Tuesday, December 31, 2019

1月1日(水曜日)2020
令和二年、元旦を迎えました。さて、今年はどんな年になるのでしょうか。地球規模の気候変動は不安です。また私の住む地域は高齢化と人口減少が深刻です。故郷に帰って実家でカフェを開き、地域の人々と交わりながらゆっくりと日々を過ごしていますが、自分なりにできることを考えていきたいと思います。今年もどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。New Year of 2020 has just begun. Well, what will the new year bring? Global climate change is a very serious concern. Aging and depopulation has been a serious problem in my region. Going back to my hometown, I opened a cafe at an old Japanese house where I was born and grew up in until 18 and now I am living a relaxed life connecting with local people and friends. I would like to think about what I can do for others here and for my family who are in the US and Europe. Have a Happy New Year!


                                           Flower arrangement by H.Nishimura  

                                              Flower arrangement by H.Nishimura












Saturday, December 28, 2019

12月30日(月曜日)2019
多賀大社前絵馬通りの商店を中心とした共栄会では毎年「笑門絵馬」を作り、絵馬通りの家の玄関軒下に飾っています。先日、その絵馬作りの手伝いに初めて参加しました。まずは町内の書の上手な方に絵馬一枚一枚に手書きで笑門と書いてもらった後、来年の干支である「子(ネ)」の焼印を入れ、同様に小さなRの焼印(これは商標登録?)、さらに裏側には「表参道絵馬通り」の焼印を入れる。これが当日の作業でした。大きな作業小屋を借りて、昔ながらのダルマストーブに火を入れ焼印の型を入れて熱し、それを絵馬に押し付けるというものです。私は途中で抜けた方に代わって小さな商標登録の焼印を少しやらせてもらいましたが、手伝いはもっぱら押した焼印の後、次の作業がしやすいようにアシスタントをする役目でした。焼印が終わったところでこれらの絵馬は多賀大社でお祓いをしていただき、しめ縄に御幣(ごへい:白い紙)を挟んでできあがりです。この笑門絵馬は多賀大社に参拝に来られる方にも販売されます。「笑う門に福来る」子年の来年も楽しいこと、良いことがたくさん訪れますように… Every year, Kyoueikai (Ema-dori shops association) around Taga taisha, makes "Shoumon Ema (votive tablet for welcoming fortune which decorates the front door area) by members. This year, I voluntarily participated in making them for the first time. A person who is very good at calligraphy wrote the word "Shoumon (lit. good fortune and happiness will come to the home who smile) in Kanji on all tablets. Then we press branding 子(ne) which shows zodiac year of mouse, new year. In the same way, little "R" which probably is a registered trademark was pressed, and on the backside of the street name, "Omote-sandoo Ema doori (Main approach to the shrine named Ema-doori) was also pressed. We borrowed a big working shed where woods were burned in a potbelly stove. Iron branding molds were in the stove until they were ready. I had a chance to press the little one but mainly I was an assistant for the person who press branding. When they were all done, they were brought to the shrine, and purified by shrine priest. The Shoumon Ema was completed with sacred straw festoon and strips of white paper used in Shinto rituals. I put the new Shoumon Ema outside of the upper part of the entrance. They are also sold at shops along the street for people who visit the shrine. We wish good fortune and happiness to everyone in the coming year.



















12月29日(日曜日)2019
亡くなった母は大正2年、商家の長女として生まれて当時としては比較的自由な少女時代を過ごし、父と結婚してからは5人の子(男4女1)の母となりました。子育ての時代は毎日の洗濯だけでも大変な量であったと思います。私が生まれてしばらくすると一槽式の洗濯機が我が家にも置かれるようになり、母にとっては夢のような文明の力(リキ)の登場だったに違いありません。私が子供の時は掃除は祖母(姑)、料理と洗濯は母がやっていたように記憶しています。そんな訳で忙しかった母から料理や裁縫を習うということはあまりなかったのですが、母がしていたことを思い出しては時々やってみることがあります。その一つは台所で使う布巾の煮沸消毒です。母は時々布巾を大鍋に入れて石鹸も少しいれてグツグツ煮ていました。汚れが出た後すすいでからしばらく漂白剤に浸けて、再びすすいで、干します。これを私も真似てやっているとそばに来て見た人が「布巾を料理するんですか!?」と珍しそうに言います。年末の1日、思い立って布巾の煮沸消毒をしました。My mother (1913-1976) was born in a family of merchants as the first daughter and grew relatively freely at that time. After getting married to my father, she became a mother of five children (4 boys and 1 girl). During the time she was raising children, I can easily imagine that many things must have been hard for her such as washing kids' clothing daily. A washing machine was set up in my house several years after I was born and it must have been a remarkable cultural device for her. When I was a child, my grandmother took care of cleaning the house and my mom prepared meals and washed the clothing of all family members except my grandma's. Therefore I didn't have chance to receive any cooking or sewing lessons from such a busy mom. However, I remember what she was doing at home and I still do them by myself. One of her house chores was to sterilize kitchen towels by boiling. She sometimes put kitchen towels into a big pot and boiled with a little powder soap to take the dirt out from the towels. She would wash and soak them in water with bleach for a while. She would rinse them again and air-dried them. When I was doing this, people who came to watch said with surprise, "Do you cook kitchen towels!?". On one of the last days of the year, I thought of doing the sterilization of kitchen towels my mother's way.












Thursday, December 26, 2019

12月26日(木曜日)2019
日本語の歌の中に時々「アイラブユー」などといった英語が入っているのを聞くことがありますが、英語の歌なのに日本語のフレーズが入っているのを聴きました。カナダ人女性歌手のケイ・ディー・ラング(k.d.lang)がBBCラジオ(ロンドン)でコンサートをしているのをYouTubeで聴き流しながら台所に立っていました。イギリスでのコンサートということでキング・クリムゾン(King Crimson)の歌を歌いますと言って静かに歌い始めたその曲はもちろん英語。ふわっと聴いていて、アレ?今の英語?…と手が止まり、何度かそこを注意深く聴いてみました、が…どうしても「マッテクダサーイ」としか聞こえてこない、でも脈絡がまったく分からない。1970年代のイギリス、ロックバンドのキング・クリムゾンの歌の題は「Matte kudasai」でした。メンバーの一人、ロバート・フィリップが作詞作曲したこの曲はまるで夢の中で漂っているようなゆったりした美しい曲でキング・クリムゾンのオリジナルもギターの好きな人にはたまらない魅力でしょうが、大好きなケイ・ディー・ラングが歌う「Matte kudasai」も素晴らしいです。https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLqwmOgG5c8ちょっと哲学的な歌の流れの中に入り込む「マッテクダサイ」は、どうも音の響が曲に合うというだけで入れたようです。日本語訳を茨城県のハルさんという方がつけていますので、添付します。https://ameblo.jp/teruteru-g13/entry-12541679720.html

Still, by the window pane                          
        彼女はまだ窓辺の傍で静かに佇んでいる
Pain, like the rain that's falling                

        苦痛 終わる事の無い雨の様に降り注ぐ
She waits in the air, Matte Kudasai          

        虚しさに満たされながら待っている 『待って下さい』
She sleeps in a chair, in her sad America 

        悲痛に満ちた国 彼女は椅子で眠り続ける

When, when was the night so long             

        終わりが見えない長い夜
Long, like the notes I'm sending                

       本当に長い まるで僕の手紙の様に
She waits in the air, Matte Kudasai           

       彼女は虚無に満たされながら待っている 『待って下さい』
She sleeps in a chair, in her sad America  

       悲痛に満ちた国 彼女はまだ椅子で眠っている

There are some instances where we hear an English phrase in Japanese songs such as "I love you", but I experienced the opposite where I heard a Japanese phrase in an English song the other day. I was working in the kitchen and listening to a Canadian singer, K.D. Lang on YouTube. She was singing in a concert for BBC radio in London (2011). In the concert, she said that she was going to sing a song of King Crimson which is a British rock group because she was in Britain then. I did not manage to catch the title but it was beautiful quiet music which made me feel calm. In the middle of the song, I felt very strange because it seemed to not be in English. I stopped the music and listened to the part over and over. "Mattekudasaaai" was what I heard. Matte-kudasai means "please wait " in English but there was no connection before and after. In the end, I discovered it was a song named "Matte kudasai" by King Crimson in the 1970's. His original music must be good for the people who enjoy guitar, but the rendition by K.D.Lang whom I am a big fan of is also so good.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLqwmOgG5c8


Wednesday, December 18, 2019

12月19日(木曜日)2019
国際ソロプチミスト彦根主催のチャリティーコンサートに行ってきました。カウンターテナーの中嶋俊晴さんとピアニストで作曲・編曲家でもある谷川(かわ)賢作さんの歌と演奏を1時間半たっぷり聴くことができました。中嶋さんは彦根出身の声楽家で京都市立芸大から東京芸大へ、さらにウィーン国立音大大学院、アムステルダム音楽院修士課程を最優秀栄誉賞付きで修了してソリストとして欧州を中心に活動なさっているとのこと。谷川賢作さんは父上が詩人の谷川俊太郎氏でお二人で詩と音楽のコンサートを開いたり、映画音楽から校歌まで幅広く活躍していらっしゃいます。カウンターテナーを実際に聞くのは初めてで、どんなだろうと興味津々でした。女性の音域を男性が歌うのがカウンターテナーですが、中嶋さんは普段クラシックばかり歌っているとおっしゃっていましたが、賢作さんのジャズ風にイメージ豊かに弾かれるピアノに併せて谷川俊太郎氏の詩を実に丁寧な日本語と素晴らしい歌唱力で歌ってくださり、言葉がすーっと聴き手である私自身の体に入ってきて感動しました。15編の詩を全曲楽譜無しで歌い上げてくださったことにも感銘をうけました。賢作さんのピアノと中嶋さんのカウンターテナー、最高の組み合わせでした。是非もう一度!I went to a charity concert organized by International Soroptimist Hikone. It was a roughly 90-minute duo concert of Mr. Toshiharu Nakajima (Counter tenor) and Mr. Kensaku Tanikawa (piano) which I enjoyed. Mr. Nakajima is a classical singer from Hikone and he graduated from Kyoto City Univ. of Arts, Tokyo Univ. of the Arts, and finished a Master degree with Best Honor Award of both University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Now he is singing actively as a soloist mainly in Europe. On the other hand, Mr. Tanikawa is a pianist whose father is a well-known poet, Shuntaro Tanikawa, and he often holds poem and music concerts together with his father. He also composes a wide range of music from film music to school songs. It was the first time for me to listen to a counter tenor and I was looking forward to listening to Mr Nakajima's singing. Counter Tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to a female mezzo-soprano voice. Although Mr. Nakajima said that he is usually singing classical music, at this concert, he sang Japanese poems mainly by Shuntaro Tanikawa with Kensaku Tanikawa’s jazz piano. I was fascinated with his marvelous singing technique and beautiful Japanese. I was also very impressed that he sang almost 15 poems without music text. The combination of Mr. Tanikawa and Mr. Nakajima was perfect and I wish I could listen to more of their music.





Tuesday, December 17, 2019

12月18日(水曜日)2019
銀杏(ぎんなん)をたくさんいただきました。銀杏ご飯を食べようと、まずは殻を割るところから。タオルを敷いて、かなづちでヒビを入れ殻を外すと薄皮のついた果肉が現れ、次に熱湯をかけて冷ましてから手で薄皮を取ると艶のあるきれいな実が顔を出し、それを塩を多めに入れて茹でるとさらに美しい薄みどり色の姿になりました。お酒と塩少々で炊き上げたご飯に混ぜて銀杏ご飯の出来上がり。初めての挑戦でしたが、なかなかの出来栄えで銀杏の弾力のある食感とほろ苦い風味に大満足でしたが、銀杏は食べすぎは良くないとのこと。我慢してお代わりは一回だけにしました。I received a lot of ginkgo nuts from Ms. S.K., so I decided to make ginkgo rice. Starting from cracking the shells with a hammer on the towel, I took off every shell, then the flesh with pellicle appeared. When I took off every pellicle after pouring hot water and cooling down to make it easer to remove, they turned to shining ginkgo fruits. I could see beautiful light green ginkgo fruits after boiling them with salty hot water. Then I mixed them in steamed rice which was made with two spoonfuls of sake and a bit of salt. It was my first trial to make ginkgo rice and I think it was well done. I enjoyed the firm texture and little bitter taste of ginkgo fruit. It was so good but since people say that eating too many ginkgos is not good, I only had a second bowl of rice despite my wish to have more.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

12月11日(水曜日)2019
今年もクリスマスの季節。日本ではほとんどの人が宗教的な意味合いをまったくもたないで華やいだ気持ちでこの時期を過ごします。このサンタはブローチでボストンで20年以上も前にCVS(全米でチェーン店を持つ薬局とコンビニが合わさった店)で1ドルか2ドルで購入したものです。毎年この時期になると職場の日本語の教室へつけていって
学生たちが質問に答えると下のベルを引いてサンタさんにバンザーイさせて、学生たちの笑いをとっていました。先日、月曜の朝の読み聞かせにこのサンタをつけて1年生の子供達の前に立ちましたがイマイチの反応で残念。来週の2年生で面白いクイズを考えて再挑戦してみます。実は一番ウカれているのは私なんですが… It's Christmas season again. In Japan many people spend this season in a cheerful mood without any religious feeling. I bought this cute Santa ornament (broach) at CVS/pharmacy in Boston more than 20 years ago. It was only 1 or 2 dollars. I used to put this Santa on my jacket in my Japanese class every year during this season and when students answered correctly my questions, I showed Santa raising both arms by pulling the red bell. In this way I enjoyed students laughing and feeling relaxed. This Monday morning, I went to the elementary school for story reading putting on this Santa, and contrary to my expectations, I couldn't get much reactions from the kids and I was a bit discouraged. I will try again during the next reading class for the second graders and give a more interesting quiz. In fact the person who is most excited by the Santa is myself...






Thursday, December 5, 2019

12月6日(金曜日)2019
多賀町あけぼのパークで開催されているパッチワーク作品展に行ってきました。「ちくちくQuilt倶楽部」を主宰なさっている竹内綾子さんの作品と生徒さんたちの力作が展示されて見事でした。「ふふ、ふふふ」というのは古布の「ふ」と笑い声の「ふ」の両方をモジったものだそうです。竹内綾子さんは国際キルト展で過去何度も賞を獲得し、今年出された作品も入賞したとのこと。多賀にも素晴らしい方がいらっしゃること誇りに思います。パッチワークというと幾何学模様が頭に浮かびますが、竹内さんの作品の多くは「ゆがみ」があったり身近な道具や思い出の情景の刺繍がしてあったり、大きな作品一杯に独創的で自由な世界が広がっています。しかも、すべて子供の頃の服地やお母様の着物、布団地など古布が使われており、過去の思い出が竹内さんの豊かなな感性で再登場しています。途方もないエネルギーの結集です。I went to a quilt exhibition at Akebono-park in Taga town. Ms. Ayako Takeuchi organizes "Chiku-chiku Quilt Club" and Ms. Takeuchi and her students' powerful works have been on display since last Friday and will continue to be shown until Dec.8th. "Chiku-chiku" is an onomatopoeia to describe the way of sowing with needle. Ms. A. Takeuchi got many awards in International Quilt Contest in the past and today I heard that she was awarded this year in the same contest, too. We are proud to have someone in Taga with such wonderful talent like Ms. Takeuchi. When you hear "Patchwork", many of you would imagine one with geometric patterns, but Ms. Takeuchi's works are different. She makes many distortions and embroidery of lovely tools and scenery based on her memories in her quilts. They are full of her creative world. She also used old clothes such as her childhood cloth, her mother's kimonos, cloth for futon. In this way, her good old memories are revived. I was overwhelmed by her powerful creativity.



















Sunday, December 1, 2019

12月1日(日曜日)
多賀町、桃原(もばら)ごぼうの復活に取り組んでいる方たちから今年も無事皆さんで収穫が終わったとの知らせは受けていましたが、出荷が終わった1週間ほど前にチームの代表の中川信子さんから残ったごぼうのお裾分けをいただきました。以来、湿気を含んだ新聞紙に包んで少しずつ大切にいただいています。昨夜はごぼうをさっと茹でて黒ごまと甘酢に少し漬け込んで食卓へ。柔らかくて香りのいい桃原ごぼうを堪能しました。マーケットのごぼうとはやはり違う贅沢な食材です。Ms. Nobuko Nakagawa is a person who is putting her effort on reviving Mobara-goboh which used to be grown at Mobara, located in the mountain side of Taga and shipped to Kyoto for luxury restaurants decades ago. Because of the decreasing number of people in the area, growing goboh roots had been stopped for many years. I heard that the volunteeer group including Ms. Nakagawa finished digging out goboh and about a week ago after shipping them, Ms. Nakagawa brought some left overs to me. I wrapped them in wet newspapers to keep them fresh and use for my dinner little by little. Yesterday, I boiled some goboh lightly, and put them in sweet vinegar with ground black sesame seeds. Both the smell and tenderness were perfect and I enjoyed them for dinner. They are different from the one in the supermarket. Mobara-goboh is a truly precious vegetable in Taga.




Thursday, November 28, 2019

11月28日(木曜日)2019 
モノを増やさないことを肝に銘じていますが、時に誘惑に負けてしまうことがあります。宮島幸雄さんのステンドグラス展に行って展示してあったランプを購入しました。先日、作家ご自身が届けて下さいました。色が入ったステンドグラスのランプも素敵なものが沢山ありましたが、私は色のない古いガラスをカットしてデザインされたものを選びました。ボディに’施された曲線と傘の直線が対照的でスッキリとアンティークな雰囲気ながらモダンでなかなかおしゃれです。宮島さんの繊細で美しい半田づけも見応えがあります。居間に置いて毎日眺めるのもいいですが、薄暗い蔵にアクセントに置いてみました。ランプは人の温もりが感じられて好きです。I am trying to take heart not to accumulate things, but there are times when I give in to the temptation. When I went to Yukio Miyajima's stained glass exhibition, I ended up buying one of the lamps. Mr. Miyajima delivered it to me the other day. There were mostly lamps with beautiful stained glass but I chose one made from old monotone glass. There are two curved iron decorations attached to the body, and several straight cut glasses were soldered together in a zigzag pattern for the lamp shade. These were well matched and looked like antiques but also very nice and modern. I like to see Mr. Miyajima's soldering because it's done beautifully. I can enjoy this lamp in my living room, but I decided to put it in the corner of the warehouse in the cafe for the accent. It makes the room cosy and relaxed atmosphere. I feel the warmth of the people from the lamp.



Sunday, November 24, 2019

11月24日(日曜日)2019
 昨日、幼なじみのE.Nさんが柚子をびっくりするほどたくさん持ってきてくれました。 実はその前にカフェに寄ってくれて、柚子の話になって「うちにあるから持ってくるヨ」と言ってくれましたが、 こんなにも沢山いただくとは!数えたら62個もありました。飾り用の柚子の枝は丁寧に棘が切ってあり、水が 上がるように切り口に水を含ませてという細やかな心配りも。ありがたい限りです。とはいえあまりに沢山の柚子。 ご近所のおば様にも柚子風呂にとおすそ分けしました。昨夜はお風呂にプカプカいっぱい黄色い柚子を入れて 夢見心地で温ったまりました。なぜか坂田寛夫さんの「ソーダ村の村長さん」の詩が大好きな波瀬満子さんの懐かしい声で蘇ってきました。   

(前半略) 

そうだむらでは おおそうどう
プールはつめたい ぶっそうだ 
ふろにかぎると きまったそうだ 
そうだよタンサン クリームおんせん 
あったかそうだ あまそうだ
おとなもこどもも くうそうだけで 
とろけるゆめみて ねたそうだ

Yesterday, Mr. E.N, a friend from childhood brought plenty of citrus fruits to me. Actually, the day before yesterday when he dropped by my cafe, we talked about citrus fruit. He said "I will bring them because I have a tree in my yard.", but I was not expecting to receive such a big number of them. There were 62! Since their branches have sharp thorns, he cut them so I would not be hurt, and put water bags at the bottom of the cutting branch for not drying out. I really appreciate his concern. Since there are too many citrus and I have no idea what to do with these, I gave some of them to the old lady who is my neighbor. I took a citrus bath last night and enjoyed citrus floating in the tub. There is a children's poem by Hiroo Sakata named "Village head of Soda Village" and some lines of the bath part came up in my mind.  I remember Mituko Hase who was my favorite poem reader and word performer, was reading that poem.











Wednesday, November 20, 2019

11月20日(水曜日)2019 
面倒見のいい中学時代の同級生のお世話で一泊二日の小旅行に行ってきました。場所は京都府のるり渓温泉。山陰線園部駅下車、ホテルの送迎バスで30分くねくねと山道を上っていくと景色はみるみる紅葉の世界。女性には嬉しいアメニティの巾着をいただいて部屋に入ってから、別館の温泉施設へ。5種類ほどのお風呂巡りをした後、皆で賑やかに夕食をいただきました。夕方から小雨が降り出したものの、有志で夜のイルミネーションコースに出てみました。入り口で係の人に「雨だから綺麗ですよ!」と言われた理由がまもなくわかりました。光と音楽のコラボレーションが幻想的な世界を創る中、光のトンネルをくぐり抜けると足元や両脇を小さな光がチョロチョロ走るのに驚き、やがて霧が立ち込め前方目の高さにまるで絵に描いたような雲が美しく流れていきます。光線の下は無数のキラキラがいっぱい!よく見ると雨が光に反射してそれはそれは美しいのです。雨だからこの現象が見られたというわけです。翌日帰りに京都駅近くで町家旅館「十四春(としはる)」http://14haru.com/を営む同級生を訪ねました。京都ならではのおしゃれで洗練されたしつらえがそこかしこに見られる素敵なお部屋を見せていただき感心することしきり。最近娘さんに女将の座を譲ったとはいえ、20年あまり京都で女将さんとして力を発揮してきた同級生の彼女は流石と思わせる存在感でした。I went to a two day-one night trip organized by a classmate from junior high school who often takes very good care of us. The destination was Ruri Ravine hot spring in Kyoto prefecture. After getting off a train at Sonobe Station on the Sanin Line, and went up the winding mountain road for about 30 min by a shuttle bus to the hotel. We could enjoy the autumn foliage from the window of the bus. At the hotel, we got beautiful cloth bags with amenities inside, put our bags in the hotel room, and then went to a hot spring facility where we could enjoy several kinds of baths. After having dinner together at the hotel, some of us went to an illumination show outside of the hotel nearby although it was raining. At the entrance, the person who checked our tickets told us that we would enjoy the illumination much more because of the rain. We knew what he meant. The combination of music and LED lights created a fantastic world. Going through a dreamy tunnel, we saw countless small lights moving by our feet and our sides. Then the area was filled with mist, and we could see clouds running at the same height of our eyes. It was as if we were seeing beautiful clouds in a painting. Glittering crystal lights were shining underneath the lights. We knew that they were raindrops reflecting the lights. It was so beautiful!! The next day on the way back home, we got off the train at Kyoto Station and visited our friend who is also our middle school classmate and runs a Japanese style inn near the station named "Toshiharu". http://14haru.com/ She was willing to welcome us to her old nice house and showed the rooms which were all traditional Japanese style and decorated in a sophisticated way. She said that recently she gave the landlady position to her daughter, but nevertheless her experience of running the inn for twenty years in Kyoto is reflected in her beautiful personality and bold presence. We are proud of her.











Sunday, November 17, 2019

11月17日(日曜日)2019
渋柿をいただいたので3日前に干し柿作りに初めて挑戦しました。地元の言葉かどうか分かりませんが柿を吊るして干すからか、子供の時からうちでは「つるんぼし」と呼んでいました。さて作り方が分からなくてもネットを見れば動画で説明してくれる時代です。私でもできそうだと思えるのはありがたいです。でも柿を吊るす紐が短すぎて吊るした後の眺めがカッコ良くないなと笑っちゃいました。美しく見せるのは何でもバランスが大事だと干し柿作りで納得。台から降りて目に飛び込んできたのは綺麗な虹で、よく見ると二重に掛かっていました。しばし、穏やかに見とれました。Since I received astringent persimmons from my friend, I took on the challenge of making dried persimmons for the first time. I'm not sure if local people call it the same way but probably because it is hung for drying, my family members were calling it  "TSURUNBOSHI (hung-dried persimmon). It is convenient now because even if you don't know how to make it, you are able to learn from youtube and I feel encouraged to make it. Actually the procedure was simple and not difficult, but as a result, it made me laugh because the strings were a bit short and when I hung them, they were ok but didn't look aesthetically nice to me. Well, I learned that things should be well balanced to look nice.  When I stepped down, a beautiful rainbow came into my sight!!  Looking at it carefully, it was a double rainbow which fascinated me. 









Saturday, November 16, 2019

IZANAMIマーケット 

2019年11月17日(日) 9:00〜15:00

絵馬通りはまてつさん駐車場


地元とれたて野菜、お茶、信楽焼、占い、

アート、フードなど 

「多賀あさひや」はイザナミランチ(1373円)を

10食限定で ご用意します。

お天気も良い本日、皆さんぜひいらしてくださーい!!



Friday, November 15, 2019

11月15日(金曜日)2019 
少し前に彦根の農家の友人が落花生を根っこごと持ってきてくれました。落花生は地中に実をつけることは知っていましたが、実際に見るのは初めてです。掘り起こして1日経っているらしく葉は少し乾いていましたが畑の土はそのままついていて、どこまで土に埋まっていたかすぐ分かりました。枝から落花生を取って、きれいに洗って、それから少し多めの塩を入れて殻のまま茹でて、殻を外して中のピーナツを取り出すと塩加減もちょうどよく半なまの美味しいピーナツ完成。後を引くような美味しさで、ビールのお供にぴったり。仲間とのおしゃべりも弾みました。A few days ago, a friend of mine who is in Hikone and whose husband grows rice and vegetables, brought peanuts with their roots and leaves still attached. I knew that peanuts grow in the ground but it was the first time for me to see them in this condition in front of me. Although it had already been one day since the plants were dug up, I could recognize the level of soil. I took off the peanut's shell, washed them well, and boiled them putting extra salt, then took out the nuts from the shell. They were very good half raw peanuts. I couldn't stop eating them. My friends and I enjoyed talking while drinking beer which went well with these peanuts.







Tuesday, November 12, 2019

11月12日(火曜日)2019
9日(土曜日)は多賀あさひや始まって以来の沸きに沸いた賑やかで楽しいRone & Gigi (https://www.op-sesame.com/のクラウンショーで、10日(日曜日)はRoneこと高野呂音さんによる「怒りのコントロールと笑顔のコミュニケーション」の講座でした。 前々日に多賀入りしたロネとジージはまずは絵馬通りを歩いて多賀の人たちへご挨拶。先日、朝日新聞でクラウンショーの案内が写真付きで掲載されたので、町のおじさん、おばさん達が新聞で見たよ!と言って喜んでくださったそうです。二人は多賀大社にも。七五三詣りの家族連れは突然のクラウンたちの出現に胸が弾んだことでしょう。9日のクラウンショーは子供達の元気な声と飛び入りで舞台に上がったお客様達のおかげで盛り上がりました。プロとしてクラウン歴30年のロネとジージ、二人のステージは流石です。クラウンがよく分からないまま観に来て下さったお客様も彼らのこと少し分かって下さったのではと思います。翌日の講座は怒りについてとコミュニケーション術をロネさんの落ち着いた温かい語り口で勉強しました。腹を立てて怒っていると体によくないそうです。笑って過ごせる時間が毎日あるといいですね。Last Saturday, on Nov. 9th, we held Rone & Gigi 's Clown Show (https://www.op-sesame.com/) which was the most lively, funny time since Taga Asahiya opened. The next day, on Nov. 10th, there was a lecture of "Anger Management and communication with a smile" by Ms. Rone Takano ("Rone" in the clown duo). Two days before their performance, Rone & Gigi came to Taga and the following day they walked along the main street to greet people in Taga. Since they were on the Asahi Newspaper with their photo, upon greeting senior people, they were met with exclamations of " I know about you!". Rone & Gigi went to Taga Taisha, too. There were many families who visited the shrine with their seven, five or three-year-old children to celebrate their growth and well-being. They must have been excited by the appearance of the two clowns at the shrine. The Clown Show was really lively and we thank the kids and audience who joined in the show. Rone & Gigi have 30 years of experience as a professional clown duo and their performance was really great. I think many people who didn't know what a clown was got to know about it. Rone gave a lecture which was about anger management and the technique of good communication. Since Rone's talk was calm and warm, the lecture was really convincing. According to the talk, losing temper is the cause of losing one's health. I wish people have the time to laugh or smile at least once a day.