2010年1月アーカイブ

 今日は、Ｔｏｓｈｉです。

最近本末転倒な事が多いと思う。

例えばエコロジー、環境に良い商品や製品を開発する事に膨大な投資をしているが、実際その開発行為そのものが環境を破壊しているような気がする。　実際には今あるものをとことん使い込んだり改良していく方が、はるかに環境には良いのでは？　不便を甘受出来る精神が無ければそれは難しい。　環境に対してコストを負担する覚悟があるかと言うと、総論大賛成各論無関心てとこでしょうか。

「環境は守られなければならない。」と言う最初の言葉だけあって、だから環境にやさしい商品を開発する。　どうせ製品は作るんだから、ならば環境にやさしい方がエライと言う理屈になるが、この辺がトリックがあると言うか、ディベートのテクニックと言うか。

環境を守るのであれば、作らない。不便は我慢する。　今あるものを使うと言うのが本来のあり方だと思うが、そんな事言うのは極少数で、且つ実践するのは至難だ。　私も自信が無い。

自分でも自信が無いのに、本末転倒なんて言ってるのが本末転倒なのです。
なさけない。

It was such a special experience to set by traditional old Japanese fire place even me as a Japanese.  It was in OKUTAMA.

 Last week while taking a break from the renovations Mari went to the convini and bought everyone drinks. When she came back, she had bought some normal drinks plus a strange drink which no one really wanted to try. It was Chocolate Sparkling drink.  Since I usually like to try new things, I was the one left with the mysterious bottle.
When I took a sip, it was really like drinking Chocolate with added carbonated bubbles and I though it was good, but really soon I became sick of it and did not want to drink it any more, although I forced myself to finish it by taking small sips of it every so often I never managed to finish it.

Which got me thinking of all the weird and original flavors of drinks there is in Japan. Some are great while others are not.
Fanta in Japan has quite a variety of flavors depending on the season and also some limited edition flavors too. Funny thing is that the most common Flavor in most parts of the world is Fanta orange, while in Japan it is Fanta grape.



Pepsi also releases some limited edition flavors from time to time, a couple of month back they had Azuki (sweet red beans) flavored Pepsi and it was pinkish red, it didnt taste much like cola or azuki beans.It was ok I suppose, but nothing too special. A couple of months back there was Pepsi Shizo, which was green and horrible at that... Shizo is the green leaf that usually comes accompanied with sushi sometimes. I dont like Shizo myself so it figures that I didnt like the drink, but I know some people that loved it.
The other day at a convini, I saw another strange concoction, vinegar milk drink with some fruit( i think it was apple or something) but Vinegar and milk!!! that doesnt seem so good, I wanted to try it but my stomach wasn't  feeling so good fter some heavy drinking the night before so I was sure that that drink wasn't going to help my situation....
A quick search on the internet revealed quite a few weird drink which have been made in Japan. There was a ice cucumber Pepsi in 2007.....wow



A cheese drink, beer milk from a brewer in Hokkaido and many more.




Of course, all these weird flavors make me want to try them all....well most of them anyways. But when it come down to it Ill be sticking to the normal  drinks thank you very much Japan!!

こんにちは。Ｔｏｓｈｉです。

 ここ数年はおとなしく暮らしていますが、その前は世間一般からみれば忙しい且つ怪しげな生活をしていました。 まさに人生は冒険だみたいな、楽しくハードな毎日でしたが、最近は学生の時には馬鹿にしまくった農協や役所に勤めて波風の一切立たない人生も有りなのかなと思うこともたまにあります。

そんな安定とは無縁の生活の最初はなんだっただろう。　大学４年で就職活動しなかった時か、いや農大に入った時か？　サラリーマンの子供なのに農業高校行こうとした時か。　夫々全部がきっかけだったんだろうけど、じゃあ最初はなんだろう。

多分、あれだな。　小学校低学年の頃のあれだ。　当時我が家の近くに、日立エレベーターの社員寮があって、しかもすごくデカく広いところで、独身寮が２棟、家族の住む団地が４棟ぐらい。公園と運動場まであるちょっとしたお城みたいな所だった。　ある平日の昼間、自分は学校に行かず、両親は仕事に行って１人で遊んでいたんですが、天気が良いのでみんなが学校で勉強している時間に外に遊びに出ました。でその団地でなんかして遊ぶべとやってきたのですが、昼間の団地は人の気配がしない。　廃墟みたいで楽しいんです。　そこで見つけたのが、雨水排水用のＵ字溝小学生でもやっと頭が入って、這って進めるぐらいの大きさしかないのですが、そこのコンクリートの蓋がないところを見つけたので、もぐりこんで見たのです。　そこでＴｏｓｈｉちゃん考えました。　これを匍匐全身してどんどん行くとこの団地を一周出来るなと、で私は旅に出ました。　Ｕ字溝を這いながら時々フタの無い場所や鉄格子のフタの所から外を探り、団地のおばさんが歩いてくる音が聞こえると息を潜め、独身寮の管理人に怯えながら、トンネルをひたすら這う。多分外周で2kmぐらいあるんですが、ついに夕方まで掛かって、入った場所からじゃなく、ぐるっと回って元の場所に辿り着きました。　すごい！お昼も食べずに世界一周ぐらいの気分でした。　今でもあれをやったのは自分だけだと断言できる。

勿論、夕方家に帰ったらコテンパンに怒られました。　その後、潜ると言うのが結構好きになり。　小学校の裏の藪に穴を掘ってトンネル基地を作ったり。　高校生の頃になっても、船橋港のマンホールを開けて、埠頭の地下の探検をしたりと潜っておりました。

なんでこんな事を思い出したかと言うと、今ゲストハウスの事務所を改装していて、自分の席が狭くて暗い洞穴みたいな作りになったので、思い出したのでした。　ああいう場所は落ち着いて良い。

 We are renovating our office and cafe space now. It looks better now after we changed the position of counter. We are planning to finish the renovation by the middle of next month, and then our friend "Osamu" will make sandwich for the lunch time.

As I work for Guesthouse, we always need to fix or do a lots of carpenter work  by ourselves. So now, I fell like I can build a house by hand. It`s great to know how to do that kind of job and it makes life more fun. But when we have to do this everyday for a while, my body getting really tired. So I think the carpenters are really strong.

Anyway, the cafe space will be much nicer, so I hope more people come and have a nice time after renovation.

I am writing this after carpenter job, so actually I cannot think too much today.. uh.

2 weeks ago I went to visit my brother, who recently moved to Yuuki, Ibaraki for work.
Now it took me 2 and ahalf hours to get there and when I arrived at the station I was greeted with a plain old nothing......
Where were the people, the noise of the city, and it was very dark too and so I realized that I wasnt in Tokyo anymore.

It was 5 oclock and most of the shops had already closed, the streets were dark with only a few illuminated spots and it just felt like a ghost town.
We went to the nearby 'supermarket' to get some things for dinner.  But instead of a supermarket we had to go to a big drugstore, which had a small selection of grocery items.
The day after I decided to explore the town a little, and I realized one that one, you need a car or at least a bicycle to get around to most places and two, there isnt much here. So I went to the the next bigger city Oyama, which is actually in Tochigi prefecture.
Oyama, resembles a city like I know, however it is very small and yet there a re no people. Sure it has a 7floor shopping mall with a cinema and even a 2floor Donkihote but outside of that there isnt much.

Normally when people think of Japan, they think vast cloudscapes and concrete jungles, but outside of the major cities like Tokyo and Osaka there is a bunch of country and nothingness.

Coming from the biggest city in Australia, which is small in comparison to Tokyo,  I have always loved to live in big cities and I quickly fell in love with Tokyo. The people, the noise, the lights, the ability to have almost whatever you want at any given time, it is just so great.

Yes I am a city boy, and I dont think I can survive living in a place like Yuuki. I feel sorry for my brother.......

Then again, there are some good point about living in the country. as there isnt much to do you can save a lot of money, also since there arent so many foreigners it is a good chance to pick up on the language quickly.
Well just as long I have a good internet connection and a TV, perhaps it wouldnt be so bad to live in the country......

 The stream / OKUTAMA in TOKYO

On the 2nd and 3rd, we went to Mitake to visit our friend Mr.Yoshimura and spend the night at his traditional old Japanese house which is 150years old.


Mitake!!

I had been missing country side and nature soooo much, since I did not have time to escape from the city for while.

 Actually, I grow up in Toyohashi city (Aichi) which is not very country side but still peaceful if we think about big city like tokyo. and my father took me to Taguchi, Kitashirara-gun to visit our uncle and aunt every year at new year and Obon season(Summer holiday).

Taguchi is in the mountain, and there is small village. I don`t know really well, but I think less than 50families including a Temple was living there. So yes! it is very small village.

There is a beautiful river, mountain, so much nature. I really loved going there to see all the nature and stars in the sky. I visited many beautiful place in this world, but I can say one of the most beautiful place is Taguchi for me.

After I left my hometown, I heard the uncle and then aunt past away. So it became last time visited when I went back to hometown temporally  after I came back from long journey.

I am still remember there sometimes, and thinking I would love to visit there again. But  I heard that previous govarment decided to make a dam there. So  I don`t know what`s going on. I remember well, there are a lots of sign says "No dam!!"

There are still a lots of beautiful place, nature, scenery in Japan. I hope I can see these scenery when I have time to travel more in Japan. Also I hope more people from abroad can share with us this beautiful Japanese nature!

"Going Mitake" was one of our event for our guest to see and get experience  of life in country side in one part of Japan.  We are thinking to keep planning this event with Mr. Yoshimura. So maybe you are the one going with us next time

First of all Id like to share my Hatsumakku with you,


Hatsumakku: 01/01/2010 14:30.

Although I didn't get a chance to eat McDonald's at midnight, I did have my Hatsumakku for lunch on the 1st.

Nengajo

In Japan it is customary to send nengajo, New year's postcards, to family, friends co-workers, etc., in a similar fashion as people in the West send Christmas greeting cards to their loved ones and  friends.

Normally people prepare to send them before the beginning of New year and Japan post will deliver them on the 1st. So you can imagine how busy the postmen must be, in order to deliver millions of these postcards to the right addresses  and on time, even if the rest of Japan is on holidays on that day!

These days Japan post sells many prepaid nengajo during the Christmas period and they even run a lottery with them. All nengajo postcards which are supplied by Japan Post have a lottery number. Later, in the middle of the month the results are displayed in newspaper and post offices. Winners can get food items or household items as indicated by the winning number catalog.

Actually, I once had a winning number and it was one of the top prizes but I was never bothered to pick up the prize and then I forgot so I lost it. ....oh well.

Many people, me included, are usually too busy during the last few weeks of December and so dont have time to send their nengajo in time for the 1st of January. But dont worry you can still send nengajo until the 15th.
So guess what Ill be doing in my free time during the week!


Alex Auscarria

今日は。Ｔｏｓｈｉです。

正月は一瞬にして過ぎ、はや1月半ばですが、久しぶりに休みを頂きました。
この休みを利用して、「坂の上の雲」再読しました。　通算10回目ぐらいでしょうか。人生で再読を重ねる本は中々多くはありませんが、この本はかなりの上位に入ってます。

再読を重ねる本は、読むたびに印象を変えて行きます。色々な思いを誘発する触媒のような力があります。　正月実家に行った時本棚からこいつが読んでいたので、一気に読み返しました。

読みながら中身の話そのものにも色々考えが浮かんでくるのですが、まったく別のことも色々浮かんでくるのです。　　そう言えば、最初にこの本を読んだのは、病気で学校を休んだ時、親父の本棚から出してきて布団の中で読んだなとか、思いはずらずら繋がって、あの頃1週間に1回ぐらい学校休んだけど、昼間は良く12チャンネルとかＵＨＦ局でＢ級映画をやっていたなとか思い出して来る。
そう言えば長島茂雄の引退試合偶然にも学校休んだ日生でＴＶ見たなとか。

2親は仕事で家には誰もいない、今のように平日街中を歩く子供も殆ど居ない、本当に夕方親が帰るまで１人きりの時間を、あまり寂しいとも思わず過ごしていた気がします。　でさっきも書いたＴＶのＢ級映画とかを良く見たんだけど、題名を殆ど覚えていない。　場面場面は記憶にあるんだけど、全体の筋もあまり記憶に無い。　でもその場面と全体の雰囲気は覚えている。

その中の特に覚えているのは。
１．　これは題名判ってる「黄昏（Ｃａｒｒｉｅ）」。　覚えている粗筋からググって調べました。
　　　妻子あるレストランの支配人が、田舎から出てきた娘に惚れちゃうんです。で店の金持ち逃げし　　
　　　て駆け落ちしちゃうんですね。ところが色々有った末に、支配人の中年親父はルンペンに、田舎
　　　娘は大女優になってるんですが、最後に親父はその娘の楽屋裏に物乞いに現れるんだけど、
　　　彼女は親父にまた一緒に暮らそうと言って待ってろと言うのだけど、コインを一つだけつかんで
　　　消えてゆく親父が、物悲しくて小学校低学年の自分には衝撃的だった。

２．テキサスのフェニックスあたりの砂漠を車が走っていて、それを上空からずーっと俯瞰で映してい　　
　　　るだけ、の映像にアクエリアスの曲が被さって流れるエンディング。　筋もまったく覚えていないし
　　　題名も判らないんだけど、景色と雰囲気が忘れられない。

３．カスピ海だか黒海だかの港に、徴兵された兵隊だか、亡命してきた軍隊だかが着いて、その港町
　　　に降り立つんだけど、その町のどん詰まりな雰囲気と、そこに流れ着いた人間の行き止まりの
　　　人生のうら悲しさが忘れられない。

で「坂の上の雲」を読んでて思ったんだけど、あの港に流れ着いた人たちは、クリミア戦争の時の兵隊か、ロシア革命の時の反革命の亡命者かなんかだったんだろうなと。これは、なんていう映画か調べるヒントが見つかった。　だから本を読み返すと色々思い出すし、新しい発見があると気付くと言うお話でした。。。。
 

Happy new year!!
I hope everyone  had a nice new year days.

I had one day off on the 1st, and had a really traditional Japanese new year day that just sleep a lot, relax and eat

And also I went to Tetsugaku-dou Park which is 20min walk from Nakano station (Nakano is the place where YADOYA Guesthouse is located).

Tetsugaku means philosophy in Japanese.
Dr. Enryo
Inoue　Established this park for mental training and Education by the philosophy world is visually expressed in Meiji period.
So there are many intersting old style Japanese buildings or temples and also statueof apparitions etc.
It is very peaceful and also we can think about philosophy or something from deep inside of our heart.

There are also new sculpture made by Hungarian artist and sculptor "Wagner Nandor".
The sculpture call "Garden of philosophy".
And the sculpture is composed of three circles as follows:
First circle: "Abhraham", "Ekunaton",  "Christ",　"Buddha",　"Laozi",
Second circle; "Bodhidharma", "Mahatma Gandhi", "St. Francis",
Third circle; "Prince Sh?toku", "Justinian", "Hammurabi".

It was really beautiful than I expected. Actually, it was so great. I could have a peaceful new year day.

Here are some photos of Tetsugaku-dou Park and Garden of philosophy.


On the way back home, I stop at Araiyakushi temple.
There were so many people for pray for safety or some whishes for one year.
I usually do it too, but I was planning to going to Mitake Shrine for pray next day, so I just ate Takoyaki there!


I recommend to go to Tetsugaku-dou Park and also Araiyakushi Temple if you come to our guesthouse or around Nakano area! Please ask Mari about more information if you wish.

今日は。Toshiです。

年が変わりました。
が、年々季節の変わり目や、節目のようなものが無くなって来ているように思えます。
1年の中でその日その時でなければやらないこと、食べないものが無くなって来ているようです。

二十四節気に忠実に季節とともに色々行事があったり、春夏秋冬夫々の旬の食べ物があったり、1年があるリズムにのって過ぎて行ったのは、子供時代までだったかな。

お正月もめっきり普段と代わり映えしなくなりました。ゲストハウスをやっていると毎年ほぼカレンダー通りなのもありますが、お店は普通にやってるし、食べ物もおせちも正月ぽいから食べますが、環境的におせちを用意する必要がある訳じゃないから、ままごとみたいだし。凧揚げだって、揚げる場所ないし、和凧はもちろんゲイラカイトも最近見ない。　いつか元旦は１年の1日の休日に過ぎなくなってしまうのではないかと思います。

そんな盛り上がりに欠ける正月ですが、私には唯一正月盛り上がる行事があります。そうです「箱根駅伝」です。　

なんと言ってもワタクシ農大ＯＢですから、「箱根駅伝」は血が騒ぐのです。　しかし正月の短い休みはつまらなそうに家でごろごろしてないといけませんから、気の無い振りで何気にそーっとテレビのチャンネルを奪い、正月はテレビはつまんないねーとか言いながら本当につまらなそうに見てます。が、内心結構マジで応援してます。　そうです農大生にとって「箱根駅伝」はコスタリカ人にとっての「ワールドカップ」と同じなのです。　86回目で60数回出場ですから、ほぼ出れるのですが、4年に1回ぐらいは出れない、しかも優勝もしたこと無い。　毎回予選会からの出場が多い。だから出場してると今年もわが母校は頑張って出てきたのねと、オマエも１年頑張ってたかと。　よし俺も頑張るぞとは思わないものの、うれしいですね。　

これでシード権でも取れようものなら、1年安心して次の正月を待てる。　ここの所成績が低迷していたのが、だんだん調子が上がってきて、なんと今年は5位ですよ！　今年は良い年かも知れない。