庭のウメモドキに霜が沢山付き、いよいよ冬本番の北信州です。

六本木散歩

Went to Hachioji over the weekend and had a blast exploring the area. We were able to check out the Musashi Imperial Mausoleum Emperor Taisho and Emperor Showa's Burial Sites, eat some amazing food at a restaurant called "Gonsuke" ごん助 and a bunch of other stuff.

The Musashi Imperial Mausoleum was really amazing, it reminded me a lot of Meiji Jingu Shrine with the wide gravel paths through the forest, although I have a feeling this forest is natural and not man-made.
Also the burial mounds seemed really traditional and reminded me of the burial mounds from the Kofun Period.

The restaurant Gonsuke was so incredible.
They had all sorts of different course menus and it was my first time trying boar meat too lol.
I haven't had game meat in a long time so it was really cool getting to try it again and cook it over an irori I think it's an irori with actual coals. Can't wait to go back and explore the area again more.

I'd love to hike up Mt. Takao and see everything else the area has to offer. Beautiful city

忍野八海に初めて行ってきました。関東からもアクセスはしやすいですし特に施設に入るようなことも無くほとんど外で一回りして丁度良い感じの観光地です。

六本木けやき坂のイルミネーションです。
夜の散歩がとてもいい感じでしたよ。
Canon EOS R5
Canon RF35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM
ブラックミストNo.05 フィルター使用

初霜が降りた氷点下の朝

【都会の森で】

[English／日本語]
In this issue, I will continue to introduce some of the things that were popular in Japan this year.

1Showa/Heisei Retro Boom
This year, things that were popular in the Showa 1926-1989 and Heisei 1989-2019 eras are booming again. Mainly, old townscapes and tableware from the 1960s, characters and accessories that were popular in the 1980s and 1990s became popular among the younger generation as "new things. For the young generation that has had digital things since birth, they feel that retro things are incomplete and warm. An amusement park in Saitama Prefecture reopened this year, recreating the streets of the 1960s, and it is bustling with visitors every day. You may feel as if you have gone back in time.

2 Oatmeal
Oatmeal sales have boomed this year, even doubling from the previous year. The reason seems to be that more and more people are eating at home due to the new coronavirus, and easy and healthy meals have become more preferred. Japanese people are famous for their culture of eating rice, but recently more and more people are eating staple foods other than rice, such as oatmeal and bread. Rice takes a long time to cook after it is washed. Busy Japanese may have come to prefer something more easily eaten.

3 Imperial Family News
This year, the Emperor's niece got married, and various news during the engagement period were broadcasted on TV every day. News about the Imperial Family mainly interests the older generation, but the news about the marriage attracted the interest of various age groups.

Did you find out what was popular this year? At our school, we sometimes have students research and present what is popular in the classroom. It's a great way to learn more about Japanese culture.

今回も前回に引き続き今年日本で流行したものをいくつか紹介します。

①昭和・平成レトロブーム
今年は昭和（1926年～1989年）・平成（1989年～2019年）に流行ったものが再ブームしました。主に、1960年代の古い町並みや食器、1980年代～1990年代に流行ったキャラクターやアクセサリーなどが若者世代に「新しいもの」として人気が出ました。生まれたときからデジタルのものがある若者世代にとって、レトロなものは不完全であたたかみがあると感じるそうです。埼玉県にある遊園地が今年リニューアルオープンしましたが、1960年代の街並みを再現しており、連日にぎわっています。タイムスリップしたような体験ができるかもしれませんね。

②オートミール
今年はオートミールの売り上げが前年の2倍にまでなるほど、ブームになりました。新型コロナウィルスの影響で家で食事をする人が増え、手軽で健康的な食事がより好まれるようになったことが理由のようです。日本人といえば「米」を食べる文化で有名ですが、最近はこのようにオートミールやパンなど、米以外の主食を食べる人が増えてきました。米は洗ってから炊きあがるまで時間がかかるものです。忙しい日本人はもっと手軽に食べられるものを好むようになったのかもしれませんね。

③皇室ニュース
今年は天皇陛下の姪がご結婚されましたが、婚約期間中の様々なニュースが毎日のようにテレビで放送されていました。皇室のニュースは主に年齢の高い層に関心がありますが、今回の結婚に関するニュースは様々な年齢層の関心を集めました。

今年流行したものがわかりましたか？本校では、授業内で流行しているものについて学生たちが調べ、発表させることがあります。より深く日本の文化を学ぶことができますよ。

Beautifully illuminated rainbow bridge during christmas. The photo was taken from Tokyo Tower.

Was shopping the other day in Nihonbashi and saw this akabeko and thought it was really cute so I decided to take a photo of it.

The name was quite funny to me as well. Instead of the usual "akabeko" this was a "nemubeko," or "tired-beko" basically, and you can see how the eyes are actually half way shut instead of the normally wide-open eyes, giving it the tired look lol.

I've always wanted to try an akabeko experience as I love traditional Japanese crafts and akabeko in particular seem really fun to make. I've read a few posts in another places of people trying akabeko workshops and having a really fun time.

I haven't used papier mache since I was a kid either so it'd probably be a nostalgic experience for sure.
If I do try an akabeko workshop, I think I'll make a "nemubeko" as well lol

木更津の工場地帯

【 沈み行く満月になろうお月様 】

The majestic view of Tokyo tower during winter illumination in Keyakizaki avenue.

清水の舞台から眺める景色もまた良き。

自宅付近からの撮影。
葉が落ちた木々の間から見えるお月様がとても幻想的な夜でした。

岩槻城跡公園
雨上がりのリフレクション。
水面に写り込んだ景色が、まるで絵画のような世界を作り出していました。

雪の日の集団登校。カラフルな雨具が雪景色に映えていました。

雪国のドンド焼き

正月の浅草仲見世。毎年、沢山の初詣客で賑わいます

初雪の降った公園に冬の朝日が差し込んで、木々の長い影がとても美しかったです。

新潟県の山村で行われたドンド焼きの火の始末。「すみぬり祭り」も行われたので顔が炭で真っ黒です。雪が降る中、昔ながら姿が印象的でした。

日本各地で見られる小正月の行事「すみ塗り」。「すみ塗り」は、賽の神を燃やしその年の豊作と無病息災を祈願する奇祭です。写真は、新潟県松之山温泉の「婿投げ・すみぬり」祭りを心底楽しんだ地元の人々です。

「ジュエリーアイス」
北海道十勝川を覆いつくす氷が太平洋に流れ出し、
河口の大津海岸に打ち上げられる氷の塊が美しく輝く自然現象です。

「ジュエリーアイス」
北海道十勝川を覆いつくす氷が太平洋に流れ出し、
河口の大津海岸に打ち上げられる氷の塊が美しく輝く自然現象です。

突然の冬に季節見失っております😅
秋っぽい葉っぱが落ちてたり
綺麗に芽吹いて緑な葉っぱが出てきてたり
太陽の光で不思議に光ってたり
これからどんどん寒くなって引きこもりなりそー🥺

The beautiful minami alps. While travelling to matsumoto we git this beautifully view of minami alps from limited express train.

Stopped by Saizeriya for lunch and got a cod roe and shrimp doria たらこと海老のドリア.

Saizeriya is always a great place to stop by for lunch as it's generally quick and cheap.
It was a set meal so it came with a soup and salad as well, but I forgot to to photos of those.
The soup was a sort of consommé soup and was nothing special, but it tasted good and was all-you-can-drink so that was pretty nice. I ended up getting a few cups of it.

The shrimp and cod doria was great and I love the nori on top - plentiful and tastes great.
The best part is all of this was only ¥500 so it's really reasonable, as you'd expect of Saizeriya.

Just thought I'd share this today, nothing too special

メリークリスマス！！

【雲無き夕刻】

Was in Kanda the other day for an errand and stopped by this place called "Soba Dokoro Kameya" そば処 かめや outside of Kanda Station.

It says "立食い" which means "standing noodles," but I didn't actually see any places to stand and eat so maybe it just meant that it was simple and quick like a standing noodle shop.
I've never actually experienced what it's like to eat at a standing noodle restaurant and actually stand while eating but I think I prefer sitting anyways.
I like to relax when I eat so I suppose that's why, but I should at least try it once, who knows, I might like it.

Anyways, the place seems really affordable. I ordered the Ten Tama Soba since it was the most popular dish and it tasted great.
The soup was really good and the egg was perfectly cooked.
The texture of the noodles was also perfect.
It's definitely a place to check out if your in the Kanda area and looking for some noodles.

I think they may only be open during the morning and night, but I went around 4pm so maybe they close around that time to prepare for dinner.