１１月４日水曜日）２０２６　
　文化の日の昨日（３日）は好天に恵まれました。我が家は祝祭日には国旗を出しています。昔は日本のどこにでも見られたこうした光景もいつの間にか消えてしまいました。

　本日の支援学級の読み聞かせの一冊目は「トイレにいっていいですか」（寺村輝夫作）。教室の先生が自分が子供の時に読んでもらった本だと懐かしそうにおっしゃっていました。二冊目の「ねえ、どれがいい？」（ジョン・バーニンガム作）も盛り上がりました。

　さて、11/21~23のクラウン公演、今回のタイトルは”HANABI ”です。今朝もんぜん市で地元の方から、「どこで花火を上げるの？」と聞かれました。『HANABI 」はショーのタイトルです。全体が一つの「お話」になっていて、そこに登場する花火職人が主人公。本物の打ち上げ花火は見られませんがショーの中でクラウンがある花火をパントマイムで見せるのも見どころのひとつ。お申し込みをお待ちしています！　多賀あさひや（0749-48-0186 )

Culture Day (November 3rd) was a beautiful day. It has been a custom to display the national flag on public holidays in my family. It was a common scene everywhere in Japan, but it has gradually disappeared.

The first book for me to read-aloud in the special support class was "May I Go to the Restroom?" (by Teruo Teramura). The teacher in the classroom mentioned nostalgically that it was a book that had been read to his class when he was a child. The second book I picked was "Which one do you like better?" (by John Burningham) and it was also a big hit.

Now, the title of the clown Live show (11/21,22,23) is "HANABI (fireworks)". This morning at the local morning market, a local resident asked me "Where are they going to set off the fireworks?". HANABI is the title of the show. A fireworks artisan appears in a story as the main character. You cannot see actual fireworks at the show, but a clown uses pantomime to depict fireworks during the show and it will be one of the highlights in the show. We look forward to your participation!

 

１１月２日（月曜日）２０２６
　青少年育成会のあいさつ運動が始まり、今朝は雨でしたが私も小学校の校門付近でタスキをかけて登校してくる小学生たちに「おはようございます」と呼びかけました。

　７時５０分ごろから子供達が雨の中を傘をさして続々と登校してきます。その姿が何とも面白い。大きい子、小さい子、元気に歩く子、下を向いてショボショボ歩く子、顔を見てあいさつする子、恥ずかしそうに通りすぎようとする子、大きな声の子、小声の子。いろんな子供たちがやって来ては通り過ぎて校舎に向かっていきます。だれでも互いに声が掛け合えると元気になります。一番大きい声？私だったかも......

　さて、ロネとジージのライブ公演まで３週間を切りました。
クラウン公演がどんなものか、ヒントとして去年のお客様からいただいた感想を、数回に分けてご紹介します。
＊パントマイムも歌も最高でした！レベルの高いライブをありがとうございました。
＊一つ一つの動きに表情があり楽しかったです。また客席と協調しようと工夫されていて楽しい。席とのスペースも近いので二人の味が生かされていると思った。
＊とにかく楽しい、これに限る。勇気をいただきました。
＊生まれて初めてクラウンを知りました。パントマイムあり、歌あり、交流ありでとても面白かったです。

　チケットのお申し込みは多賀あさひや（0749-48-0186 )まで。

The greeting campaign by the Youth Development Association has begun. Despite the rain this morning, I stood near the elementary school gate wearing a sash and greeting "Good morning" to the children who arrived at school. From around 7:50, children begin entering the gate one after another with umbrellas. The sight of it was quite interesting. Some kids are big, some are small, some walk briskly, some walk with their heads down, some say hello looking at me, and some look shy and try to slip past. People feel energized when we call out each other. Who was the loudest voice? It might have been me.....

Well, there are less than three weeks left until RONE and Gigi's live performance. I would like to share some feedback from last year's audience to give you an idea of what clown performance is like.

＊Both the pantomime and the singing were fantastic! Thank you for such a high-caliber live performance.
＊Every single movement was expressive and enjoyable. It was also fun to see how they made an effort to engage with the audience. Since the distance between the audience and the performers was so close, it was great to be able to see the clowns' movements so clearly.
＊It was just fun. They gave me courage.
＊I learned about clown for the first time. It was so entertaining.Pantomime, singing, and interaction with the audience are impressive features.

To purchase tickets, please contact Taga Asahiya (0749-48-0186).

１０月３０日（土曜日）２０２６　 　

１１月２１、２２、２３日の多賀あさひやでのクラウンライブのステージ作りや去年の様子など、古民家ならではの秘話をお伝えします。 　まず、クラウン公演のために和室をライブハウスに近づけるところから始めます。戸や襖を取り払い、床は敷物をしっかり敷き、側面も黒布で覆い、木の部分をできるだけ隠します。出演者はもちろん、地元からも遠方からも手伝いが加わって作業を進めるので、手作り感いっぱい。普段ライブハウスやホールでショーをするクラウンたちも、こんなことをするのは多賀公演だけで、主催者としては余計な仕事をさせて申し訳ないかぎりなのですが.....。時に皆で声を掛け合い、時に黙々とそれぞれの作業に専念します。釘を打ち付ける訳にはいかず、そこには涙ぐましい努力と工夫が重なって、あさひやでの舞台は出来上がっていくのです。 　こうして出来上がったステージは前代未聞の狭小空間。ここでクラウンライブを観るお客様はすぐ前で繰り広げられるショーに圧倒されます。それはロネとジージの技や演技や歌やダンスを近距離で観る迫力が凄いからなのです。これは体験してみなければ分かりません。 　クラウンライブがどんなものか、観て、感じて、笑っての感動を体験しに来てください。お申し込みは、多賀あさひや（0749-48-0186）まで。 

 Clown Live will be held at Taga Asahiya on November 21,22 and 23. I would like to share some behind-the -scenes stories in this traditional Japanese old house from the process of setting up the stage to highlights from last year's show. First, we started by transforming the Japanese-style room into more like a live studio for the Clown show. Remove all sliding room dividing doors and fusuma (wood frame-sliding door covered with thick paper), lay down floor coverings on top of tatami mats and drape the sides with black fabric to conceal as much of the exposed wood as possible. The work is done with the help of both performers and helpers who are some from the local area and others from further places. It is really a laborious process. It is the only occasion for clowns to do this work who usually perform in live music venues or bigger halls and I, as the organizer, feel terrible for them to do such extra work. At times, we call out to one another and at other times, we focus silently on our own tasks. Since we cannot nail on the frame of the house, we put in so much effort and try to find the best way to build the stage for the show. In this way, we make the "stage" , but it is an extremely cramped space. The audience who watch the show here will be captivated by their performance right before their eyes. That is because there is an incredibly intense impact that comes from watching RONE and Gigi's techniques, acting abilities, singing and dancing. You won't understand this unless you experience it. Come and experience watching, feeling, laughing at the show by yourself. Please contact Taga Asahiya (0749-48-0186) to sign up.

１０月２６日（月曜日）２０２６　
　朝から雨。読み聞かせのために丘の上の中学までは久しぶりに徒歩で。車も通る坂道の次は生徒たちが上る階段でこれが結構キツイ。手すりに捕まりながらやっと校舎に着いら今度は３階の2年生のクラスまでこれまた手すりを頼りに何とかたどり着きました。ここを毎日上がってくる生徒たちはさぞかし足腰が鍛えられることでしょう。

　選んだ本は、斎藤隆介童話集からの短編。孤児の音丸ともんがくというお坊様、それに東北の田舎の貧しい婆様の話です。感動したので中学生にも読んでみました。「腹のへることを恐れるな。恐れるからよけいに腹がへるんだ。」という７日間の断食を終えたもんがく様の、空腹でフラフラの音丸へかける言葉が印象に残ります。

　帰りはもう一つのクラスに来ていたAさんが、車で家まで送ってくださりありがたかったです。ところが、行きに着ていった雨用のジャケットを中学に忘れてくるという失態をしてしまい、これがその後の行動に影響しました。

　雨はお昼近くになっても一向に止む気配はなく、花まで組んでおいた墓参も配管掃除も諦め、雨用のパンツを履き薄手のウインドブレーカーと帽子で郵便局、コンビニ、彦根へと自転車で出かけました。道路脇の歩道を行くもトラックや乗用車は結構なスピードで通り、ほとんどが速度を緩めることなく走るため、場所によっては水しぶきをモロあびてしまい、悲鳴をあげる私を誰かが見たら面白がるだろうなと思いました。

　うちに帰って、ビショビショの衣服を取り替えてもまだ寒く、風邪を引いては困るのでお風呂に入ろうとお湯を貯める用意をするもお腹も空いていたので、まずは残りご飯と買ってきたばかりのお刺身でちらし寿司を作って遅い昼食にしました。

It has been raining since the morning. I went to the junior high school to do a read -around for the first time in a while. It was tough for me to walk up the school on the hill. After the slope which is used by both cars and walking students, I had to climb stairs which students did, and it was quite tough even though the handrail helped me and finally I reached the school building. Then I realized that I needed to go up to the third floor where the classrooms of the 8th graders were. I thought that the students who climb up there every day must be building up strength in their legs.

The book I chose for the 8th graders was a short story from a collection of Ryusuke Saitoh. It is a story about an orphan named Otomaru, a monk called Mongaku, and a poor old woman living in the countryside of Tohoku region. Since I was moved by the story, I read it to junior high school students, too. I was struck by the words of Mongaku who had finished the seven-day fast, spoken to Otomaru who was reeling from hunger. He said to Otomaru, "do not fear being hungry. It is because you fear it that you become even hungrier".

On the way back, A san who had been reading the other class kindly gave me a ride home, which I was very grateful for. However, I made the blunder of leaving the rain jacket which I had worn on the way to the school, and this ended up affecting my action after that.

The rain kept falling, and I had to give up on both my planned visit to the grave for which I had already prepared the flowers, and the kitchen pipe-cleaning task. Wearing my rain pants and a lightweight windbreaker and hat, I headed to the post office, a convenience store, and Hikone. As I went along the sidewalk by bicycle, trucks and cars passed without even slowing down and in some places, I ended up getting completely drenched by the spray they kicked up. I thought if anyone saw me screaming, they would probably find it funny.

After getting back home, even though I changed my soaked clothes, I was still cold. Since I didn't want to get cold, I decided to warm up myself and fill the tub with hot water for a bath. Then I found that I was hungry, so I prepared Chirashi-zushi using leftover rice and the sashimi which I had just bought. I ate it for a late lunch, before the bath.

１０月２３日（金曜日）２０２６

　１１月の多賀あさひやでのクラウンライブが近づいています。
チケットはまだございますので、どうぞお早めにお申し込みください。

　さて、クラウンライブをうちでするようになって、こちらも早１０年近くになります。
お客様から送っていただいたり、お祭りなどで家の前にお店を出す方から、買い手がつかないようにわざわざ取っておいてくれたりした人形たちが随分な数我が家に集まってきました。

一番大きいクラウンは近江八幡のIさんが送ってくださったもので、その後「あさひちゃん」と名前までついて我が家のリビングにどっかと腰を下ろして毎日こっちを見ています。一番小さい５センチぐらいのクラウン、これは昔一時期添乗員の仕事をしていた時、ツアーで一緒に回ったドイツ人のバスドライバーがスイス辺りで贈ってくれたものです。その時はクラウンが何かはまったく知らずにいましたが、今見ると赤い鼻、帽子、大きい靴、まさにクラウンそのもので、楽しそうにバイオリンを弾く姿を見て、今更ながら今日のロネとジージとの
繋がりが不思議に思えます。

　今年のクラウンライブは珍しく「和」の雰囲気が満載。ジャグリングなどクラウンの技や動きがあって面白いのは言うまでもありませんが、世情も反映し、観る者を唸らせる作品となっています。歌やダンスももちろん楽しいですよ。

日毎、冷え込みを感じるこの頃です。プロ３６年のロネとジージが創り出す、他に類を見ないショータイムで心もカラダもHot になっていただきたいと願っています。

The Clown Live at Taga Asahiya in November is approaching. Tickets are still available, so please apply soon.

Well, it has been nearly ten years now since we started hosting the Clown Live Show here.
Many Clown dolls have gathered at my house. Some of them sent by customers, and others set aside for me by vendor who set up his shop in front of my house during the festival in order not to get sold to anyone else.

The largest clown was sent by Ms. S.I from Ohmihachiman, and it has been given the name "Asahi-chan" and now sits firmly in my living room looking at me every day. The smallest one which is about 5 centimeters tall was a gift from a German bus driver who worked with me when I was working as a tour escort in Europe. At that time, I had no idea what a clown was, but it had a red nose, a hat, and big shoes, he is exactly like a clown. He is playing the violin happily. It might have started the connection with Rone & Gigi since that time.

The Clown Live of this year features a distinct Japanese taste which is rare for them. They will show us many skills and movements such as juggling, mimes, the same as every year, and they also work with current social conditions which will be really impressive. Singing and dancing are, of course, also fun.

It is getting colder day by day. RONE and Gigi are clowns with 36 years of professional experience. We would like you to enjoy their show and feel truly "hot".

１０月１０日（土曜日）２０２６　
　今日はカフェはお休みにして、午前は多賀小学校の運動会、午後は彦根文化プラザでの「日色ともゑとマリオネットによる朗読と音楽」を楽しんできました。　

　小学校の運動会は去年に続き二度目です。まず子供たちの体つきが私の頃と比べて格段に大きくなっていることに驚かされます。５、６年生になると男女とも背が高い子が多くリレーなど成人顔負けのフォームとスピードで走るので立派だなぁと思いました。低学年の団体演技はテンポの速い難しい振りを皆よく覚えてやっていて、指導なさった先生がたのご苦労は如何ばかりかと思いました。

　午後の文プラでは８５歳?になられた日色ともゑさんのお元気でチャーミングなお話と朗読、それに合わせたポルトガルギターとマンドリン演奏が素敵でした。日色さんが何編か読まれた茨木のり子の詩を私は初めて聞きましたが、芯のあるそれでいて時折ユーモラスな表現の詩に感銘を受けました。日色さんの柔らかな声と確信のある朗読も勉強になりました。ポルトガルギターを聴いたのも初めて。どこかチターの音色と共通したものがあると最初に感じました。音色が抒情的でマンドリンとも似ている感じです。そのマンドリン、生で聴くのは何十年振りです。実はこの楽器を私も手にしたことがあり、思いがけず当時のことを思い出していました。

　秋も本番。甘い香りで足が止まり、どこかしらと探したら見事な金木犀がすぐそばにありました。

Today, I closed my cafe and went to Taga Elementary School to watch the sports day in the morning, and enjoyed a performance of reading and music by Tomoe Hiiro and duo music players at the Hikone Cultural Plaza in the afternoon.

This was the second experience for me to watch elementary school sports day following last year's. First of all, I was surprised by how much larger children's physical sizes are compared to when I was young. Many of the fifth and sixth graders are tall and I was impressed by their running form and speed which was like an adult. Then I looked around, and there was a magnificent sweet olive tree right nearby.

For the group performance by lower graders, everyone did a great job memorizing and executing the fast paced, challenging choreography, so I could imagine the teacher's immense effort to teach kids the movement.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed lively, charming talk and poem reading by the actress, Tomoe Hiiro, who has turned 85 accompanied with Portuguese guitar and mandolin. It was the first time for me to listen to the poem of Noriko Ibaragi by Hiiro. I was impressed by the poetry which were occasionally humorous but possessing a core of substance. I liked Hiiro's calm and gentle voice and learned a lot about her way of reading. It was also my first time hearing the Portuguese guitar. When I heard the sound, it reminded me of the sound of zither.

Autumn is in full swing. On the way home, I stopped my feet drawing by the sweet aroma. Then I looked around, there was a magnificent sweet olive tree near by me.

１０月６日（火曜日）２０２６

　日曜日のマリンバコンサートが無事終了しました。
雨はそれほどではなかったのですが、音板が木のマリンバは湿気を嫌う楽器（厳密には湿気を吸った音板が乾いた後に音質が微妙に変化する）とのこと。部屋のエアコンをドライにしてリハーサルが始まりました。

　開場を待つ間、カフェでコーヒや軽食を召し上がる方も結構いらして、お手伝いくださったスタッフは大忙し。戸は閉めてあるものの、布谷さんがスポット的にチェックするマリンバの音が障子の外で待つお客様にも聞こえるのは古民家ならではで、中の音が遮断される音楽ホールとは違うお客様にとってはお得な時間だと思いました。

　さて、今回もソロで７曲＋アンコール曲の布谷マリンバを堪能しました。１３時と１７時、どちらも６０名あまりのお客様でしたが、皆さん、どんなピアニシモの音も聞き漏らすまいと集中して聴き入る姿に私自身感動。マレットを両手に曲に入る布谷さんを見るところから曲を聴くというよりも、表現の世界に誘（いざな）われると言ったほうがいいような。観客はそれぞれの想像力で風景であったり、物語に包まれていったり。静かな深い世界にいるかと思うと、軽妙なリズムに身体までじっとしてはいられなくなったり、気がつくと家全体がマリンバの音色に包まれていました。途中の布谷さんによるマリンバの説明も分かりやすく、その後の観客と布谷さんとの質疑応答は内容もさることながら、マリンバを聴き入るある種の緊張した空気が一気に和やかなものとなり、布谷さんの謙虚で誠実な人柄がそのまま出て好感度がぐっと上がる時間でした。

　普段はコンサートホールで聴くことが多い布谷さんの演奏を間近で見て聴けるというのが、私ども多賀あさひやでの布谷マリンバの魅力のようで、遠く県外からもマリンバのプロやファンが何人もお越しくださいました。また、マリンバは初めてという地元の方も布谷さんの演奏に感動してくださいました。

　忙しいスケジュールの中、多賀で演奏を聴かせてくださった布谷史人さん、コンサートに来てくださったお客様のお一人ひとり、そして準備から後片付けまでテキパキ抜群の動きで助けてくださったスタッフの方達。皆様のお陰で、今年も素晴らしいマリンバコンサートが開催できました。厚く御礼申し上げます。

The marimba concert on Sunday was over successfully. Although the rain wasn't heavy, the marimba, with its wooden bars, is an instrument that is sensitive to humidity (the sound quality changes subtly after the soundboard which has absorbed moisture dries. Therefore the rehearsal began with the AC of the room to "dry" mode.

While waiting for the door to open, quite a few people enjoyed coffee or light snacks at the cafe, and staff members who were helping the cafe were very busy.The sliding doors which divided stage area and waiting area were closed while Mr. Nunoya was rehearsing his marimba, the sound of the marimba reached the guests who were waiting in the cafe unlike a music hall where sound is sealed off and that was a special gift for the audience in the old Japanese house.

Well, in the concert, we enjoyed Nunoya's marimba featuring seven pieces of music plus one encore. Both 1pm and 5pm performances had just over 60 audience members. I was deeply moved to see everyone listening to Nunoya's marimba with such intense concentration,determined not to miss even the "pianissimo" sound. We started watching the scene where Mr. Nunoya was just about to start playing with mallets in his both hands. It was better to say that we were being drawn into a world of expression rather than simply listening to the music. Using each one's imagination, the audience was immersed in landscapes or their own stories. We felt we were in a quiet,profound world, then the next, we swung with a lighthearted rhythm and I noticed that the entire house was covered in a beautiful sound of the marimba. During the performance, Nunoya explained about the instrument of marimba and it was easy to understand. After that, the Q & A session with the audience was remarkable not only for its content but also for the atmosphere which turned warm and relaxed.

It is a special point having Nunoya's concert at Taga Asahiya, that is you have a chance to see and listen up close to an artist whose music is usually enjoyed in concert halls, so many professional marimba players and fans came from as far away as other prefectures. On the other hand, many local residents who were experiencing the marimba for the first time were also deeply moved by Nunoya's performance.

I would like to say thank you to Mr. Nunoya who came and performed in Taga despite a busy schedule, every single audience member who attended the concert, and the staff who provided such efficient and outstanding support from setup to cleanup. It couldn't be such a wonderful concert without these people's help. I express my deepest gratitude.