A present from my son

Nov 23 is labor thanksgiving day in Japan, so that day was a holiday.
My elder son gave me and my wife a letter of thanks, because we have been working.



He wrote "otousan okaasan itumo arigatou kyouwa kinrounjyanohi otousan to okaasan to issyo ni mitene. syumpei yori. daisuki"(including wrong Japanese).

I and my wife took a look at this with smile, and it made us so happy.

thanks.

Taking a little trip for asakusa(3)

Sorry I took so long.



We ate MotsuNikomi, Yakitori, chijimi, Oden,
and drunk beer and hoppy. During eathing, baby son said to us " I need to poop", so I take him up to BR inside a game arcade. When we return to the restaurant, the check is already finished.

We walked to Asakusa station and saw around there. We arrived at the station, ware broken into each families, and said good-bye eath other, and we left from Asakusa.



Thanks.

Ichou

It's getting cold in Tokyo these days. It is warm at the daytime, but a little cold in the morning.

Many falled leaves of Ichou(銀杏 Ginkgo) have covered on the streat. This picture was token by me when I was going preschool with 2 sons. The tree of mark of Tokyo is Ginnan, so there are many Ichou tree in Tokyo.

The seed of Ichou is called Ginnan(銀杏). Icho and Ginnan are same Kanji, but they are different pronunciation. So Nobody can distiguish Ginnan from Ichou by Kanji.

thanks.

I ate meatloaf

I cooked meatloaf this dinner. I had never eaten one and had known one's name. I had know only band name.
I read cooking book after this lunch, and wanted to cook to use an onion and a comminuted meat, so I found this food. It was very good for me because I didn't need to go shopping.
Meatloaf is very simple food. cut, knead, burn :). It's everything!
But I thought that I made it too many amounts for 2 adults and 2 children before I burned. first of all I took photo it :D. My optimism say, "It's OK. go ahead!", so I started to burn and created some salads. After 40 minutes it's finished.So simple.

I was worry about their size, but we eat all soon. It's delicious. I became to like meatloaf. So I'll make it sometimes.I'm happy to know this food.

Taking a little trip for asakusa(2)

Next day(Sunday), Two famillies went to 浅草(Asakusa) at 台東区(Taito-Ward) by Yurakucho-line. The train run over 墨田川(Sumida gawa. Sumida river). Asakusa is famous traditional town in Tokyo, We call these area to "下町　Shitamachi" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shitamachi).



There are many famous place in Asakusa. We went to 雷門(Kaminari mon) of 浅草寺(Senso-ji). and saw it. I have seen a 提灯(Chotin) of Kaminari-mon once time. But I glance at it before chance because I was busy then, so this is a first time for to watch it.

Senso-ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo now (This is a new for me :) ). There is 仲見世(Nakamise) between Kaminari-mon and 本堂(Hondo. the main hall of Senso-ji). Theare are many many shops and smoll restaurants, and Nakamise is so crouded by the people.We went under Kaminari-mon, through the Nakamise, bought 人形焼き(Ningyoyaki) like 饅頭(Manjyu), wathed how to create Ningyoyaki, were going to go to Hondo.



There is in front of Hondo, Many burned 線香(senko, sticks of incense) made there bellows of smoke. There is superstition that pushing this smoke to your bad point make you better.I did so, I'm going to be more smart :).



I arrived at Hondo, went into it, I did お参り(omairi). I threw 5 yen into 賽銭箱(saisen bako. the offertory box).Many people had did so, and it is crowded.

We went out, and were going to find a restaurant to eat and to drink. but every resraurants were full for us because we were big group, 4 adults and 3 children.
We were so hungry, but children run around us and were very excited. After a quarter of an hour, we found a restaurant at last.

To be continued...

Taking a little trip for asakusa.

I went to my friend's home at Suturday and saw the sights of Asakusa at Sunday, and came home.I taked many pictures, and saw around Asakusa, so I think I'll write these topics for the time being.


At the first, I'm going to write about our friends and something we did.
They lived in Kitasenjyu that is rightest place in Tokyo and Kitasenjyu is a little no sefe(In Japan, it isnot so diffelence about safe and no safe).
The friends that are very good and very funny :) are a family who has the father, the mother who had been old friend with my wife, the daughther. The father and the mather has digrees of arts, so I think their house is so artful.

When we went to them, the father worked out. So there were the mother and the daughter who were having a nap.
We went to Sentou(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sent%C5%8D) after we talked a little time. We don't go to Sento usually, but I think many of Japanese like sento and onsen(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen).

Do you know Sentou and do you like Sento? Please go to sento If you'll come to Japan. The sentou worker(the receptionist is called "Bantou 番頭") can't speak English probably, and there is the separete room for man and woman, and there are many local custom, so I encourage you go to Sento with same sex. and We have a strenge custom that we drink the coffee milk after bath of sento, I don't know the detail, but I want to drink it. this time, I drunk Chuhai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuhai)



After Sento, We bought the Yakitori(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakitori), other foods, Syochu(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shochu), and I returned thier house.

I think I want to return to main topic, but this is a little long for a topic.so I wrote the rest of this story next time .

thanks and see you again.

after the party

I went to the party.
I enjoyed it and I think they enjoyed it.
and heroine is look like so glad.

do you know 一期一会(ithigo ichie) .
I think , this time is only this time.
you don't think you have next. now is only now.

do the best now, for all.

thanks.

before tha party

I have the party of a graduate school class(OBH). so I had been walking from my company to the school. Today was little cold, the temperature was 14 degrees.

Through Akasaka in Tokyo, this city whose street and tree had been lighted up was almost Cristmas party. "akasaka sakasu" that is one of a newer and popular date spot in Tokyo is built by the big TV station that has network to all parts of Japan.I've entered that once yet.

I arrived at the school before 1 hour for the party, so I'm writing blog in school. It is too early to be present the party, and it's good for me to be taking next class preparation.
Let me take a preparetion :D.

Talking in Japanese.

I have waken up at 6 AM JST from Monday to Friday if I can.
Because I've heard the basic english lesson of NHK radio .
So I'm free these time almost(if I could wake up) for 30 minutes.
If you want to talk with me in Japanese and English, please see you then.
My english is very bad, don't mind it, take it easy :).

And this left picture is Yuzu, my cat who is a mongrel(zassyu in Japanese) . This is not special meaning, I just prepare this picture for the previous topic :) .


okiraretara, getsuyou kara kinnyou made asa 6ji ni okimasu.NHK no radio wo kiiteirukara desu. dakara watashiga okiraretara 30hun kurai jikan ga arukotoga ooidesu. watashi to nihongo ya eigo de hanasu nara, kono jikanga iidesu. watashi ha eigoga heta desuga, kini sinaidene :).

ato hidari no syashin ha yuzu desu, zassyu de uchi no petto desu. maeno topic de jyunnbishitanode haritsukemasita, tokuni imiha naiyo :)

Very very sad thing.

I have two sister cats named "kaki" and "yuzu".Both of "kaki" and "yuzu" are Japanese local fruit name.I noticed that foreign people don't know these fruits.

So I'd like to write this topic.



Yuzu is similar to lemon and lime. I don't know that it is different between "yuzu" and lemon, and lime.
but Yuzu is a major food for Japanese cuisine.

wikipedia(en) /wikipedia(ja)


I cannot find something to look like Kaki(Kaki Persimmon). Kaki is very sweet fruits and now in season, I ate this morning with my family. Yesterday I was tald by Amerikan and Fillipina "I have'n ever heard Persimmon", so I think "Persimmon" is the very niche word.

wikipedia(en) / wikipedia(ja)





There is a Japanese idiom, "桃栗三年柿八年(もも　くり　３ねん　かき　８ねん)"(momo kuri3nen kaki 8nen).If I trancelate to English so directly, "The peach and the chestnut is three years, Kaki persimmon is eight years".

This mean is...
It needs take times from planting seeds to eating fruits.This time is 3 years for The peach and the chestnut.8 years for Kaki persimmon.

and this ideom has more sentense."柚子は九年で成り下がる(ゆずは　９ねんで　なりさがる)"(yuzu ha 9nen de narisagaru).
This mean is ...
It is 9 years that yuzu is hanging from branches.

and. moreover senetence is here "梨のバカヤロ18年(なしの　ばかやろ　18ねん)"(nashi no bakayaro 18nen).

This mean is ...
The pear that is the chiken need for 18 years

so there are some fruits, momo(peach), kuri(chestnut), kaki(Kaki persimmon), yuzu(Yuzu), nashi(Pear).

The name of my parent's cat is "momo".
The name of my sister-in-low's doc is "kuri".

That's why my cat names are "kaki" and "yuzu".

All Right. That's all I want to write.







Indeed,why I wrote this topic?

I learned English by skype yesteday. And the teacher said "Why your cats is named kaki and yuzu?".I said, "This is a long long story...(I think I cannot explain well)", She said "...................",
so I tried to explain kaki and yuzu using the results of google search,
and tried to explain this Japanese idiom "momo kuri 3nen kaki 8nen",
and tried to explain "yuzu ha 9nen de nari sagaru",
and tried to explain the cat name of my parent's and the doc name of my sister.
and at last I tried explay why are my cat names "kaki" and "yuzu".

But I cannnot understand her.I havenot ever speak in English about a topic.Very very sad thing.But to tell the truth, my english is bad than this sad thing.

Can you understand this topic?It is first time that I write a long topic.

That's why I need laean in English.

Bye!

最近

食べ物の話しじゃないことも書こうかと。

この2日間くらい、skypeで主に外国の人とチャットをさせてもらっています。
自分の英語の勉強と相手の人の日本語の勉強を兼ねてなのですが、本当に楽しいです。
USやカナダ、UK、オーストラリア、海外にいた日本人と、中国人。
人種はなんだかわかりませんし、知りません（笑）。

中にはすごく上手に漢字を使う人もいるし、来月日本に来る人とか、
来年の夏から一年日本に住んでその後も住もうと思っている人とか。

そういった日本に興味を持っている人達だからなのか、
すごく暖かく感じられとても嬉しいです。

今後ともよろしくです。

I write only alphabets.

tabemono no hanasi igai mo kakimasu.

kono 2ka kurai skype de omoni gaikoku no hitoto chat shitemasu.
jibun no eigono benkyou to aite no nihongo no benkyou wo sitemasu. hontou ni tanshii desu.
US ya canada, UK, australia, kaigai ni ita nihonjin to chugokujin to.
jinsyu ha nandaka wakarimasen shi, sirimasen :).

nakaniha sugoku jyouzuni kanji wo tukau hitomo irushi, raigetuni nihon ni kuru hito toka,
rainen no natukara 1nen nihon ni sunde sonoatomo sumouto omoteru hito toka.

souitta nihon ni kyoumi wo motteiru hitotachi dakara nanoka,
sugoku attakaku kanjirare totemo ureshii desu.

kongo tomo yoroshiku desu.

Christmas tree on the building

I saw a very big christmas tree at Akasaka before some day ago.
It's little blurred tree, I grasped what is it at a glance.
Can you find a tree?

This building name is "Akasaka Prince Hotel". One of the famous hotel in Tokyo, and it is famous for wedding party too.
My parents and my wife's parents saw at the restaurant of this hotel about 10 years ago.

If you want to see more beautiful and complate tree, click here

shio nabe

Today's dinner was shio nabe(Do you know nabe? I don't know what do i say abount nabe).
Nabe is very simply food. but I like.
Nabe is famous food in Japan. Wakahanada's restaurant serve this food.
Below is today's recipe.

Put into soup into nabe and boil it.
and chikin and poak into nabe, and boil it(remove AKU).

Put napa,shiitake, hackberry, shimeji, konnyaku, shirataki, lettuce, carrot, burdock, tofu into nabe.

Put all of food into nabe. wait for nabe boild.
It's ok for makeing nabe. so easy!

We ate nabe so good with ajipon.
Do you challenge if you are interested in.

thanks

jajamen

I went to restaurant to eat jajamen(like ramen) near my house this lanch.
This shop has only one menu, jajamen. so we chosen size ourself.
I heard shop owner was a fashion model(ikemen), but he quit his job to open this shop.
This shop is very faimous for gourmet, but there is very little space, and only 7 seats.
Today is first time, i had never gone to this restaurant.

We call jahjah-men in usual and jahjarh-men is chinese food.
Maybe jajamen is local food of Morioka(very similar to jahjah-men).
jahjah-men and jajamen are no liquid soup, there were only.

The custom of how to eat jajamen is little strange. See below page for detail.
http://memeplex.net/jaja/tqbe.html
To be brief, at first eat jajamen, next make soup named chitan , last of all, eat all.

This shop have a custom also. I hadn't ever do it.

Eat jajamen , but don't finish all jajamen and left one a little .
If you finish eating with someting left, beat egg and left soup,
and say "Onegaishimasu" or "chitan please" to owner .
so He put a hot water that is use to boid the men into donburi.
put salt, pepper, garlic(this shop's is blue!), miso, homemade ra-yu(spicy oil from chinese food) into donbiri and make your favorite taste soup.

That's all. a little strange?
It's good for me, so I'll go next, soon.

This shop name is "じゃじゃおいけん(jaja oiken)". and site is here:
http://www.jyajyaoiken.com/

thanks!