run! How excited was I??

What a climax was waiting for us after going to the game hesitantly in the rain!

Aura at 国立科学博物館 - Aura at National Science Museum

2009-04-07T23:30:00.002+09:00

今日はAuraのコンサートを見に上野の国立科学博物館に行ってきました～。

上野についてまだ時間があったので、上野公園でちょっとだけ花見。それにしても凄い人、そしてものすごい宴会（笑）。

Auraは、去年のクリスマスに「都市楽師」という無料コンサートで初めて見て、すっかりはまってしまった。

Auraはとにかく本当に素晴らしい！！この美しく優しい歌声は一体何なんだろう...。聞いていてあまりに心地よくリラックスしてしまい、寝そうになることしばしば（笑）。｢ロンドンデリーの歌｣を聞いたときは、僕が長年住んでいたイギリスの風景を思い出させてくれた。本当に素敵なコンサート、ありがとう！

彼女たちは絶対ヨーロッパで活動するべき！イギリスの築何百年の教会とか城でやってもいいし、ロイヤル･アルバート･ホールも夢ではない！頑張れ、Aura!

----------

We went to the National Science Museum to see Aura's live concert.

Since we had plenty of time after arriving in Ueno, we saw cherry blossom in Ueno Park for a bit. There were many people, and many piss-up sessions. :-)

I got introduced to Aura when we went to see a free live concert 'Toshigakushi', and love their music ever since.

Aura is brilliant! I just cannot describe their beautiful and gentle voices in words... I was feeling so relaxed while listening that I almost fell into sleep on several occasions. 'Would God I were the tender apple blossom' really reminded me of scenery in the UK where I lived for a long time. Thank you, Aura, for such a wonderful live concert!

I believe that these ladies should start performing in Europe. They would certainly fit into churches and castles of several hundred years old, and even Royal Albert Hall! Go for it, Aura!!

近所で花見 - Cherry blossom in the neighbourhood

2009-04-05T22:50:00.007+09:00

今日は予定がなかったので、天気が良くなったこともあって、近所の公園に花見に行ってきました～。

舟山公園ももみじ公園も、まさに桜満開！近場でこんな綺麗な桜が堪能できるなんて凄い！

何で桜はこんなに人を魅了するんだろう...。とっても綺麗な桜で写真に夢中になりながら、気分も和みました～ぁ。

もうすぐ桜も散り始めてしまうのかぁ...もったいない！

----------

Because I had no plans today and the weather got better, I went for a walk and saw cherry blossom in parks in the neighbourhood.

Cherry trees in Funayama Park and Momiji Park are in full blossom! It's amazing we can enjoy such beautiful cherry blossom near my house!

Why does cherry blossom grabs the heart of so many people? I just couldn't stop taking photos, and also had very relaxing time watching the cherry trees.

But these flowers are about to fall soon... What a shame!!

密度の濃い土曜日 - Eventful Saturday

2009-04-04T23:49:00.005+09:00

今日は、まず昼ごはんを食べに結婚式場の隣のお好み焼き屋さんへ。というのも、試食会でテーブルが一緒になったカップルが今日式を挙げるので、見に来ようというもの。

美味しい鉄板焼き料理を食べ終えて、コーヒーを飲みならがら傍から見ているつもりが、是非人前式に参加して欲しい、ということで私服で飛び入り参加(笑）。とてもリラックスムードの二人の素晴らしい一日を見させてもらいました！

しかも、サッカー関連の仕事をしているということで、なんと日本代表の岡田監督が！一日中開場にいる係りの人でさせ見れなかったのに、数時間だけいた僕が見れるとは！(笑）

それからてるちゃんの提案で千鳥ヶ淵、靖国神社に桜を見に行ってきました～。それにしても凄い人だ～ぁ！やっぱりこれが日本の桜文化ですな～ぁ。

なんと言う偶然、今度は元日本代表のトルシエがいるではないか...。サッカーに関係ない場所で日本代表監督に二人も会うなんてそうそうないぞ～ぉ。

千鳥ヶ淵も靖国神社も凄い数の桜の木があってビックリ。ライトアップもとっても綺麗でした～ぁ。

そして最後は花見開場でモツ煮におでん！僕は日本酒、てるちゃんはビールで乾杯！モツ煮は美味かったな～ぁ。褒めちぎりが功を奏したのか、なんと紙コップ一杯の大吟醸をもう一杯ただで飲ませてもらいました～ぁ。

いや～ぁ、密度の濃い土曜日でした～ぁ。

----------

We went to the Okonomiyaki restaurant next to our wedding venue for lunch first. We came here because the couple we sat across during a tasting session was having their wedding today.

After having delicious teppanyaki lunch, we were going to see their wedding from the cafe nearby while having a cup of coffee. Then they asked us to join their ceremony, and we ended up joining in in a casual outfit. We were able to see a wonderful day for the two who were in a very relaxing mood.

In addition, because the new groom is doing football-related job, the coach for Japan national team Okada was there! I couldn't believe I could see him while I was there for only a few hours whereas some staff who were at the venue for the whole day couldn't see him at all... :-)

We moved on to Chidorigafuchi and Yasukuni Temple to see cherry blossom following Teruko's suggestion. There were millions of people out there to see cherry blossom! This is Japan's cherry blossom watching culture I guess.

This time, a former Japan national team's coach Phillipe Troussier was here. You wouldn't meet two former and current national coach at places that are nothing to do with football...

I was gobsmacked by the amount of cherry trees around Chidorigafuchi and Yasukuni Temple. The trees that were lightened up were amazing!

We finished the day with guts stew and oden... with me drinking sake and Teruko having beer. The guts stew was sooooooo delicious! Maybe because my compliment worked well, I was offered a cup full of sake for free!

It was a eventful Saturday!

古内東子 at コットンクラブ - Toko Furuuchi at Cotton Club

2009-04-02T22:55:00.003+09:00

古内東子さんのライブを見にコットンクラブに行ってきました～。

2004年にイギリスに帰る飛行機で初めて彼女の歌「サヨナラアイシテタヒト」を聴いて以来、一度は見に来たかったライブ。しかもコットンクラブのような比較的小さくてファンと歌手の一体感のある会場。

ギタリストと二人だけのアコースティックなライブ。ということで、アップテンポな僕が大好きな｢サヨナラアイシテタヒト｣は聞けなかったけど、それ以外の彼女の名曲、僕の知らなかった曲も含め、いろんな曲が聞けた。彼女の歌は複雑な女性の心理をストレートに表現しているので、独特な声で歌う彼女の歌、ついつい詩にも真剣に聞き入ってしまう。ほんとに綺麗な歌が多い。

またスペシャルゲストで彼女の友人のサックス奏者(名前忘れた...)も飛び入り参加で何曲か演奏してくれるし、トークは楽しいし、とにかくいて楽しかった。そして極めつけは、松田聖子の「ロックン･ルージュ｣を披露！

90分、たっぷり堪能させて頂きました～。ありがとう、東子さ～ん！

----------

We went to COTTON CLUB to see Toko Furuuchi's live concert.

Ever since I heard her 'Sayonara Aishiteta Hito' for the first time on the plane back to the UK in 2004, I have always wanted to see her show. This show was at a small venue where musicians and the audience can have cozy atmosphere.

This show was acoustic with only her and her guitarist. Possibly because of that, we could not listen to my favorite 'Sayonara Aishiteta Hito', which is more upbeat. But we could hear all sorts of songs from her classics and the ones I never heard before. I got sucked into it since her songs articulate women's delicate feelings in plain text. She has got a number of beautiful songs that she sings with her distinctive voice.

It was a very enjoyable show where they had some funny talks and we had a saxophone player as special guest with whom they played a few songs together. The climax was Toko-San singing Seiko Matsuda's Rock'n Rouge!

We thoroughly enjoyed the packed 90mins show... Thank you, Toko-San!

春近し...？ - Spring coming?

2009-03-29T22:53:00.005+09:00

先週の暖かさが嘘のように今週は寒い！

しかし桜も咲きはじめを迎え、うちの近くの公園でも桜が咲き始めました～。

まだ三分咲きだけど、早くも花見をしているグループも。

来週にはピークかな？

----------

Unlike the warm weather we had last week, this weeks's been frickin cold!

Cherry is beginning to blossom in the parks near my house.

Only 30% is blossoming, but there are already a few groups that were enjoying hanami party.

Hopefully, cherry will blossom next week...?

納得行かないけど一勝 - Not happy, but a win is a win...

2009-03-28T23:31:00.004+09:00

今日はワールドカップ2010予選、日本対バーレーン戦を見に埼玉スタジアムに行ってきた。

浦和美園駅に着くとすごい人。駅前で余りチケットを売っている人が多く目立った。僕たちは定価の半分以下でチケットを直前にゲット。ラッキ～～～～。

試合は日本が開始早々速攻でいいスタートを切るも、どうしても単調な攻めで決定的なチャンスが作れない。時折いいコンビネーションプレーがあるものの、ゴール前では硬いディフェンスを前にプレーが雑になってシュートまで持っていけない。ボールをとった後でもミスパスでボールを相手に返す場面も増えた。

後半早々俊輔のフリーキックで先制！これは玉田のいいカウンターが生んだフリーキック。しかし、てるちゃんはココアを買いに行っててゴールを見れず...。

結局相手ゴールキーパーをほとんど試すことなく1-0で勝利。一方的な試合、ヘディングシュートがディフェンダーにゴールラインでクリアされ、内田もバーをたたいたものの、チャンスはあんまりなかった。やはり日本はもっとガツガツ中盤を支配できる選手が必要なのは間違いないけど、もっとテンポのある攻撃、試合展開をして欲しい。

----------

We went to see the World Cup 2010 Qualifier between Japan and Bahrain at Saitama Stadium.

There were tons of people around Urawa Misono station. We noticed there were a lot of people trying to get rid of their spare tickets. We got tickets for less than half the price a few days ago... How lucky are we?!

Japan started brightly with quick attack from the start, but failed to create chances from one dimensional offense. There were some good link-up plays in the midfield, but Japan were a bit casual in front of goal where Bahrain defense was tight. Soon we started seeing Japan dispossessing their ball too cheaply.

Japan scored the opener from Nakamura's free kick immediately after restart. This was a free kick that was earned through Tamada's quick counter attack. However, Teruko was unable to see the goal since she went to get some cocoa...

In the end, Japan won 1-0 without really testing their goalkeeper. It was a one-sided match with a header cleared off the line and Uchida hitting the bar, but Japan failed to create too many chances. Japan really need someone who can dictate the midfield and bomb forward. We also need some tempo in attack and controlling the game.

四国旅行 2009！③ - Trip to Shikoku 2009 Part Three!

2009-03-21T23:58:00.000+09:00

早くも四国旅行は最終日。しかも今日は旅程変更のため7時半スタートということで、のんびり風呂に浸かる暇もなし。もちろん快晴に見舞われたにもかかわらず朝日を楽しむ時間もなし！

足摺と四万十川の眺めをしばらく楽しみながら高知市内へ。本来は坂本竜馬生誕の地に建つホテルに泊まれて、高知城も堪能できて、って言う筈だったんだな～ぁ。高知城見て、やっぱりここに泊まりたかったな～ぁ、って思った。

そして待ちに待った桂浜へ。しかしスケジュール変更によって旅程自体にかなり無理があるから桂浜は写真撮って終わってしまった...。青空でとっても気持ちよかったのにな～ぁ。

しばらく山道を行った後かずら橋へ。とっても綺麗な祖谷川にかかるかずら橋の眺めは絶景だったけど、ここも基本的には写真を撮って終了。ツアー直前の変更で思っていた不安が現実のものとなった。さらに、新幹線間に合うかどうかと言っている最中、ツアー参加者の爺さん一人が20分も集合時間に遅れて、侘びの一つもないどころか清々しい顔して帰ってくる始末。ぶん殴ってやろうかと思うくらい腹が立った。この結果、行く予定だった大歩危はキャンセル。それでも何食わぬ顔してるこの馬鹿オヤジ、何なんだろ...。

その後、更に綺麗な山道を通り、高校野球で有名な池田高校を通り過ぎ、しばらくして金刀比羅宮に。785段の石段と聞いて｢登らない｣と言っていた母も、あまりにも参加者が多いのを見て急遽参加(笑）。やっぱり年配の人には大変だと思うけど、頑張ってお母さんも頂上まで見事辿り着くことに！これにはお母さん自身も大喜び。僕も足に不安を抱えながらも頑張って登ったお母さんに素直に嬉しかった。ご褒美は、頂上から眺める山々の絶景と限定のお守り！

本来登って自由時間だったんだけど、ここも登って帰ってきて終わり。そして本来瀬戸大橋記念公園行って船乗るはずが、瀬戸内海を一気に突っ走ることに。これはこれで眺めもよくていい走りだったけど、やっぱり記念公園からの眺めを一望したかった。

最終日は不安が的中して満足度がかなり低い一日となってしまった。でもガイドさんのユーモアのお陰である意味救われたと思う。彼女がいなかったら大変なツアーになってた気がする。高知県交通のガイドさん、ありがと～！

帰りの新幹線では三人ともクタクタに。最後の日は除いて、全体的にはかなり満足の行く旅でした～。そして兄貴にもお母さんにも満足してもらえてよかった～！

----------

Time flew so quickly and today is the final day of our trip to Shikoku. Due to the itinerary change, we were leaving at 7:30AM. That meant we had no time to relax and have a bath. Although we had a beautiful sunny morning, we had no time to enjoy the sunrise either.

We drove into Kochi city after a long journey with the view of Ashizuri and Shimanto River. We were supposed to stay in a hotel that's built on the land where Ryoma Sakamoto was born, while we could have enjoyed the Kochi Castle. As we saw the magnificent castle, I wished we could have stayed in this city.

Finally, we arrived in Katsurahama. But, because of aggressive itinerary due to schedule change, we only had time for taking photos. The beach was great with lovely sunshine...

After driving through the mountains, we got to Kazurabashi Bridge. It's a beautiful set-up with the bridge hanging over Soya River. But, again, we only had time for photoshooting. My concern before the tour started has become reality. While we were talking about whether we could make it to our bullet train, this old man showed up 20mins late for departure. To make the matter worse, he not only didn't apologise to us but came back with beaming smile on his face. I really wanted to punch this muppet. Because of this moron, we had to cancel our visit to Ohboke valley. What's wrong with this dick-head seemingly not caring at all?!

After driving alongside the mountains even further, we went to Konpiragu Temple after driving past Ikeda High School that is famous for high school baseball. My mum, who said 'no way' to climbing the 785 steps to the temple, was forced to give it a try at the last minute because most people were trying. :-) Although it's hard, my mum managed to climb to the top! My mum was really pleased, and I was so pleased for her guts while she was concerned about her legs. We were rewarded with stunning view of the mountains from the top and also an amulet that can be only purchased here.

We were supposed to have free time here too, but that's it. And we were supposed to go to Seto Ohashi Memorial Park and ride a boat back to the mainland, but we instead drove the bridge. We had pleasant view from the bridge, but I wish we could have enjoyed the view from the park.

The final day was far from satisfying, as our worry became reality. But we were saved by the humour of our tour guide. Without her, this tour could have been a disaster. Our tour guide from Kochi-ken Kotsu, thank you!

We were so knackered on the bullet train. Apart from the final day, it was a satisfying trip to Shikoku. I am glad that my mum and brother also enjoyed it!

四国旅行 2009！② - Trip to Shikoku 2009 Part Two!

2009-03-20T22:40:00.001+09:00

四国旅行二日目はちょっとのんびり9時出発。ということで、またまたお風呂を充分堪能して、ホテルの外を散策。ホテルの周りは桜も咲き始め。あと一、二週間遅かったら満開なんだろうな～ぁ。

天気予報は雨で、明け方までは土砂降りだったものの、出発までに雨は上がって昼近くには青空に。運がいいぞ～ぉ！

まずは伊予かすり会館にこの地域の民芸伊予かすり作りを見学に。伊予かすりは中々綺麗な折り目をしている。こういう地域の名品はぜひ後世に伝えていって欲しい。

昼は宇和島で昼食を食べた後お土産散策。宇和島の名産はなんと言っても真珠。ピンからキリまでいろんな真珠がありました～。ちなみに、さすがに僕は手が出ませんでした...(笑）。

そして今日メインの最後の清流、四万十川へ。四万十川の川下りは風情があってよかった。昨日の雨で船頭さん曰く「ちょっとにごってる」らしいけど、充分綺麗な色を見せてくれた。

四万十川を満喫した後は、阪急交通社のミスで急遽予定変更で泊まることになった足摺サニーサイドホテルへ。中々来ることのできない足摺に来れたからまぁよしとしますか。“全室オーシャンビュー”とはかなり大げさだけど、チェックイン後家族三人で散策に行くと、桜は咲き始めているし、そして岸壁に行くと素晴らしい眺めが！これには兄貴もお母さんも大満足！そして綺麗な夕焼けの写真もたくさん撮れました～。

夜は高知の郷土料理「皿鉢料理」を美味しく頂いて、お風呂に使って、お酒を飲んで終了！

明日は朝が早いぞ～ぉ...。

----------

The second day of our trip to Shikoku was starting a bit late at 9:00AM. So, after enjoying hot spring, we went for a bit of walk around the hotel. Cherry's about to blossom around the hotel. If it's a week or so later, the cherry must be blossom.

The weather forecast was rain and, as predicted, it was raining hard until the dawn. Fortunately for us, the rain cleared by the time we were leaving the hotel, and we had blue sky by lunchtime. We got luck!

We dropped in at Iyo Kasuri Kaikan to see local craft Iyo Kasuri. Iyo Kasuri is beautifully woven. I hope that they will carry on this this type of tradition to many generations to come.

At lunchtime, we went to Uwajima for lunch and shopping. Uwajima is famous for its pearl. They had all sorts of pearl from cheap to expensive. Obviously, I couldn't afford it... :-P

We went to Shimanto River in the afternoon where had pleasure of going down the river on the boat. According to our boatman the river was a bit clouded because of last night's rain, but from our perspective it was beautiful.

After enjoying Shimanto River, we headed towards Ashizuru Sunny Side Hotel where ended up staying due to administrative errors by Hankyu Travel. Ashizuri is not a place that we could easily get to, so we should be satisfied. "All rooms have ocean view" is well exaggerated, but we bumped into stunny view of ocean as we went for a walk after check-in. Both my mum and brother were very much satisfied! And I managed to take lots of photos of stunning sunset!!

The evening finished with Kochi's local dinner 'Sawachi Ryori' followed by sake and hot spring!

We have to start very early tomorrow...

四国旅行 2009！① - Trip to Shikoku 2009 Part One!

2009-03-19T22:41:00.005+09:00

いよいよ待ちに待った家族三人での四国旅行が始まりました～。

出発は11:30AM。7時発のツアーが参加者不十分で催行にならずにこのツアーになったけど、正直もう少し早く出発したかったなぁ。福山まで最新の新幹線にしても4時間近くかかるとは思わなかった。

福山からはバスの旅。本州から四国に向けてしまなみ海道の7つの架橋を渡る旅は、島々の景色もよく気持ちがよかった。その際には樹齢2600年もあるという木のある大山祗神社にも立ち寄った。

暗くなった頃には宿泊先のホテル奥道後に到着！ここは静かな山の中でいい！バイキングは種類も多いし、味もいいし、お酒を飲みながら腹いっぱい堪能。そしてなんと言っても風呂！ここのいい所は「ジャングル風呂」と言って26種類ものお風呂が楽しめる。お風呂だけ入りに来る地元の人たちも結構いるとか。温泉最高！

ホテルには満開の椿が程よくライトアップされてました～。

もうちょっと早いスタートならよかったけど、初日を堪能しました～。

----------

Trip to Shikoku with my family finally started!

Our train departed Tokyo at 11:30AM. We had to join this tour because the one with earlier departure was canceled due to not enough tourists, but we wished we could have started much earlier. I didn't even realise that a trip to Fukuyama even with latest bullet train takes almost 4hrs!

From Fukuyama, our bus journey started. The road from Mainland Japan to Shikoku via Shimanami Kaidou was surrounded by beautiful scenery. We stopped at Ohyamazumi Temple where they have a tree that's 2600 years old during the trip.

As it got dark, we arrived at Hotel Okudohgo! This hotel is ideally located in a very quiet mountain side. We enjoyed their food viking that was stuffed with all sorts of delicious food. But the best part of this hotel is hot spring! They have so called 'Jungle Bath' where you can enjoy 26 different types of baths. I heard even local people come here just to have bath. Hot spring is brilliant!

The hotel was surrounded by camellia blossom that's nicely lightened up.

We wish the tour had started earlier, but enjoyed the first day!

ホワイトデー in 横浜 - White Day in Yokohama

2009-03-16T23:27:00.000+09:00

昨日は日本でいうホワイトデーということもあり、てるちゃんを横浜に招待しました～。

本当はバレンタインでーに何かしたかったけど、まぁ日本のしきたりに従うのもたまにはありかな、と思って（笑）。

まずは横浜中華街にある萬珍樓でランチコースを食べることに。どちらかというとかなり上品な味の中華をたっぷり頂きました～。

それから港の見える丘公園からの横浜港の眺めを一望して、山手西洋館巡りをしました～。数時間のうちに7箇所全部行けるかな～ぁ、と思ったけど、全館制覇達成！特に外交官の家が庭も綺麗でよかった。

山手西洋館制覇してから、てるちゃんへのサプライズプレゼント決行！山下公園の目の前にあるホテルモントレ横浜のオーシャンビュー！偶然見つけて｢これ！｣って決めたんだけど、いざ連れてくると｢一度来たかったところ｣らしい。やった～～～ぁ！そして部屋からの眺めも最高！

夜は横浜赤レンガ倉庫に行って横浜の夜景とディナーを楽しんだ。ディナーは食べ物が遅くいまいちだったけど、夜景は最高！

そして朝日の横浜港もとってもよかった～ぁ。朝は横浜の余韻を楽しみながらのんびり出勤でホワイトデーイベント終了～。

てるちゃんにサプライズプレゼント喜んでもらえてよかった～～！

----------

Because it was White Day in Japan yesterday, I took Teruko out to Yokohama.

Although I wanted to do something on St. Valentine's Day, I felt sometimes I might as well follow Japanese tradition. :-P

We started off with a lunch course at Manchinro in China Town. We enjoyed their Chinese that tastes more delicate than the Chinese we are used to.

After lunch, we enjoyed the view of the harbour from the Yokohama Harbour View Park, which was followed by visit to Yamate Seiyoukan. We weren't sure we would be able to visit all the seven houses, but managed to do it! I particularly liked the Home of the Diplomat with beautiful garden.

Once we finished visiting all Yamate Seiyoukan houses, it was time to give Teruko a surprise! I took her to Hotel Monterey Yokohama where I had booked a room with ocean view. I found and decided to use this place by accident, but it turned out this is a place that Teruko wanted to come. Woohoo! And the view from our room was lovely.

After a short break at the hotel, we headed to Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse to enjoy the evening view of the city and dinner. Dinner was served very late, which we weren't overly impressed with. But the view of the city was fantastic!

Sunrise of Yokohama Harbour was also very pretty. This White Day event finished as we headed to work reluctantly from Yokohama.

I am delighted that Teruko was happy with this surprise gift!

さらば寝台特急はやぶさ - Goodbye Blue Train Hayabusa

2009-03-11T23:09:00.000+09:00

2009年3月14日で寝台特急はやぶさが廃止となる。

僕ははやぶさには乗ったことはないけど、北アメリカを電車で一ヶ月かけて旅行して電車内の寝泊りの楽しさを分かってる僕としては、やはりブルートレインみたいなものがなくなるのはとても寂しい。

飛行機や新幹線のお陰で早く目的地に着けるのは分かるし、ブルートレインの老朽化も進んでいるのは分かるんだが...。こういうのは残して欲しいな～ぁ...。

お疲れ様、はやぶさ。

----------

On 14 March 2009, they will terminate the service of Blue Train Hayabusa.

I have never traveled with Hayabusa but, as someone who knows the fun of "living and sleeping" on train after traveling North America by train for a month, it's really sad to lose something like Blue Train.

As much as I understand the evolution of airplanes and bullet trains allows us to get to destination much much quicker and Blue Train getting too old to maintain, I wish they try their best to maintain this kind of thing...

Goodbye, Hayabusa...

偕楽園と筑波山 - Kairakuen and Mt. Tsukuba

2009-03-01T23:02:00.001+09:00

今日は家族みんなと親戚のおばさんと車で偕楽園と筑波山に梅を見に行ってきました～。

あいにく天気予報は曇りのち雨だったけど、いざ行ってみると時折晴れ間が見えてくれてラッキー。

偕楽園は朝9時半過ぎに着いたものの、すでに結構多くの人が訪れていました。みんな考えることは一緒なんだな～ぁ。

偕楽園の梅は八分咲きぐらい。かなり広い範囲で梅が咲いているから写真はいくらでも撮れる。

僕たちが偕楽園を去る頃にはすごい人手。車も駐車場に入れない状態でした～。

その後我々は筑波山の梅祭りに。こっちは偕楽園に比べるとスケールが若干小さいけど、綺麗さでは負けていませんでした～。こっちは段々畑みたいになってて独特の感じ。

そして筑波山にケーブルカーで登ったところでは何と雪が降り出す有様！それにしてもケーブルカーに行く道のりは急な階段が多くて大変。

寒かったけど、今日も春を満喫しました～！

----------

I went to Kairakuen and Mt. Tsukuba to see plum trees with my family and auntie today.

The weather forecast was predicting cloud and rain, but we luckily had some sun from time to time.

We arrived in Kairakuen after 9:30AM, but the place was already quite busy with lots of tourists. It looks like everyone's thinking the same...

80% of the plum trees were blossoming in Kairakuen. You could take photos pretty much anywhere here because plum's blossoming everywhere.

By the time we were leaving Kairakuen, the place was absolutely packed with people. Cars couldn't even get into car park.

We went on to Mt. Tsukuba to see its plum blossom festival. This was smaller than Kairakuen's, but it was as pretty. This place was interesting in a sense the hill with plum trees was like stairs.

It started snowing as we climbed on top to the Mt. Tsukuba with cable car! By the way, the stairs leading to the cable car station were steep and tough...

Although it was cold, we enjoyed the spring today!

エリック･クラプトン東京公演 - Eric Clapton Live in Tokyo

2009-02-25T23:12:00.001+09:00

今日はエリック･クラプトン・ジャパンツアー2009東京公演を日本武道館に見に行ってきました～。

ギター好き、ブルース好きの僕としては外せないエリック･クラプトン。やっぱり彼のテクニックは一度は生で見ないとね。

座席は一回スタンド席一列目で真ん中からちょっと横に行ったくらいの完璧な眺め。この間のColdplayのライブの時のようにテレビカメラで邪魔されることもなし（笑）。でもWOWOWで放送するらしく、僕らの席の近くを含めかなり多くのテレビカメラがありました～。

ライブはブルースや定番をうまく混ぜた内容になっていた。やっぱり一流のミュージシャンの演奏は生で聞くと迫力がある！僕的には迫力あるギターテクニックを存分に出してもらい満足。

それにしても会場のファンの反応何とかならないかな～ぁ...。アップテンポな曲でもまったく体を動かさずに大人しくお行儀よく聞いてる人が大半。何かクラシックコンサートを見に行ってるようで気持ち悪かった。改めてAcoustic Alchemyのリーダーが僕に言ったことを思い出した。

----------

We went to Nihon Budokan to see Eric Clapton Japan Tour 2009 today.

I had to see Eric Clapton as someone who loves guitar and blues so much. His guitar technique is something that has to be seen live for once at least.

Our seats were perfect - located almost centre in the first row in the first floor stand. Unlike the Coldplay concert the other day, our view was not obstructed by TV cameras. :-) But there were lots of TV cameras as this show will be broadcast on WOWOW soon.

The show had good mixture of blues and classic Eric Clapton songs. Great musicians are really worth seeing live. I was really thrilled to see Clapton's guitar technique live.

By the way, can we not do anything with the crowd's atmosphere? Even with upbeat songs, the majority of the crowd was listening very "politely" and quietly. It really felt like as though we were at a classical music concert. It really reminded me of what the leader of Acoustic Alchemy had told me.

河津桜行ってきました～ぁ。 - Kawazu Sakura Cherry Blossom!

2009-02-22T22:43:00.006+09:00

遂に行ってきました、河津桜！

今日は普段会社に行くのより圧倒的に早い6時半起床で伊豆の踊り子号で東京から河津へ。熱海までは座れたけど、そこから車両切り離しで一時間ばかり立って行くことに。

河津に着いてみるととにかく凄い人！ある程度想像はしていたものの、駅から人で溢れ返っていました～。

駅を出ていきなり...凄い桜！線路の脇に続く桜と菜の花はとてもきれいでした～。そして川沿いに続く桜、桜、そして桜。一部は若干ピークを過ぎていて、葉が出てきちゃったり散ってたりしたけど、それでも充分満喫、堪能できました～。

そしてお昼に食べたさんま寿司、鯛焼きに野菜や肉が入ったもの、そして試食の饅頭、とにかく美味しかった～ぁ。もっと食べ歩きすればよかったかな...？（笑）

一つだけ残念だったのが、いい年こいた大人、中年が桜の下でご飯を食べたいが為に、写真を撮りたいが為に、何と菜の花を踏み倒していたこと。これでは若い人たちに示しが付かない。

帰りも電車は超満員。しばらく立っていたものの、早く並んでたお陰で小田原からは座れました～。いや～ぁ、本当に疲れた...。

河津桜、河津の皆さんありがと～ぉ！

----------

We went to see Kawazu Sakura Cherry Blossom!

I got up at 6:30AM, much earlier than weekdays, to get on Izu-no Odoriko line from Tokyo to Kawazu today. We were able to be seated until Atami, but had to be standing for about an hour due to changing train.

As soon as we arrived in Kawazu, there were tons of people! It was pretty much expected, but there were so many people all the way from the railway station.

As soon as we left Kawazu station... amazing cherry blossom! The cherry blossom and brassica campestris alongside the rail were beautiful. Along side the river, there were cherry blossom, cherry blossom, and more cherry blossom. Some of the trees already had leafs growing and petals falling off, but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

The sardine sushi, taiyaki with vegetables and meat, and free cherry cakes were all tasty. Perhaps we should have eaten more...? :-P

One thing that really disappointed me was the fact that there were all these adults and middle aged people knocking off some brassica campestris in order to have lunch or take photos under cherry blossom. What a great example to all these kids and young people.

The train back home was also packed. We had to be standing for a while, but could get seated after Odawara. We were sooooooo knackered...

Thank you, Kawazu Sakura and people in Kawazu!

てるちゃんの誕生日 - Teruko's birthday

2009-02-18T23:50:00.000+09:00

今日はてるちゃんの誕生日、お祝いディナーを食べに汐留にある「The Oregon Bar & Grill」に行ってきました～。

一日三組限定のバースデーコースを予約をしておいたんだけど、何とお店が東京タワーを正面に見ることのできるテーブルを用意してくれました。予約したときには無理そうな感じだったので、てるちゃんだけでなく僕自身もサプライズ（笑）。そしてメニューにまでてるちゃんの名前を入れてくれた。

お祝いの美味しいカクテルを頂いた後、ディナーはスターターから凄いことに。9種類の前菜盛り合わせは彩りがいいだけでなく、とにかく美味しかった。そしてボリュームのあるサラダ、僕の大好きなシーフードチャウダー、そしてメインのサーロインステーキは焼き具合も味もすご～くよかった。

そして誕生日デザートはとにかく凄かった。美味しいケーキからフルーツ、そしてマンゴークリームの入ったチョコでできたタワーはめちゃうまでした～。

ディナーもプレゼントもてるちゃんにはとっても喜んでもらえてよかった！

改めて、てるちゃんお誕生日おめでと～！

----------

We went to 'The Oregon Bar & Grill' in Shiodome for dinner to celebrate Teruko's birthday.

The restaurant gave us a table facing straight at the Tokyo Tower to have a birthday course meal that's only available for three groups a night. When I made reservation, it didn't sound like we could get a window table, so it was a surprise to not just Teruko but also myself. They also put Teruko's name down on the course menu!

After drinking complementary cocktail, the dinner started with great starter. The 9 apprtisers plate was very colourful and tasty. We also had salad and my favorite seafood chowder, and the main dish sirloin stake was cooked really well and delicious!

The birthday dessert was amazing. There were sliced cakes and delicious fruits, and also the chocolate tower with mango cream was soooooo good!

I am really pleased that Teruko was delighted with the dinner and present.

Again, happy birthday Teru-chan!

おばあちゃんの80歳の誕生日 - Grandmother's 80th birthday

2009-02-15T21:09:00.006+09:00

今日はてるちゃんのおばあちゃんの80歳の誕生日のお祝いをしに、てるちゃんのお母さんがバイトしているお店にみんなで行きました～。

てるちゃんが一生懸命作ったくまと薔薇の飾り、僕が買った花束、まちゃみちがあげた写真、孫が買ってあげたDVDプレーヤー、おばあちゃんの子供が買ってあげたテレビ、感激やさんのおばあちゃん、どれもとっても喜んでくれてよかった～ぁ。でもやっぱりこうしてみんなで一緒に楽しくお祝いできるのが一番嬉しいのかな。

出てきたランチコースもとっても美味しかった～。今度はディナーも食べに行きたいな～ぁ。

これでイベント尽くしのとっても忙しい一週間が終わりました～。

とっても充実した一週間、てるちゃんありがと～！

----------

We all went to the restaurant Teruko's mum works for part-time to celebrate her grandmother's 80th birthday.

Ornament with Teddy Bear and roses that Teruko made, a bouquet that I bought, photos Machamichi gave, DVD player her grandchildren bought, and TV her children bought... we were really pleased that grandma was delighted. But what pleased her most must be the fact that we were all there celebrating her birthday and having fun.

The lunch course was delicious! I would love to go back there for dinner sometime.

This hectic week full of events is now finally over.

Thank you Teru-Chan for this fun week!

宝塚歌劇「太王四神記」とバレンタインデー - Takarazuka Revue 'Taioushijinki' and St. Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:45:00.003+09:00

今日はてるちゃんと一緒に東京宝塚劇場に「太王四神記」を見に行ってきました～。

全日空の貸切公演で座席は抽選ということでどんな席になるのかちょっと心配だったけど、見事前から9列目真ん中の席をゲット！

ペ･ヨンジュンのやっていたオリジナルのTVドラマは見たことなかったけど、すんなり入っていくことができました～。しかし劇の展開の速さには本当に驚いた。だからこそ余計に宝塚の女優さんは凄いな～ぁと思った。そして劇のスケールの大きさにも圧倒された。

それにしても朝早くから劇場の前に並んで女優さんを待っていて、座っては立ってを繰り返す宝塚ファンの行動は面白かった。でも彼女たちが宝塚女優に憧れる理由が分かった気がする。

とにかく感動しました～。土曜日だというのに会社に行くのより早く起きていった甲斐がありました～。

演劇が終わってからは、梅が咲き始めた日比谷公園をちょっと散歩。20度を越える陽気で気持ちよかった～。

そして夜になるとてるちゃんがこの日のために頑張って作ってくれたバレンタインケーキが待っていました～。めちゃめちゃ美味しかった～！てるちゃん、ありがと～！！

----------

Teruko and I went to Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre to see'Taioushijinki' today.

Today's show was hosted by ANA for its customers. Seats were up for grabs by random draw, and we managed to get central seats in Row 9!

I have never seen the TV drama version of 'Taioushijinki' by Bae Yoon Joon, but had no problems following the storyline. I was amazed by the velocity of the show or story. Because of that, I was very impressed by those Takarazuka actresses. The scale of the show was also amazing.

It was quite funny to see all these Takarazuka fans, who were waiting for the actresses before the show, who kept standing up and sitting down. But I could see why these fans look up to those actresses.

Overall, I was really impressed. It was certainly worth seeing by getting up earlier than on weekdays on a Saturday!

Once we finished with the play, we went for a walk around Hibiya Park where plum started blossoming. It was really nice with temperature over 20 degrees.

In the evening, a St. Valentine's Day cake that Teruko worked really hard to make was waiting for me in the evening. It was delicious! Thank you, Teru-Chan!

コールドプレイ！ - Coldplay!

2009-02-12T23:47:00.002+09:00

今日はてるちゃんと一緒にコールドプレイのライブを見に埼玉スーパーアリーナに行ってきました～ぁ。

スタンド席でステージから真正面、前から2番目ということですごく期待して会場に入ると、何とステージと僕たちの席の中間には何とテレビカメラが3台！ステージがカメラでブロックされている...。

しかしライブが始まると一気にテンションが上がって大興奮！

そしてライブの中盤に差し掛かったとき、気が付くと僕達の席のすぐそばにミニステージらしきものがセットアップされて、係員の動きも慌しくなる。何だろうと言っていると、バンドが向かってくるではないか～ぁ！そして目の前のミニステージでバンドが演奏を始めた～ぁ！こんなに間近でバンドが見れるとは...ちょ～～～～ぉ興奮！

正味2時間近くのライブ、行く前は2月中のイベントが多すぎて、行くか行かないかどうしよう、なんて言っていたものの、てるちゃんも僕も行って本当に良かった最高のライブでした～ぁ。

Coldplay...素晴らしいパフォーマンスありがと！

----------

Teruko and I went to Saitama Super Arena to see Coldplay today.

Because our seats were supposed to be in second row in the stand facing the stage, we entered the stadium with a bit excitement. However, there were TV cameras right in between the stage and our seats clearly obstructing the view...

Once the show started, we were very excited!

As we entered midway through the show, we noticed that a mini stage was being set up near us, and staff started moving around in front of us. As we were wondering what might happen, the band started running towards the mini stage! And the band started performing on the mini stage right in front of us! We couldn't believe we could see them perform so close to us... we were over the moon!

The show that lasted for almost 2hrs... although we were wondering whether we should go because of busy February, Teruko and I felt that the show was more than worth seeing!

Thank you Coldplay for such a great performance!

やっぱり... - As expected...

2009-02-11T23:50:00.002+09:00

今日のワールドカップ最終予選、日本対オーストラリア、ある意味予想通りの結果となった。

攻撃のパターンが実に単調。そして中盤、真ん中をダイナミックに切り裂いていくような攻撃もない。そしてあれだけ下がって試合をするオーストラリアに対し、攻めあぐねるはおろかシュートが出ない。シュートがあっても枠に入らない。フォワード陣はシュートがまったくなく、オーストラリアのキーパー、シュワルツァーを試すでもない。ホームでの試合、90分間に枠の中に入ったシュートが3、4本では勝てる訳がない。そして残り時間数分にもかかわらず、急ぐ訳でもなくとろとろディフェンス間でボールを横回し。

こんな不甲斐ない試合をホームでしている日本をおとなしく見ている大半のファンには理解に苦しむ。

そしてこの試合に満足してるかのような発言をしている岡田監督、そして選手にも大いに疑問が残る。

これでワールドカップ4位以内目標？それを本気で思っているなら日本は世界のサッカーを知らなすぎる。

----------

Today's World Cup qualifier between Japan and Australia ended in an expected result in a sense.

Japan played one dimensional football. There's no drive right down the middle in the midfield. We really struggle to break the defense of Australia who sat deep, and couldn't even take shots. Even if there are shots, they were well off target. Our strike failed to take many shots against their goalie Schwarzer who was hardly tested. At home, it's an impossible task to win a game with only three or four shots on target. Added to that, while there's only a few minutes remaining, there's no sense of urgency and our players were squaring the ball across the field at the back.

I struggled to understand the majority of our supporters who sat there watching the game quietly when the team wasn't playing well.

I also question our manager Okada and some of the players who made comments that suggest that they are fairly satisfied with the game.

We are aiming for one of the semi-finalists at the World Cup? If they genuinely aiming it with that kind of performance, Japan really needs a bit of reality check about world football.

映画「オーストラリア」 - The film 'Australia'

2009-02-10T23:54:00.005+09:00

今日はてるちゃんとチケットぴあで当たった映画｢オーストラリア」の試写会を見に、仕事を終えてから九段会館に行ってきました～。

追加で鑑賞券が映画配給会社から来た、って言うくらいだから人気が凄くて超満員かななんて思っていたけど、行ってみると三割は空席だったような気がする。

映画は2時間45分という非常に長いものだけど、一言、見に行ってよかった～ぁ。壮大なオーストラリアの大地を舞台に繰り広げられる物語はとても感動的なものだった。

アボリジニのスピリチュアルな側面を全面的に押し出したストーリーにはとても興味が持てた。僕はオーストラリアには三度行っているけど、その度に友人からオーストラリアのアボリジニの扱いに関する問題点に関してはいろいろ聞いていたし、またにもかかわらず観光や営利の為にどれだけアボリジニの文化を利用しているか、と言うのも見てきたので、彼らの存在、文化を偉大に、かつ忠実に描いたこの映画はとても良いと思った。

それにしても、字幕は意訳が結構多くて、英語のジョークに一人で笑い転げている自分がちょっと微妙だった（笑）。

この映画、お薦めで～す！

チケットぴあ、改めてありがと～！

----------

After finishing work, Teruko and I went to Kudan Kaikan today to see the preview of a film 'Australia' with free tickets that I won.

Because they said the film company released extra tickets, I was wondering if it's going to be packed. However, I would say that 30% of the seats were empty.

The film itself lasts for 2hrs 45mins, but in short, it was well worth it! The story happening on the land of great Australia was very moving.

I was very intrigued by the storyline that was built around the spiritual aspects of Aborigine. During my three visits to Australia so far, I heard from my Australian mates and saw all about the issues that Australia had in terms of their handling of Aborigine, while they have been hugely exploiting and benefiting from Aborigine's culture from tourism and financial perspectives. So I really liked this film that portrays their identity and culture with huge respect and precision.

By the way, because there were lots of free translation, I was not hugely comfortable with myself laughing at English jokes while no one else seemed to understand... :-P

I highly recommend this film!

Again, thank you Ticket Pia!

チケット当たったど～ぉ！ - I won tickets!

2009-02-07T23:04:00.001+09:00

今日は朝っぱらからビックリした。郵便配達が｢速達で～す｣なんて来るから何かと思って封筒を開けると、何とそこには映画「Australia」の試写会招待券が！やった～ぁ！

チケットぴあ、ありがと～ぉ！

まったく計画性のない同僚のお陰で夜、週末かけて会社のイベントのためのプレゼン準備して、体調めちゃめちゃ悪い中注射二本打って頑張ってプレゼンやった甲斐があった～ぁ。お偉いさん方にも評価して頂けたみたいだし、それに映画のチケットなんてご褒美が当選しては、ほんとにいい形で今週を終えることができました～。

そして今晩はめちゃめちゃ美味しい刺身で晩御飯！

それにしても、こうなると来週は二日連続で“オーストラリアもの”を見ることになる。ふ～むっ...。

----------

Today started with a surprise early in the morning. A postman came and delivered a fast delivery envelope for me. As I opened it, there were free tickets for a film 'Australia'. Yay!

Thank you, Ticket PIA!

Thanks to my clueless colleague, I had to spend nights and a weekend preparing for a presentation at a company event this week that I delivered after having two needle injections while being sick. It was worth the effort! The presentation was well-received by the senior management, and what a way to finish this week with a "gift" of free tickets for a film!

The dinner tonight was delicious sashimi!

By the way, now I will have to see something "Australian" for two days in a row. I am not sure if that's a good thing...

朝青龍復活優勝！ - Asashouryu returns!

2009-01-25T23:41:00.002+09:00

今日は大相撲1月場所千秋楽に行ってきました～。

まさか手に入るとは思わなかったチケット、抽選予約でなんと桝席が当たってしまった(？)が為に、行くことができました。ということで、親孝行も兼ねて、うちの母親とてるちゃんの母親をご招待。

まずは結婚式を行うところの敷地内のレストランでお好み焼きを食べた後、カフェで美味しいケーキとコーヒーで一息。母親二名ともとっても満足してもらえた様子。

遂に来ました両国国技館！いや～ぁ、大相撲の雰囲気が外にいるだけでも感じ取れる。そして中に入ってみると...最高！！桝席でも一番ランクの低いのを買ったので、関取が小さく見えるかなと思いきや、かなりの迫力！しかも前に座ったおじさん達がとても親切で、ビールは飲ませてくれるはで賑やかに。

そして遂にきました大一番、朝青龍対白鵬！場内もものすごい歓声。一戦目は何と白鵬が一気に詰め寄り、優勝決定戦へ！そして二戦目、両者とも気合充分なものの、朝青龍が気迫で勝利！遂に復活優勝！いや～ぁ、凄い物を見させていただきました～。

楽しい一日は、両国駅前の「ちゃんこ江戸沢｣でお約束のちゃんこを頂きました～。

----------

We went to see the final day of Sumo Wrestling January Open 2009.

We were able to go to the event due to winning the random ticket draw for boxed seats by accident(!? although I had to pay for them obviously.) So I decided to invite my mum, Teruko, and her mum.

We went to the restaurant in the premises of our wedding venue for lunch, while had a cake and a cup of coffee for a break at a cafe also in the premises. Both mums were very impressed!

At last, we came to Kokugikan! I could feel the sumo atmosphere even outside the venue. As we walked into Kokugikan... electric! I was assuming that we wouldn't be able to see the wrestlers clearly from our seats because the grade was the lowest among the boxed seats, but... what a view! The guys sat in front of us were also very friendly and started serving us free beer... fabulous!

Finally... the main event of the afternoon... Asashouryu vs. Hakuhou! The whole crowd going crazy. Hakuhou pushed Asashouryu hard immediately, and now we are going into the decider! The two wrestlers were pumped up for the the second match, but Asashouryu's desire and emotion won! Asashouryu returned! What an event we saw!

The enjoyable day was ended with chanko at 'Chanko Edosawa' in front of the Ryogoku station.

台湾出張③ - Business Trip to Taiwan Part Three

2009-01-17T23:01:00.000+09:00

台湾での仕事も昨日で無事終了。でも時間が足りなかったな～ぁ。もう少しこっちにいれたらなぁ、と正直思う。

本当は７時に起きて８時には街に繰り出すつもりが、眠くて一時間遅れ（笑）。

早速地下鉄で出向いたのは龍山寺。それにしても地下鉄が安いこと。初乗り６０円！龍山時は観光客だけでなくむしろお祈りに来ている人で結構賑わっていた。それにしても台湾人にはこうしてまじめに宗教やってる人が多いな、と感じた。

その後、孔子の祭られている孔子廟、保安宮に行った後、中正紀念堂に昼間の風景を見に行ってきた。こっちの寺院の建物は色の使い方が実に興味深い。

それにしても今日の台湾は暑い！気温は２６度まで達して、コートを着てきたのが大失敗。

午前中だけ、という短い時間だったけど、ツアーなんぞに参加しなくても自分の足で何とか台北を堪能することができました～。

飛行機の旅は2時間ちょっととあっという間。気が付くともう東京。何か日本のどっかに行ってきたかのよう。

夜は空港まで迎えに来てくれたてるちゃんと一緒にコリアンを食べました～。てるちゃん、お迎えありがと～！

----------

Work in Taiwan finished yesterday. I wish I could stay a bit longer since three days was not enough.

I was planning to wake up at seven and head into town at eight, but the schedule was delayed for an hour. :-)

I headed to Lung Shan Temple by Metro first. Taipei Metro is so cheap... 20 Taiwan Dollar for first ride! Lung Shan Temple was packed with people not just with tourists but also with people who came to pray. I realise that there are a lot of people who are seriously dedicated to religion in this country.

I also visited Taipei Confucious Temple, and Dalongdong Baoan Temple, which was followed by Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. I found usage of colours for temple buildings is very interesting.

It was soooooooo hot in Taiwan! The temperature reached 26 degrees... a big mistake to wear a jacket!

Although it was only the morning that I managed to do sightseeing, I enjoyed Taipei with my own foot instead of relying on a tour.

My flight was so short that it only took just over 2hrs. When I realised I already arrived back in Tokyo. It felt like as though I had been visiting a city somewhere in Japan.

I had Korean for dinner with Teruko who came to greet me at the airport! Thank you, Teru-chan!

台湾出張② - Business Trip to Taiwan Part Two

2009-01-15T23:53:00.000+09:00

台湾出張二日目も順調に終了～。今日もとっても親切に対応してもらえました～。

夜は上司の計らいで日本でもとっても有名らしい「鼎泰豊（ディンタイフォン）」の本店にみんなでディナーを食べに行きました～。新宿高島屋にある支店の長い行列もびっくりだけど、こっちは本店だけあってもっとすごい人。予約しておいて貰ってよかった～ぁ。僕個人的には食べて｢めちゃめちゃ美味しい～っ｣ってほどではなかったけど、確かに美味しかった。

食事が終わるとみんなホテルに帰るというので、僕はひとりで台北散策に行ってきました～ぁ。中正紀念堂、台湾総統府などのライトアップを見に行った後、ナイトマーケットに行ってきました～。夜の空に生えるライトアップ、賑やかなマーケットを楽しんだけど、買い物は悩んでしまって結局何も買わずに散策終了～。

----------

The second day of my business trip also went well. People at work were very helpful.

We went to 'Din Tai Fon', a Taiwanese restaurant even famous in Japan for dinner, thanks to my boss. I was amazed by the queue in front of the branch in Shinjuku Takashimaya, but there were more people in front of the main store. Thank god we had a reservation. I didn't think it was amazing, but the food was indeed very good.

Everyone else said they were heading back to the hotel once we finished dinner, so I decided to wander around Taipei city. After enjoying the evening view of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Office of the President, etc, I headed to one of the night markets. Although I really enjoyed the lively night market, I couldn't buy anything because I couldn't make my mind up... so bloody typical!

台湾出張① - Business Trip to Taiwan Part One

2009-01-14T23:19:00.003+09:00

遂に来ました、初の台湾！

というか、中国語圏に来るのは今回が初めて。やっぱりすごい不思議な気分。日本と似てる所、違う所、すごく多い。そして英語の通じない国、むしろ日本語の方が通じるというのも結構違和感を感じる。

初日の仕事、というかミーティングは無事終了。初日から台湾人は結構親切な人が多いな、と感じた。

夜は「台北101」の展望台に行って台北の夜景を眺めました。それにしても環境破壊が騒がれる中、サンゴが名産として売られていることにはちょっと不思議な気分に駆られた。

晩御飯は、ホテルの近くにある鍋やさん。待ってる間に出されたメニューは、ネットで翻訳したのかとてつもない翻訳の連続。たっぷり笑わせてもらった後には美味しい鍋を頂きました～。

----------

Finally... the first visit to Taiwan!

Actually, it's the first time I have been to a country where Chinese is the first language. It felt a bit weird. There are so many things that are similar and not similar to Japan. It's a bit strange for me to realise that not many people understand English, while more people understand Japanese!

Work went well for the first day. I felt that Taiwanese people seem to be very helpful already.

We headed to 'Taipei 101' to see the evening view of Taipei in the evening. I was a bit baffled by the fact that they were selling souveniers made of coral while there's so much talk about protecting the environment right now.

We went to a hotpot restaurant for dinner. While we were waiting, we were given a menu for foreigners that was clearly "translated" using online translation tool. After we had so much laugh at the menu, we had delicious hotpot.

ツッチーニでランチ - Lunch at Tucchini

2009-01-12T23:55:00.004+09:00

今日はてるちゃんと家族みんなとで、南浦和にある「西洋料理　ツッチーニ」にランチを食べに行きました～。

日本に帰ってきた最初の晩にてるちゃんとディナーを食べに行ってとっても美味しかったので、まだ来たことのなかったお母さんを連れて行きたかったのです。

僕は鶏と野菜のパスタのコースを頂きました～。ランチのコースだけど、サラダ、オニオンパン、ドリンクなど込みでかなりしっかり出してくれる。そして味も抜群で、更に価格はかなりリーズナブル。東京まで行って中途半端な料理を高いお金払って食べるよりは、ここに来る方が満足度は満点！我々は300円プラスで美味しいアイスとティラミスのデザートを頂きました～。

初めて来たお母さんも兄貴にも大満足。個人的にはかなりお奨めです！

その後はみんなで自宅でまったりのんびり。

それにしても100円ショップには何でもあるのには驚かされました～。

明日から台湾出張だ～ぁ！

----------

I went to 'Tuccini' in Minami Urawa for lunch with my family and Teruko.

Teruko and I had great dinner when we went there the first day that I arrived back here in Japan. So I wanted to take my mum who had never been there yet.

I had a lunch set of pasta with chicken and vegetables. Although it's a lunch set, they serve quite a bit including salad, onion bread, and drinks. The taste is very good while price is reasonable. I am more than satisfied to have food here than going for a so so dinner for a big price tag in Tokyo! We paid 300JPY to add delicious ice cream and tiramisu for desert. :-)

Both my mum and brother who had never been here before were very impressed. I highly recommend this restaurant!

Once we finished lunch, we had a very relaxing afternoon at home.

By the way, I was amazed that you can buy pretty much anything at a 100JPY shop here!

I am off to Taiwan for a business trip from tomorrow!

初詣 - First visit to the temple

2009-01-11T23:35:00.001+09:00

今日は家族で初詣に行ってきました～。場所は恒例の西新井大師。

大師近辺は車で大混雑。近辺の駐車場では一時間3000円とかいう駐車料金も...。ぼったくりも甚だしいっ！我々はほんの少し離れたところにあったガラガラの駐車場に停めることに。しかも料金200円！

それにしても、三箇日をとっくに過ぎたのにすごい人だかり。びっくり。おみくじでは小吉でした...。まぁ、凶とかじゃなかったからいいか...。

そそくさと初詣を済ませると、兄貴がデジカメ買いたいと言うので付き合ってあげて、それから家族みんなで安楽亭に行き、遅い焼肉の昼ごはんを食べました～。いや～ぁ、やっぱり焼肉は美味い！

今年一年良いことがたくさんありますように！

----------

I went to Nishiarai Daishi temple for the first visit with my family.

The area around the temple was packed with cars. Lots of car parks around the temple were charging flipping 3000JPY for an hour of parking... what a rip-off! We decided to park in an empty car park that's a wee bit away from the temple. It cost us 200JPY! Bargain!

I was amazed by the amount of people who came to the temple while it's been a while since the first three days of the month. The fortune telling was okay... At least it wasn't the worst...

Once we finished the first visit to the temple, we went to an electronic shop since my brother wanted to buy a new digital camera. After that, we headed to Anrakutei restaurant to have korean BBQ for late lunch. Korean BBQ is great!

I hope this year will be packed with lots of good things for me.

渡辺美里であけおめ～。 - Happy New Year with Misato Watanabe

2009-01-01T23:48:00.000+09:00

あけましておめでとうございま～す。

2009年は、渡辺美里のニューイヤーコンサート「お正月だよ！Dear My Tokyo｣で始まりました～。

高校生の頃すごく好きだった美里のコンサートに行くのは僕もてるちゃんも初めて。本人のカバーアルバム「Dear My Songs」が最近出たこともあって、結構昔の曲も歌ってくれてとっても良かった！それにしても、やっぱり生で聞く美里はすごい！歌声に感動しました～。

そして最後はコンサート入場者全員が貰った枡であけおめ～。結局、途中楽しいお喋りとかもあったけど、正味3時間のコンサートに僕たちは大満足！

美里さん、ありがと～！！

そして僕たちは、新年早々GAPのお店でバーゲン価格から更に2割引のセールに惹かれ、僕はコート1着とカジュアルシャツ2枚買って1万円を切りました～。いい買い物したぞ～！

年末ジャンボは当たらなかったけど、とりあえず2009年はいいスタートが切れました！

----------

A Happy New Year!

We started 2009 with Misato Watanabe's new year concert.

This is the first time Teruko and I have been to a concert of Misato whom I loved when I was at high school. She sang a lot of familiar songs because she released a new album 'Dear My Songs' covering her old songs. Her voice was amazing!!

We celebrated the New Year's using a wooden square cup that was given to all attendants. Including her talks, we were more than satisfied with Misato's 3hrs show!

Thank you, Misato!

After the show, we were lured into a GAP store offering 20% off on top of bargain price because of the New Year's. I ended up buying a jacket and two tops... for less than 10000JPY! Bargain!

Although I failed to win the Year End National Lottery, I made a good start to 2009!

大晦日 - New Years Eve

2008-12-31T23:21:00.000+09:00

2008年12月31日、今日で2008年も終わり。

今年もいろんなことがありました。想像もしていなかったことの連続、想像していたことの連続、ほんとにいろいろありました。

会社も辞めるつもりではいたけど、本当に辞めることになるとは思わなかった。帰ってくるつもりではいたものの、日本にも本当に帰ってくるとは思わなかった。とにかくいろんなことが駆け足でおきた2008年でした。

世の中もますますおかしくなった2008年でした。

来年はどうなるのでしょう...。

そんなことを思いながら、今日は家族とみんなでがってんから出前で取った美味しいお寿司をご馳走になりました～。

----------

It's 31 December 2008. Today is the last day of 2008.

So many things happened this year. A string of unexpected, and a string of expected, so many things happened.

Although planning to quit, I didn't think I would really quit the company that I worked for the last 10 years. Although planning to come back, I didn't think I would really come back to Japan. Many things happened so quickly and dramatically for me in 2008.

Many things went crazy in 2008 in general.

What's going to happen next year?

While thinking about these things, I enjoyed delicious sushi that we got from delivery with my family.

北陸の旅！2008 ② - Trip to Hokuriku 2008 Part 2

2008-12-28T23:33:00.001+09:00

今日も午前中の自由時間を最大限に使うために6時半起き。8時過ぎに荷物をツアーバスに預けて、我々は金沢市街の散策に行きました。

まずは長町武家屋敷跡へ。和式の武家屋敷に日本庭園、とっても素敵でした。朝早く行ったお陰で人気がほとんどない中、由緒ある武家屋敷跡を堪能することができました～。

今度はタクシーに乗ってひがし茶屋街へ。フレンドリーなタクシー運転手さんの金沢訛りを楽しみながら到着。こんなに素敵な茶屋街があるとはびっくり。何するわけでもなく歩いているだけで気持ち良い。お茶屋さんで冷えた体を温めてから金沢城公園、兼六園へ。

金沢城公園と兼六園に着くと雨が結構降り始めたものの、幸運にもそれも長続きせず。ほんとのんびり散歩するにはうってつけの場所。見ているだけで気分もリラックスできました～。

昼を食べる間もなく自分たちで金沢市街を4時間散策した後、ツアーに再合流してバスで白川郷の近くにある五箇山へ。五箇山は合掌造りの建物が集落としていまだに現存する貴重な地域。ここに着くと降り始めた雨もすぐに霰、そして雪に変わって、銀世界もさらに素敵になりました。この寒い中食べた山菜蕎麦は美味しかった～ぁ。そして五箇山を出てすぐのお土産やさんで食べた豆腐田楽もなかなかいい味してました！

後は特急に乗る前のお土産休憩のみで、ひたすらバス。てるちゃんと僕はぐっすり寝てしまい、気がついたらもう銀世界は何処へ、という感じ（笑）。途中大渋滞もあり、茅野に着いた頃には残り20分で駅へ向かわなければいけないということで、僕たちは注文しておいたおぎのやの釜飯を持ち帰りにして最後のお土産散策（笑）。釜飯は味がしみこんでて美味しかった！

かなりハードスケジュールの2日間の北陸への旅だったけど、僕もてるちゃんもすごく楽しみにしていた飛騨高山、白川郷、そして金沢への旅、とっても素敵な旅になりました～。そして五箇山っていう素敵な所も新しく見つけることができ大満足です！

----------

We woke up at 6:30AM to make the most out of our free time in the morning. As soon as we left our luggage to our bus, we headed straight for sightseeing in Kanazawa.

We first went to Nagaya Buke Yashiki Ato. The old samurai's house with Japanese garden was very pretty. Thanks to us coming here so early in the morning, we were able to enjoy the place without bumping into people.

That was followed by a visit to Higashi Chaya District by taxi. We arrived here while enjoying a conversation with taxi driver who had a very strong Kanazawa accent. I was surprised to see such a pretty tea district. It's so refreshing just walking around. Once we warmed ourselves with tea in a tea house, we moved on to Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen Garden.

It started raining as soon as we arrived in Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen Garden, but luckily for us it didn't last long. These are great places for a walk, and we could relax just by staying there.

After wandering around Kanazawa city for 4hrs without having lunch, we rejoined our tour bus and headed to The Historic Place of Gokayama near Shirakawago. Gokayama is a precious place that preserves these Gasho-style houses in a small village. The rain that started when we arrived here turned into sleet, followed by snow. The white village was so pretty. The noodles with edible wild plants we had in such a cold weather was delightful. Skewer Tofu was also delicious!

This left us with long bus ride with only a stop at souvenier shop before getting on express train. Both of us fell into sleep big time, and when we realised snow disappeared completely. :-) Due to heavy traffic jam, we arrived in Chino with only 20mins before heading to the railway station. We decided to make our Kamameshi dinner takeaway, and searched for more souveniers. :-) The dinner was delicious!

This two day trip to Hokuriku was very hectic, but it was well worth going to Hida Takayama, Shirakawago, and Kanazawa that we were looking forward to for both Teruko and myself. We also found this wonderful place called Gokayama. It was a fantastic trip!

北陸の旅！2008 ① - Trip to Hokuriku 2008 Part 1

2008-12-27T23:04:00.005+09:00

待ちに待った北陸への旅がやってきました～。

今回の旅も新幹線が7時発ということで寒い中の朝4時45分起き。でももっと寒い場所に行くんだよな～ぁ。

阪急交通社のツアーにしたんだけど満員御礼。新幹線で上田まで行き、そこから長いバスの旅。それにしてもマイナス7度の気温には参った！

まずは昼に飛騨高山到着！美味しいと言う噂の甚五郎ラーメンにどのツアー客よりも足早に向かい、これが功を奏することに！僕たちが席に着くと途端に入り口には凄い行列。らっき～ぃ。ここのラーメンは醤油ベースだけど程よく濃厚な味で、麺も細くて食べやすい。なかなか美味しいラーメンを頂きました！

飛騨高山の町は本当に風情のある素敵な町。町並みの一軒一軒、すべてに入りたくなるほど風情がある。町を歩いていると、飛騨牛寿司を食べさせてくれるお店を発見！てるちゃんと一貫ずつ食べました。これが絶品！

やっぱりここもお酒屋さんが多かった。美味しい大吟醸を試飲させてくれたお酒やさんでついつい買ってしまいました。この町、「小京都」なんて呼ばずに「飛騨高山」とみんなには呼んで欲しいな、と思った。

またバスに乗って、今度はこの旅のメインとなる白川郷へ！いや～ぁ、ついに来ました、白川郷！展望台からの眺めは最高です！合掌造りの町並みには何ともいえない味わいがあります。新潟の田舎を思い出させる、懐かしい感じがとっても良かった。こういう素敵な伝統的なところは是非とも残して行って欲しいと思った。それにしてもツアーの時間が少なかったのが残念。

そして白川郷を後にすると金沢に到着。泊まったアクティ金沢はビジネスホテルみたいなものだけど、市の中心部に位置して、カニも食べ放題。そして系列の温泉も使わせてもらい大満足。やっぱり温泉はいい！

----------

Finally, our trip to Hokuriku has started!

Because our bullet train leaves Tokyo around 7:00AM, I got up around 4:45AM on a cold winter morning. But we are going to places that are much colder...

The tour from Hankyu Travel was packed. We took bullet train to Ueda, which was followed by a long journey by bus. We were gobsmacked by the lowest temperature of -7 degrees!

We arrived in Hida Takayama around lunchtime. Following recommendation from our guide, we headed to Jingoro Ramen quicker than anyone from our tour, which turned out to be crucial. Once we sat at our table, there was a long line of people waiting to get seated. How lucky! The ramen we had had rich soup based on soy sauce, while it had noodles that are thin and easy to eat. The ramen was delicious!

Hida Takayama is a pretty town full of character with tradition. Every shop alongside the street is so pretty that we wanted to get in. While we were wandering around the street, we found a place that serves Hida Beef Sushi! Teruko and I had a piece each. It was amazing!

Hida Takayama also had a lot of Sake cellar. I ended up buying a bottle from a cellar that offered me delicious Sake. I hope, instead of calling it "Mini Kyoto", people will refer to this place as "Hida Takayama".

We got back on our tour bus and headed towards Shirakawago, our main destination of the trip! Finally! The view of Shirakawago from the observation deck was amazing! This place is so unique. It really reminded me of my mum's home town in Niigata. I hope we will keep this kind of beautiful traditional places for many years to come. The only disappointment was that we didn't have enough time to look around.

Once we left Shirakawago, we arrived in Kanazawa early in the evening. Acty Kanazawa, the place we stayed, is like an ordinary hotel for businessmen. But it's located in the city, while they served eat as much as you like crab. And we were happy that we could use hot spring under the same management. Hot spring is great!

光都東京 LIGHTOPIA 2008 - LIGHTOPIA 2008

2008-12-25T23:36:00.000+09:00

今日は丸の内近辺がライトアップされているということで、「光都東京 LIGHTOPIA 2008」を見に行った。

残念ながら一番期待していた「アンビエント･キャンドルパーク」は昨日までだったらしく見れなかったけど、まずまず綺麗なライトアップが見れました～。

特に「フラワーファンタジア」は特に綺麗でした～ぁ。

----------

We went to see 'LIGHTOPIA 2008' since Marunouchi district has been lightened up for the winter season.

Unfortunately, we couldn't see the 'Ambient Candle Park', which we were looking forward to, because yesterday was its final day. Despite the disappointment, we enjoyed the rest of the light-ups.

In particular, the 'Flower Fantasia' was very pretty!

控え目なクリスマス - Quiet Christmas

2008-12-24T23:48:00.000+09:00

もともと興味はなかったものの、イギリスで宗教的なクリスマスを体験して以来、僕にとってはクリスマスは基本的にどうでもいいイベントになった。日本のクリスマスは商業的なもので、家で家族で静かに祝うという海外のものとは違う。

ということで、特にお祝いはせず、日本橋の三井ビル前でやっていた「年の瀬･都市楽師」無料コンサートを見に行って、そのあと串焼きのお店でのんびり美味しい夕食を食べました～。

コンサートは、前半出てきたグループはちょっと微妙だったけど、その後出てきたパーカッション･アンサンブル、ハンドベルのHRJ、Auraは中々よかった～ぁ。ハンドベルと女性のコーラスには聞き入ってしまった。Auraは機会があったらまた聞きたいな～、と思いました。

それにしても冬の屋外のコンサート、寒かった～ぁ。

----------

Although I have never been keen, ever since I experienced traditional and religious Christmas, Christmas is an event that I can do without. Christmas in Japan is just commercial, and is so different from Christmas in western countries, which is about spending time with family.

Because of that, instead of celebrating, we went to Mitsui Building in Nihonbashi to see a free concert 'Toshinose Toshigakushi'. After that, we had delicious dinner at a skewer restaurant.

I wasn't overly impressed by the bands performed in the first half of the concert. But the percussion ensemble, HRJ's hand bells, and Aura were good. In particular, I was really impressed by the hand bells and female vocals. I would love to see Aura's performance again.

By the way, because it was an outdoor concert in winter, it was sooooooooooo cold!

東京タワー開業50周年 - Tokyo Tower 50th Anniversary

2008-12-23T23:05:00.000+09:00

東京タワーが今日で開業50周年を向かえた。それに合わせた訳ではなかったんだけど、てるちゃんと二人でタワーの「ライトアップ」を見に行った。

開業50周年ということもあってかなり多くの人がライトアップを見に来ていた。綺麗は綺麗だったけど、もう少しキラキラするのかな～、と思っていたので少々消化不良になった。

最後は美味しいケーキとコーヒーで締めました～。

それにしても東京駅の元気寿司、とっても美味しかった～ぁ。

-----------

Tokyo Tower celebrated its 50th anniversary today. We didn't meant to coincide with the anniversary, but Teruko and I went to the tower 'light-up.

Many people showed up to see the lightened up tower, possibly because it was 50th anniversary today. The tower was beautiful, but we were hoping to see more sparkles.

We finished the day with lovely cake and a cup of coffee!

By the way, Sushi from Genki Sushi at Tokyo station was delicious!

クリスマスパーティ - Christmas Party

2008-12-21T23:16:00.002+09:00

今日はてるちゃん一家とクリスマスパーティでした～。

2歳になるまちゃみち君も来てて大賑わい(笑）。僕は特にクリスマスには興味がないんだけど、やっぱりこういうときは子供が一番いいな～ぁ、と実感。

てるちゃんには、お風呂で使える枕を貰いました～ぁ。こういうの欲しかったのでちょうど良かった！ありがと～、てるちゃ～ん！

それでも僕もてるちゃんのお母さんが買ってくれた美味しいワインをご馳走になりご機嫌です！いや～ぁ、今日のワインは何とも深みのある香りをしていました。

楽しい一日でした～ぁ。

----------

We had a Christmas Party with Teruko's family today.

It was fun especially because we had 2 years old Machamichi around. Although I am not very keen on Christmas, I realise it's good to be kids at this kind of event. :-)

Teruko gave me a pillow that I could use in a bath. I have been looking for something like this, so it was a great gift for me. Yay! Thank you, Teruko!

I also enjoyed fine wine that Teruko's mum bought. This wine had such distinctive rich smell.

It was a fun day!

南米サッカーも落ちたもんだ - Fallen South American Football

2008-12-17T23:14:00.002+09:00

てるちゃんの友達のお陰で、今日はFIFAクラブワールドカップ準決勝、パチューカ対リガ・デ・キトの試合を雨降る中、国立競技場に見に行った。こんな大きな試合を屋根なしの球場で観戦するのは初めてだった。

この試合、サッカーの非情さを示す典型的な試合になった。早いパス回しと細かい動きで一方的に攻めるパチューカ。一方、全員ボールの後ろにきっちり4-4-2で固め、カウンター勝負のリガ。開始早々4分、カウンターからリガが先制。23番の選手を基点に少人数で早い攻撃を仕掛ける。その後もフリーキックから2点目。

とにかく今日の試合のトーキングポイントは主審と南米サッカー。

とにかく主審は酷かった。こんな主審がこういう国際大会の試合を裁けること自体疑問に感じる。2点目に繋がったフリーキックにしても、僕たちはフリーキックが取られた反対側に座っていたものの、明らかにハンドではないって分かった。とはいえ、この大会はリーグにとって大事な12月にあることからヨーロッパでは迷惑と思われるような大会だから、まともな主審は来ないのか...。

それにしても南米のクラブチームであそこまでディフェンシブに戦うチームも初めて見た。南米のチームとはとても思えない試合運びに試合開始早々僕はパチューカを応援することを自然と決めていた。リーグにはスター選手がいない南米クラブサッカー、一流の選手がヨーロッパで活躍した後、落ち目に戻ってくる南米クラブサッカー、今後が危ぶまれる。

----------

Thanks to Teruko's friend, we went to the National Stadium to see FIFA Club World Cup Semi-finals between Pachuca and Liga de Quito in rainy weather. I have never seen such a big game at a roof-less venue.

This game was a classic example of how brutal football can be. Pachuca attacked one-sided with quick pass and move. Liga de Quito, on the other hand, was happy to put everyone behind the ball in 4-4-2 formation and to go for a counter. Liga opened the scoreline from a quick counter attack 4 minutes after kick-off. Number 23 was the man to orchestrate the counter-attacking football with small numbers. The second goal from a controversial free kick pretty much killed the game.

Today's talking points were the referee and South American football.

The referee was awful. I question how on earth this kind of dreadful referee can officiate an international match like this. If you see the free kick that led to the second goal for Liga, we could tell it was not deliberate handball from the other side of the pitch. Having said that, it may be difficult to bring good referees to this event since December is such an important month in a league in Europe. And after all, this event is seen as annoyance to European clubs anyway.

I have never seen such a defensive South American side before. As soon as I saw the style of play that is unusual for a South American side, I instinctively decided to support Pachuca. No star players, old players coming back to finish off their career after their peak in Europe. There's so much to worry about for South American football.

東京散歩－紅葉と美味しいものでリラックス - Tokyo Walk - Relaxation with autumn foliage and lovely food

2008-12-13T23:20:00.001+09:00

今日はとってもリラックスできました～ぁ。

充分寝たあと（寝すぎ？）、午後からてるちゃんと都内某所にあるいまお気に入りのケーキ屋さんへ。ここはとってもとっても美味しいケーキを食べながら庭が楽しめる素敵なところ。紅葉も綺麗でついつい写真を撮る手が動く動く...。今日も美味しいケーキを食べながらリラックスしてると、向かいにあるお好み焼き屋さんから美味しいにおいが...。

ということで散歩をしてしばらく時間をつぶしてからここで早めの晩御飯を食べることに。ここも僕たちのお気に入りのお好み焼き屋さん。その日の朝に取れた新鮮で美味しい鎌倉野菜も出してくれる。今日は予約が多かったらしいけど何とかテーブルを確保。店員さんも親切で、もんじゃを作ってくれた。具だくさん（ついでにニンニクも）のお好み焼きも美味しかった～。帰るときには入り口でたくさんの人が待っていた。いや～ぁ、早めに行って大正解でした。

お腹を満たしたあとは六義園の紅葉ライトアップを見に行きました。去年見に行ったときとは違って微妙にシーズンを過ぎていたけど、それでもとっても綺麗な紅葉を堪能することができました～ぁ。

ほんとに何も考えずに美味しいものを食べながらてるちゃんとリラックスできた一日でした。

----------

It was a very relaxing day!

After having enough sleep (too much?), Teruko and I went to our favorite patisserie somewhere in Tokyo. This is a place where you can enjoy delicious cake while in a pretty garden. As autumn foliage (although no longer autumn!) is still pretty, I couldn't stop taking photos. While we were having a delightful cake and chilling out, we could smell tasty Okonomi-Yaki...

We decided to go for a bit of a walk to waste time, and to have early dinner. This place is also our favorite Okonomi-Yaki place. They also serve fresh Kamakura vegetables that they picked up in the morning. We managed to grab a table while they apparently had lots of reservations. Our waitress was very friendly and made Monja-Yaki for us. Okomoni-Yaki full of ingredients (and garlic!) was delicious! When we were leaving, lots of people were waiting at the entrance. We were lucky that we went to the place early.

Once we satisfied our stomach, we headed to Rikugien to see lightened-up autumn foliage. Compared with the last time we went last year, we were a bit late for perfect autumn foliage, but still we enjoyed it!

It was such a relaxing day with Teruko eating lots of delicious food without thinking about anything with.

東京散歩－旧古河庭園 - Tokyo Walk - Furukawa Garden

2008-12-07T21:13:00.006+09:00

いや～ぁ、東京も捨てたもんじゃない！

今日はお出かけしたいものの、日曜ということで近場で済ませたいがために北区にある旧古河庭園へ。ここももともと古河財閥のものだったらしい。

それにしても住宅街で本当に何もない所にこんな素晴らしい観光スポットがあるとは。

ここも昨日の旧岩崎邸庭園同様に、ジョサイア・コンドルという人が建てたもので、ここでもヨーロッパを感じることができる。

バラのピークは過ぎてしまったものの、まだそれなりにバラも咲いていて、紅葉もとっても綺麗だった。とくに庭の池に映える紅葉は最高！

今週末はお金をかけずにとっても充実した東京散歩ができました～ぁ。

----------

There's more to see in Tokyo!

Because we wanted to go somewhere but didn't fancy traveling too far, we decided to go to Furukawa Garden.

I cannot believe there is such a beautiful tourist destination in a residential area with nothing else to see.

Just like the Iwasaki Garden, where we went yesterday, the Furukawa Garden was also built by an English guy called Josiah Conder. You can feel Europe here.

Although the roses past their peak period, we could still see some of them and autumn foliage was lovely. Especially the autumn foliage reflected on the lake in the garden was amazing!

We did cost-effective sightseeing walk around Tokyo this weekend.

東京散歩－皇居、旧岩崎邸庭園 - Tokyo Walk - Imperial Palace, Iwasaki Garden

2008-12-06T22:27:00.002+09:00

都内もなかなかいい所がある！

天気予報によると今日は明日よりいい天気になるということで、都内散歩に行くことに。

まずは皇居に行くが天気予報を覆し雲がもくもく広がっていくではないか...。それにしてもランニングをしている人が多いこと。週末の昼から熱心な...と思いきや、何やら大会が行われている模様でとてつもないランナーの数。

皇居二重橋はなかなか絵になるところですね～ぇ。ここに絵を書きに来たい人の気持ちがよーく分かる。

そして皇居からそれほど遠くない旧岩崎邸庭園に行くことに。ここは三菱財閥創始者の岩崎弥太郎氏の家だったらしい。

幸運にも着くなりミニコンサートが始まるとのこと。そして開園直前に来たにもかかわらず一番前で見ることに（笑）。河内紀恵さんというソプラノ歌手、なかなか綺麗な歌声でした。

それにしても建物といい、庭といい、素晴らしい。東京でイギリスを感じることのできる不思議な場所。

韓国料理屋さんでのディナーで冷えた体を温めた後、一日の最後は久しぶりにアメ横に。どこの店も閉店間際ということで、なんとなんと7000円近くの大トロと4000円近くの中トロを2500円でゲット！サプライズで一日が終了！

----------

There's lots of see in Tokyo!

Because the weather forecast said that today would be better than tomorrow, we decided to go for a bit of wandering around in Tokyo.

We headed towardsThe Imperial Palace first, but it suddenly started cloudy against the forecast. There were lots of runners today, thinking that they are passionate even from weekend lunchtime. It turned out that there was some sort of competition going on.

The Imperial Palace's Nijubashi Bridge looks pretty, and I could see why lots of people come here to paint.

We left The Imperial Palace for Iwasaki's Garden. This was a house of Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi.

As soon as we arrived, we heard the announcement that a live concert's about to begin. Even though we arrived at the last minute, we ended up sitting right at the front. :-) Norie Kawauchi, the Soprano, had a beautiful voice.

Both the house and the garden are lovely. This is a funny place where you can feel a bit of England.

Once we warmed ourselves with Korean dinner, we headed to Ameyoko. Because all the shops were about to close for the day, I ended up landing on 10000JPY worth of big fatty tuna for only 2500JPY! What a way to finish the day!

本土寺の紅葉！ - Hondoji Temple's Autumn Foliage

2008-11-30T19:59:00.006+09:00

行ってきました、本土寺の紅葉！

本土寺は実は僕が以前住んでいたところからめちゃめちゃ近い。しかし行ったことがないどころか、数ヶ月前まで名前すら知らなかった...（笑）。

今週末は紅葉を見るにはうってつけの天気でした～。それにしても、先日テレビで取り上げられたらしく、その影響もあってか凄い人でした。僕たちが着いた午後一時過ぎには入場に2、30メートルの列が...。

でも中に入ってみると紅葉が本当に綺麗。行った甲斐がありました～ぁ！

----------

Finally... we went to Hondoji Temple to see its autumn foliage!

In fact, Hondoji Temple is very close to where I used to live. The funny thing, though, is that not only I have never been to the place but also I didn't even know this place until a few weeks ago. :-)

It was a perfect weather to see autumn foliage this weekend. The temple was busy with lots of people who also came to see the trees with lovely colours, which might have been partly because it appeared on television a few days ago. When we arrived at the temple after 1:00PM, there was a queue of 20 to 30 metres long.

Once we got inside, the place was full of autumn foliage. It was well worth it!

長野小旅行 2008 ② - Nagano 2008 Part Two

2008-11-23T23:54:00.000+09:00

早くも長野小旅行最終日。昨日がとっても充実したこともあって昨晩は熟睡。今日はどんな日になるのか朝から楽しみだった。

機関車が10時過ぎに出発ということもあって今日は7時起き。天気予報とは裏腹にいい天気！しっかり温泉にも入って、バイキングも食べて、準備万端！

さすがに今日は野次馬はそんなにいないかな～ぁ、と思いつつ駅に向かうと大間違い。底冷えする寒い日曜の朝にもかかわらず、結構な数の人がSLの到着を待ちわびているではないか～ぁ！

今日も1時間あまりのSLの旅、満喫しました～！それにしても後になって気付いたことだけど、このSLの旅、信越本線が120周年を記念して今週末の三日間限定で行っているものだった。僕たちは本当にラッキーだったな～ぁ、と改めて感謝。

今日は午後丸々自由時間ということもあって、善光寺までの散策を歩いて楽しむことに。いや～ぁ、本当にこの街は歩いていて楽しい！

それにしても今日の善光寺は晴れの週末の昼時ということもあって混んでること。昼はお焼きのお茶屋さんでのんびりとお焼きと抹茶を楽しむことに。きのこお焼き、美味しかった～ぁ。

夕方になって長野駅から「長野えびす講煙火大会」会場へ向かうことに。それにしても土浦の花火大会のときと違って人がまばら。このイベントはあんまり大きくないのかな～ぁ、と思いつつ会場に着くと、やっぱり結構な人が。そして開始時間が近くなるに連れ、人、人、人（笑）。

この花火大会、いや～ぁ一言。最高！こんな花火見たことない！ウェブサイトやポスターにあった写真は合成写真だろうと思ってたが大違い（笑）。あの写真のまんまの花火が壮大なスケールで見ることができた。てるちゃんも僕も、この寒い中帰りを最終の新幹線にしてでも見にきて本当に良かった～ぁ、って心から思える素晴らしい花火だった。大会関係者、花火師の皆さん、本当にありがとう！

あまりに実のある二日間の素晴らしい長野旅行、帰りの新幹線では僕もてるちゃんもぐったり。ネットの紅葉情報とかもあって、旅行が始まるまでは「そこそこいい旅になるといいね～ぇ」なんて言ってた二人だったけど、実際行ってみると本当に感動一杯の長野SL旅行になった。楽しい旅を一緒に演出してくれたてるちゃんにも感謝！

長野最高！SL最高！北アルプス最高！

----------

As we realise, it's the final day of our Nagano trip. Because of a packed day yesterday, we completely passed out last night. We were excited about the day ahead from the morning.

Since our steam locomotive was departing shortly after 10:00AM, we got up at 7:00AM. It was another sunny day against the weather forecast. We got ready after having a bath in a hot spring and eating lots of food for breakfast!

We didn't think there would be as many people at the railway station today, but how wrong were we? There were tons of people lining up to see the steam locomotive on a very cold Sunday morning.

What an another lovely 1hr trip on steam locomotive we had! We realised afterwards that, in order to celebrate Shinetsu Line's 120th anniversary, this steam locomotive is running only during this long weekend. We couldn't appreciate how lucky we were.

As we had a full afternoon to ourselves, we enjoyed a long walk up to the Zenkoji Temple. This town is so much fun to walk around!

Zenkoji Temple was packed with people on this sunny Sunday lunchtime. We relaxed ourselves by having a pancake and a cup of Matcha at a cafe. My mushroom pancake was tasty!

Late in the afternoon, we decided to head to the venue for the"Nagano Fireworks Festival" from Nagano station by bus. Unlike the trip we made to Tsuchiura for fireworks, there weren't that many people heading to the event. While we were wondering this event may not be as big, we found lots of people once we arrived at the venue by the riverside. As it got closer to the opening of the fireworks, more and more people started showing up. And more, and more...

What can I say about this fireworks festival? In one word... brilliant! I have never seen anything like this before. Before we came to Nagano, we presumed that all the photos they had on the event's website and brochures were Photoshop-ed. :-P We saw the fireworks as illustrated in their marketing materials... in a much greater scale. It was such a wonderful fireworks, and we felt that it was definitely worth coming by using the final bullet train on the day on such a cold day. Event organisers and fireworks artists... thank you all so much!

Because it was such a packed and wonderful two days trip to Nagano, we were so tired on the bullet train. We were saying to ourselves 'it would be great if this trip is at least decent', but it turned out to be such an amazing and unforgettable Nagano steam locomotive trip.　Thanks also to Teruko, who made this wonderful trip with me together!

Nagano, Snow Locomotive, North Alps... all wonderful!

長野小旅行 2008 ① - Nagano 2008 Part One

2008-11-22T22:03:00.005+09:00

いや～ぁ、長野はいいっ！

この三連休はてるちゃんと紅葉散策旅行を探しているときに偶然見つけた「信越本線開業120周年記念SL D51 498の旅」一泊旅行に。

できるだけたくさん長野を満喫できるように朝6時起きで東京を出発。それにしても天気が良かった～ぁ！新幹線から富士山をはっきり一望できるほど。長野には2時間足らずで着いてしまった。さすが日本の新幹線！

長野に着くと早速前からず～っと行きたいと思ってた善光寺へ。駅からはバスで100円歩っきりで行くことができる。とっても便利。まだ朝10時くらいということもあってそんなに混んでなかったのがよかった。それにしても善光寺、想像していた以上に味のある所。お寺へと続く遊歩道の左右に連なる昔ながらのお店も本当に風情がある。そしてネットでの情報とは裏腹にまだ紅葉が見れたではないか！ラッキー！たくさん写真撮っちゃいました。

お昼に食べた信州蕎麦も美味しかった～ぁ！てんぷらに山菜ものってボリュームもあって最高！

そして終にこの時が来ました！待ちに待ったSL D51 498の旅！鉄道ファンなら誰もが憧れるD51。これに乗れるっていうんだからね～。それにしても乗れない人にも人目SLを見せましょうということでJRが記念入場券を売っていることもあってホームは大混雑！写真を撮るのに喧嘩をする人も出るくらい（笑）。

それにしても1時間程のSLの旅、本当に楽しかった～ぁ。蒸気機関車の吐き出す黒い煙といい、「ぽっぽ～っ」という音色といい、とにかく最高！そして遠くを見渡すと雪化粧をした北アルプスが一望できた。それにしても終点の黒姫まで続く線路沿いにカメラを持って群がり手を振る人の数がすごかった！何か自分達が特別な人のような錯覚を覚えるほど凄かった。北アルプスをバックに走るSLの写真が取れる人たちが羨ましいな～ぁ。

泊まったホテルタングラムはスキー場に隣接するホテルということで、山の麓にあってどこにも歩いてはいけない場所だったけど、雪景色の眺めは最高だったし、温泉も良かったし、バイキングも美味しかったし、そしてスタッフの応対もとっても良かったのでよかった。

信州りんごで作ったワインで今日一日終了！

----------

Nagano is lovely!

For this long weekend, Teruko and I decided to go for this package from Japan Railway called 'Steam Locomotive Trip - Shinetsu Line 120th Anniversary', which we found by accident.

In order to enjoy Nagano to the fullest, we left Tokyo by getting up at 6:00AM. What a lovely weather we had! We could even see the Mt. Fuji clearly from the bullet train. We arrived at Nagano in less than 2hrs... Japan's bullet train is amazing!

As soon as we arrived in Nagano, we headed to Zenkoji Temple, which I have been longing to go to. It's so convenient that we could go to the temple from the railway station with a coin of 100 Yen. There were not many people around the temple as it was still around 10:00AM. Zenkoji Temple has some character, and was better than I expected. All the traditional buildings of shops alongside the long path to the temple add some nice colour to the area. Unlike the information we gathered on the net, we could still see autumn foliage! How lucky are we?! I couldn't stop taking photos. :-)

Shinshu Noodle we had for lunch was yummy! It had good portion with Tempura and edible wild plants.

The moment has arrived... trip on a steam locomotive D51 498 that all railway fans dream of! It's still unbelievable that we could get on the train. The platform at Nagano station was in chaos because Japan Railway sold "viewing only" tickets to those without passenger tickets in order to let them see the steam locomotive. There were even some fights broke out...

The 1hr long journey on a snow locomotive was just amazing! The black thick steam coming out of the locomotive, the distinctive horn that the locomotive was blowing, everything was great! Along the journey, we could even see the North Alps with snow at the top. One thing that amazed us was the amount of people who were waving us while carrying a camera alongside the rail! It even made us feel like we are "special people". I was envious of those who could take photos of the steam locomotive with the North Alps in the background.

Although we were in the middle of nowhere on mountains as Hotel Tangram, where we stayed, is a ski resort, the view of the snow maintains was excellent, hot spring was lovely, the dinner was great, and the staff was all friendly.

We finished the day with local apple wine!

紅葉最高！奥多摩、御岳、長瀞！- Autumn foliage... wonderful!

2008-11-16T21:39:00.001+09:00

いや～ぁ、やっぱり紅葉はいい！

今日は朝６時起きと気合を入れて、お母さん、兄貴、そしておばさんの計４人で紅葉を見に出かけた。

天気予報どおり朝っぱらから雨。そして兄貴の運転で高速に乗るとその雨は激しくなり...。

しかし奥多摩に着くと雨はほとんど止んでくれたのでホッと一息。奥多摩湖周辺はネットでの情報とは裏腹に見ごろとまでは行かず、ちょっと早かったかも。

でも御岳山近辺になるとなかなか見頃のところが増えてきた。御岳山の上のほうまでケーブルカーで行ったものの曇り空に霧が多くて遠くはもちろん何も見えず。でもこういう所ならではの美味しい山菜のお土産があったり、山菜やきのこの入ったお焼きがあったり。

昼ごはんを食べに御岳渓谷の方まで降りてくると川沿いに素晴らしい紅葉の眺めが！これです！僕たちが求めていたのはぁ！晴れていてくれたらもっと綺麗だったろうに、と思いつつ、満足、満足。そして昼ごはんに食べた山菜蕎麦がまた美味しいこと...。

すると兄貴が｢長瀞行くか～｣と。また冗談かと思うと本気だとのこと。みんなしてびっくり（笑）。

長瀞まで来ると天気は曇りながら完全に回復してくれた。いや～ぁ、それにしても長瀞は紅葉もさることながら魅力のある観光地だなぁ。川沿いはとても綺麗だし、長瀞駅から川沿いに続く商店街もなかなか風情があるし。

そしてなんと言ってもクライマックスは「長瀞紅葉ライトアップ」！夕方5時の開始早々見に行くとこれがまた綺麗なこと！思わずカメラのシャッターを押す手が勝手に動く！（笑）昨日から始まったばかりということで、見ることができてとってもラッキーだった。

帰りも渋滞に巻き込まれることもほとんどなし。最後はみんなで近くのとんでんでおばさんにご馳走になることに。

それにしても久しぶりで家族みんなでおばさんも一緒にほんとに楽しい小旅行をすることができて大満足！

いや～ぁ、紅葉最高！

----------

Autumn foliage is lovely!

By waking up at 6:00AM, I headed out to see some autumn foliage with my mum, brother, and auntie.

As weather forecast predicted, it was rainy from early in the morning. As soon as we hit the motorway, the rain started hitting the ground even harder...

Once we arrived in Okutama, we were relieved to see the rain stopped. Unlike some of the information we got on the net, it was a bit too early to see red coloured leafs in this area.

We started to see more colours once we got to Mitake-San. It was too foggy to see anything in the distance on top of the mountain. On the bright side, we had some cake with mushrooms and edible wild plants inside, and also bought some edible wild plants to have at home.

As we headed down towards Mitake Keikoku ravine, we saw some beautiful autumn foliage by the river! This is what we have been looking for! We wished the weather was nicer, but were satisfied with the beauty. The noodle with wild plants we had helped us feel even better. :-)

Once we finished lunch, my brother said "let's go to Nagatoro". We thought he was taking the mickey, but he was serious. We were gobsmacked. :-)

Although it was still cloudy, the rain completely stopped by the time we got to Nagatoro. I really like this tourist town, not just its autumn foliage. It's stunning by the river, and the shopping area from the railway station to the river has some character.

The climax was "Nagatoro Autumn Foliage Light-up"! We headed to the area that's lightened up as the event started at 5:00PM. It was just amazing! I couldn't stop taking photos! We were very lucky to see the lightened up trees as the event just started yesterday.

We were not caught up by traffic jam on the way back. We had a dinner at a restaurant near our houses to finish the day.

I am delighted that we had a fun trip as family, and with my auntie, for the first time in months!

Autumn foliage in Japan is lovely!

またかよ～ぉ！ - Yet again!!

2008-11-08T23:58:00.003+09:00

またまた巨人が負けた～ぁ！

何で僕が二度も見に来て二試合とも負けるかな～ぁ？

今回はてるちゃんのお母さんとおばあちゃんを巨人対西武、日本シリーズ第六戦に連れてくることに。この間の第五戦からみんな今日は胴上げを見れるものと思い東京ドームへやってきた。

ところが先発の尚成が初回から大乱調。ヒット、フォアボール、フォアボールで満塁にすると走者一掃のタイムリー。その後続いたピッチャー二人も大乱調。打撃も一番が三回塁に出るも点につながらず、そしてクリーンナップは走者なしではヒットが出るが、得点圏ではヒットが出ず。これでは勝てんは...。

でもお母さんにもおばあちゃんにも日本シリーズを生で見れて嬉しかった～って言ってもらえたのでよかった！

明日はどうなることやら...。

----------

Giants lost... yet again!

Why on earth did they lose all the games I have been to?!

We took Teruko's mum and grandma to the sixth game of the Japan Series between Giants and Lions today. After the fifth game of the series, all of us went to the Tokyo Dome thinking we were going to see the winning celemony.

But Hisanori had an absolute shocker right from the beginning. After conceding a hit and two four balls, he conceded three RBIs. The following two pitchers who came on supposedly to help were also disastrous. Giants also didn't have a good game on offense - three hits from the first batter resulted in no RBIs, while big hitters didn't hit when it mattered. There's no way you could win in such a manner.

On the bright side, I was pleased that Teruko's mum and grandma were delighted to come to the Japan Series!

I wonder what's gonna happen tomorrow...

バーベキュー！ - BBQ!!

2008-11-03T23:18:00.005+09:00

今日はてるちゃんの会社の同僚のご招待で、久しぶりにバーベキューをしに赤塚公園に行った。

赤塚公園には大学のときテニスでよく行っていたけど、いざ行ってみると行き方すら覚えていないほどだった。そりゃそうだよね、もう１０年以上前の話になるんだからね～（笑）。

それにしてもいろいろ食べました～。それにしても榎本さんたちがいろいろ買ってきてくれて、盛り沢山のバーベキューになった。お肉もいろいろ種類はあるし、野菜もたっぷり、海鮮もあり、そして変わったところでモツ煮込みなんてのもあったり。さらにはおやつにマシュマロを熱にかけて食べたのがちょ～美味しいっ！みんな面白いこと考えるよね。それに美味しいお手製のチョコケーキまで頂き...。

ちょっと天気はいまいちだったけど、若干紅葉も見れたし、面白い人たちで、とっても楽しいバーベキューをすることができた。榎本さん家族はじめ、てるちゃんの会社の同僚、元同僚の皆さん、ありがと！

バーベキューが終わってから、久しぶりに｢おばあちゃんの原宿｣巣鴨に行った。昔ならではのお店が立ち並んでとってもいい雰囲気。僕はこういうのが好きなんだな～ぁ。値段もかなり庶民的。入った百円ショップで靴下とかいろいろ買っちゃいました。

歩き疲れたところで、晩御飯を食べに巣鴨地蔵商店街をちょっと入ったところにある「きりん」に。ここではくず餅とかあんみつとか甘いものも出してるようだけど、それを我慢して僕たちはうどんを食べることに。ここの「いも煮うどん」はなかなかボリュームもあり、汁もいい味してるし、うどんも太めでとってもいい味してました。お店も和風の雰囲気で僕的にはとってもいい感じです。

今日も一日美味しいものに囲まれ、楽しい時間を過ごせました～。

----------

Following invitation from Teruko's colleagues, we went for BBQ at Akatsuka Park. It's been a while since the last BBQ I did.

I used to go to Akatsuka Park quite often for tennis while at uni, but I barely remembered how to get there. It's been over ten years since the last time I was there... :-)

We ate all sorts of stuff! Thanks to Enomoto-San and co doing errands, we had tons of food. There were different types of meat, lots of vegi, seafood, and stuff like motsu-nikomi... unusual stuff for BBQ. The "BBQed" marshmallow that we had was absolute beauty! People invent some amazing stuff! Last but not least, we also had home-made chocolate cake too...

Although the weather was not great, we were able to see a bit of autumn-coloured leafs and had fun time with fun people. Thanks to Enomoto-San's family, Teruko's colleagues and ex-colleagues!

After the BBQ, we headed to Sugamo, which is also called "grandma's Harajuku", for the first time in months. There are lots of old-fashioned shops that I really like. Price is also reasonable. I ended up buying quite a bit of stuff like socks at the dollar store!

Once we had enough walk, we went into "Kirin" for dinner. They serve all sorts of traditional Japanese sweets, but we shrugged off the temptation and decided to have noodles. The udon I had was tasty with good portion, tasty soup, and good thick noodles. The atmosphere of the restaurant is also very Japanesey, and I really liked it.

We had fun time with lots of lovely food!

初顔合わせ - First meeting

2008-11-02T22:07:00.000+09:00

ついについに、てるちゃん一家と僕の家族が初めて顔を合わせる時がきました～。

やはり「和式で食事ができるだけでなく景色があるところ」というところで八方園の槐樹での食事会とした。

やはりお互いの家族が初めて会うということでちょっと緊張した。でも僕もてるちゃんもかたっ苦しいのが嫌いということもあって、はじめはみんな緊張してたものの、いざお酒が入ると話は盛り上がること（笑）。やはりホストととして楽しい会にするように努めたけど、最後はその必要もなし（笑）。

お酒も食べ物もとっても美味しかった～。刺身から茶碗蒸し、てんぷら、煮物、などなどいろんな食べ物が出たし、日本酒も飲み口がいいこと。

またうちのお母さんからてるちゃんへサプライズのプレゼントが。僕と二人しててるちゃんには内緒にしていたことだったけど、本人にとっても喜んでもらって僕もお母さんも大満足。

食事が終わった後はみんなで八方園の庭園を散歩。残念ながら紅葉はまだ早すぎてまったく見れなかったけど、とってもいい天気で気持ちが良かった。

最後にみんなでお茶をしにJonathan'sに、と思ったらみんなしてパフェを頼む有様（笑）。こういう時に限ってソフトクリームの機械が壊れるというハプニングにも見舞われたものの、みんなで甘いものを堪能しました。

それにしても無事に会合が終わり一安心！

------------

Finally, the time has come for Teruko's family and mine to meet for the first time!

We wanted to have this event at a place that is "Japanese and has some scenery", so decided to host the event at Enjyu inside Happoen.

I was a wee bit nervous since the two families were meeting for the first time. But, maybe because Teruko and I don't like things being too formal, once we started drinking more alcohol conversations started to flow naturally. :-) Although I worked a bit to make the event enjoyable, I didn't need to do that in the end. :-)

Drinks and food were both delicious! We had all sorts of stuff from Sashimi and Chawan-Mushi to Tenpura, Nimono, etc. Sake was just so easy to drink...

We also had a surprise gift from my mum to Teruko. We kept it complete secret from Teruko, and were delighted to see how pleased she was.

Once we finished the lunch, we had a bit of walk around Happoen's Japanese garden. Unfortunately it was still too early for red leaves, it was great as the weather was perfect.

While we went to the Jonathan's for coffee, we ended up ordering massive parfait! :-) Coincidentally, we had an accident of having their soft icecream maker broken, we enjoyed the sweets together!

I am relieved that the event went well!

負けた～～～～！ - We lost!

2008-11-01T23:57:00.003+09:00

うわ～～～～～～っ！西武に負けた～～～～～ぁ！

今日はお母さんと親戚のおばさん、そしててるちゃんと４人で日本シリーズ巨人対西武の第一戦を東京ドームに見に行った。ドームに行くのは実に１８年ぶりくらいかな～ぁ。

今日はエースピッチャー同士の対決ということで、ものすごい投手戦の展開となったものの、勝敗はむらのあるピッチングで一発病を再発させた巨人上原が浴びたソロホームラン二発が試合を決定付けた。一方の西武のエース湧井はタイムリーとなったヒット一本に巨人打線を抑える凄いピッチング。まぁ、あれでは打てませんな（笑）。

巨人は負けてしまったものの、お母さんもおばさんもてるちゃんもとっても楽しかった、って言ってくれたのがとっても嬉しかった。

でもやっぱり悔し～～～～～い！

----------

Ahhhhhhhhhh! We lost to Lions!

I went to the Tokyo Dome to see the first game of the Japan Series between Giants and Lions. It's the Japanese equivalent of so called World Series. It's been eighteen years since the last time I went to the Dome.

Because the two teams had their number one pitcher respectively, it became a really tight game. Having said that, two solo homeruns that Giants' Uehara conceded from his nervy pitching decided the game. Lions' Wakui conceded only one hit, which was Giants' only RBI. With that pitching, I don't think anyone could break him really...

Although Giants lost, I was really pleased and delighted that my mum, auntie, and Teruko all said they had a great time today.

Havings said that, I am gutted that we lost!!

----------

初給料！ - I got paid!!

2008-10-24T21:51:00.003+09:00

ついに新しい会社に入って初めてのお給料を頂きました～ぁ！

何もしないでも会社行かなくてもお金貰えて、貰ったお金で旅行行ったりできた時期が懐かしいけど、試用期間ながら働いてお金をもらうのはやっぱり気分がいい！

それにしても所得税率が違うから、イギリスやカナダで貰ってた以上に貰えてる気がするけど、これは気のせいだね、きっと。しかも日本では医者に見てもらったり入院するのにお金かかるから、そういうのを考えるとやっぱり一長一短。

明日は初任給で家族みんなで寿司を食べるぞ～ぉ！

----------

I got paid by my new employer for the first time!

I do miss the days that I got paid for not doing anything let alone not turning up at work, and that I was able to travel using that money. But it feels good to be paid for the work that I have done!

It makes me feel like I get paid more here in Japan just because income tax rate is different from the ones in the UK and Canada. Having said that, we have to pay for seeing doctor and getting hospitalised here in Japan, so it all kinda balances things out.

I am going to have Sushi with my family to celebrate the first salary payment tomorrow!

あじゃぱ... - Oh dear, oh dear...

2008-10-18T23:13:00.002+09:00

浦和レッズ、やってしまいました。

Jリーグ優勝には絶対負けられない一戦、しかもホームでの試合。にもかかわらず神戸に完敗。スコアは1-0だったものの、内容的には3-0で負けててもおかしくない試合だった。

浦和の攻めは本当に単調だった。中盤でボールをコントロールできず、ボールを取ってもディフェンス間でボールを回して結果的に最後はサイドを使って攻める。それの繰り返し。それどころか中盤で幾度となくボールを奪われていた。同じスタジアム、この間の日本戦を見ているようだった。

それにしても今日の神戸は実にいい試合をしたと思う。アウェーながらディフェンス重視というような試合運びでなく、中盤でプレッシャーをかけて、ボールを奪うと素早いボール回しで浦和を幾度となく翻弄した。

浦和もチャンスがなかったわけではなく、ハーフチャンスは2、3度あったものの、決定的なチャンスというのは一つもなかった。むしろ神戸の方が決定的な場面が後半だけでも4、5度あった。

それにしても神戸の10番、ボッティという選手は実にいい選手だと思う。ボールコントロールもいいし、パスの精度も正確、挙句に運動量も豊富でチームへの貢献度は大だと思う。あんな選手が日本の中にも育って欲しいんだな～ぁ。

それにしても浦和レッズ、今度のチャンピオンズリーグ準決勝、ガンバ大阪戦に暗雲です。

----------

Oh dear, Urawa Reds...

This was a match that they couldn't afford to lose at home in order to challenge the J-League title. However, they were outclassed by Vissel Kobe. Although the scoreline was a flattering 1-0, they could have lost by 3-0 quite easily.

Urawa's attack was very one dimensional. Because they couldn't control the ball in the middle of the park, they kept passing the ball in defense and being forced to use the wingers to move forward. They dispossessed the ball in midfield on a number of occasions. It felt as though I was watching the Japan game a few days ago, which was played at the same venue.

Having said that, it's worth mentioning that Kobe played brilliantly. They didn't play like a typical defensive away side. They kept the pressure on in the middle of the park, and as soon as they get the ball they played quick passing football with which Urawa struggled to deal with.

Urawa had a few half chances, but they didn't have a single clear chance. Instead, Kobe had four or five clear chances... just in the second half.

I would like to mention Kobe's number 10, Botti. His first touch is good, passes are accurate, and work rate is also phenomenal. I would like to see some Japanese players like him emerge.

Oh dear, oh dear... very worrying for Urawa Reds before facing Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League semi final second leg!