７月７日（金曜日）２０２３
友人のミュージカル公演が夕方からだったので、都内の友人宅に泊めてもらって久しぶりに夜遅く（明け方？）まで話し込んだ翌日は、一人西浅草の台所道具街で有名な「かっぱ橋」へ出かけました。
特定の店を決めていたわけではなく、とある小さな竹製品の店に入ると、私の欲しかったものがあったので、奥さんに色々聞きながら他の商品も見せてもらっていたらご主人が外から帰ってこられ、さらに詳しく似た製品の微妙な違いなどを下町の歯切れのいい優しく丁寧な江戸弁で説明してくださいました。内容は勿論有り難かったのですが、耳に温かく入る江戸弁の語り口が何とも嬉しく聞き惚れました。
ほかにお客さんもいなかったので、聞かれるままに私が関西から来ていること、多賀大社という神社のそばの古民家でカフェをしていること、伊勢神宮と多賀大社の関係など話すのを、ご夫婦は興味深く聞いてくださいました。
そして、何回か「ちょっと余計なことかもしれませんが」と言い置いて、私のために情報を教えてくださいました。その情報の一つは河童橋界隈を循環している１００円で乗れるバスがあることで、帰りはそれで上野駅近くまで行って、そこから東京駅に出て新幹線に乗りました。
河童橋での思いがけない下町の人情が今回の最高のお土産になりました。
I went to my friend's musical play in Urawa which was forty minutes from Tokyo station by train. Since it started in the evening, I stayed over at my other friend's house in Tokyo. There, we talked a lot with each other until late at night. The next day, I went to Kappa-bashi in west Asakusa which is famous for the shops of kitchen tools.
I randomly entered a small shop which was selling things made from bamboo. There, I found things which I was seeking and while I was looking around for other tools and asking some questions to the owner's wife, the owner came back from outside. He kindly explained about the difference between the thing which I took and another similar one. I appreciated his detailed explanation, and I was also very happy to hear him speak. He spoke in a very nice Tokyo dialect which was used in downtown Tokyo.
A couple of shop owners were very kind and since they asked about me, I told them that I was from Kansai (Western part of Japan), I run a cafe near Taga Shrine, and the relation between Taga Shrine and Ise Shrine.
The owner gave me some information, and one of them was about the transportation from Kappabashi to Ueno Station. He told me about the bus service which is running in that area and I can take that bus from the nearby bus stop to the bus stop which is near the Ueno Station with 100 yen. It was very useful and I just followed his advice. I reached Ueno Station and took Tokyo Station by train to get Shinkansen.
It was a nice visit to Kappabashi for me and I could feel the warmth of the people.
