Ern in Tokyo

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 3) Neputa Mura con't / 青森旅行２０１２（三日目）ねぷた村つづき

2012-01-26T21:47:00.000+09:00

Continuing our tour of the Neputa Mura.

ねぷた村探索が続く。

Watching the Neputa demonstration for the next group of tourists from the second floor.

２階から次の観光客の為のねぷたデモを観察。

This is called a sasara. In the early days before electricity, candles were used to light up the Neputa floats and they often caught on fire. The tips of the sasara were soaked with water to put out any fires.

ささら：昔、ねぷたの証明はろうそくが主流で、よくねぷたが火事になりました。そこで、このささらの先端に水を付け、火を消しました。

That concludes the Neputa Mura main exhibition, but there is still more. The following is a display room featuring the history of the Neputa festival, old books describing the Neputa, how the Neputa floats are made, and miniature Neputas of the Chinese zodiac.

ねぷた村のメインが終了しました、でもまだまだ見るところがあります。次の部屋はねぷたの歴史や、ねぷたについて古書、ねぷたの作り方と干支のミニねぷた。

A display showing the set-pu and flow of the Neputa Festival.

Taiko drums used in the Neputa festival. This particular taiko is called a shime taiko, and is also known as an akedo taiko. The largest taiko drum used in the Neputa festival in Hirosaki measures 4 meters!

Mini Neputa / ミニねぷた

Check out the illustrations in these old books - they're awesome!

An ex-pat mannequin? / マネキンが外国人？

At Neputa Mura, not only do you get a Neputa demonstration, but you get to check out the history, and following that, you can walk through a workshop area where you will find some masters working on making traditional items and toys.

ねぷた村でねぷただけではありません。ねぷたとねぷたの歴史を見たあと、その次が日本の伝統的なものを作る作業工房があります。こけし、たこ、こま等を作る職人さんが居て、自由に彼らに声をかけいろいろ質問して良いんです。

Top Maker / コマ職人

Kokeshi dolls / こけし

As we are in Tsugaru, our tour wouldn't be complete without listening to a Tsugaru shamisen performance.

青森県に居るので、津軽三味線の演奏も聴くべし。

Tsugaru shamisen display / 津軽三味線

After touring Neputa Mura, it was now time for lunch, but that will be the next post.

ねぷた村探索終了、昼食の時間になりました。でもそれはまた次のネタになります。

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 3) Neputa Mura / 青森旅行２０１２（三日目）ねぷた村

2012-01-25T00:40:00.000+09:00

Apologies faithful readers - nephew was in town for the weekend from Aomori as he and my wife went to Saitama Super Arena for a K-Pop festival (that would be Korean Pop Music if you didn't know). Getting back to my recent Aomori trip, after our hatsumode we headed back to Hirosaki to check out a place called Neputa Mura (translates to Neputa Village). Not to be confused with Nebuta which is the name of the festival in Aomori.

常連読者の皆様、休んですみません。土日、また甥っ子が青森から東京に来ました。嫁と二人でさいたまスーパーアリーナーで開催するK-Popフェスの為です。青森旅行のネタに戻りますね。初詣のあと弘前に戻った。次の目的地はねぷた村。青森のねぶたとはまた違いますよ。

Here we are at Neputa Mura / ねぷた村に到着

Yes, we are being silly tourists! / はい、陽気な観光客になりきってます！

A Neputa float / ねぷた

Before wandering around, there was a short explanation and demonstration of the Neputa festival and a chance for us tourists to try our hand at pounding on the huge taiko drums.

歩き回る前にねぷたについての説明と歴史を聞いて、そのあとは観光客も大きいな太古を叩く体験も出来る。

Goldfish Neputa, said to be the origins of the Neputa / 金魚ねぷたはねぷたの源でも言われてますってそのサインに書かれてます

This should give you an idea of how large the Neputa float is / この写真でねぷたの大きさが分かるでしょう

Don't be starin' at my butt, check out the design on the back! / 俺のケツを見るな、ねぷたのデザインを見て！

I'm ready to participate / 準備万端

A rather large goldfish Neputa

ちょっと大きい金魚ねぷた

A Neputa mikoshi? / ねぷた神輿？

The picture above is a replica of an early Edo era Neputa / 上記の写真は江戸初期のねぷた

Octopus Neputa / タコねぷた

I just love the art of the Neputa and Nebuta. The tour is far from finished...

ねぷたとねぶたのアートは好きだな。ツアーがまだまだつづく。。。

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 3) Dake Hot Spring & Hatsumode / 青森旅行２０１２（三日目）嶽温泉と初詣

2012-01-19T21:55:00.000+09:00

Day 3 of our Aomori trip starts out with a morning bath before breakfast at Dake Hot Spring. The morning meal may not be as extravagant as dinner, but it's still presented beautifully.

青森旅行３日目の朝。まだ嶽温泉にいます。朝食食べるまえは朝風呂でしょ。朝飯は昨日の豪華ほどではございませんが、それでも素晴らしい。

This is what we woke up to in the morning. We also saw a squirrel prancing around outside as well but it went back to its burrow before I could get a picture of it.

朝起きたらこういう景色がありました。ちょっと前にリスもいましたが、リスの写真撮るチャンスは見逃した。

Heading down for breakfast / 朝食行き

Such beautiful presentation / 見た目が美しい

Some fish, some octopus, mountain veggies, salad, rice of course, and since this New Year's - ozoni!

焼き魚、たこ、山菜、サラダ、ご飯は当たり前、そしてお正月なのでお雑煮！

Can't wait to see the inside can you?

中身が気になって仕方にでしょう？

Ozoni / お雑煮

Back to our room to relax before checking out. We will be doing our hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year - another Japanese tradition) at Iwakiyama Jinja.

チェックアウト前に一旦部屋に戻ってリラックス。今日は初詣行く予定。場所は岩木山神社。

More amusing signs in Tsugaru dialect / 津軽弁のサイン

Matagi-tei where we had our breakfast, you can't see the name of the store because of the snow.

朝食で食べたマタギ亭。店の名前は雪で隠れてる、東北の冬凄い！

Leaving Dake Hot Spring / 嶽温泉にさらば

Entrance to Iwakiyama Jinja / 岩木山神社の入り口

Me with my mother-in-law / 義理の母と一緒

Its quite a walk to the actual shrine / 神社までの距離は結構あります

Cedar tree with 5 trunks / 五本杉

Getting closer / 近づいてます

Not the main shrine / 本堂ではございません、へいでん

The place to get your omikuji (fortune) / おみくじ

Place to hang your ema (prayer board) / 絵馬を掛ける場所

One of the main gates / 楼門

A rather large area to wash your hands before making your prayers.

お参りするまえで手洗う所も凄い。

No, that's also not the main shrine, it is the Inari Daimyojin Shrine / いえ、それも本堂ではございません、稲荷大明神です

Iwakiyama Jinja / 岩木山神社

Burning last year's items / 去年の物を燃やしてる

Where's Mikako? / 美香子を探せ！

So ends our first visit of the year to a shrine / 初詣終了

Here is a sign you don't see too often (if ever). It says "Ando-kan" which seems to be a rather archaic word for bathroom.

お手洗いのサインが“安堵館”になってる。義理の母がその意味を教えてくれました。珍しいですね。

You know its winter in Japan when you can spot the yaki-imo (hot sweet potatoes) truck.

焼き芋のトラックが見かけると、やっぱり冬の季節が来たという感じになりますね。

From wikipedia on the history of the Iwakiyama Shrine: 「The foundation of the Iwakiyama Shrine predates the historical period, and Mount Iwaki was a holy mountain for the local Emishi tribes. Per shrine tradition, the shrine was established on the summit of Mount Iwaki in the year 780. It was rebuilt by the folk-hero Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in the year 800 and dedicated to his father Sakanoue no Karitamaro. Several subsidiary shrines were built around the base of the mountain in an area called the Tokoshinai (十腰内?) by the local inhabitants. One of these subsidiary shrines to the southeast of the mountain developed into the Shingon sect Buddhist temple of Hyakutaku-ji (百沢寺?) in 1091, and became the predecessor of the present shrine. The three main peaks on Mount Iwaki were identified with the Buddhist deities of Amida Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai and Kannon Bosatsu.

During the Meiji period’s government-ordered separation of Buddhism from Shinto, the temple became a Shinto shrine. In 1871, it was officially designated one of the Kokuhei Shōsha (国幣小社), or 3rd ranked national shrine under the State Shinto system until 1946.」

ウィキピディアから岩木山神社の歴史：　「宝亀11年（780年）、岩木山の山頂に社殿を造営したのが起源とされる。延暦19年（800年）、岩木山大神の加護によって東北平定を為し得たとして、坂上田村麻呂が山頂に社殿を再建し、父の刈田麿を合祀したとされる。十腰内地区に下居宮（おりいのみや＝麓宮）を建立し、山頂を奥宮とした。この下居宮は、現在は厳鬼山神社となっている。寛治5年（1091年）、神宣により、十腰内地区から岩木山東南麓の百沢地区に遷座し、百沢寺と称したのが現在の岩木山神社となっている。

明治の神仏分離以前には、岩木山の山頂に阿弥陀・薬師・観音の3つの堂があり、真言宗百沢寺岩木山三所大権現と称した。近世には、津軽藩の総鎮守として歴代藩主から崇敬された。

明治の神仏分離により寺院を廃止、明治6年（1873年）、国幣小社に列格された」

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 2) Dake Hot Spring - Dinner / 青森旅行２０１２（２日目）嶽温泉 ‐ 夕飯

2012-01-17T22:15:00.000+09:00

I still had a little time before dinner so of course I had to wander around some more.

お風呂上がったら夕飯までまだ時間があっとので、旅館でウロウロ歩き回った。

Nice and quiet in the lobby / ロビは静かでした

More interior art / 館内にまだいろんアートオブジェあり

In the lobby of the baths that only guests can use is a table where you can get free coffee, tea, water, or amazake. Well of course I had me a cup of amazake.

ゲスト専用のお風呂のロビにサービステーブルがありました。コーヒー、お茶、水と甘酒がご自由に頂ける。もちろん甘酒一杯飲みました。

Just another few more minutes before dinner.

夕飯まであとちょっと。

Grandpa eyeballin' some sake / ジーちゃん酒待ってるね

Dressed for dinner! / 夕飯に行く準備万端！

Take a look at our menu for dinner!! I counted twice, there was 28 items on that thing!

今夜のお品書き見て下さいよ！自分は二回も数えた。なんと２８品もでる予定！

ちょっと読みにくいかも知りませんので、下に書き込んだ。

食前酒：山ぶどう酒　　　　　

前菜：鮟鱇友和え
　　　　はたはた
　　　　昆布巻揚げ
　　　　ハムチーズ市松
　　　　黒豆松葉
　　　　鮎生干し
　　　　綿色玉子
　　　　栗きんとん

吸い物：舞茸土瓶蒸し

造理：サザエ
　　　　本まぐろ
　　　　牡丹海老

小鉢五点盛り：祝い数の子
　　　　　　　　　紅白イクラなます
　　　　　　　　　酢取なまこ
　　　　　　　　　竹の子紅鮭押鮨
　　　　　　　　　あみ茸当座煮

焼物：金々塩焼き
　　　　
揚物：海老天婦羅
　　　　新筍
　　　　ふきのとう

鍋物：牛すきやき風陶板焼き

蒸し物：半蒸し

食事：マタギ飯

香物

デザート

Too difficult to translate that all into English, so check out the pictures below and be envious!

By the way, that menu is per person! I did have a beer as well, but just one. After eating most of the above, I had absolutely no room for another.

あのメニューは一人用ですよ！ビール一杯飲みましたが、結構食べましたので、一杯以上のビールは無理！

Of course I went to baths after dinner before going to sleep!

もちろん食事後またお風呂に入りましたよ。温泉ですから！

Aomori Trip (Day 2) Dake Hot Spring I / 青森旅行２０１２（２日目）嶽温泉 I

2012-01-15T22:55:00.000+09:00

On our way to Dake Hot Spring. Those fields are full of apple trees. I've never seen so many apple orchards, but since this is the winter, no apples on the trees.

嶽温泉に向かってます。青森県は本当に林檎の木がいっぱい！今は冬なので、木に林檎はない。

Our hotel - Yama no Hotel, Dake Onsen.

今夜の宿に到着－山のホテル、嶽温泉。

We are greeted by a bear at the entrance.

入り口で熊がお出向かい。

The name of our room is "Orin", a type of apple. All the rooms at this inn are named after apples.

私たちの部屋は王林、林檎の種類です。この旅館の部屋が全て林檎の名前なんです。

Greetings from the hotel.

ホテルからのご挨拶。

Inside our room / 部屋の中

Relaxing a bit before exploring the inn's surroundings and checking out the baths.

旅館を探索する前に一休み。

First, a cup of red pepper and plum tea. I actually like this!

さて、とうがらし梅茶を飲んだ。これは意外と美味しい！

Another greeting from the inn in Tsugaru dialect. Forgive me for not translating the above.

Showing off the jacket my mother-in-law bought for me.

義理の母が買ってくれた上着。

The following pics are of the inn's decor.

次の写真は旅館内で撮ったもの。

Kind of a scary welcoming sign if you ask me.

ちょっと不気味なウェルカムサインと思いませんか？

Wandering around outside the inn.

旅館の周りも探索しました。

Back to the hotel, time to get into hot spring mode and head for the baths before dinner.

旅館に戻って、温泉モードに切り替え（浴衣を着ないっと）、そして夕飯の前にお風呂だ！

Hot Spring Mode / 温泉モード！

Kokeshi Dolls / こけし

Great timing for me as I had the entire bath to myself.

お風呂に行ったら貸切状態でした ‐ ラッキー！

And then to the other bath, which I also had all to myself.

次のお風呂へ、ここでも貸切状態！

Scenery from the second bath. Unfortunately, this inn did not have an outdoor bath (but they more than make up for it with dinner!)

二番目に入ったお風呂にこういう景色がありました。残念ながら、今回の宿は露天風呂はありませんけど、その変わりに夕飯が凄すぎ！

Now I'm all relaxed and set for dinner!

お風呂入ってリラックスが出来て、次の楽しみはやっぱり夕飯だ！

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 2) Morning & Noon / 青森旅行２０１２（２日目）朝と昼

2012-01-13T23:44:00.008+09:00

Day 2 of our Aomori trip is New Year's Day. The plan for today is to do a little shopping (my mother-in-law said she was going to buy me a new winter jacket), lunch with my wife's biological father, along with my brother-in-law and nephew. And later on in the day, after Mikako's sister gets off work, we will be heading to Dake Hot Spring near Hirosaki.

青森旅行２日目は元旦です！今日の予定はお買いもの。義理の母が僕に新しいウィンタージャケットを買ってくれると言われた。昼は美香子の本当のお父さんの家に行って、義理の弟と甥っ子で昼食食べる予定。そして、美香子の妹が仕事終わったら、弘前の近くにある嶽温泉に行く予定。

That's actually my mother-in-law's garden where beautiful flowers bloom in the spring. You couldn't tell by looking at this picture.

義理の母はお花が好きなので、これは家の玄関先の庭。春になると美しい花がいっぱいありますが、冬はこういう感じです。

As my mother-in-law's house is located on top of a hill, we get a grand view as you can see.

義理の母の家は丘にある為、家からこういう景色が見られる。

I think that's a rice field down there.

確かその下はお米畑と思う。

The neighborhood / 近所

Walking down the hill from the house to catch a bus to go shopping. Don't think I want to take a dip in that river this time of year.

丘から降りて、バス停に向かってます。冬の季節ならこの川は絶対入りたくないよね。

Shinjo Station, the closet station to my mother-in-law's house.

新庄駅、家から一番近い駅です。

Apparently, it is now a station without any station employees.

現在新庄駅は無人駅になってます。

One of the entrances to Shin Aomori Station. That is my mother-in-law waiting at the door.

新青森駅の一つの入り口。左側で立ってるのは私の義理の母。

Me, the Tourist standing in front of Shin Aomori station.

新青森駅で観光客の私です。

Checking out the some of the shops at Shin Aomori station.

こんどこそ新青森駅にある店をちょっと覗いてみる。

Aomori Shunmi-Kan / 青森旬味館

Our next stop was the department store which is also where the super market is that Mikako's sister works at. That stack of sushi platters looks pretty awesome!

次の目的地はデパート。同じ場所に美香子の妹が働いてるスーパーもあるところです。スーパーで寿司の盛り合わせが凄い！

Sushi Heaven! / 寿司天国！

Mikako's biological father's house / 義理の父の家

Snow Snow Snow / 雪雪雪

New Year's lunch / 元旦の昼食

Sushi assortment / 寿司の盛り合わせ

And a bunch of other stuff / 他はいろいろ

Me and my father-in-law, (Mikako's biological father). Mikako did not want her picture posted so I had to edit her out.

僕と義理の父（美香子の本当のお父さん）。美香子が自分の写真を載せないでと言われたので、写真をちょっと編集致しました。

On to my brother-in-law's house.

次は義理の弟の家。

Next stop - Dake Hot Spring!

次の目的地 ‐ 嶽温泉！

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 1) / 青森旅行２０１２（初日）

2012-01-13T10:38:00.000+09:00

I shall put a short hold on my local neighborhood walks and start writing about my latest trip up north to my wife's hometown of Aomori. After work on New Year's Eve, we went to Tokyo station to the catch the last shinkansen (bullet train) to Aomori. Our train was scheduled to leave at 8:04pm and we're scheduled to arrive at Shin Aomori station (the new shinkansen station that opened in December of 2010) at 11:38pm. If we're lucky, we might make it to my mother-in-law's house before midnight.

近所散歩のネタをちょっと保留して、今日から青森旅行のネタを書き始めます。大晦日の日仕事が終わったら東京駅から新幹線の最終電車で青森に出発。２０１０年オープンした新青森駅が終点。義理の母にカウントダウン間に合うのかが分からない。新青森駅着は夜の11:38pm。移動中の年越しになるかも知りません。

One of the joys of traveling by shinkansen is choosing what kind of ekiben to buy and eat. Ekiben is short for Eki Bento (Station Bento). As you can see there is quite a crowd at the bento shop as everybody is heading home for the New Year's Holidays.

新幹線の旅にもう一つの楽しみはやっぱり駅弁ですね。お正月に帰る人が多いので、東京駅の駅弁売り場も結構込んでました。

No, the station is far from deserted. It seems I just had good timing on taking this picture. Our train is not yet on the schedule board.

上記の写真で伝わらないですが、駅は結構込んでました。写真撮ったタイミングが良かっただけです。

I get antsy just sitting in a waiting room, so I wandered around taking pictures.

待合室で落ち付かないので、ちょっと駅内で歩き回って写真を撮った。

The Waiting Room / 待合室

Our train schedule listed on the bottom.

一番下は私たちの新幹線。

Our train was the Hayate #41. Not pictured above, but a train with the same design.

私たちの新幹線ははやて４１号。上記の電車ではないんですが、同じデザインのものに乗る。

Now that Shin Aomori station is open, we no longer have to change trains at Hachinohe and the travel time which used to be 4 hours now only takes 3 1/2 hours.

新青森駅がオープンしたおかげで八戸の乗り換えがなくなりました。以前４時間の旅が３時間半にもなりました。

Of course we bought ekiben for our trip. We both chose the same thing - Yonezawa Gyu Yakiniku-ju. This ekiben is on the expensive side at 1500yen.

もちろん駅弁買いました。僕と美香子が同じものを購入。松川弁当店の米沢牛焼き肉重。ちょっと高かったけど。￥１５００もした。

I love the packaging / パッケージも可愛い

Yonezawa beef is a well known brand name, almost as popular as Kobe beef.

米沢牛を決行アピールしてます。

Dinner time! / いただきます！

A small Nebuta float display lets you know you're in Aomori, however since it is 11:38pm at night, all of the stores around the station are closed.

新青森に到着。駅内に小さなねぶたがあるということはさすがに青森に居るという証拠だ！夜１１：３８なので、開いてる店はありません。

Yep, definitely not in Tokyo any more, we're in snow country now!

もう東京にはいませんね、雪国だ！

My brother-in-law, who is also a taxi driver picked us up at the station and took us to Mikako's mother house. We made it just in time for the New Year countdown with one minute to spare.

義理の弟はタクシーの運転手で駅まで向かいに来てくれました。義理の母の家に着いたのは零時一分前でした。カウントダウン間に合った！

A Walk around Tsukiji (Final) Other Points of Interest / 築地の散歩（ラスト）築地地点情報いろいろ

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000+09:00

Tsukiji and its surroundings are full of interesting bits of history. I'm sure other neighborhoods in Tokyo are as well but it seems like Tsukiji or rather Chuo Ward takes its history seriously and has established signs for points of interest throughout the area.

築地がある中央区にある地点情報はあちこちに設置してある。結構中央区が歴史に力をいれてる感じがする。

First point of interest that fans of Japanese literature will appreciate. This is where Ryunosuke Akutagawa was born, who is regarded as "The Father of the Japanese short story". Japan's top literary prize - the Akutagawa Award is also named for him.

St. Luke's International Hospital / 聖路加国際病院

Why the hospital? Because there are quite a few points of interest surrounding this area as well.

なぜこの病院？この周りにも地点情報がいっぱいある。

First, there are these American Legation Stones.

最初に見つかったのはアメリカ大使館記念石。聖路加国際病院は昔外国人居留地で公使館があった場所。

There was also a monument to Dr. Rudolf Bolling Teusler, founder of St. Luke's International Hospital.

And a memorial to the founder as well:

聖路加国際病院トイスラー記念館もある：

Birthplace of Rikkyo University

Monument to St. Margaret's School / 立教女学院記念碑

Next, I found myself along the Sumida River.

次は隅田川沿いに歩いた。

Wall decor along the river

Kachidoki Bridge / 勝鬨橋

And so concludes my walk around Tsukiji.

これで築地の散歩が終了します。

A Walk around Tsukiji (Part 4) Tsukiji Honganji Temple / 築地の散歩（パート４）築地本願寺

2012-01-12T01:40:00.000+09:00

After getting my fill of fish, fish, and more fish at the Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market, it was time to move away from the seafood motif. However, before heading home I saw a sign pointing to another temple that I haven't been to - the Tsukiji Hongaji Temple (it's written as Hongwanji Temple on their English language pamphlet). This temple seems to be built more like a church than your typical Japanese temple. Fortunately, it didn't give off the creepy vibes like that other place I visited near Shinagawa - the Tokyo Shoshinkan.

築地市場を探索したあと、そろそろ帰るモードに入ったが、最初に築地に降りた時気になってたお寺も発見。帰る前そのお寺も覗いてみようと思いました。お寺なのに、造りがまるで外国風の教会な感じがする。結構広い。これ本当にお寺と思うくらい。良かったことに以前品川で怪しげな建物（東京正心館）の雰囲気はありませんでした。

Lets take a peak inside.

中をちょっと覗いてみよう。

Here is a short history of Tsukiji Honganji Temple taken from the English language pamphlet:

The Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple is a Betsuin (branch temple) of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha denomination, of which the Mother Temple, or Honzan, is located in Kyoto. Due to its geographic location within Kyoto, the denomination is commonly known as Nishi (west) Hongwanji.

The history of this temple dates back to the year 1617 when Junnyo Shonin, the 12th hierarchical leader, or monshu, of the Hongwanji, established a temple at Yokoyama-cho near Asakusa in Edo (olden day Tokyo). Known in those days as the Edo-Asakusa Gobo, the temple went up in flames in the Great Fire of 1657. Unfortunately, permission to rebuild on the original site was denied by the Bakufu (feudal government), as it did not fit in with reconstruction plans for the area. In exchange, the Betsuin was allocated a parcel of land off the shoreline of Hatchobori, which had to be reclaimed from the sea. This land reclamation and reconstruction project was undertaken by countless devout followers, mainly living on nearby Tsukudajima. The word Tsukiji literally means "built up land," indicating that this district was reclaimed land. When the Main Worship Hall, or Hondo, was built on this land, the temple came to be called Tsukiji Gobo. The district around the the temple is called Tsukiji due to the historical background.

That temple was lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and the present temple that replaced it, with its Indian architectural motif, was designed by Itoh Chuta. Professor of the Faculty of Architecture at Tokyo University. The construction began in the year 1931 and was completed in 1934, displaying the fervent devotion of the Shinshu followers.

日本人の読者は築地本願寺のウェブサイトをチェックして下さい：

http://tsukijihongwanji.jp/tsukijihongwanji/982

Details also available in English at:

http://www.tsukijihongwanji.jp/tsukiji/index_e.html

I didn't realize this was the same temple where the wake was held for former X-Japan guitarist Hide who had committed suicide until I came upon a memorial to him inside the main hall. I remember the news from 1998 when 20,000 to 50,000 fans attended the services.

中に入って分かったけど、X-JapanのHideの追悼式がここで行われてた。１９９８年のニュースは覚えてる。２万から５万人のファンが集まって大変な事になった。

Memorial to Hide of X-Japan

Floral Hide

As the temple ground covers a huge area I did a little exploring and discovered a few more pieces of history.　　The graves of four prominent people (at least I think so since all four had signs giving us information on who they were and what they did).

お寺の周辺も歩き回ると、また日本歴史に関するものいろいろ発見しました。有名かどうか分かりませんが、４人のお墓がありました。その４人のお墓は東京文化財にも登録されてます。

The grave of Habu Genseki / 土生玄碩墓（はぶげんせきはか）

Thank goodness for the internet or I would only have had a vague idea of who this was. 「Habu Genseki (1762-1848) was originally from Yoshida in the Akino province and practiced Dutch medicine at the end of the Edo period. He was the shogun’s personal doctor and his expertise was in ophthalmology. He later learned how to heal eye disease from the German doctor Siebold who worked for a Dutch trading house. He gave Siebold the coat of arms of the Tokugawa clan as a farewell gift, which he had been given earlier from the Shogun. He was implicated in what became the Siebold Affair because of this.」

Hazama Shinroku Memorial (one of the 47 Ronin)

「Shinroku was one of the 47 Ronins. On his way back from the Kira mansion in Honjo Matsuzaka-cho to Takanawa Sengakuji Temple after fulfilling a task (the murder of Kira Kozukenosuke as his contribution to the welfare of the other 46 Ronins), he threw 50 ryo (a unit of money) bundled to a hand spear into the premises of Honganji Temple. This was the payment for his own funeral rites. He was then held captive at the mansion of Mori Kai no Kami of the Chofu clan and on 4th February 1703 he died by committing harakiri. He was 24 years old.」

The grave of Mori Magoemon (actually a part of it, I didn't realize that the sign referred to two pillars, this was the one on the left) / 森孫右衛門供養塔（気が付きませんでしたが、右側の塔の写真を撮ってない）

「The grave of the founder of Tsukudajima is at Tsukiji Hongan Temple, but it is a reconstructed grave erected by his descendants for his 200th memorial year. Starting on the left hand side, the record of the relationship between Tsudajima folk and the Tokugawa clan is engraved on the back of the gravestone. It is treasured as a valuable gravestone relating the history of Tsukudajima.」

The grave of Sakai Hoitsu / 酒井抱一墓（さかいほういつはか）

「Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828) was an artist in the last days of the Edo period and was also known as Oson or Ugean. Hoitsu became a Buddhist priest in Nishi Honganji Temple and received the name Gon no Daisozu, but lived an elegant life in seclusion in Edo. He was talented both in painting and poetry. He followed the painting style of Ogata Korin, which added even more sophistication to his pictures, and led to the foundation of a new school of painting. His grave is at the Tsukiji Honganji Temple.」

Monument to Kujo Takeko / 九条武子記念碑

「A monument to the Kyoto-born poet Kujo Takeko (1887-1928) stands in the precinct of the Tsukiji Honganji Temple. One of her poems is written on this monument and translates as follows： “When being pulled by a greater cause, my own footprints seem so unsteady”. Takeko was the second daughter of the head of Nishi Honganji Temple, Otani Koson, and was the wife of Kujo Yoshitomo. Her main anthologies are “Kinrei (Golden Bell)” and “Kunzen”, while her most famous essay is “Muyuge”.」

The above is written on the monument but it is quite difficult to make out.

Shinran Shonin, founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism / 親鸞聖人

There is also a monument to victims of accidents / 陸上交通殉難者追悼之碑

One final look at Tsukiji Honganji Temple

もう一回築地本願寺を眺める。

But wait, I didn't go home after checking out the Tsukiji Hongaji Temple. I continued my walk around Tsukiji and found a few more interesting places and items of interest.

築地本願寺を探索したあと、帰りませんでした。築地の散歩がまだまだ続いてました。そしてまた面白い記念碑なども発見。それはまた今度。

A Walk around Tsukiji (Part 3) Namiyoke Inari Shrine / 築地の散歩（パート３）波除稲荷神社

2012-01-11T00:42:00.000+09:00

Returning to my regular posts, I came upon this small shrine located right outside the Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market. It is the Namiyoke Inari Shrine. As to the history of the place, just check out the photo below.

築地の散歩のネタに戻りました。市場を堪能したあと、小さな神社を発見。波除稲荷神社でした。自分がこの神社に説明するより、下記の写真をご覧ください。

I hope you were able to read the signs.

サインが読めたかな？

This is interesting. This is a shrine to Benzaiten (one of the Lucky Gods of Fortunes). Why it houses a black toothed lion is a mystery (I'm sure there was an explanation written somewhere but I must not have bothered to read it). I checked their website to do a bit of research but all the explanations are in Japanese with some difficult kanji for me to read.

これは面白い。上記にあるのは弁財天社。その中にお歯黒獅子があるのは何故？ネットで波除稲荷神社のサイトを見ましたが、全部日本語で、自分が読めない感じが多すぎた。

Directly across from the black toothed lion is this one called the Shishi Dono and is used for yaku yoke (a prayer to ward off evil).

向かいにあるのは厄除けで使われてる獅子殿です。

As this is the unofficial guardian shrine for the fish market and the people who work there, you will find some other unusual monuments that pays respect to sushi, tempura, and even eggs!

お歯黒獅子や獅子殿以外にまた面白いものもある。いろんな塚ですよ。すし塚、海老塚、玉子塚など。変わった稲荷神社だなと思いました。

On the left is the monument to honor eggs (as you can see). To the right is a smaller shrine that houses four different gods.

見て目ですぐ分かると思いますが、左にあるのは玉子塚。右にあるのは末社。

A closer look at the monument (for lack of a better word) to the egg.

玉子塚です。

Monument to sushi on the left and shrimp on the right.

すし塚と海老塚。真ん中にあるのは海老の大丸。

Sake anyone?

酒飲むか？

As this is an Inari shrine, you will also find small statues of kitsune (foxes). According to wikipedia: [Inari Okami is the Japanese god of rice, agriculture, fertility, industry, and worldly success. The foxes are his messengers. They are also often adorned with a red yodarekake (votive bibs) by worshippers out of respect.]

稲荷神社なので、必ず狐の像もある。一般的には本堂の前にあると思いますが、ここの稲荷神社ｈちょっと違う。

If the foxes are Inari's messengers, what is this tiger doing here?

稲荷神社と言えば狐。では、何故ここに虎が居るの？

Love the water spouting dragons / 水を吐き出す龍ってカッコイイね

Namiyoke Inari Shrine / 波除稲荷神社

I also noticed that there were these little stone pillars featuring all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac.

もう一つ面白いと思ったのは、ここの神社に全種類の干支を発見！

I hope you enjoyed the tour of this small little shrine.

波除稲荷神社楽しめましたか？

Happy New Year / 明けましておめでとう

2012-01-08T21:58:00.000+09:00

Happy New Year from Iwakiyama Jinja near Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture. I will be returning to my regular posts soon, with stories from Aomori to follow. Okay, so I'm a week late with my greetings but since I was out of town, please forgive me.

青森県、岩木山神社から明けましておめでとう。今年も宜しくお願い致します。一週間遅れてすみませんね。また築地のネタのつづきもありますので、青森のネタはまたそのあと。

NOTICE / お知らせ

2011-12-30T23:14:00.000+09:00

As of tomorrow, I will be headed to my wife's hometown of Aomori for the New Year's Holiday so there will be no new posts on my blog for at least a week.

明日から嫁の実家、青森行く予定なので、勝手ながら一週間程度こちらおブログは休みをさせていただきます。

A Walk around Tsukiji (Part 2) Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market / 築地の散歩（パート２）築地中央市場

2011-12-29T23:04:00.003+09:00

It's past 9:00am, I can now check out the Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market. When you read the guide books that tell you this is the world's largest fish market, you better believe they aren't kidding. The place is massive. How you buy and pay for the fish is beyond me. There is no cash register, just fish, fish, fish, fish, and more fish, and other ocean goodies!

あさ９時過ぎました。築地中央市場が探索出来る。ガイドブックで書かれてますが、世界一大きいな市場は間違いない！冗談じゃない。行った事ない人は、“え～？どの位広いの”と口で出すでしょう。魚の購入と支払い方はどうやってやってるんだろうも謎だ。レジも見かけないし、見えるのは魚、魚、魚、そして魚と他の海の幸。

This is just a tiny glimpse into the actual fish market.

ここはちょっと覗いたところの一部です。

Where do you start looking in this market anyway?

市場で最初はどっから見るべきなのかな？

Yes, that's a band saw for cutting fish!

はい、あれは魚を切る為の機械だ！

I imagine this is an everyday site in Tsukiji.

ま～、築地ならこれは毎日普通の光景でしょう。

The band saw at work.

魚を切ってる真っ最中。

You know these fish are fresh.

新鮮な魚で分かるはずだ！

Funky fish with a big protruding eye!

変わった魚だな。あの目は何？

Various clams / あさりがいろいろ

Blocks of fish / 魚の塊

Cuts of maguro / マグロいろいろ

You can spend hours in here and not buy fish and still have an entertaining time.

魚購入せず、長時間行っても楽しめるわ。

Those special vehicles are definitely a necessity here.

ここに来るとあの特殊車両の必要が直ぐわかります。

The pictures above still don't give justice to how large this fish market is. Its incredibly huge. No doubt about this being the world's largest.

上記の写真じゃ築地中央市場の大きさがまだまだ伝わらないと思う。行ってみたら確かに世界一で確信が出来る。

A Walk around Tsukiji (Part 1) Outer Market / 築地の散歩（パート１）築地場外市場商店街

2011-12-28T21:49:00.000+09:00

I finally got around to taking a walk around the world famous Tsukiji fish market. Why did I wait so long to visit this area. The answer is simple - I'm just not a morning person! However, the day after my wife and nephew went to the Korean Girl's Pop concert, I had to take my nephew to Tokyo Station so he could catch the first train back to Aomori so I found myself awake at an early hour on my day off. It would seem such a shame not to take this opportunity to check out the Tsukiji fish market before it's rumoured transfer to a new location. (I think there is currently no plan to move it though). Currently, you are not allowed in the tuna auction area (unless you're with a tour group, thanks to so many ill-mannered tourists) and the official fish market isn't open to the public until 9:00am. So I started off my walk around the outer market.

日本に来て１６年が経ってやっと築地に行きました。なんで長年行ってみてなかったって？その答えは簡単。僕は朝に弱いんです。でもこの間嫁の甥っ子が韓国ガールズグループのライブに東京に来た翌日、甥っ子は早い時間の新幹線で青森に帰るから東京駅まで見送ってあげた。自分の休日で朝早く起きてるから、築地市場を探索しようと思い付いた。市場の移転の噂もあるし（現在あの話はどうなってるのかな？）。現在はツアーグループ参加しなければマグロのオークションは見られない、そして市場も一般客が入るのは朝９時からだ。ってことで、最初に散歩したのは築地場外市場商店街。

One of the entrances to the outer market / 外市場入り口の一つ

Still before 9:00am / まだ朝９時前

A very fish market-like scene / 超市場の感じの写真

Another very Tsukiji-like scene / これも築地って感じですね

Ooh, crab ramen. Unfortunately, I didn't buy any. Maybe next time.

かにラーメン美味しそう。残念ながら買いませんでした。また今度。

You know you're near the fish market when you see those vehicles pictured above.

上記の写真に写ってる乗り物見かけたら、市場が近くにあるのは間違いない。

A public rest area / 築地市場休憩室

Fish! / 魚！

Crabs! / 蟹！

A seafood lover's paradise! / シーフード好きの人の楽園

17 kg Yellowtail / １７ｋｇのブリ

More fish / 魚がいっぱい

Octopi / タコ

And even more fish / まだまだ魚たち登場

Since I'm here in Tsukiji so early in the morning, of course I had to eat some fresh fish. I ordered myself a bowl with salmon and maguro. And some miso soup as well.

せっかく築地にいるので、新鮮な魚料理を食べるべきと思って、築地商事の中に「築地かんの」という店でサーモン・まぐろ丼と味噌汁を食べた！

Salmon / Maguro Bowl with Miso soup / サーモン・マグロ丼と味噌汁

An excellent breakfast! / 最高の朝ごはん！

You get used to seeing those fish transporters after a while / 魚を運ぶ乗り物の珍しさがドンドンなくなります

9:00am! Time to check out the actual Tsukiji Central Wholesale Fish Market!

９時！築地中央市場探索時間だ！

Living in America / リビング・イン・アメリカ

2011-12-26T23:04:00.000+09:00

Am I in the States? No! Am I going home for the holidays? No. (Sorry Mom and Dad). So what's up with that title? As you can see from the label below, this post is actually about a restaurant. An American one at that. You see, the other week my wife and her nephew went to a Korean girl's pop concert so I was left to my own devices. So I hung out with an American friend at an American restaurant where we spoke American English. We were at The Outback Steakhouse in Shinagawa.

アメリカに居る？いいえ。アメリカに帰る？いいえ（すまんな母ちゃん、父ちゃん）。じゃ、あのタイトルの意味は何だ？ラベルをみれば分かると思う。このネタのメインは行った料理店です。アメリカの人気チェイン店。先週嫁と嫁の甥っ子が韓国のガールズポップのライブに行った為、一人で暇になったので、アメリカ人の友達とアメリカのレストランに行ってアメリカ英語でずーと話してた。品川駅の近くにある人気ステーキハウス「アウトバック」に行った。

Service at American restaurants - all you eat bread!

アメリカンレストランならあるサービス ‐ お代わり自由のパン！

And before we had our main meal, we ordered some popcorn shrimp. Ooh, I think this is even better than their bloomin' onion and I love their bloomin' onion.

メインが来る前にポップコーンシュリンプンプを頼んだ。おう、店の名物ブルーミンオニオンより旨いかも。僕はあのブルーミンオニオン好きなのに、ポップコーンシュリンプも良いね。

Popcorn Shrimp / ポップコーンシューリンプ

We were at a steakhouse but we both ordered ribs!!

ステーキハウスなのにメインで注文したのはリブ！

My friend is like my Dad, a pure meat and potatoes man! Bread, fries, and mashed potatoes - how much starch can we eat today?

友達は僕のお父さんと同じ、肉とじゃが芋があればそれで良い。でもパンとポテトフライとマッシュポテトの合せはどうかな？

Since we're being so American tonight, no itadakimasu or kanpai. It's "cheers" or "bottom's up" and "dig in"!

今夜はアメリカ風なのでいただきますや乾杯は言いません。やっぱ“チアーズ”か“ボタムズ・アップ”でしょう。そして“ディグ・イン”！

A Walk around Shinagawa's Takanawa neighborhood / 品川高輪エリアの散歩

2011-12-24T23:38:00.000+09:00

On another day off I took a very short walk around the Takanawa area of Shinagawa station. The main reason was to check out where the Stellar Ball was. The following Tuesday, Mikako's nephew was coming to Tokyo to see a T-ara concert (another Korean girls pop group). I told Mikako that I would hang out with a friend nearby and wait for them after the show. The other reason was to check out a place to hang out at. But the first place I encountered was yet another shrine - the Takayama Shinto Shrine.

また別の休日の時品川高輪エリアを探索してみた。ま、下見な感じで行った。実は美香子の甥っ子が韓国ガールズグループのT-araのライブを当選した。会場は品川にあるステラーボール。会場はどこにあるか調べてみた。ライブの日僕は友達とステラーボールの近くで飲みに行くと言って、良い飲み屋も探してみた。でも最初に出会ったのは小さな神社 ‐ 高山神社。

Takayama Shinto Shrine / 高山神社

To save myself time from writing about the history of this shrine, check out the pictures below.

高山神社について下記の写真をご覧ください。

Oops, it may be a little difficult to read

The stone basin where you wash your hand before praying at the oratory.

お参りする前にここで手を洗う。

Love these dragons that you find at a lot of these temples and shrines.

お寺や神社の龍はやっぱりカッコイイな。

So, that's called an oratory in English.

I also love the intricate wood reliefs on the shrine. This isn't Taishakuten in Shibamata but it's still beautiful nevertheless.

あの細かいアートは素晴らしい。柴又にある帝釈天と比べ物になりませんが、それでも美しい。

I was planning on meeting my friend for drinks here, the Akita Bisaikan because its located right across from the Stellar Ball but my friend is only a meat and potatoes man and doesn't drink beer, so we ended up at the Outback while my wife and nephew were at the T-ara show. This is also an antenna shop for Akita Prefecture so I bought my mother and sister some goodies while I bought myself some craft beers.

上記の写真の店、秋田美採館がステラーボールの直ぐ近くだったんで飲もうと思いましたが、一緒に飲む友達は日本食が苦手でビールも飲まない。ちょっと残念。美香子と淳君がT-araのライブを楽しんでる時、結局アメリカンレストランの「アウトバック」品川店に行きました。ここはレストランでもあり、秋田県のアンテナショップでもあり、うちの妹とお母さんの為に秋田名物のいぶりがっこを買って、自分の為に秋田県お地ビールも買いました。

Akita Prefecture mascot - "Sugicchi"

And hey, you don't have to go all the way to Akita Prefecture to see a Namahage.

秋田県まで行かなくっても、ここでなまはげに会える。

These guys may seem out of place until you realized that the Shinagawa Aquarium is also located here.

この二匹は迷子ではない、なぜなら品川の水族館もここにある。

That concludes this post. Did I mention that this was a really short walk?

散歩終了。今回は散歩が目的じゃなくステラーボールの場所確認と飲み屋の下見でした。

Sweets Art Gallery 2011 / スイーツアート展２０１１

2011-12-24T02:44:00.000+09:00

I usually try to keep my blog in chronological order but I wanted to post this while the timing is still right. The other day while I was walking around Hibiya, I noticed that the Imperial Hotel is also located in the vicinity. As it was cold outside and I thought I would check out the lobby and stores (and also to get myself out of the cold). As I was wandering around, I came upon this huge Christmas tree made of macaroons! There were also signs for the Sweets Art Fair 2011. Here is something my father would enjoy. Actually, he would probably enjoy eating the art pieces instead of admiring them.

出来るだで自分のブログのタイムラインは崩したくないんですが、このネタは今書けないと季節外れになる。この間の休日に日比谷周辺を散歩した。直ぐ近くにあの有名な帝国ホテルもあって、今日寒いから帝国ホテルのロビーや仲を探索してみようと思いついた。ホテルの中に歩き回ると巨大なクリスマスツリーを発見。普通のクリスマスツリーではない。なんと４メーターのマカロンタワーのクリスマスツリーでした。１２月１日から２５日まで帝国ホテルアーケードでスイーツアート展２０１１が開催してる。

The macaron tower measures 4 meters high and is comprised of over 2000 macaroons! It was produced by the winner of the 1st IHA (Imperial Hotel Arcade) sweets competition, Misaki Tanabe, along with the staff and students of a sugar craft shop called "Mammy Sugar Art" which Ms. Tanabe runs. About 150 people had worked on this macaroon tree.

I thought the next four pictures comprised the entire Sweets Art Gallery. Little did I know that the Imperial Hotel Arcade was having their 2nd Sweets Art Competition. After checking out the five pieces of art below, I found the map that listed the 30 entries in this year's competition. I must say, they are all beautiful to look at. How could anyone want to eat them?

下記の５枚の写真がスイーツアート展の全てと最初に思いましたが、帝国ホテルアーケードの第２回IHA杯スイーツコンペティションも同時開催でした。コンペティションに３０参加作品が展示されてました。全作品は凄い！凄すぎる。見て楽しむべきのものです。食べるのはもったない！というより美しい過ぎて食べる気にはならないでしょう。

Not part of the competition but one of my favorites / コンペティションの作品ではございませんが、僕は結構好き

So real! / 本物見たい！

You can actually read the writing as well / 文章は普通に読める

So cute! / 可愛い！

And now for the 2nd IHA Sweets Art Competition pieces of which there are 30. They all have a title as well. Apologies to the artists for not providing their names (it was too difficult for me to try to decipher all the kanji for the artists names).

次はスイーツアートコンペティション参加作品。今年は全部で３０品があります。タイトルもあります。製作者には申し訳ございませんが、人の名前の感じが難しすぎて、載せるのを遠慮してます。

「カエル親子の梅雨休み」　[Frog's Rainy Season Break]

「sweet macaron box」

「Jardin des Roses」

「hortensia」

「シクラメン」 [Shikuramen]

「クリスマス・スイーツツリー」 [Christmas Sweets Tree]

「恋の予感」 [Premonition of Love]

「Engagement」

「Rose Wedding Cake 1010」

「蝶の妖」 [Butterfly Fairies]

「華ギフト」 [Flower Gift]

「COME WHAT MAY」

「Happy Easter」

「永遠のパリ」 [Forever Paris]

「こびととくつや」 [Little People Shoe Store]

「冬の紅（あか）」 [Winter Red]

「Reve de Noel」

「azure」

「Happy Wedding」

「歴史を飾った貴婦人」 [A Noble Lady of History]

「幻想の中へ」 [Inside an Illusion]

「新しい緑~relaxation~」

「Rose の贈り物」 [A Gift of Roses]

「Wishing」

「冬のウエディングケーキ」 [Winter Wedding Cake]

「Girls Fashion Collection」

「Cherish」

「Graceful Pink」

「dolly party」

「Happy X'mas」

Weren't they all beautiful? I think my favorite was the last one - 「Happy X'mas」.

全部美しいでしょう？自分が一番好きなのは最後の「Happy X'mas」かな。

An introduction to few of the artists. The fourth from the top is Misaki Tanabe, the woman who produced the macaron Christmas tree.

1st place: 「新い緑~relaxation」

2nd place: 「幻想の中」 [Inside an Illusion]

3rd place: 「クリスマス・スイーツツリー」 [Christmas Sweets Tree]

SASA Grill Burger Club / SASA グリル・バーガー・クラブ

2011-12-22T11:43:00.003+09:00

Last week on my day off I headed out to Daikanyama. I was going to check out the newly opened Tsutaya Books. I was also planning on having lunch at a newly opened burger joint called [Hollywood Burgers]. However, as I got off the train at Daikanyama station from the Toyoko line, my eyes caught a sign for a different burger shop. As I left the station, the first thing I saw was the menu for that particular burger shop as well. I decided to save a trip to "Hollywood Burgers" for another time and headed to "Sasa" instead.

先週の休日に代官山に行きました。目的は新しくオープンした“大人Tsutaya”。特にTsutaya Books。他の目的もありました。以前代官山を散歩したら新しく開店したバーガー屋「ハリウッド・バーガー」を発見、そこでランチを食べようと思った。ところが東横線代官山駅に着いたら窓から別のバーガー屋を目にした。駅から出て、その店のメニューも最初に目に入った。予定変更。今日のランチは「SASA」で決定！

Entrance to SASA Grill Burger Club. It's only a 3 minute walk from Daikanyama station.

SASA グリル・バーガー・クラブの入り口。代官山駅から徒歩３分にある。

A nice relaxing atmosphere.

店内は落ち着いた雰囲気で良い感じです。

I was having a hard time deciding what to order but finally settled on their Avocado Salsa Cheeseburger. Burger is served with french fries and a pickle.

どのバーガーを選ぶか迷いましたが、注文したのはアボカドサルサチーズバーガーでした。ポテトプライのピックル付。

Isn't that a delicious looking burger?

美味しそうでしょう？

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

The History Museum of J-Koreans / 在日韓人歴史資料館

2011-12-21T17:33:00.003+09:00

As I was making my way home from Sengakuji, my eyes came upon a sign for the "History Museum of J-Koreans". That's sounds kind of interesting. I think I will take a quick peak. There was also a memorial for J-Koreans (pictured below) outside the building as well but since a lot of the writing was in Korean I have no idea what it was commemorating.

散歩から帰りの途中また面白いものが目に入った。今度は在日韓人資料館です。どういうものが展示されてるのかな。ちょっと覗いてみる。ビルの外側はなんかの記念碑もあり（下記の写真）サインはほとんど韓国語で書いてるあるので、まったくなんの記念碑か分からない。

I was only allowed to take a few pictures showing items that J. Koreans used in their everyday life.

資料館の中の写真撮影はほとんど禁止でしが、在日韓人が生活で使用されたものの写真だけは許された。

I don't think most Japanese would enjoy this place as it does put them in a rather bad light concerning the prejudice the J. Koreans faced in living in Japan. It was after I left the building that I discovered this museum is located in the South Korean Embassy. Yep, I popped into their embassy just because I wanted to check out the museum. I didn't even realize it was an embassy until I left.

一般の日本人は多分この資料館は納得出来ないかも知りませんね。なぜと言えば、なんだか、在日韓人に対する差別の記事や資料が多いからです。ビル出たあとに気付いたんですが、ここはなんと大韓民國大使館でした。そう、大使館と知れず、ただ在日韓人資料館に興味があったから入った。ま、韓国の大使館ですからそういう展示もありかな。

A Walk after checking out Sengakuji Temple / 泉岳寺探索後の散歩

2011-12-19T23:31:00.006+09:00

After getting my fill of some Japanese history by checking out the graves of the 47 ronin, I decided to roam around the area. The first thing that caught my interest after checking out the temple was the narrow pathway that cuts right between the temple and a high school.

泉岳寺で日本の歴史を探索したあと、その周辺も歩いてみようと思った。最初目に入ったのはお寺と学校の間にある狭い道。どこまで続くのが気になって歩いてみた。

A secret pathway? / 秘密の裏道？

How far does this path go? / 本当に何処まで続くだろう？

It doesn't really lead to anywhere special (unless you're a local I suppose) so I walked back the same way I came and started walking in another direction. That's when I came across an interesting building with a sign that said "Kofuku no Kagaku" which translates to "Science of Happiness". Hm, what the heck is this, I think I need to check it out.

特別な場所に続くわけでもなく（近所の人だったら違うかも知りませんが）、あと戻りして別の方向に散歩再出発。歩く途中に面白い建物を発見。ビルの外側にロマジで“KOFUKU NO KAGAKU”と書いてあった。幸福の科学？なんじゃそれ？行ってみるしかない。

I still wasn't sure what this place was even after seeing the official sign outside the building which said it was the "Tokyo Shoshinkan".

ビルの正式名を見ても、まだどういう所か分からなかった。東京正心館って何？

Cool building. So I went in. Can you say "Dianetics" and the "Church of Scientology"? Creepy!! I had to get out of there right away, even though I did check out their main altar room? I don't know, I just can't accept this as a church, it just says "cult" all over it. Good thing it wasn't "Aleph", the new name for the "Aum Shinrikyo".

ビルはカッコイイから入りました。これ、アメリカなら“ダイアネティックス”と“チャーチ・オブ・サイエントロジー”思い出すわ！ちょっと気味悪い。メインのホールまで行ってみたが、長時間は居られなかった。なんだか“アレフ” （旧オウム真理教）の匂いがしました！

I also discovered I was walking along a road called the "Isarago Zaka" or "Isarago Slope". One side explains the origin of the name.

歩いてる道が伊皿子坂（いさらござか）と書いてるサインがありました。
横にその名前の由来も書かれてました。

So, the origin of the slope's name is either from some Chinese whose name was Inbeisu or was the mistaken pronunciation of a daibutsu Asaragi. Who knows what the actual origin is?

写真の字読みますか？「いさらござか中国人伊皿子（いんべいす）が住んでいたと伝わるが他に大仏（おさらぎ）のなまりともいいさらぶ（意味不明）の変化ともいう。」

This was pretty cool. I came across this in front of a rather small temple. It was named the "Roku Jizo Son" or "Six Jizos". I did further research on the internet and discovered that the "Roku Jizo Son" refers to the "Six Realms of Existence" in Buddhist philosophy. These Jizos protect those who have fallen into the six different realms: 1) Beings in Hell 2) Hungry Ghosts 3) Animals 4) Asura the realm of anger, jealousy, and constant war 5) Humans 6) Deva the realm of heavenly beings Fascinating the things you learn when you walk without a plan.

これも美しいと思った。小さなお寺の前に設置されてる「六地蔵尊」。日本語の説明は下記の写真に書かれてます：

Protects those who have fallen into hell / 地獄道に落ちた人々救って下さる

Protects those who have fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts / 餓鬼道に落ちた人々を救って下さる

Protects those who have fallen into the realm of animals / 畜生道に落ちた人々を救って下さる

Protects those who have fallen into the realm of Asura / 阿修羅道（あしゅらどう）に落ち争いにあけくれる人々をさとし救って下さる

Protects those in the realm of humans / 人間道に在って悩み苦しむ人々を支え守って下さる

Protects those who have fallen into the realm of heavenly beings / 天上道に在って人々を導き守って下さる

So ends your Buddhism lesson today.

今日の仏教についての事業が終了。

What do we have here? Another historical grave site of someone famous? Who is Oumi Ishimura?

なになに？また有名の人のお墓？石村近江って誰？どういう人物なの？

Oumi Ishimura was a maker of the shamisen during the Edo Period. The Ishimura family have been making shamisens for 11 generations since the 1600s and they were all named Oumi.

Daishinji Temple where Oumi Ishimura grave is which is located in Minato Ward / 港区にある大信寺（だいしんじ）、石村近江墓がある場所

Oumi Ishimura's grave / 石村近江墓

I assume this is a grave for pets / 想像でございますが、ペット墓ではないでしょうか？

Next stop, an interesting little museum.

次、小さくてちょっと面白いミュージアム。

Sapporo x Fujiya Nectar Sour Sparkling Peach / 札幌ｘ不二家ネクターサワースパークリングピーチ

2011-12-18T23:46:00.000+09:00

This was yet another freebie the wife brought home one day. I'm really not cocktail person (excluding sours) and after a few sips of this I was reminded why! This is just too damn sweet. It almost reminds me of Snapple (which I used to love but now cannot bear to drink because of its sweetness). But the design on the can is pretty cool!

これも嫁が貰って持って帰った酒。自分もあんまりカックテールは飲まないので、これを飲んだらその理由が浮かび上がった。これって、甘い！！甘すぎるわ！アメリカのスナップル（Snapple) と同じ位の甘さ。僕、昔スナップル大好きだったんだけど日本の生活が長すぎたかも。なぜと言えば、ある時実家に帰って久しぶりにスナップルを飲んだら、甘過ぎて、結構残してた。缶のデザインは可愛いけどね。

A Walk around Sengakuji (Part 2) / 泉岳寺の散歩（パート２）

2011-12-17T22:51:00.000+09:00

As I said, there was still plenty to see around Sengakuji Temple. Lets take a look around.

前も言ってましたが、泉岳寺にまだ見所がまだまだある。行ってみよう！

First of all, there is the Akogishi Kinenkan (Ako Warrior Memorial Hall). I decided to pass on checking it out this time around, not that I was feeling miserly for not wanting to pay the 500yen entry fee but we will leave it at that.

赤穂義士記念館もありますが、今回は遠慮しました。別に５００円の入場料払いたくない訳でもございませんよ。ま、それはそれで。

The graves of the 47 Ronin are further back.

赤穂義士墓は奥にある。

Akogishi Memorial Hall / 赤穂義士記念館

You can see that there is a well, but what's so special about it?

井戸でわかりますが、なんか特別の事あるでしょうか？

So glad you asked. This is the well where the Ako warriors washed the head of Kozukenosuke Kira before presenting the head to the grave of their Master, Naganori Asano.

My Japanese readers can read the sign to see what the significance of the well is.

It is said that when Naganori Asano committed seppuku in the garden of another lord's residence, his blood was spilled on this stone and plum tree.

Here was another interesting thing to look at, something called a suikinkutsu.

これも中々面白いな。すいきんくつとよばれてるものです。

Kodo (Lecture Hall) / 講堂

So concludes my walk around Sengakuji Temple, but I continued walking around the neighborhood to see what other sites of interest I might come across.

泉岳寺の散歩が終了しましたが、その周辺の散歩を続きました。どいうものに出会うのが楽しみ。

Suntory Horoyoi Chu-Hi Grape Sour / サントリーほろよいチューハイぶどうサワー

2011-12-17T00:07:00.000+09:00

Just consider this another commercial for the various alcoholic drinks that are available in Japan. Oh, and I have to wake up early tomorrow so I thought I would post a short blog piece. I like these series of chu-hi. The first one I had was there Iced Tea Sour. Being a big fan of iced tea, I couldn't go wrong with an iced-tea flavored sour. I also love grape juice and grape soda so I was sure I would like this grape sour. And hey, only 3% alcohol.

日本のお酒のCMと思えば良いです。明日も朝早いので、手短のネタを書くことにした。サントリーのほろよいシリーズ僕は実に好きです。最初に飲んだのはアイスティサワ。アイスティが好きな僕には最高でしたね。グレープジュースとグレープソーダーも好きなので、ぶどうサワーも絶対好きに決まってるでしょう。アロコール３％だから飲みすぎなければ本当にほろ酔いだけになるでしょう。ま、一杯だったらほとんど酔わないけど。

A Walk around Sengakuji (Part 1) / 泉岳寺の散歩 (パート１）

2011-12-15T12:48:00.000+09:00

You can consider the previous post as an intermission. As I mentioned before, my next neighborhood walk was to a specific temple. That would be Sengakuji. What's so special about this place? Any Japanese can probably tell you the story of Chushingura. And with the upcoming release of the latest Keanu Reeves movie, this temple may see an increase in the flow of tourists. Americans may not be familiar with Chushingura but they may be familiar with the story of the 47 Ronin which is also the title of the new Keanu Reeves film. Yes, this temple is the final resting place of those 47 Ronin. And in case you are not familiar with the story, it is about a group of samurai who avenged the death of their Master. I will provide a more complete summary later.

前のポストはCMと思えば良い。以前に書かれたこと覚えてますか？僕が次の近所散歩があるお寺に行く予定でした。それは港区にある泉岳寺。なにが有名と言えば、日本人だったら誰でも知ってる忠臣蔵の話がヒント。来年公開予定のハリウッド映画、キアヌ・りーブス主演「４７ Ronin」も大きなヒント。映画公開後は必ずこのお寺の観光客が増えるでしょう。そう、このお寺は浅野長矩墓および赤穂義士墓がある場所です。

A summary of the "Ako Incident" as provided by the Sengakuji Website:

「Perhaps the most famous story of avenge in Japanesehistory is the Ako Incident which took place between 1701-1703.　Asano Takuminokami, Feudal Lord of Ako, wasappointed by the shogunate to entertain the imperialenvoys visiting Edo from Kyoto. He was to seek directions from his official advisor, Kira Kozukenosuke.But Kira disliked Asano and treated him with maliceand disgraced his honor as a samurai.

　Unable to tolerate Kira's insult anymore, Asano drew his sword on him in the Edo Castle at what is known as "The Pine Gallery (Corridor) Incident". Asano managed to cut Kira on his forehead and shoulder but failed to kill him.

　It was strictly forbidden to draw one's sword within the Edo castle at that time and Asano was immediately arrested. There was also a law termed "equal punishment for quarrels" which punished both samurais involved in a fight so both Asano and Kira were expected to be punished. However, while Kira received no punishment, Asano was sentenced to death by seppuku (hara-kiri) in a garden of another lord's residence on the very same day without proper investigation. Seppuku outside in a garden was for a felon and inappropriate for someone of Asano's standing. Further, the Asano estate was confiscated and his family line was dethroned from the lordship.

　The loyal retainers of Lord of Ako, better known as Ako Gishi, were indignant of this judgment and pleaded for an amendment of the order and the reinstatement of the Asano house. But their requests were dismissed.

　Almost two years after the fateful incident, 47 samurais of Ako assembled under the former chief retainer, Oishi Kuranosuke, to avenge their lord's death and the injustice imposed by the shogunate. On December 14th, 1702, they attacked and killed Kira at his residence. They then marched to Sengakuji to present Kira's head to Asano's grave and reported their accomplishment to their late lord.

　The Gishi turned themselves in to the shogunate right away and were sentenced to seppuku the following year on February 4th.
　The avenge of the Ako Gishi has been made into various plays and is now commonly called "Chu-shin-gura"(The Story of the Loyal Retainers). It is a popular tale and one that still touches the Japanese heart even after 300 years. The chivalry of the loyal retainers and the themes of "Gi"(justice;義) and "Chu" (loyalty;忠) are still highly esteemed by the Japanese.」

And for my Japanese readers:

Entrance to Sengakuji Temple / 泉岳寺の入り口の中門

Sengakuji San Mon / 泉岳寺山門

Kuranosuke Oishi, Leader of the Ako Warriors / 大石内蔵助、赤穂義士のリーダー

Sengakuji Hondo / 泉岳寺本堂

Gate leading to the graves of Naganori Asano and the 47 Ronin

浅野長矩墓および赤穂義士墓の入り口

Grave of Naganori Asano / 浅野長矩墓

Naganori Kou Fujin's grave / 長矩公夫人の墓

Graves of the 47 Ronin / 赤穂義士墓（４７人の浪人）

Another view of Naganori Asano's Grave / 浅野長矩墓

There is still more to see here at Sengakuji Temple.

泉岳寺の見所はまだまだあります。

To be continued...

つづく。。。

Jikashibori Can Chu-Hi / 直搾り南イタリア産レモンチューハイ

2011-12-15T00:18:00.000+09:00

I usually don't drink at home but one day Mikako brought a bunch of alcoholic beverages that was given to her by a co-worker. And since Mikako is not much of a drinker and its been a while since I've featured any beers or spirits I thought I would take this opportunity to do so. What is chu-hi? Its pretty much shochu with some kind of mix. This one is made with lemon from Southern Italy.

うちでほとんど晩酌はしませんが、ちょっと前に美香子が大量にいろんなお酒を貰いました。美香子はあんまり飲まないので、僕が久しぶりに家で飲んだ。ま、家に飲んだと言っても、一杯だけですからね。最初にいただいたのは直搾り南イタリアレモンのチューハイ。自分はビールの次に好きなのはレモンチューハイかも知りませんので、結構良かった。

African Restaurant [Calabash] / アフリカンレストラン「カラバッシュ」

2011-12-13T23:21:00.000+09:00

On my next neighborhood walk, I went to a specific temple. One I didn't find by chance but actually did a bit of research on. But before that I write about that, I had to have lunch and there was this particular restaurant I've been wanting to check out. Its a place that serves African cuisine and is located in Hamamatsucho. The name of the place is Calabash.

次の近所散歩はあるお寺が目的。ただで発見した所ではない。調べて探索するつもり。行きましたけど、その前はやっぱりランチを食べないと。お寺のネタはまた今度。昼食の為僕はわざわざ浜松町まで出かけた。駅の近くにある料理店が前から気になって仕方ありませんでした。アフリカ料理店の「カラバッシュ」という店に行ってきました。

The restaurant is found on the quieter side of the station and is also located in the basement of a building.

店は駅の裏のほうにあって、ビルの地下でもある。

Entrance to Calabash / カラバッシュの入り口

As I went during lunch time on a weekday, the place was not very crowded. In fact, there was only one other customer there when I went. The interior is has a nice homey atmosphere to it. It looks like a great place to have drinks in the evening.

平日の昼に行った為、店は全然込んでませんでした。行った時、僕を含めてお客様は二人しかいませんでした。でも凄い落ち着いた雰囲気で店内の造りも良いなと思いました。夜だったら、良い酒場かもしりません。

Interior / 店内

Of course I haven't forgotten the main reason for this post - the food. I sure didn't know what to expect as Africa is a large continent with many countries. This particular place mainly features the cuisine of Senegal, Mali, Ghana and some other West African nations. I was intrigued by the chicken yassa. This is a mustard based stew with chicken and onions and served over rice. I assure you it was quite delicious.

肝心な事忘れてませんよ。それはやっぱり料理でしょう。アフリカの定番料理っって想像も出来ないし、国というより大陸ですからどういうものがあるのも楽しみでした。こちらの店を代表する国は大体西アフリカの国々です。特にセネガルとマリ。ガーナなど。僕がメニューで気になってた料理はチキンヤッサというものでした。これはマスタードベースのチキンとたまねぎのシチュー。“ご飯と絶妙な相性です。”もメニューに書かれてます。確かに相性は抜群でした！とっても美味しい！

Chicken Yassa / チキンヤッサ

The main dish is served with a salad and a choice of coffee or tea.

ランチはサラダとドリンク付。

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

A Walk around Toranomon (Part 2) / 虎ノ門の散歩（パート２）

2011-12-12T22:50:00.000+09:00

The street that the Saru-dera Eikan-in was located was a street full of temples. One right next door to the other. The temple next door was the Koushou-in. It is the home of the Konnyaku Enma which I unfortunately did not see.

猿寺栄閑院があるところ、隣にもお寺、その隣にもお寺がある場所です。隣にあったのは興商院。ここにこんにゃく閻魔があるところでしたが、その閻魔様に会えなかった。

Koushou-in / 興昭院

Kannon at Koushou-in / 興昭院の観音様

The sign says that the Stone Konnyaku Enma is a Minato Ward Cultural Property.

Next door to the Koushou-in is the Eiryu-in.

興昭院の隣に栄立院がある。

Eiryu-in / 栄立院

The Kannon at Eiryu-in / 栄立院の観音様

Hey, I've walked around here before. This is the Atago tunnel, which means I'm really close to the Atago Temple. The one which has the stone shussei steps.

あれ、この辺歩いた覚えがある。上記の写真は愛宕トンネルだ、ってことは愛宕神社の直ぐ近く。その神社は出世の石段があって有名。

Next I came across Tentokuji Temple.

次発見したのは天徳寺。

Tentokuji Temple / 天徳寺本堂

Really, I don't have a Kannon fetish and I don't think this is really a Kannon anyway but they are lovely pieces of art.

僕は観音様フェチではございませんよ。この像も観音様ではないかも知りませんが、やっぱり美しい。アートですよ！

And yet another temple I discovered on my walk. This is Shunchoji Temple.

歩きまわるとまたまた新たなお寺を発見。ここは後朝寺（しゅうんちょうじ）。

I don't know if I was still wandering around Toranomon or not when I came upon this huge statue of a Kannon.

この巨大観音様を発見した時、まだ虎名の門に歩いてるかどうかわかなくなった。これは結構デッカイでしたよ！

I don't think the picture does it justice to how large it actually is.

写真じゃこのでかさあんまり伝わらないと思う。

As I was leaving Toranomon for home, I had an excellent view of the Tokyo Tower between these buildings and so concludes my walk.

虎ノ門から家に帰るところで、ビルの間に東京タワーが見えた！そして今回の散歩が終了。

A Walk around Toranomon (Part 1) / 虎ノ門の散歩（パート１）

2011-12-07T01:38:00.061+09:00

Recently I had to go to the Immigration Department because I noticed that my multiple-entry stamp was going to expire in a couple of months. Although I became a permanent resident of Japan last year and no longer have to worry about renewing my visa, the entry stamp is a separate entity. However, when I went to renew my multiple-entry stamp, I discovered that my passport itself would expire a month earlier than the entry stamp which means I would also need to make a short trip to the U.S. embassy to renew my passport and the embassy is located in Toranomon. I'm going to skip the details of my passport renewal, as you can also renew by mail, but since I found myself in Toranomon, I decided to walk around the neighborhood, away from the U.S. embassy which you are forbidden to take pictures or videos of anyway.

最近自分の再入国スタンプの期限が近づいて入国管理局に行ってきました。昨年日本の永住権を取得したので、ビサの更新はなくなったが、再入国スタンプは別物。更新してる最中に凄いことに気付いた。自分のパスポート自体の期限が再入国スタンプより一ヶ月早く切れる。そういうわけでアメリカの大使館に行ってパスポートも更新しなと。（現在はポストでも更新出来ますが）。とりあえず、パスポートの更新の話をおいといて、アメリカ大使館がある虎ノ門の散歩を決定。大使館の写真や動画を撮るのは禁じられてる為、他の場所を探索しました。

I like the Showa atmosphere of some of the areas I walked around.

いろんな裏路地を歩きながらなんだか昭和の匂いがした。

I also discovered a store that I know a friend of mine would love to browse at. As to purchasing items in said stop, that would be another story. My friend loves Japanese swords and he bought a replica of one in Asakusa when he came to visit so many years ago. But this particular store sells genuine Japanese swords. In fact, the name of the store is [Japan Sword]. They are quite pricey but beautiful. Pictures weren't allowed inside the store but I must have browsed for a good 30 minutes. I did take a nice picture of the yoroi that was on display from outside the building.

ある店を発見したら、アメリカの友達を思い出した。以前日本に遊びに来た時、浅草で日本刀のレプリカを購入してた。そう、友達が超日本刀のマニア。ま、彼は歴史好き。でも虎ノ門で見つかった店は本物の日本刀の専門店「日本刀剣」でした。店内の写真撮影は禁止でしたが、３０分位観てましたな。店の外側から素敵な鎧の写真が撮れました。

For those of you want a little more detail on "Japan Sword"

http://www.japansword.co.jp/

But, do you know what's really great about walking without any specific plans. It's coming across funky things that you think might make a good picture like this frog and santa I discovered in front of a restaurant.

でもぶらり散歩の一番の楽しみは変わったものを発見すること。たとえばこのレストラン前に居る蛙とサンタさん。

But what I really love discovering on my walks are the various temples and shrines found throughout the city. There was a sign in front of this particular temple called the Saru-dera Eikan-in which said it is where Genpaku Sugita tombstone is. Genpaku Sugita? I had to look him up on the net. According to Wikipedia, Genpaku Sugita (b.Oct 20, 1773 - June 1, 1817) was a Japanese scholar who was known for his translation of "Kaitai Shinsho" - the "New Book of Anatomy" from the Dutch. Hmm, interesting!

でもやっぱり僕の楽しみはまだ行ってない神社やお寺を発見することですね。最初に訪れたのは猿寺栄閑院（さるでらえいかんいん）。前に書かれたサインが気になってました。都史跡杉田玄白墓。杉田玄白？誰だ？帰ったら早速ネットで調べました。ウィキペディアによりますと、杉田玄白９月１３日（１７７３年１０月２０日）～文化１４年（１８１７年６月１日）、は江戸時代の蘭学医でオランダの解体書を翻訳された人物。

Entrance to Eikan-in / 栄閑院の入り口

This path leads to Genpaku Sugita's tombstone.

奥に進めば、杉田玄白のお墓がある。

Genpaku Sugita's Tombstone / 杉田玄白の墓

Eikan-in Mizuko Jizo-son / 栄閑院水子地蔵尊

What I found particularly interesting about this statue were the children pulling at the robes of the monk.

不思議でも面白いと思ったのは下に居る子供たちの像。

And for my Japanese readers who want more information about this historical site:

To be continued...

つづく。。。

Hokkaido / 北味の紀行と地酒北海道

2011-12-05T23:31:00.000+09:00

After wandering around the National Stadium, my friends and I decided to walk back to Shibuya. It was a 20 minute walk or so. It was also nearing dinner time so we decided to eat and drink at nearby izakaya. A chain restaurant called [Hokkaido].

国立競技場を去ったあと、渋谷まで歩いた。２０分位の距離でした。ちょうど夕飯の時間もなてきたし、みんなで渋谷にある居酒屋、「北海道」に行きました。チェイン店なんですが、久々の居酒屋夕食だ。

A very Hokkaido image / 北海道のイメージにぴったり

And now for the evening's menu:

そして今夜食べたもの：

Tofu / 豆腐

Salad with salted kelp / 丸ごとレタス塩昆布サラダ

Oops, can't remember if I had a bite of this / あれ、自分これ食べたか覚えてない

Edamame / 枝豆

Hiya Yakko / 芳醇冷や奴

Assorted sashimi plate / 北海彩り刺身盛り

Bonito / カツオのたたき

Assorted grilled chicken & vegetables / 【北の黄金鶏】こだわり串盛り5点

Rice porridge with crab / 蟹ぞうすい

Um, nope, we didn't save room for dessert, but we did have beer and cocktails!

あっ、デザートは食べてないな、でもビールとカックテールは飲みました！

National Stadium / 国立競技場

2011-12-05T00:07:00.000+09:00

A friend of mine was taking part in some charity run at the National Stadium and invited me to come check it out. I was supposed to meet him around noon but found myself walking all over the place not finding where I was supposed to go. How was I to know that the Yoyogi National Stadium and the National Stadium were two separate entities. I spent so much time walking around the Yoyogi National Stadium I was about to call my friend and say, "Nevermind, I'm going home". But I eventually made it to the correct place and it was nearly 2:00pm in the afternoon. I caught the last 15 minutes of some talk show featuring a couple of celebrities and did manage to get a chance to check out the National Stadium itself. Below are the various views of the National Stadium.

この間友達がなんかのランニングイベントに参加して、国立競技場に遊びに誘われた。昼で会うつもりだったが、俺が回って回って友達が見つかれなかった。だって国立競技場と代々木国立競技場が別々の所とは知らなかった！友達は国立競技場にいましたが、僕は代々木国立競技場をずーと回ってた。段々イライラして、帰る寸前でした。でもなんとか国立競技場に辿りついた。タレントの松村邦洋のトークショーの最後の１５分くらいみた、そして国立競技場も覗いてみた。下記の写真は国立競技場です。

But you know what's great about these events? The food booths!

でもこういうイベントの一番の楽しみ知ってる？食べ物の屋台でしょう！

Rotisserie Chicken Booth / ロティサリーチキンの屋台

Fish and Chips Booth / フィッシュ・アンド・チップス

Television talent - Kunihiro Matsumura / タレントの松村邦洋

Okay, so there were only about three different food booths. A little disappointing for a food fan. The theme of the food court was "The Road to London". I think that was the theme of the running event too.

ま、フードコートに三つの屋台しかなかった。料理好きの僕には物足りないな。その場所にテーマもあった。「ロード・トゥ・ロンドン」。走りのイベントもそうだったかも知りません。

My friend who ran and his daughter / 走った友達の娘

I think I need to take a more leisurely walk around this area in the near future.

近いうちにこの周辺をゆっくり散歩しようっと。

Aomori Niboshi Chuka Soba [Jin] / 青森煮干し中華そば「Jin」

2011-12-04T00:14:00.000+09:00

As I was watching a favorite television show of mine one night, one of the guests was talking about a new ramen shop that opened in Shoin Jinja and was passionately praising it. It was called [Jin] and their ramen they feature is Aomori Niboshi Ramen. Shoin Jinja? That's within walking distance of our apartment. How can I not know there was a new ramen shop. Aomori? That's my wife's hometown. We must definitely check it out. And that is precisely what we did!

ある夜好きなテレビ番組を見たら、一人のタレントが松陰神社に出来た新しいラーメン屋を熱く語ってた。店の名前は青森煮干し中華そば「Jin」。松陰神社？うちの近所みたいなものですよ。なんで私たちが知らなかったんだろ？青森？妻の実家だ。行ってみるしかないでしょう！もちろん行きました。

It seems a lot of other people must have been watching the same program as I did, because when we went, there was already a line outside the shop. The first time we went, it was a Saturday but the shop had run out of their soup and was closed. This was an afternoon on a weekday! We still had to wait about 30 or 40 minutes.

他の人達も同じテレビ番組も観たのかな。だって店に行ったら行列が出来てた。最初土曜日の夜行ってみたが、その日、店のスープがなくなり、閉店でした。今回は平日の午後なのに、３０分から４０分の待ちでした。

This is a sign saying that the soup they use for their ramen requires an acquired taste. But once you've become accustomed, it may be addictive. Niboshi is dried sardines and their broth uses 100% dried sardines.

Mikako and I both ordered the same ramen - the Goku Niboshi Chashu-men. The scent from the bowl is pretty strong but once you take a taste of the soup, its not as overpowering as you might expect. I love the topping of onions as well. Definitely a ramen you could get hooked on. And yes, we have already gone on another evening as well.

僕と美香子は同じラーメンを注文しました、極煮干し叉焼麺。丼からの香りは強烈！でも一口食べてみるとそんないしつこくない。トッピングのオニオンも最高。やみつけになりますよ。私たちはもうリピーターになりました！

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Night Festival at Shoin Jinja / 松陰神社で夜の祭り

2011-12-02T21:55:00.000+09:00

One night as we were walking home from dinner, I noticed a lot of lights at Shoin Jinja. As we took a closer look, there seemed to be some kind of festival.

ある夜うちに帰る途中で近くにある松陰神社が賑やかな感じだったので、行って見てら祭り中だった！

Free show at Shoin Jinja / 松陰神社でフリーライブ

A cannon and portable shrines? / 大砲と神輿？

I love festivals at small shrines! The free show was a plus.

祭り大好き！ライブも観覧フリーで最高！

A walk around Shibuya, Aoyama, Daikanyama and back ends / 渋谷～青山～代官山～渋谷の散歩が終わる

2011-12-01T12:38:00.000+09:00

Oh, this looks like the main entrance for Kanno Hachimangu.

あっ、こっちが金王八幡宮メインの入り口だったかな。

Right across the street from the Kanno Hachimangu was another shrine. The Toyosaka Inari Jinja. This particular shrine doesn't have a very long history. It was a merger of two shrines in 1961.

金王八幡宮の向かいにまた別の神社もありました。豊栄稲荷神社です。１９６１年に道玄坂にあった豊澤稲荷神社と渋谷駅近くにあった田中稲荷神社が合祀されて建立された神社でネットで分かりました。

That's a lot of toriis! / 鳥居がいっぱい！

Toyosaka Inari Jinja / 豊栄稲荷神社

After checking out the two shrines, I headed towards Namikibashi and Daikanyama.

金王八幡宮と豊栄稲荷神社を探索した後、次は並木橋と代官山に向かった。

The road above the tunnel is Namikibashi which leads to Daikanyama.

トンネルの上の道は並木橋。

Sarugaku Bridge / 猿楽橋

A site you don't see in the States - beer vending machine!

アメリカでは絶対見られない光景 ‐ ビールの自動販売機！

Somewhere in Daikanyama / 代官山のどっか

What's so special about this parking lot? This was the original location of the rock bar "Dokken". It was the bar that changed my life here in Japan. So sad to see the entire building complex gone.

この駐車場は僕にとって思い出の場所。昔ロックバー“ドッケン”がここにあった。あの店のおかげで日本の生活が凄く楽しくなりました。なんか、ビル自体がなくなってることでちょっと寂しい気持ちになるな。

A Walk around Shibuya, Aoyama, Daikanyama and back continues / 渋谷～青山～代官山～渋谷の散歩がつづく

2011-12-01T00:02:00.000+09:00

After checking out the shrine between the two large buildings I found myself near the Cross Tower building. At the top of the building was a French restaurant called La Rochelle run by one of the Iron Chefs. It was also here that a friend of mine got married. I thought I would check to see if the restaurant was still in business. Unforunately, I couldn't find a sign for La Rochelle. I later checked the web and discovered that the Cross Tower location closed its operations at the end of September this year.

高層ビルの間にあった神社を探索したあと、近くにクロス・タワーのビルがありました。最上階に料理の鉄人、酒井宏行の店「ラ・ロシェル」があった。僕の友達がそこで結婚式を挙げた。まだあるのかなと気になって行ってみたら「ラ・ロシェル」の看板はなかった。ネットで調べたところ、「ラ・ロシェル」のクロス・タワー店は今年の９月末で閉店になりました。

Cross Tower / クロス・タワー

I also came across a memorial for popular Japanese musician, Yutaka Ozaki which has a relief of his face and the lyrics to one of his songs, "Seventeen's Map" on the terrace of the Cross Tower building.

クロス・タワーのテラスで尾崎豊のモニューメントを発見。彼の顔と歌“十七歳の地図”が展示されてます。

Grafitti board for Yutaka Ozaki fans / 尾崎豊ファンにメッセージボードも設置されてます

The next spot of interest I discovered was the Konno Hachimangu. I didn't know there was a large shrine here in Shibuya and I've been working here for the last sixteen years!

次に訪れたところは金王八幡宮（こうのうはちまんぐう）。渋谷にこんな立派な神社があるのは知らなかった。１６年間も渋谷に働いてるのに！

Konno Hachimangu / 金王八幡宮

I love the dragon motifs at shrines.

龍はやっぱりカッコイイね。

Tamazukuri Inari Jinja / 玉造稲荷神社

Next to the Inari Jinja is the Mitake Jinja / 玉造稲荷神社の隣は金王八幡宮末社「御嶽神社例祭」

Mitake Jinja / 御嶽神社

Konno Maru Mieido / 金王丸御影堂

The Mieido is only open on the last Saturday of March for the Konno Maru Festival (I will have to write a memo and check it out next year).

ネットで調べたところ「金王丸の木像は、３月最終土曜日に斎行される金王丸祭で御影堂の開帳があり、特別公開されます」。それをメモって、来年行ってみると思います。

Cats and shrines - they seem to belong together.

猫と神社 ‐ 当たり前な感じがする。

A Walk around Shibuya, Aoyama, Daikanyama and back / 渋谷～青山～代官山～渋谷の散歩

2011-11-30T01:28:00.000+09:00

What do you do after eating a large burger at W.P.G.B.? Going for a walk seems like a good plan. Although Shibuya is my work neighborhood, there are still parts of Shibuya I haven't explored. Today, I decided to remedy that situation. But first, I found myself walking towards Aoyama.

ウーピーゴールドバーガーのバーガーを食べた後はどうする？散歩でしょう。渋谷は自分の職場の街なんですが、渋谷って結構広い。まだ探索してないところいっぱいある。今日は渋谷で行ったことないところを散歩してみた。でも気付いたら最初歩きだしてる時青山方面に行った。

First I passed by the United Nations University / 青山に国連大学の前を通った

Art work by Taro Okamoto called "Kodomo no To" in front of the Kodomo no Shiro building.

子供の城の前にある岡本太郎作品 ‐ 「子供の塔」

There is a kid jumping rope on the side of the building!

ビルの壁で縄跳びしてる子供がいる！

Interesting art on the building / このビルの壁の絵が面白い

Uh, I don't know what it's supposed to be. Hey, I discovered that this has a title - "Ishi ni Saku Hana" which translates to "Flower Blooming from a Stone" by Yoichi Takada.

これはなんだろうと思った。あっ、この彫刻のタイトルが分かりました ‐ 「石に咲く花」。高田洋一の作品。

I love discovering these pieces of art. This the "Ikoi no Za Zou" by Shinji Nishino. Not sure what the title translates to.

こういう彫刻を発見するのが楽しい。これは「憩いの座像」西野慎二作品。

Looks like a real person from afar / 遠くから見ると普通の人間と思われる

Definitely not a real person! / 確かに本物の人間ではない！

Art pieces are found everywhere / 彫刻はあちこちにあるんだね

"Platonic" by Takayuki Seki (1985)

「プラトニック」関孝行（１９８５）

Untitled by Junji Okamoto (1985)

「題名なし」岡本淳二（１９８５）

"Yume in Tsuite" which translates to "About Dreams" by Hiro Hayashi (1998)

「ゆめについて」林宏（１９９８）

Giant Apple / 巨大林檎

Not an art piece really, but I thought it was kind of cool.

彫刻ではないんですが、なんだか良いなと思った。

A stairway to a shrine between these two large buildings.

高層ビルの間にある階段を上ったら、神社を発見。

Interesting place for a shrine.

変わった所に神社がありますね。

My walk will take me to two other shrines that I had never been to here in Shibuya.

散歩をつづいたら、まだ渋谷で行ったこともない、見たこともない神社がまた２社も発見しました。

W.P.G.B. / ウーピーゴールドバーガー

2011-11-26T22:40:00.003+09:00

A couple of weeks ago before going on one of my neighborhood walks, I treated myself to a burger at W.P.G.B. in Shibuya. What do the initials stand for? Whoopie Gold Burger! Yep, almost all the burgers on the menu are named after a celebrity. There is the Sarah Jessica Burger, the Steven Soderburger, the Charlotte Gainsburger, and what I had for lunch - the Kevin Bacon Burger! Even the side menu is named after a Hollywood star - you can order yourself a Nicole Slaw Kidman.

二週間前どっかの散歩を出かける前に渋谷にあるバーガーW.P.G.B.に行ってきました。なんの略？それはウーピーゴールドバーガー。そうなの、この店のメニューはほとんどダジャレで出来てる。ウーピーゴルドバーガーの他にサラ・ジェシカ・バーガー、スティーブン・ソーダーバーガー、茶―ロットゲインズバーガーなど、そして僕が注文したケビンベーコンバーガー！サイドメニューもダジャレになってる。ニコールスローキッドマンとか。

At this burger shop, you have a choice of choosing between mashed potatoes or french fries. Its been a while since I had mashed potatoes so that's what I had. A drink is also included at lunch time.

この店のバーガーを頼むと、マッシュポテトかフライドポテトが選べる。マッシュポテト何年も食べてないので、マッシュポテトをチョイス。あとランチタイムはドリンク付。

Isn't there menu cute?

メニュー可愛いでしょう？

It's a very small burger shop with just a counter space, but damn, that burger was good!!

店内はカウンタースペースしかないんですが、バーガーは最高です！！

You know this is making you hungry.

これ見ると食べたくなるでしょう。

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Pepsi Pink / ペプシピンク

2011-11-25T23:35:00.000+09:00

Pepsi was at it again. This time they released Pepsi Pink - a strawberry and milk flavored cola. I've had strawberry sodas, but strawberry and milk? Okay, it wasn't bad but you really couldn't tell if there was milk in it or not. It tastes like a regular strawberry cola.

ペプシがまたやってますね。今回出したのは“ペプシピンク”。このコーラはストローベリー・ミルク味。ストローベリーソーダーは飲んだことあるが、ストローベリーとミルク？どうなんでしょう。飲んでみたら、ミルクの味はほとんど感じない。普通のストローベリーソーダーでした。

Sancha de Daidogei with Performer Parts / 三茶de大道芸パフォーマー・パーツと一緒

2011-11-24T22:42:00.000+09:00

While my friends and I were eating and drinking, the street performer named Parts was nearby so I went and had my picture taken with him. His act is moving in slow motion. It doesn't seem like he's moving at all. He was on television a few times testing his skills against a security camera that detects the slightest movement. He lost. Another challenge was another device that detects any movement. He lost to that one too. And the third challenge I saw him do on television was to walk 5 meters across a "nightingale" floor without making any sound. Although he walked about a meter without a sound, he still lost that challenge too. Still, I told him I was rooting for him and awaiting to watch his next challenge.

三茶de大道芸に参加してパフォーマーパーツと一緒に写真撮ってもらった。テレビで彼を３回位拝見しました。人間離れの動きをするが彼の技。その技を生かして、テレビで人間の動きが必ず見逃さない機会と対決した。そして、彼は３回も機会に負けてしまった。それでも応援してると言いましたので、彼の次のチャレンジを楽しみにしてます。

Food & Drinks at Sancha de Daidogei 2011 / 三茶de大道芸２０１１の飲食

2011-11-23T12:19:00.000+09:00

Watching street performers and walking art is only part of the fun of the "Sancha de Daidogei" [Sangenjaya Street Performers Festival]. What's a festival without food and drinks? Local shops and restaurants set up food booths and food courts around different areas where you can enjoy craft beers and shochu, standard festival fare like yakisoba and yakitori and lots more!

三茶de大道芸の楽しみは大道芸とウォーキングアートを見るたけではない。祭りの言えば飲食でしょう？いろんな場所に屋台村もあって、地ビールや焼酎、祭りの定番の焼きそばや焼き鳥、いろんな食べ物があって楽しすぎる！

After sharing a beer at the top of Carrot Tower, my friend and I enjoyed a cup of Hoppy!

キャロットタワーで最初のビールを飲んだあと、次はホッピー！

Now, on the food!

そしてやっぱり食べ物でしょう！

Yes, that's cucumber on a stick. Quite delicious, unfortunately didn't eat any this year.

キュリの串。美味しいけど今年は食べなかった。

Sign for "Radio-yaki". A Sangejaya specialty - it looks and tastes like a regular takoyaki to me though.

三軒茶屋の新名物 ‐ ラジオ焼。でも見た目も味も普通のたこ焼きしか思えないな。

Those sausages look good! / ソーセージが美味しそう！

Thai-style grilled chicken / ガーヤン、タイ風焼き鳥

These were yummy! / これも美味しかった！

At another food court area, we treated ourselves to some "hatto jiru" from Iwate Prefecture.

別の屋台村、青空市、岩手せんまやのお母ちゃんの味「はっと汁」を食べました。

That would be a picture of a Korean star on the bottle of tea. I can't remember who it is but Mikako knew right off the bat.

ペットボトルの人は韓国のアーティストです。私は知りませんが、美香子はすぐ分かった。

A couple of craft beers from Kura Beer from Iwate Prefecture. I ordered a stout and a weizen.

岩手県の地ビール、蔵ビール。ヴァイッツエンとスタウトを飲んでみた。

Yep, you can say we spent more time eating and drinking than watching the street performers. But hey, we were having fun so who cares!

大道芸を見てるより飲んで食べてるほうがメインになった。ま、雰囲気が楽しめるから良いでしょう。

Street Performers Festival in Sangenjaya 2011 / 三茶de大道芸２０１１

2011-11-23T00:05:00.003+09:00

Here are a few of the street performers and walking art pieces we saw at the Sancha Street Performers Festival:

下記の写真は三茶de大道芸を見たパフォーマーとウォーキングアート：

The first walking art piece we saw was called "nani-sole". We saw it as we were leaving Carrot Tower.

最初発見したウォーキングアートは「ナニ・ソレ」。キャロットタワーの中で見た。

While still inside the Carrot Tower, we also saw Sylvain Leblanc "Mr. Golden". A street performer from Canada. If you give him a coin, you will enter his comedic world.

まだキャロットタワーの中に今度はカナダから来たストリートパフォーマー、シルヴァン・ルブラン（通称ミスターゴールデン）を発見。彼にコインあげるとなんか面白い事が始まるらしい。

While we were headed towards the food booths, we came upon another walking art piece - Mr. Fix!

屋台村がある場所に向かった途中でまたウォーキングアートを発見 ‐ ミスターフィックス！

Um, okay - Bald Naked Golden Boys? See what happens when you don't take the programs home, you can never remember all the artists and pieces of walking art.

ううん？なにこれ？ゴールデンハゲ軍団？やっぱりプログラムを持ち帰らないとどういうアーティストかウォーキングアートは全員覚えられない。

Looks like there was another festival going on as well as you can see the portable shrine in the center of the picture.

もしかして別のところでなんかの祭りもあったかも。神輿を担ぐのは大道芸にならないでしょう。

Ooh, kinda scary! Another walking art piece called "Mitama".

なんだか奇妙。これもウォーキングアートの「みたま」。

Taiko drum performance at the entrance Seiyu.

Seiyuの入り口で太古の演奏。

The following pictures are of a performance that we actually watched from start to end. A balancing act from China called the "Chugoku Zatsugi Geijutsu Dan".

下記の写真は三茶de大道芸で唯一最初から最後までみたパフォーマンス。アーティストは中国雑技芸術団。

He was pretty awesome, but he was like the opening act before the headliner. He was also the emcee for the final performance which featured a beautiful lady.

彼は凄かったが、次出る女性の前座みたいな感じでした。彼女の番になると彼は司会者になった。

Nope, that's not a ladder. Those are chair balanced on one another.

いえ、あれは梯子ではない。バランスをされてる椅子です！

Still not impressed?

まだ凄いと思えない？

Now this looks pretty awesome!!

これはどうだ？凄いしか言えない！！

Show is not over yet.

凄い技がまだつづく。

Yeah, she was awesome. I managed to post a short video clip on my Facebook page.

彼女は最高でした。自分のFacebookページで動画も載せた。

Views from the top of the Carrot Tower (again) / キャロットタワーの２６階からの眺め

2011-11-21T22:31:00.000+09:00

The week after Loud Park, there was the Street Performers Festival in Sangejaya. We were meeting friends in Sancha (short for Sangenjaya) but before we headed out to check the different street performers, we went up to the top of the Carrot Tower and had a beer. It was such a beautiful day, I had to take pictures from the observation deck again!

ラウドパークの一週間後、三軒茶屋で大道芸が開催してた。三茶で友達と会って大道芸を見る前に三茶の名所キャロットタワーの展望台に行った。天気も良かったし、やっぱりまた写真撮る気にる。下記はキャロットタワーからの眺め。

Ern in Tokyo

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 3) Neputa Mura con't / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （三日目） ねぷた村つづき

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 3) Neputa Mura / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （三日目） ねぷた村

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 3) Dake Hot Spring & Hatsumode / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （三日目） 嶽温泉と初詣

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 2) Dake Hot Spring - Dinner / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （２日目）嶽温泉 ‐ 夕飯

Aomori Trip (Day 2) Dake Hot Spring I / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （２日目） 嶽温泉 I

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 2) Morning & Noon / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （２日目）朝と昼

Aomori Trip 2012 (Day 1) / 青森旅行 ２０１２ （初日）

A Walk around Tsukiji (Final) Other Points of Interest / 築地の散歩 （ラスト） 築地地点情報いろいろ

A Walk around Tsukiji (Part 4) Tsukiji Honganji Temple / 築地の散歩 （パート４） 築地本願寺

A Walk around Tsukiji (Part 3) Namiyoke Inari Shrine / 築地の散歩 （パート３） 波除稲荷神社