７月２０日（土曜日）２０２４
　飛行機の長旅で私が一番に願うのは食事や機内サービスではなく満席でないこと。友人や家族と一緒なら隣同士で楽しいが、エコノミークラスで単独旅なら願わくは隣は空席、それが無理ならマナーが良い人を希望します。ですが今回はそれが残念なことに。


　満席で私の隣は大柄の若いアメリカ人の男性。さぞ窮屈だろうとは思いながらも、両者の間にあるアームレストには早々と彼の腕が乗り、手首には富士山かどこかの山に入山したと思われる腕輪が見えました。よほど疲れていたのか飛行中は最初から最後まで食事も取らず眠ることほぼ１４時間。それは私には関係ないことですが、困ったのはかれの無造作に後ろで一つにまとめた長髪の頭が境界線のアームレストを超えて私のほうに倒れてくることです。これは明らかにマナー違反。私が居住まいを正すと相手は驚いたように体を元に戻すのですが、しばらくするとまた同じ。しかも通路の方ではなく、いつも私の方に倒れてきます。私が「侵入ヤメて！」の意を込めて座り直しを繰り返すと、今度は前のテーブルの上にうつ伏せになりまた眠り続けます。私は窓の方に体を寄せながら、本を読んだり機内映画をみたりして数時間先の目的地到着が縮まることを願い続けました。


　ただ一つの救いは機内で観た「カサブランカ」1942年と「フォレスト・ガンプ」1994年。どちらも不朽の名作で、「カサブランカ」はハラハラドキドキの中でのハンフリー・ボガードのイングリッド・バーグマンへの利己的でない愛に感動し、二度目に観る「フォレスト・ガンプ」ではトム・ハンクスの演技力の幅広さに只々感心。どちらも流石と言える作品の構成で余韻がいつまでも残る素晴らしい映画で、席での不快さを忘れさせてくれました。


　エコノミーと言えど高い飛行機代なのに、どうしてあれほど混むのだろうか不思議です。日本人ではないアジア系の乗客が多かったのは他の航空会社とのシェア便で乗客をまとめているのでしょうか。悪いクジを引いた感じですが、無事目的地に着いてほっとしています。

What I wish for the most about a long trip by airplane is a not fully-occupied plane, rather than a good meal or cabin service. If I am traveling with my family or friend, I would be happy to sit side by side, but I wish nobody would sit or somebody with good manners would sit next to me. This time, however, it didn't go that way.

My flight to Boston was full and a young big male passenger took the next seat to me. I thought it must be so cramped for him in such a narrow seat. He put his left arm on the armrest which was in between two of our seats. I saw his bracelet used to gain entrance to Mount Fuji (?). He seemed very tired and kept sleeping during the whole flight for hours without taking any meal. It was ok, but the thing I was uncomfortable with was that his head, which had long hair tied back, came over the armrest and leaned towards me. It was obviously out of manner. I did reseat myself to let him know that he was encroaching into my space. At that moment he was surprised and got his back straight but soon he did the same thing again. He kept bothering me. I leaned myself towards the window and read a book or watched movies to forget his annoying movement. I really wished that the remaining flight time to Boston would decrease.

Watching nice movies were the only things that relieved me from uncomfortable situations. I watched Casablanca (1942) and Forrest Gump (1994) which were both masterpieces. I was moved by Rick (H.Bogart)'s unselfish love toward Lisa (Ingrid Bergman) in Casablanca. This was my second time watching Forrest Gump, and I was amazed by the acting of Tom Hanks. Both of these movies were really wonderful.

Even though it was an economy seat, the airfare was still expensive and it was full of passengers. Last time when I was on the plane in February, there were many vacant seats. I don't know why it was so crowded on this flight. I felt that I drew a bad lottery this time but I am relieved to be able to arrive in Boston anyhow.

７月１２日（金曜日）２０２４

米国にいる家族に日清食品の「完全メシ」を依頼されました。
完全メシ？！衝撃的な商品名です。調べると日本人の食事摂取基準に設定された３３種類の栄養素が含まれているとのこと。カップ麺と大して変わらない外観ですが、値段はカップ麺より高価です。定番は「カレーメシ」で焼きそばやハヤシメシ、スムージーなどバリエーションもいくつかあるようです。スーパーにはなかったので、ネットで注文することに。いつも使う通販サイトは何と軒並み「売り切れ」。それで製造元の日清食品の通販サイトで注文しました。


　試食はまだなので味はわかりませんが、よくカフェに来る若いO君にこのことを話すと、彼は２年ほど前にどこかの展示会で発売されたばかりの「カレーメシ」を無料でもらったそうです。美味しかったとのこと。
　O君は海洋堂というフィギュア制作で有名な会社が「カレーメシくん」という精巧なフィギュアを販売していると写真まで見せてくれました。４４００円という値段に驚きましたが、かなり楽しそうなフィギュアです。
　「完全メシ」だけでは栄養は完全ではないでしょうが、フードテクノロジーを発揮したこの商品。忙しい人や若者に人気のようです。普段、この手の商品には縁がない私ですが、遅ればせながら「今の時代を見た」という感じです。

My family member in US asked me to buy "Perfect Food" produced by NISSIN FOOD PRODUCTS CO., LTD. Perfect Food?! What a shocking name of the product! I checked it on the net, and it contains 33 kinds of nutrients which are based on Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese. It looks the same as the regular Instant cup noodle but the price is higher than the regular one. The most popular "Perfect Food" is "Karee-Meshi (curry rice)" but there are several variations such as Fried Noodles, Smoothies, etc.. At the market I went to, they didn't have one, so I ordered some from the product company online.

I haven't tasted it yet, but Mr. O, who came to the cafe, said that he got it for free at some exhibition hall when it first went on sale and he said it was good. He also showed me the figure of "Karee-Meshi kun (Mr. Curry rice)" on his cell phone.　It is a well-crafted figure and worth 4400 yen (about 40 dollars?) which surprised me very much.

This "Perfect Food" must be not perfect in terms of nutrition, but this new type of instant food made by new food technology is very popular among the busy business people and young generation. I usually don't eat this type of instant food and don't know very much about them, but now I feel I am walking a little bit behind, I recognize "the current era".

 

７月１０日（水曜日）２０２４
　図書館で借りた１０冊以上の絵本の中から今日は小２の子供達に岩崎書店「さんねん峠」（李錦玉・作）を選びました。朝鮮の昔話を日本生まれの李さんがリズム感ある日本語でしっかり書いてくださっています。また昔の朝鮮の暮らしをほのぼのと描いた朴民宣さんの絵も素敵です。

　途中おじいさんの命がどうなるのかというところは皆んな固唾を飲みながら、そして最後のほっとしたエンディングで笑顔が戻っていました。体育座りの男の子も女の子も先生お二人も朝の読み聞かせの時間は楽しいのでしょう。私自身も楽しませてもらっています。蒸し暑い毎日ですが、皆元気で過ごしてもらいたいものです。


Among more than ten picture books from library, I chose "Sannen Tohge (three years mountain pass)" for the second graders at Elemetary School. It is a Korean folktale. Ms. Lee who is Korean born and raised in Japan wrote in rhythmical very good Japanese. Ms. Park, who is also Korean and born in Japan, drew pictures along with the stories which expressed old Korean living.


At the scene where the old man, the main character in the story, might have been dying, kids in the class showed their seriousness but it turned to the happy ending and everybody looked relieved. All of the class sat on the floor and looked at me. I was glad they enjoyed my storytelling. It has been very warm these days but I want them to have a happy and healthy time at the school.

７月８日（月曜日）２０２４
　ベッドを新しいものに変えました。これまでは、昔、祖母が具合が悪かった時に実家にきた叔母たちが世話をしやすいように父が購入したセミダブルのフランスベッドでした。祖母の後は父がそれを使い、父も亡くなり、３０年間空き家になっていた実家に私が帰ることになり、古い家具を動かしながらの家の改修中も、ベッドは昔の箪笥と一緒に2階に置いたままでした。処分するつもりが、ヘッドボードやマットレスは古くて汚れていたものの、まだ使えるのでそのまま私のベッドになりました。ただスプリングが私には柔らかすぎるのが難でした。


　先日、右脇腹を強打して、当初はベッドに横たわるのも、寝返りを打つのも辛くて、眠りも浅い日が続いたのですが、今はほぼ普通に横になれるようになりました。寝付きが悪いのはいつものことですが、床の中でこの先どのぐらい寿命があるか分からないけれど、毎晩眠るベッドはもう少し快適なものが良いと考えて買い替えを決断。車も人手もないため、配達や古いベッドの引き取りが頼める彦根の家具店に行って新しいベッドを購入しました。

　予算は大幅に超えましたが、アメリカの友人にもらったドリームキャッチャーのそばで、これからは安眠熟睡を楽しみたいと思います。

    I changed my bed to a new one. Up until now, it was a very old one which my grandma used when she was not well. My father bought it for her and this made it easy for my aunts who came to take care of their mother to do their work. After my grandma passed away, my father used the bed for himself. Then he passed away, and it stayed in my house for thirty years. Eight years ago, I decided to come back my native house and while the old house was being renovated, the bed was still in my house with other old furniture. At first I was planning to throw it away, but I changed my mind to use it for my bed although the headboard and mattress got dirty and had stains, and I didn't mind them except for one thing. It was that the spring of the bed was too soft for me.

    About a month ago, I hit my right side strongly and I had a hard time lying down and rolling over onto my other side on the bed. I also couldn't sleep well but I have been getting well and now I am able to lie down normally. Even so, I have trouble falling asleep and it has been like this for many years. The other night when I was in bed, I thought that I should change my bed to the new one more suitable and will lead me into a good sleep. Next day I went to a furniture store in Hikone to buy a suitable bed where I can ask for delivery and take away my old bed.

    It was actually over my budget, but I am happy to get my new bed. There is a Dreamcatcher beside the window which is from my friend in Boston. I am sure I will enjoy my sleeping time to get a more comfortable and deep sleep.

７月２日（火曜日）２０２４　
　伊吹の方で豪雨による土砂災害が出ているニュース。多賀町も鈴鹿山脈が滋賀と三重の県境に走っている地形で山間部に暮らす住人の方たちはさぞかし心配なことでしょう。

　今日も相変わらず曇りと雨が交互にやってくるといった不安定なお天気。取り敢えずカフェを開けてコトコトと奥で自分のことをしていると、表の戸が開いて「カズコさぁ〜ん、助けてくれへんかぁ〜」との声。びっくりして出てみると近所のCさん。何かしらと思ったら手にインゲン豆。お年寄りの集まりでたくさんもらったのでお裾分けして下さるとのこと。「助けて〜」とは何とも謙虚なお言葉。勿論、喜んでいただくことに。可笑しかったのは、手に持っていたのは少しで、つぼめた傘に手を突っ込んで残りの豆を台の上に出し始め、そのうちに青い傘がパアッと開いて外に飛び出してしまうものも。雨が止んでいたので傘をバッグ代わりに持ってきて下さったのですが、もう楽しくてお豆を一緒に拾い上げながら笑いました。

　ところで、この野菜を私はインゲン豆と思っていましたが、Cさんは「アメリカささげ」と。違いがよく分かりませんが、元気がよくて老若男女誰にでもやさしく人懐っこいCさんは近所でも人気者です。会うたびに励まして下さり気遣いも人一倍細やか。本当に素敵で有難い方です。


I heard the news of the landslide caused by the heavy rain at Ibuki district in Shiga. Mountain side of Taga town is a part of Suzuka Mountains which runs at the border of Shiga prefecture and MIe prefecture, so people who are living in these areas must be worried about the same situation.

Today was unstable weather which was rainy and cloudy. I opened the cafe anyhow, and when I was doing houseworks in the back kitchen, someone came in the cafe and said " Kazuko, do you mind helping me?". I was surprised at that voice and rushed into the cafe. It was Ms.C with green beans in her hands. She came to bring green beans for me because she got many from her acquaintance at the local senior gathering. I appreciated her humble way of offering. I was pleased to receive her gift.

It was funny that she had more beans in her closed umbrella instead of carrying a bag and started placing beans out on the table. Then suddenly her blue umbrella opened and some beans went outside the umbrella to the floor. I could not help laughing at this incident while I was helping pick up beans with her.

My neighbor, Ms. C is very popular among young and old in town because she is warm and friendly. Every time I see her on the street, she cheers me up. I thank her very much because she is a very considerate woman. Ms. C is a really nice and wonderful person.

６月２９日（土曜日）２０２４　
　ここ数日の天気予報を見ると、曇りや雨のマークが並び芳しくないお天気が続くようですが、本日は晴れ間も見えて蒸し暑いぐらいでした。
　さて６月は衣替えの季節で衣住を夏仕様に変えますが、寒い日もあったし、私の怠けグセで延び延びに
なっていました。一昨日、何とか戸や襖を夏用に変えました。やはり「見た目」を変えると気持ちも少し変わります。
　今年は暑い夏になると言われているし、電気代も上がるので不安もありますが、少しでも快適に過ごしたいものです。

According to the weather forecast, it will continue to be cloudy or rainy. Today, however, it was clear and a little bit humid.

In Japan, we have a custom that we change clothing and other items to summer style in June. We call this "Koromo-gae (seasonal change of clothing) ". However, I postponed it because we still had chilly days in June and simply because I was too lazy to do so.

The day before yesterday, I changed the guest room and entrance sliding doors into summer ones. Before doing so, I was hesitant but now I am satisfied with these changes. It looks much more spacious and cooler.

Many people predict that this summer will be very hot and I am personally concerned about the electricity bill going up from July. I would like to stay as cool and comfortable as possible.

６月２８日（金曜日）２０２４　
　もんぜん市でらっきょうを１kg６００円で買ってきました。らっきょうは血行促進、疲労回復、殺菌作用、高血圧やむくみの予防、便秘予防、免疫力を高めるなど栄養価が高く「畑の薬」とも言われているそうです。私はカレーを作った時にお供としてらっきょうをよく食べるので常備品として２年に一度ぐらいの頻度で甘酢漬けを作っています。　

　さて、１kgの土付きのらっきょうをきれいにするのには結構手間がかかりましたが、夜になって何とか漬け込み終了。これを数週間、冷暗所に置いたら、あとは冷蔵庫に保存していつでも食べられます。　

　子供の時に祖母が生姜やらっきょうを甘酢に浸けていましたが、故郷で自分が同じことをしています。日本独特の食文化。私ができるのはほんのちょっとですが、それでも少しばかり誇らしい気分になります。

    I bought 1kg of Rakkyo (Chinese onions) for 600 Yen at the local morning market. Chinese onions are good for health such as improvement of blood circulation, fatigue recovery, bactericidal effect, prevention of high blood pressure and swelling, constipation prevention, immune system boost and is also referred as "medicine from the fields". I personally often eat them when I make curry at home as a side dish, so I make pickled Chinese onions with sweet vinegar every two years and eat them as regular food.

    Well, It took time to clean each Rakkyo which came with soil, but I could finish pickling them at night. I will put the container in a dark and cool place for a couple weeks, then move them to the refrigerator to preserve until they are ready to eat.

    When I was a child, my grandmother made pickled Rakkyo and ginger for the family. Now I am making them in the same way in my hometown. These are a part of traditional Japanese food culture. I am following only a few of them but I am a little bit proud of myself.

６月２４日（月曜日）２０２４　
　右脇腹の打撲は日に日に回復しているも左股関節の調子とこのところの遊び疲れで体力に不安を感じながら、天気予報を睨んで今日しかないと、半年以上もご無沙汰の実家の墓掃除とお参りを決行しました。

　裏の赤坂山に地区の墓所があるのですが、みなさん車で何なく上られるところを電動のギアを１にしても上まで行くにはそれなりの決意が要ります。草ぼうぼうを覚悟していましたが、幸い連日の雨のせいか十薬などの雑草は腐って掃除は思ったより楽でした。それでも２時間はかかって何とかご先祖もお許しくださるかと思うところで、家で組んでいったお花と蝋燭、線香でお参りできました。いつもは風ですぐに消えてしまうろうそくの火も今日は風もなくずっと点いたままでありがたかったです。腰を下ろすと、胡宮神社の御神体の清龍山がすぐ近くに見えました。

　久しぶりにタラタラの汗に自分でもびっくりしましたが、ずっと気になっていたことだったので、終わってほっとしています。

    My right side bruise has been recovering day by day, but I am still not in perfect condition because of the problem with my left joint, and fatigue after a long one day trip to Yamanashi. Looking at the weekly weather forecast, I decided to visit a grave today which I haven't done since last fall.

    The location of the grave is on the hill of the back mountain. Most of the people use their car to go to the grave without any problem but I needed to go up the slope by bicycle and it is still hard even if I change the gear to low level. At the grave, I was lucky because the weeds were not as heavy as I expected. It was because we had a lot of rain in the past several days and it made the grass rot. Even though it took two hours to clean the area. I was relieved when I prayed for ancestors by offering flowers, lights and incense. Seiryu Mountain was behind me.

    While I was cleaning my family grave, I was surprised by my sweat but now I am feeling well because I could finish my work which had been on my mind since last year.

６月２１日（金曜日）２０２４
　昔の仲間が浦和でミュージカル公演をするので、木曜に前入りで東京へ。ちょうど友人ご主人の絵の展示会も開かれていたので目黒区美術館にも寄ってみました。

　権之助坂商店街を通って目黒川に沿って歩くと、驚くほどひっそりと深い緑の中に目黒美術館があり、友人ご主人K.Sさんほか区民の皆さんの力作が楽しめました。駅へと向かう途中には公示されたばかりの前代未聞の都知事選のポスター掲示板もありました。

　翌日の今日、ドシャブリの中を公演会場へ。何だかこの日に合わせたようなミュージカルのタイトルは「雨やどりはすべり台の下で」。友人夫妻が立ち上げたミュージカル劇団で若い団員と一緒に歌って踊って正攻法の発声で台詞を言う友人のMomoちゃんはステージの上で輝いていました。

　終演後、応援にかけつけた昔の面々でコーヒーを飲んで一息。それぞれ違った道を歩きながらも、かつては確かに同じ空間で一時期を過ごした仲間たち。おしゃべりは楽しかったです。

　帰りの新幹線。先日は富士山に心が奪われましたが、今回は明日がストロベリームーンと呼ばれる満月があまりに美しく光るのに見入りました。

I went to Tokyo to watch a musical in which my old friend was performing as a member of the musical theatre group. I was in Tokyo ahead of the performance day and went to Meguro Museum where another friend's husband's art works were exhibited.

The museum was in a small but quiet wood in Tokyo and I enjoyed paintings of the residents of Meguro Ward including my friend's works. On the way to the station, I passed the poster bulletin board for the election of Governor of Tokyo Metropolis which is controversial because there are 56 candidates which is an unprecedented number.

Next day, I went to the theatre in the pouring rain. The title of the musical was "Let's shelter from the rain under the slide in the park" and it seemed to match the weather anyhow. The theatre group was established by my friend and her husband several years ago. My friend, Momo, was playing, dancing and singing with other younger members. She was really amazing.

After the show, five of us who came to support Momo, went to a nearby cafe together. Even though we are living in different situations, we were sharing the same days in the past at the theatrical company.

We enjoyed our conversation and it was a happy time for all of us.

I took a bullet train from Tokyo to Maibara on my way home. Few days ago, when I went to Yamanashi, I was captivated by Mt. Fuji. This time, I was fascinated by the full moon from the window of the train. It was so beautiful!

６月１９日（水曜日）２０２４
　先日の能の会に際して、多賀大社名誉宮司の中野幸彦様が日頃打ち込んでいらっしゃる能面の数々を多賀あさひやの店内に展示いたしました。

　中野さまは御歳８８で、茶道表千家同門会の滋賀支部長としても日々忙しくお過ごしになっています。お天気の良い日など、お散歩の途中によくカフェにお寄りくださり、地元ながら何も知らない私に多賀大社のことは勿論、様々なことをお教えいただいております。中野様を知る方は誰もが多賀大社に抱く気持ちと同じように博学で温厚な中野様を尊敬し、親しみをもって穏やかな気持でお話させていただいています。


　中野様の能面の展示は６月末まで開催しています。展示だけご覧いただくことも勿論できます。せっかくの機会ですから、是非、展示を直に鑑賞しにおいでください。

On June 2nd, we had a Noh event at my cafe, and we also exhibited Noh masks made by Mr. Yukihiko Nakano who is honorary chief priest at Taga Taisha.

Mr. Nakano is 88 years old and after retiring from being a Shinto priest he started making Noh masks. He also has been busy as a branch director of Omotesenke school of tea ceremony in Shiga prefecture. Since he is a resident of Taga, he often stops by my cafe in the middle of his walk and gives a small talk to me as someone who doesn't know very much about Taga Taisha and old Japanese customs. Everybody who knows Mr. Nakano loves and respects him.

The exhibition of Noh masks continues till the end of June. Please come and appreciate them.

６月１７日（曜日）２０２４
　昨日は始発の近江線に乗って山梨まで日帰りしました。名古屋までは新幹線、そこからが初めての体験。塩尻まで特急しなの３号、甲府まで特急あずさ１８号で中央本線の木曽福島あたりを通ると車窓からは緑深き山々が重なるように間近に迫る景色に息を呑みました。

　さて、甲府駅からバスで３５分、更に徒歩１５分ほどの南アルプス市ではクラウン・ロネ＆ジージの新作公演がありました。いつもの青山のライブハウスではなく今回はステージ公演。従って、子供達人気のビッグイヤーズ以外ステージ公演を観たことがない私には興味津々。サイレントコメディと書いてあってもよく分からないまま、富士山がくっきり見える櫛形生涯学習センターあやめホールの席につくと、オープンステージに置かれてある立派な小道具が目に飛び込んできました。セサミと地元の方々の力作と聞いています。パントマイム、ジャグリング、マジック、歌、タップダンス、それにクラウニングと呼ばれる道化の技、つまり間抜けに見せる体や顔をつかった技、どれも非常に充実していました。さらに今回は数々のダジャレがリズムに乗って観客も巻き込んで披露され、１５分の休憩を入れて２時間弱の公演の中身の濃かったこと！それらをある物語の中に入れ込んで展開するのですから、台本を書いて演出しているGigiの才能には驚嘆します。昨年、思いがけない大怪我に二人が続けて遭遇し、多くの支援者の力を借りて復活したロネとジージ。二人のプロとしての意気込みが今回の舞台に溢れ出ていました。長年、クラウンの本場である欧米で修行してきたロネとジージの力量は流石です。凄いなぁと楽しみながらも感心して観ていました。私の前の男の子がケラケラと声を上げて笑っていたのもステージ上の二人には励みになっていたに違いありません。また、主催者「森の劇場」のふかさわさやかさんも要の役として大活躍。

　実は建物の表示も道になく、入り口にはポスターもなかったのでいささか不安でしたが、凡そ３５０人の客席は満席近く。二日間の公演を主催された「森の劇場」の努力と熱意に心から敬意を表します。

　帰りは甲府から中部横断鉄道を走る高速バスで静岡駅に。一体いくつトンネルを潜ったことか！山また山の中を２時間足らずで大都会の静岡に入りました。江戸時代の人に見せたら腰を抜かすに違いない素晴らしい日本の土木技術です。山々の合間の小さな集落が窓から見えて、ここにも歴然と人々の営みがあることに感慨を覚えました。

　午後１０時に雨の中を家に帰りつき、充実した旅と観劇の一日が終えられたことに感謝しています。

    Yesterday,  I went to Yamanashi prefecture (about 217 miles in half way from my home) for a day trip. Taking the first train at Taga, I went to Nagoya by Sinkansen (bullet train), changed to a special express to Shiojiri, and another special express to Kofu. The view from the train window around Kisofkushima was so beautiful with deep mountain green.

    Well, my purpose for the trip to Yamanashi was to watch the newest clown performance by RONE & Gigi at the city hall in Minami-Alps-city. I took the bus from Kohfu Station to Minami-Alps-City for a 35 minutes and 15 minutes walk to the hall. It was a beautiful location with the view of Mt. Fuji from the entrance of the hall. When I took the sheet, several nice stage settings came into sight on the open stage.
The title of the show was a silent comedy " The afternoon tea". Gigi wrote the script and deleted the show. In the story, two clowns inserted pantomime, magic, juggling, tapdance, singing, and splendid clownings which is the technique to look foolish using their body and facial movements. Everything was so funny and skilful. They had serious injuries last year and faced a crisis not to continue to be clowns but fortunately they recovered with their efforts and warm support from many people.. They put so much energy and passion into this new performance as professional clowns. Their amazing technique and funny sense was based on their long term training as a clown in Russia, Uclane, Britain and US.I enjoyed their performance and was moved by those two who overcame their difficulties. It was nice to hear the continuous laughter of a boy who was sitting just in front of me. 350 seats were full in the hall and they reacted nicely with laughter and applause for the clowns.

    On the return trip, I got a highway bus from Kohfu to Shizuoka. The bus went through the mountains. I wondered how many tunnels I passed to reach big city Shizuoka. If people from the Edo period (Shogunate era) were here and saw such mountain roads, they would have taken their breath. I am amazed by such advanced civil engineering technology. When I was on the bus, I saw several small villages in the mountains and living there. I felt some nostalgia for the people there.

    I returned home at around 10 p.m. It was a bit of a hard day, but I am pleased to have such a fulfilling day of the trip and clown stage.

６月１４日（金曜日）２０２４　
　今年度から多賀小学校の評議員の指名を受け、本日は２時間ほど役員の顔合わせを兼ねて全校児童の音楽会を見学しました。
　音楽会では１年生から６年生まで、学年毎の合唱と器楽演奏の発表。まだあどけなさが残る１年生の元気な歌声と鍵盤ハーモニカ演奏は緊張のためか皆表情は硬く、学年が上がるにつれて少しずつ表情もほぐれ、リズムを顔や体でとっている子も増えていく。けれども、マスクをしたままの子もチラホラ。
　私の頃は音楽が得意だった担任のK先生のお蔭でワーグナーの「双頭の鷲の旗のもとに」といった難しい曲を練習して発表したことも懐かしく思い出し、使う楽器も昔からのものもあれば新しいものもあり、選曲も昔とは違って楽しみました。手で振りをつけたりマーチングバンド風に動きをつけたり、指導の先生方の努力や工夫も見えました。動きをつけると子供達の表情が一気に楽しそうになります。
　一つ残念だったのは、元気一杯はいいけど、音楽性が欠けていること。つまり曲の表情というか、強弱や語りかけの要素を低学年からつけるように指導すれば音楽を通して表現することが楽しめるのに、と思ったことです。人によって表現の手段は色々だけど、言葉だけが伝達手段でないことを音楽からも指導できるのになぁと思いました。
　終わって、校長室でいただいた給食のカレーライスが美味しかったです！多賀小の給食はなかなかの評判というのが納得です。ご馳走さまでした！！

Since I was assigned to the board of trustees of Taga Elementary School from this year for three years, I went to the school to meet members and to watch the school recital today.

The school recital was for all grades and they presented chorus and instrumental music performance. The first graders were still little and looked stiff while they were performing. The more it progressed to the upper grades, the more relaxed they looked and were taking the rhythm, which showed in their faces or bodies. However, there were a few kids who were still wearing face masks.

I remembered my school days when we presented a music performance in class. My homeroom teacher was good at music and we performed J.F. Wagner's "Under The Double Eagle" which was a little bit challenging for us. I enjoyed the recital in which children played new instruments as well as traditional instruments which have been used at the school for decades. Sometimes they sang or played with hand movements or moved like a marching band, and it seemed the teachers put so much effort in teaching this. The children were smiling when they had some movements.

One thing I would like to comment on their performance is about the expression. The children were all very active but I felt that their sound lacked musicality. They can be taught the dynamics of the music from the first grade. Then kids learn what "Expression" is. Each one has their own way of expressing their thoughts or feelings and "Word" is not the only way to express them. They can learn about it through their music.

After the recital, Ms. Takahashi, who is the headmaster, provided us with the school lunch which used many local vegetables. It was so good! We all thanked the school.

６月１２日（水曜日）２０２４
雨で延期になっていた町内の川掃除が先日の日曜日の朝行われました。
私たち本町は多賀大社前から太閤橋をくぐって下流に行く車戸川の草や藻をとっていく作業。

絵馬通りが始まるところをハシゴをつかって川に下りるのですが、前に男性が下りたのを見て、私も長靴で後ろ向きに２段ほど下り始めた時、川中に立てかけてあるハシゴが何と流れ出したではありませんか！上は男の人がハシゴを持ってくださっていたけれど、下は支える人なし。私はバランスを失いあわやというところで、ハシゴは斜めに止まり、その時、右脇腹を川縁のコンクリートに強打し「痛い！」と思ったけれどそのまま川に下りて、何とか作業を終えました。今まで勝手にハシゴを下りていたのが不思議です。かなり危険であることが分かりました。

二日後の今日、心配だったので彦根の病院でレントゲンを撮ってもらいました。幸い、明らかな骨折はわかりませんでしたが、胸部固定帯と湿布薬を勧められて帰ってきました。痛みが消えるまでは数週間かかるとのこと。軽傷の私ですら呼吸も浅く、下のものを取るのも難儀、寝返りできない、笑っても痛い。骨折した人の痛みはどれほどかと思っています。

Last Sunday was an annual river cleaning day in town which was postponed a week due to rain. We clean weeds and algae in Kurumado-river from the starting point of the shrine down to the river passing under an arched bridge. A man from the neighbourhood put up a ladder in the river to the river edge, I started down the ladder followed by another man. Then suddenly the bottom of the ladder moved unsteadily and I lost the balance. Since the top of the ladder was being held by another man, I didn't fall down the river but I hit my right side strongly. It hurt very much, but I went down the river and continued the work anyhow. It was a scary and dangerous moment.

Two days later, the pain didn't go away and I was worried about it. So I went to the hospital in Hikone to see the doctor. Fortunately I didn't break my bones from the result of the X-ray photo and I got a chest sling and compress tapes by doctor's suggestion. He said that it might be several weeks until the pain goes away. My breathing is a little bit shallow now and it is hard to pick something from the floor, to roll over in the bed, and to laugh. I can easily imagine how painful it is for the people who really broke their bones.

６月４日（火曜日）２０２４　
　２日にお能の会が無事終了しました。朝は小雨でまもなく止んだものの、予報ではまた雨との情報もあり不安でしたが、結果は上天気になり、これも神様がお守り下さったお陰と感謝しました。

　８０名以上のお客様を迎えて、１部はお能の解説とワークショップ。今回のテーマは平家物語。勝修羅と負修羅について能面、装束など見せていただきながらの解説は非常にわかり易いものでした、ハイライトはシテ方鵜澤久氏の指導のもとに謡本の一部を謡うところ。鵜澤先生の明瞭で力強い謡に続いて復唱する皆さんの真剣な様子はなかなかのもので参加者は楽しかったに違いありません。囃子方の皆さんによるワークショップも楽しく、それぞれの楽器の持ち方や掛け声など右手左手を使って稽古してみると、その難しさや面白さが分かり能が身近に感じられました。

    ２部では屋島と敦盛の一部を鑑賞。能面や装束をつけての能も見事ですが、紋服、袴姿で地謡と囃子で見る舞囃子（まいばやし）と言われる能も修練された舞や曇りのない表情が目の前で見られ迫力一杯でした。どの動きも見事な型であり、その美しさは素晴らしく感銘を受けました。

    第一線で活躍する能楽師の皆さんを招いて、多くのお客様に集まっていただき、今年も充実した能の会を催すことができたのは、頼もしいスタッフの支えあってこそ。皆様には感謝の気持ちでいっぱいです。ありがとうございました。

Noh Event at Taga Asahiya was over on June 2nd. Although we had a little rain in the morning and it stopped after a while, we were still worried about the weather because the weather forecast predicted the rain again. In the end, it cleared up in the afternoon. We thanked God very much.

Having more than 80 participants, the Noh Event was separated into two parts. The first one was an explanation about performing art "Noh" and the workshop. The theme in this event was The Heike Story. Two Noh actors showed the masks of main characters and costumes, providing very easy explanations. The highlight in the first part was the Noh chant. Noh actor led the chant followed by the audience. Hisa Uzawa's chant was powerful and beautiful. People were following seriously and it must have been very fun. Instrument players also gave us very nice talks about each instrument's characteristics and technique. We felt more familiar with Noh.

In the second part, we appreciated two Noh performances which were Yashima (winning general of a war) and Atsumori (losing general of a war). The actor played without a mask and costume. This style of performance is called Maibayashi. The trained movements of the Noh actor were so beautiful and powerful. We were overwhelmed by their performance.

I, as an organizer, am very happy to have had this Noh event, which was so well-attended, with those amazing actors and players. I also thank many staff who helped a lot for the event. Thank you to all of these wonderful people!