４月３０日（木曜日）２０２０
赤い鼻のクラウンデュオ、ロネ＆ジージのジージが描いて送ってくれました。１１月にはまた多賀あさひやで公演してくれる予定です。絶対、絶対、実現させたいです❗️ ジージからのメッセージは、
おうちでできることーきっといろいろあるよ。
ロネは赤い鼻の花を育てているようです
One member of the red nose clown duo, Rone & Gigi, Gigi drew a picture and sent it to me. We are expecting their performance at Taga Asahiya in November. I would like to make it come true! Here is a message from Gigi.
You will find many things that you can do at your home.
It seems that Rone is growing his Red nose flower now.
４月２９日（水曜日）２０２０
多賀町の有志がコロナウイルスの影響で休業している飲食店のために出前サービスを企画してくれました。自宅にいて外に出られない方がランチを注文してくださるとお届けするというものです。「多賀出前便トモエちゃん」といいます。多賀あさひやもこのサービスに参加します。日替わり弁当７００円、あさひや特製いなり寿司（４つ３００円）、もち粉ケーキ（４つ３００円j）です。多賀町の方はご希望でお宅までお届けします。（一軒につき＋１００円）店まで受け取りに来てくださるのも大歓迎。前日の午後４時までにお電話ください。（０７４９−４８−０１８６）多賀あさひや、腕を振るいます。よろしくお願いします！Volunteers in Taga organized a delivery service for cafes and restaurants which are closed now due to the infection prevention from Coronavirus. This is a service for people who stay at home during this time. "Taga Tomoe-chan" is the name of this service and we, Taga Asahiya, will participate in it. Box lunch 700 yen, our homemade Inari-zushi (4 for 300 yen), Mochiko cake (4 for 300 yen). If you are a resident in Taga, you will receive your lunch upon request adding 100 yen for delivery service. You can pick up the food at my shop as well. Please place an order by phone (0749-48-0186) by 4 p.m. one day beforehand. Hope you will enjoy this special service!
４月２６日（日曜日）２０２０
守山の延命寺というお寺は遠縁で、これまで折ある毎に大変お世話になっています。ご長寿のおばさまには私が一人で分からない様々なことを今もお教えいただいています。お嬢様のE子さん（現住職のお母様）は実に多才な方でどれほどたくさんのお手製の貴重な物をいただき、また教えていただいたか知れません。その一つが柿渋蘇りの技です。最初、E子さんからカフェにたくさんの柿渋の器を頂戴し、それがとても素敵だったのでやり方を教えていただきました。お天気が良い日は柿渋作業には最適です。手近なザルや箱に和紙を貼り付け、そこに柿渋を塗って天日に干して仕上げます。不要の箱やザルが丈夫になり見違えるほど存在感を発揮してくれます。Enmeiji temple in Moriyama is my distant relative and I am grateful to them for still having a relationship with me. I greatly respect the long life of women there who guide me appropriately when I sometimes don't know what to do about an old custom in Japan. I also respect Ms. E who is the mother of the chief priest of the temple and has multiple talents. I have received a lot of wonderful handmade items from her since the cafe opened and I have learned many things from her as well. One of the things which she taught me is reviving the way of coating with persimmon varnish. When I opened my cafe, Ms. E brought many containers which were coated with persimmon varnish. Because I liked them very much, I asked her about the process for that. A fine sunny day is ideal for working. First you will cover the surface of baskets or boxes with Japanese rice paper, then after drying out you coat persimmon varnish with a brush. Put them under the sun to dry and their brown colour becomes more vibrant. Used baskets and unnecessary boxes become strong with this coating and they look so nice!
４月２３日（木曜日）
巣篭もり生活で一つ一つの動作がかなり鈍くなっているように思います。端午の節句が近づいていることを知りながらなかなか床の間のしつらえを変えずにいましたが本日やっと五月人形を飾りました。一年ぶりにお目見えの我が家のイケメン武者人形。箱から出してみるとやはり惚れ惚れするような凛々しさに我が乙女心が踊ります。Because of self-quarantine life due to prevention of infection, I feel the days pass slower than usual. Even though I have known the Boys' Festival Day on May 5th is approaching, I didn't take any action but today I finally displayed dolls for that. It has been a year since the last appearance of the dolls which wore warrior costumes. When I took those out from the box and put them in the alcove, I was excited because they looked so nice and gallant! Oh, I feel very happy to be protected by such young, handsome two warriors!
４月２１日（火曜日）２０２０
自粛でカフェを休業して１週間経ちました。営業を確認するため電話をくださったかたには申し訳ない気持ちで事情を話しています。そんな静かなカフェですが入り口には今「君子蘭」が見事な赤い花をつけて咲いています。この鉢植え、彦根に住む高校の同級生のHさんが１ヶ月ほど前に自宅から持ってきてくださったものです。Hさんはいつも季節に合わせてカフェに素敵な鉢植えを置いてくれます。君子蘭のとなりにはこれまで可憐な鈴のかたちの花をつけたスズランスイセンがありましたが、もう終わりだからと鉢はHさんによって引き上げられました。花の名前を覚えるのも難しい私はまるで子供。上手に植木を育てあげるHさんは温かで安定した大人の存在です。It has been about a week since I temporarily closed my cafe due to Coronavirus self-imposed control. I sometimes receive phone calls to ask if the cafe is open, then I feel so bad when explaining the situation. The entrance of the cafe is so quiet now but you will find the flowerpot of Kunshiran (Clivia) which has splendid red flowers. My high school friend in Hikone, Ms.H.N, brought it to me about a month ago when they were with hard buds. She always brings wonderful flowerpots appropriate to the season for my cafe. There was a plant called Suzuran-suisen (snowflake) next to the Clivia, but she took it away because she said that the flowers were over. I feel I am a little child because it is very hard to memorize each flower's name. On the contrary, my friend H, is a warm, knowledgeable woman who grows plants very well.
４月１９日（日曜日）２０２０
オンラインを使って遠隔地の人同士が顔を見ながら交信するやり方は外国のテレビなどで見ていましたがコロナウイルスの影響で一気にそれが広まったようです。学校の授業や会議、或いは親しい仲間同士の集まりにスカイプやズームといった手法で画面を通して複数の人がやり取りします。私自身は人ごとのように思っていたのですが、昨日突然自分が経験することになりました。スペインに長く住んでいる昔の仲間、Z子が彼女が教えるリラックスゼーション、やさしい気功のクラスをするので一緒にやらないかと誘いが入ったのです。彼女は日頃バルセロナの人たちにこうしたレッスンをスペイン語で教えているのですが、ウイルスで外出禁止令が敷かれているスペインではクラスはもちろん無し。そこで彼女の生徒さんからオンラインで是非クラスをしてほしいと要望があったそうで最近レッスンを始めました。それを日本にいる私たち昔の仲間やヨーロッパやアメリカにいる彼女の親しい人にも日本語でしてくれるというのです。画面中央で先生であるZ子がまず体の認識から実演指導を始めました。画面の上の方には小さい枠の中に各地でそれを見て体を動かしている生徒の私たちの姿が見えます。長年指導しているZ子はすべてが美しく時折無意識に入ってくるスペイン語にも気づかないようで私たちの体を解放へと誘います。Z子の姿を薄目で見ながら「あんたはエライヨ」と心から思う私。終わってレッスン料はどうしようと聞いたら、日本に帰った時に美味しいものを食べさせてくれたらそれでいいと言われました。I have known of the way in which people living in remote places communicate with one another through online systems, but it seems that it has become more popular due to the spreading of Coronavirus. Multiple people talk to each other whether it be for classes, meetings or gatherings among friends using the tools of skype or zoom. I was thinking it was not relevant to me but actually it happened to me yesterday. I have a Japanese old friend, Z in Barcelona who is holding relaxation and spirit cultivation classes for local people. She invited me and other Japanese friends to her relaxation lesson operated by zoom. In Spain due to Coronavirus, people need to stay home because of the ban on going out and all of her classes were canceled. She started online lessons by her students' strong request. She kindly offered her beginner's class to us in Japanese using zoom. About ten people gathered in her online relaxation class from Japan, France and the US. She appeared in the center of the screen and started her lesson. In small boxes on the upper of the screen, I saw her students including me moving as teacher guided. Her movement and talking were so smooth and beautiful and guided us to relaxation. I admired her very much. When the lesson was over, I asked her how to pay the lesson fee." Oh, treat me to some nice Japanese dishes when I am in Japan." was her answer.
４月１５日（水曜日）２０２０
春の訪れを祝う例年の様々な儀式や催しが今年は軒並み中止という前代未聞の状況が世界中で起きています。感染者がまだ一人も出ていない滋賀の田舎町の私の地域でも県内の数字は少しずつ増えて辺りは閉塞感でいっぱいです。Youtubeで世界各都市の様子を映し出していました。賑わっているはずの観光地は人がほとんどいなくて中学か高校の時にテレビでみたアメリカ映画の「渚にて」（1959製作）のラストシーンを思い出しました。映画は放射能に侵されて人類が滅亡しラストは廃墟となった街が映し出されるという恐ろしいものでした。既にウイルスで何万もの人が亡くなってしまったとはいえ、今日見たYoutubeの映像は多くの人はまだ建物の中でしっかり生きているところが映画とは違います。田舎だから安心だろうとつい思ってしまいますが、感染はいつどこからはじまるか分かりません。１週間で様相がガラリと変わってしまう得体の知れない感染病の恐ろしさが迫ります。映画「渚にて」の主題歌を載せておきます。軽やかなやさしい曲だけにそこはかとない悲しさが漂います。https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZGpTzRmwb0
Various rituals and events which celebrate spring around the world are all being canceled due to this abnormal situation. Even my area, which is a countryside town in Shiga where no infected people have been found yet, is filled with a gloomy atmosphere because of the increasing number of infected people in our prefecture. I saw a video on Youtube which showed an updated situation of the famous cities in the world where usually you will see very lively scenes with many tourists and local people but they were almost empty which made me recall the last scene of the American movie titled "On the beach" (1959) where there are no people to be found anywhere because all of the people on earth have died because of radioactive contamination. The video on Youtube, however, was different from that because even though tens of thousands of people have already died because of coronavirus, there are still people living on the earth and hiding in the buildings. Honestly I tend to think that we will be safe as long as we live in such a spacious rural area, but there is no guarantee that we will not be infected by the virus. Coronavirus which we don't know what to do is fearful because it changes our living situation into a chaotic one within only a week. I will put the music of "On the Beach" here. It is a light smooth song by Jimmie Rodgers. The more smooth and beautiful the music, the more deep sadness I feel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZGpTzRmwb0
４月１３日（月曜日）２０２０
少し前になりますが、京田辺市からご来店くださったTさんからお土産に山城産の大豆を使った「一休納豆」をいただきました。納豆といえばあのネバネバのものしか思い浮かばなかったのですが、一見、ぬれ甘納豆か干しぶどうにも見えるこの一休納豆。その名の通り、室町時代に一休禅師が伝えたとのことで京田辺の名物になっているそうです。自家製で裏を見ると製造者は加藤雅美さんとあります。カビが生えないギリギリのところまで塩分を抑えているそうですが、Tさんが何度もおっしゃったように味はかなりショッパイです。でもお茶漬けでいただいたら大豆の食感がよく醤油のお出しが美味しかったです。今朝はいつもの蒸し野菜のトッピングにしてみました。これもイケますが大豆の食感を味わうなら単独のお茶漬けに軍杯が上がるかな。写真左上の果物にかかっているのは東京の友人Eさん伝授の米糀と豆乳で作った自家製ヨーグルト。我が家にお泊りくださるお客様にもこんな朝ごはんをお出ししています。A while ago, I received "Ikkyu-natto" which were used soybeans produced in Yamashiro in Kyoto from Mr. T who came to the cafe from Kyotanabe city. When I hear "Natto " I always imagine the ones which are very sticky fermented soybeans but these are very different and look like raisins or Japanese sweet "Nure Ama-natto (wet sugared red beans)". Ikkyu-natto was made by zen master, Ikkyu in Muromachi period (1333-1573) and Kyotanabe city is famous for it now. Mr. T gave me homemade Ikkyu-natto and there was a name Masami Kato as a manufacturer on the label on the back side of the container. According to web info, the producer reduced salt to limit the growth of mold. When I tasted it, it was very salty as Mr. T warned me so, but they were good to eat in Ochazuke (boiled rice with hot water). I was able to enjoy the texture of the soybean and the soup. This morning, I put some of them on top of steamed vegetables, which is my daily morning dish. The white food with fruits on top in the photo is homemade yogurt which I made with malted rice and soy milk, following my friend E's instruction. I offer these for breakfast, too, to my guests who stay over at my house.
４月６日（月曜日）２０２０
太陽の光が降り注ぐ明るいお天気でしたが風がとても強い１日でした。カフェは定休日だったので午後は買い出しと用事で南彦根へ。１９１４年近江鉄道多賀線開業と同時に多賀駅の手前に土田駅が作られましたが、太平洋戦争戦局悪化のために営業が休止となり以後そのまま廃止となった駅舎の跡に植えられた桜の木が満開の花を咲かせていました。帰りに道端で風に揺れていた菜の花を数本家に持ち帰り、ご近所で家の整理で使わなくなったからといただいたスス竹の籠を椿油できれいに拭いて活けてみました。落ち着いたスス竹の深い茶色と日差しをいっぱい受けて育った菜の花の鮮やかな黄色と葉の緑が美しいです。９年前、東日本大震災の後岩手に移住して被災地に菜の花を植えて土壌改良、菜種油の製造・販売をして復興へ力を注ぎながら、循環自然再生エネルギーを使って持続可能なくらしを模索し活動していらっしゃる山田周生さんに思いを馳せました。菜の花も桜も一足先に滋賀は満開です。It was a bright day with a lot of sunlight but very windy. Since it was a regular closing day for my cafe, I went to Minami-hikone to get food at the grocery store and run some errands. On the way there were a couple of cherry trees in full bloom at the area where there used be Tsuchida Station which was between Taga and Takamiya when Taga railroad was opened in 1914. The station temporarily closed shortly after the opening, because the situation of the war had became worse, and after the war the station was abolished and cherry trees were planted there instead as a memorial. On the way back home, I found rape-flowers swinging in the wind, so I picked some of them to take home. I have a nice old bamboo basket from my neighbor who was cleaning her house and gave it to me saying she is not going to use it anymore. I cleaned the basket with camellia oil and arranged the rape-flowers. I like the arrangement because bright yellow flowers and fresh green are well matched with the dark brown bamboo basket and it looks so beautiful. I am thinking of Mr. Shusei Yamada who moved to Iwate just after the Great East Japanese Earthquake nine years ago, and planted rape-flowers for soil improvement, as well as produced and sold rapeseed oil to support the reconstruction of the area damaged by big tsunami. He is also using recycled natural renewable energy actively to find a way to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. I just want to tell him that the cherry blossoms and rape-flowers are in full bloom here in Shiga just ahead of Tohoku.
