笠雲が良い色に燃えている富士山
山梨県富士河口湖町に

On the way to the winter wonderland or alternatively we can say the snow world. The photo was taken in mount zao, Yamagata prefecture

Went to a place called Menya Tenno 麺屋天王 between Oji Station, Tabata Station and Oji Station Tokyo Sakura Tram and ordered some miso ramen.

Before the pandemic I went there once or twice and it was great both times, but I decided to revisit for the first time in a while. I think it was just as good or maybe even better than before, but it's definitely tasty.

I remember the last time I went I ordered the standard thin noodles since that's what the stores specializes in, but this time I figured I'd try the thick noodles and see what it was like. I couldn't really compare the two since it'd been so long since I went to this ramen shop but I remember the last time tasted great and this time tasted great as well, so I don't think the thickness of the noodles changes the quality in any way. The chashu is also really good as well, I added that as a topping for ¥200.

I can't remember if I ordered gyoza the last time I went, but I ordered them this time and they tasted delicious, better gyoza than most ramen restaurants I've been to in my honest opinion, and they're nice and juicy as well.

I tried to take a photogenic angle of the gyoza but it was difficult with the lack of space😅. I did my best though!

Anyways, it's a tasty ramen shop, so I definitely recommend it to anyone in the area!

[English／日本語]
This time, I'd like to continue my introduction to manners. This time, it's about manners when using leisure facilities.

Manners at amusement parks
At our Japanese language school, we have field trips several times a year. The locations include amusement parks, zoos, and other facilities. For this reason, we go over the precautions in class before the field trip. In this article, I would like to introduce some of these precautions. Tattoos are more common among international students compared to Japanese. Many leisure facilities in Japan refuse to accept people with visible tattoos. At one Japanese language school, there was a case where a student was not allowed to enter the facility because they did not check beforehand. Some facilities will allow you to enter if you are invisible, so you may want to carry a jacket even in the summer. However, this is not possible in the case of swimming pools, so give up using the facilities. Also, many places prohibit taking pictures using selfie sticks and live streaming of social networking sites. Be sure to check the precautions beforehand before you go.

Onsen（hot spring）Manners
It is difficult for even Japanese people to understand all the rules and manners of hot springs and public baths. For this reason, I often hear from international students that they have yet to try them because it seems too difficult to know how to enter. So what kind of rules and manners are there in onsen and sento? The first thing you must do before entering an onsen is to take a "kakeyu," which means to pour hot water on your body to remove dirt from your body before entering the onsen. There are also other things to keep in mind when washing your body. In hot spring facilities, the chairs used for washing your body are shared. Be sure to wash the chair well before putting it away when you are done using it. Also, women should tie their hair up when they enter the onsen. Do not put anything other than your body in the hot spring. The same goes for towels. Leave your towel in the luggage area or put it on your head. If it is your first time in a hot spring, be careful not to stay in the hot spring too long. If you are not used to hot springs, you may get sick. Hydrate frequently while bathing. Even Japanese people sometimes forget the detailed rules, so most onsen facilities have written instructions on how to enter the onsen. There are also YouTube videos that show you how to get in and out of the onsen, so please check them out.

Manners in the Park
Lastly, I would like to introduce the manners of the parks that are closest to us. I often hear foreigners talking about how parks in Japan are not very free. There are sometimes foreign students who get into trouble in the parks, so it is important to learn park manners as well. One of the most common problems I hear about is foreign students taking fruits and nuts from trees planted in the park. The trees and flowers planted in the park basically belong to the park, so you should not take them home. There are also many people who break the branches of cherry trees during the cherry blossom season. There is a Japanese proverb that says, “Fools who cut cherry trees. Fools who do not cut plum trees." If you cut off an important branch of a cherry tree, it may start to rot. Never cut cherry blossoms, no matter how beautiful they are. Also, I am sometimes asked by students if they can play soccer with their friends in the park. In most parks, you are not allowed to use a ball. Therefore, if you want to play soccer, you need to make a reservation at a local ground. For more information, ask your school teacher or a Japanese person close to you.

These are just a few of the things I introduced here. Please be sure to check the website of any leisure facilities you wish to use. Our school offers related classes before and after the field trip. It is a popular way for students to deepen their understanding of Japan, not only by playing but also by learning. I hope that everyone will try to learn about Japanese culture from various places in Japan.
今回も前回に引き続きマナーについて紹介します。今回はレジャー施設を利用するときのマナーです。

遊園地のマナー
日本語学校では年に数回校外学習を行います。場所は、遊園地や動物園などの施設などです。そのため、校外学習の前に注意事項を授業中に確認します。今回はその注意事項の一部を紹介します。日本人と比べて留学生に多いのがタトゥーです。日本のレジャー施設では見えるところにタトゥーを入れている人を断っているところが多くあります。ある日本語学校では事前の確認を行わなかったために学生が施設に入れなかったことがあるそうです。見えない状態になっているなら入園を許可する施設もあるので、夏場でも上着を持つようにするといいかもしれません。ただし、プールの場合はそれができないので、施設利用を諦めましょう。また、自撮りスティックを使用しての写真撮影や、SNSのライブ配信などを禁止しているところも多いです。事前に注意事項を必ず確認してから行くことにしましょう。

温泉のマナー
温泉や銭湯などは日本人でもルールやマナーをすべて理解するのは難しいです。そのため、留学生からは、入り方が難しそうだからまだ挑戦できていないという話をよく聞きます。では温泉や銭湯にはどんなルールやマナーがあるのでしょうか。まず、温泉に入る前にしなければならないのは「かけ湯」です。「かけ湯」は体にお湯をかけることで、温泉に入る前に体の汚れを落とす目的があります。また、「かけ湯」をすることで、お湯に体を慣れさせる意味もあります。その他にも体を洗うときにも注意をする点があります。温泉施設では体を洗うときに使う椅子は共同です。自分が使い終わったら、必ず椅子をよく洗ってから片付けるようにしましょう。また、女性の場合温泉に入るときは髪を束ねましょう。温泉の中に体以外はつからないように気を付けてください。タオルも同じです。タオルは荷物置き場におくか、頭の上にのせるようにしましょう。初めて温泉に入る人は長く温泉に入りすぎないように気を付けてください。温泉に慣れていないとときどき具合が悪くなる人がいます。入浴中はこまめに水分補給をしましょう。日本人でも細かいルールを忘れてしまうことがあるので、だいたいの温泉施設では入り方の注意事項が書いてあります。また、YouTubeなどでも入り方などが公開されているものもあるのでぜひ見てみてくださいね。

公園のマナー
最後に一番身近にある公園のマナーについてご紹介します。よく外国人が日本の公園は自由が少ないと話しているのを聞きます。公園内でトラブルを起こす留学生も時々いるので、公園のマナーもしっかりと学びましょう。よく聞く留学生トラブルは、公園に植えてある木から木の実や果物をとってしまうことです。公園に植えてある木や花は基本的に公園のものなので、持ち帰ってはいけません。また、桜の季節になると桜の枝を折る人も多くいます。日本のことわざに「桜を切る馬鹿、梅を切らぬ馬鹿」というのがあります。桜は大切な枝を切ってしまうと、そこから腐り始めてしまうことがあります。いくらきれいでも絶対に切らないでください。また、学生から友達とサッカーをしたいけれど公園でしていいかと相談を受けることがあります。ほとんどの公園ではボールを使ってはいけないことになっています。そのため、サッカーをしたい場合には地域のグラウンドを予約するなどが必要になります。詳しくは学校の先生や身近な日本人に聞いてみてください。

今回紹介したものはほんの一部です。レジャー施設を利用する場合は事前確認を必ずするようにしてください。本校では校外学習の前後に関連した授業を行っています。遊ぶだけではなく、学ぶこともできるので、日本への理解が深まったと好評です。みなさんもぜひ日本の色々な場所から日本文化を学んでみてくださいね。

ダイヤモンド富士山と白鳥ちゃん
パワーアップして頂きありがとうございます
山梨県山中湖に撮影。

The beautiful snow monsters of Zao montaion in Yamagata prefecture. The view of snow monsters are completely different on a sunny days and on a cloudy day. We got a cloudy day view. This is also very nice to enjoy.

Went to a soba restaurant in Ueno called Rengyoku-an 蓮玉庵 over the weekend and ordered same really tasty tempura and soba.

I ordered the Tempura Seiro Soba 天せいろそば and it was a bit pricey at 1750 yen but it tasted great.

What I really liked about the restaurant though besides the food, was the atmosphere of the place.

It had a bunch of really awesome art hanging on the walls that was reminiscent of Edo Period art and I'm a pretty big fan of that so it was really enjoyable.

The inside of the building was grey but it was very stylish. I'm not sure what the walls were made of, but it seemed to be some sort of granite and the coloring of the seats was also in a similar fashion but very tasteful.

I definitely want to go back here again and try some more of their dishes!
It's pretty close to Okachimachi Station so it's pretty easy to drop in for lunch.

雪の積もった白川郷
有名な場所での撮影です。

I forgot to post this photo as it wasn't at Asukayama Park, but it was on the way.

As we were walking to Asukayama Park we looked over the side of this bridge and I saw this small little garden and just thought it was really nice.

To the right of the garden there's a small French bistro that looked like a nice quiet place to grab a bite to eat but it wasn't open at the time.

I was curious so I did a little research about the place and it turns out the chef used to work at the Imperial Hotel for more than 20 years. It makes sense too, because I looked at some of the food they serve at this bistro and it looks pretty darn good. I'd love to stop by when it's open. Hopefully next time I'm in the area!

Winter beauty of mount Zao in Yamagata prefecture. Everything was covered with snow which creates an amazing scenery. All the trees also wore the snow dress. This is on the half way to mount zao where we can see the snow monsters

夜のお散歩中に見つけた冬の空

『大阪市北区』
季節が移りゆく自然な日本の風景。

『冬景色 大阪市北区』
季節が移りゆく自然な日本の情景。

岡山県の吉備津神社の誰もいないこの道は吸い込まれそうな程
不思議な感覚に陥るのは何故だろう🤔
ゆっくり歩いてる人、ジョギングしてる人、ウォーキングしてる人
色々おるけどみんな気持ち軽そうに見えた😆
神聖な道なんだろなー😊

緑から赤へ
季節の移ろい

Like vending machine, a public telephone booth also can be seen in several places in Japan. But unlike the other telephone booth this creats anmazing color contrast with dark red colour where the surrounding is covered with snow. This photo was taken in mount Zao in Yamagata prefecture

The last of the photos that I took at Asukayama Park.

The first one was a nice statue of Shibusawa Eiichi and the second and third were taken at a shrine inside the park.
I had to do a little bit of research to learn more about the shrine, but I was already quite sure it was an Inari Shrine because of the fox statues, but apparently it's called I believe Kabuto Inari Shrine Ruins 兜稲荷社跡, although I could be wrong about the reading for the first kanji.

I liked that the shrine had a really small wooden shrine of what I believe was what the original shrine actually looked like, and the stone lanterns were aesthetically pleasing as well. I foolishly forgot to take a picture of the torii gate unfortunately...

The last two photos are the statue of Shibusawa Eichi which took us forever to find lol and the plaque below it. I can only make out a few characters that are written on the plaque but there's another plaque on the back of the pedestal which I forgot to take a picture of, so if you're visiting the park be sure to look at that if you're struggling to read it as well lol.

ここはいつ来ても綺麗なんよ🌟｡:*
男の子の好きな物が全部詰まった場所😆
電車、車、船、飛行機…w
陸海空が全部見れる場所なんだなー😊
綺麗な物見たらまた明日から頑張れる✊

真冬の富士山
山梨県富士吉田市にて撮影
2019\2

This was my first visit to any winter wonderland. It was taken from mount Zao, Yamagata prefecture. My intension was to see the snowmonster but to reach the snowmonster we need to take the ropeway. From that ropeway we got this fantastic view.

「日本の冬」極楽本当にあるね
雲海浮かぶ富士山と鳥居⛩
山梨県富士河口湖町にて
2021／1

Some more photos from Asukayama Park!

The first monument is a bit difficult for me to read so I had to do a bit of research, but it seems to be a commemorative monument signifying the planting of various trees throughout the park to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, and as such, was constructed in 1968, so it's about 50 years old, probably one of the newer monuments of its kind within the park.

When I was walking back around the area I saw the dance stage from a different angle and managed to take a photo of the participants through a nice gap in the trees. There were a lot more participants this time so I stopped and watched it for a little while again.

At the other end of the park I found this statue of a woman which is actually a statue of the "Goddess of peace" and it was erected in 1974 to wish for world peace and happiness.
Even cooler, it was erected by the famous sculptor Seibo Kitamura who erected the "Peace Statue" at Peace Memorial Park in Nagasaki.
Really cool to see his works all the way in Tokyo as well!

山～

群馬県みどり市にある、小中大滝&栃木県日光市の華厳の滝の紅葉📸

Some more photos I took at Asukayama Park the other day. I really liked this statue of Avalokitesvara, as I felt like it was really well crafted. I included the description to this monument as it's hard to read what is carved onto the stone and it's written in older Japanese too so my friends couldn't even read it lol.

I think it has something to do with a poem about cherry blossoms although I could be wrong about that.

It's pretty cool seeing the older Japanese from hundreds of years ago though. Even if I can't read it it's interesting to see how the Japanese language itself has evolved throughout the years. I'll be posting more photos of this place tomorrow as well!

やっぱり大阪の冬と言えば御堂筋のイルミネーション🎶
毎年車で通ったり歩いて通ったり😊
沢山の人達の笑顔と共に😆

また雨だぁ・・´・ω・`