Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Home-cooked Korean cuisine and bar [Kantaro] / 手作り韓国料理&酒場 「韓太郎」

About a month before our nephew was moving to Tokyo, he and my mother-in-law were in town to find an apartment before starting work. After all those preliminaries were done, it was lunch time and we decided on a Korean place in Ikebukuro called [Kantaro].

甥っ子が東京に引っ越す為に2月も一度来ました。その時うちの義理の母も青森から東京に来て、甥っ子のアパートの手続き等を行いまして、そのごは4人で昼食を食べに行った。選んだ店池袋にある手作り韓国料理&酒場「韓太郎」。


My mother-in-law coming out of the restaurant.

僕の義理の母だ。




Starting off with some beer before the meal.

食べ物が来る前にビールで乾杯。




Can't go wrong with samgyeopsal!

サムギョプサルはいつも大歓迎だ!




And the samgyetang is quite delicious too.

サムゲタンも結構美味しいですよ。


Me and my nephew Ryo / 僕と甥っ子の涼くん


Bon Appetit!

いただきます!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Asakuka Seven Lucky Gods of Fortune Pilgrimage / 浅草七福神巡り

It's been almost a year now since my wife and I along with our friends Yukio and Reiko went on the Asakusa Seven Lucky Gods of Fortune Pilgrimage. This consists of going to nine different shrines starting at Asakusa Shrine and ending at Sensoji Temple. The pilgrimage should take about 3 to 4 hours.

去年の2月頃僕と妻と友達の幸男と玲子が浅草七福神巡りをしました。浅草神社から始まり、浅草寺で終わる。3・4時間の歩きコースです。七福神と言っても巡るの9ヶ所。

Before getting started, I just had to share this. An early urinal.

神社巡りを始まる前にこれが珍しいからシェアします。 男性用のトイレだ。


Our starting point would be here at Asakusa Jinja. The Lucky God of Fortune that resides here would be Ebisu, God of fishers and merchants.

浅草七福神巡りはここ浅草神社から始まります。浅草神社の七福神が居るのは恵比寿様。




Komainu / 狛犬


Hand Purification Basin / 手水舎


Hondo / 本堂





A few of the shrines along the pilgrimage we had already been to and had received their seals before but for the ones we didn't, we added them to our seal notebooks.

七福神巡りで以前にもお参りした場所があって、その時に御朱印を貰いました。まだ貰ったない場所は御朱印帳に追加しました。

As we were walking to our next destination, I had a fine view of the Tokyo Sky Tree.

次の目的地を目指す途中に東京スカイツリーが見えてきた。


For fans of Japanese literature, we passed by a memorial to Shotaro Ikenami.

日本文学好きな人に池波正太郎誕生の地の碑を発見。


The next shrine on the pilgrimage was Matsuchiyama Shoten Honryuin, home to Bishamonten-sama, God of Warriors.

次は待乳山聖天本龍院。ここの七福神は毘沙門天様。




Hand Purification Basin / 手水舎


Hondo / 本堂

This was a shrine we had previously visited so we did not get a new shrine seal here.

ここは以前に参りしましたので新しい御朱印もらうの遠慮しました。


Our third stop was Imado Jinja, home to Fukurokuju-sama, God of Wealth and Happiness.

三社目は今戸神社。ここに居る七福神は福禄寿様。


Prayer boards / 絵馬


Hondo / 本堂


As with Gotokuji in Setagawa Ward, it has been suggested that Imado Jinja was where the Maneki Neko (the Beckoning Cat) originated.

世田谷区にある豪徳寺と同じく今戸神社が招き猫の発祥の神社の説があります。


Shirahige Bridge / 白鬚橋




The Sumida River / 隅田川


This isn't part of the pilgrimage but I thought they look pretty interesting.

ここは浅草七福神巡りとは無関係ですが、作りが面白いからつい写真を撮りました。


This shrine was a bit out of the way, it is the Ishihama Jinja, home to Jurojin-sama, God of Longevity.

次の神社がちょっと離れたけど、七福神の寿老人がいる石浜神社。




Ishihama Jinja / 石浜神社
















Koshintzuka / 庚申塚


Hand Purification Basin / 手水舎


Prayer boards / 絵馬


Ishihama Jinja Seal / 石浜神社御朱印


Next stop, Fudoin, home to Hotei-sama, God of Abundance and Good Health.

次は不動院。ここに居る七福神は布袋様。


A rather small shrine along the pilgrimage.

浅草七福神巡りで一番小さな場所かも。


Fudoin Seal / 不動院の御朱印


Another long hike to the next shrine, the Yoshiwara Jinja, home to Benzaiten-sama, Goddess of Knowledge, Art and Beauty.

次の場所も結構の距離だったが、辿り着いたのは吉原神社。ここに居る七福神は弁財天様。













We are a little more than half-way through our pilgrimage. The next shrine will be Otori Jinja. Also home to Jurojin, God of Longevity.

浅草七福神巡りは半分以上経過。あとちょっと。次の目的地は鳳神社。七福神の神は寿老人。








The torii to Otori Jinja / 鳳神社の鳥居


Hand Purification Basin / 手水舎


Hondo / 本堂






After our visit to Otori Jinja, we went out for lunch to a pasta place called Carubo (which I have featured in a previous post).

鳳神社お参りしたあとは昼食の時間。パスタ専門店のカルボに行きました。別のネタでその店を紹介しました。

Our pilgrimage has brought us to Kappabashi, known as a market street for restaurants where you can find almost anything you need to start your own, including those plastic foods which look so real.

浅草七福神巡りの後半でかっぱ橋に来ました。




Did somebody order a stack of pancakes?

誰かホットケーキを注文しましたか?


Or how about that for a burger?

このバーガーならどう?



Do you think they sell knives there?

あの店包丁を売ってるかな?


Our next to last shrine on the pilgrimage - Yasaki Inari Jinja, home to Fukurokuju, God of Happiness, Wealth and Longevity.

次の目的地は矢先稲荷神社。ここも福禄寿が居る場所です。


Hondo / 本堂




Hand Purification Basin / 手水舎

And we returned to Sensoji completing the Asakusa Gods of Lucky Fortune Pilgrimage. The only thing left to do is go out for a couple of drinks and maybe for a few snacks as well.

そして浅草の浅草寺に戻って浅草七福神巡りを無事終了しました。せっかく浅草に居るので、近くの場所で軽く飲んで軽く食べました。

Cheers to ourselves for completing the pilgrimage.

自分たちに乾杯。


And some snacks to go with the drink.

餃子と焼豚はホッピーと共に。


So ended our day. It felt like a great accomplishment completing the pilgrimage. And it was great walk as well.

食べたあとに解散。浅草七福神巡りを終了したら、結構な達成感を味わった。凄い楽しかった。