Weekly Topics/Archive
January 2012
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The distribution of wintery atmospheric pressure has been getting stronger
over
the Japanese archipelago these past few days and the sever cold remain
in the southern
part of Lake Biwa.
When I awaked up this morning , a bed room window showed whitish.
And so when I looked out of window, the ground was covered with white snow.
It is said that the definition of “snow cover” is to be covered with snow
or hail more than
half of the ground in a certain region.
Here in Kusatsu, the snow accumulated for the first time in this season
as you can see
in the photo below.
Of course, I've already seen the snowcapped Mt.Hira and Mt.Hiei.
However, it was the first time the snow
accumulated in the plain region, though the snow
cover was only 1-2-centimeter high.
Last night it didn't look like it's going to rain.
However, I satisfied myself that such a cold
brought the snow accumulation to Kusatsu after getting the information
about the movement of rain clouds over Shiga Prefecture
in the midnight the day before using the Internet.
Actual movement of rain clouds over Shiga Prefecture
in the midnight on Jan.11 based on
“The past meteorological chart”
shown on the Web site of Japan Weather Association |
Around 7:30 a.m, I saw clearly in the snowy landscape that elementary school children
go to their school in group.
Elementary school children who go to their school in group in the snowy
landscape |
As it was a garbage collection day, I had to take the garbage out.
So I went to do that wearing a down jacket.
As expected, it was a extremely cold morning.
[Note] the distribution of wintery atmospheric pressure ；冬型の気圧配置
whitish ； 白っぽい、 Japanese archipelago ； 日本列島、 hail ； あられ，ひょう
the snow accumulate ； 雪が積もる， plain region ； 平野部、 snowy landscape ； 雪景色
satisfy oneself that 〜 ； 〜を納得する、 meteorological chart ； 天気図
garbage collection day ； ごみ収集日、 Japan Weather Association ；日本気象協会
take the garbage out ； (ごみ捨て場などに)ごみ出しする
Japanese Diary / No.414−2012.01.12 / 「初積雪」
On Jan.4, I returned home in Kusatsu from Yokohama after 10 days.
As I had got to spend mainly in Kusatsu, I feel vaguely comfortable when
I get to Kusatsu.
I heard my daughter and her boyfriebd ,Geri enjoyed sightseeing in Kyoto and a New Year's
Party of her uncle's family making Kusatsu their base.
They were going back to Yokohama tommorow to return to Bangkok.
So I had a dinner with them tonight.
According to her, Geri wanted to eat Kobe beef with A5 beeing the highest grade of beef
in Japan for a long time.
So, she tried to make a restaurant reservation in Kobe on the Internet.
But some restaurant was closed during several days after New Year's Day
and the other
ones were full.
They need not go all the way to Kobe.
It's because there is a restaurant that can enjoy eating Omi Beef, which
is one of the most
greatest brand of beef in Japan.
It's the “pure” Omi Beef restaurant, YASUDARYO.
As I heard it can serve Omi-gyu Beef comparable to a A5 rating, I decided to entertain them
at the resaurant.
Within Japan, Matsusaka Beef is the top brand.
However, he said Kobe Beef is generally considered the top brand in European
countries.
Wow, it's most embarrassing for me that I didn't know that there are the
beef with a rating.
This is the firt time I got to know a word “A5 rating” from him.
According to information from the Internet I got later, the A5 rating is
one of the beef's grade
which is classified based on the degree of marbling, delicacy of meat texture,
quality of fat,
etc.
We ordered some kind of cuts of beef.
First, ox tongue, and then short loin, beef round, carubi, sirloin.
As was expected, the clear marbled beef really looks good.
When I eat a piece of grilled beef which fat seep from with “sizzle” sound
of beef on the grid,
I'm not sure how to put it into words.
Geri said forming a ring, “Very good.”
While enjoying Omi-gyu Beef, he asked me the question, “Is it true that farmers feed their
cows beer and massage them with brashes to make the beef marbled?”
Of course I answered him, “Yes, it is.”
I'm happy I could realize a little his long-awaited dream.
There were some things I learned from him and so I remembered the proverb,
“The darkest place is under the candlestick”.
I was really busy welcoming a foreign guest during the year-end and New
Year holidays.
But it's been fun being with them, feeling that something unexpected may
happen between them.
[Note] vaguely ； 何となく， feel comfortable ； ホッとする
make 〜 one's base ； 〜を活動の拠点にする、 Omi-gyu Beef ； 近江牛，A5 rating；格付けA5
It's most embarrassing for me that 〜 ； 大変お恥ずかしいことですが〜です
be classified based on ~ ； に基づいて等級付けされる／分類される、 marbling ； (牛肉などの) 霜降り
delicacy ； きめ細かさ， texture ； 生地、 cuts of beef；牛肉の部位， ox tongue ； 牛タン
short loin；ロ−ス、 beef round ; もも肉、 carubi ； カルビ, sirloin ； サ−ロイン
seep from 〜 ； (液体などが) 〜からにじみ出る、 sizzle ； ジュ−ジュ−という音、 grid ； 焼き網
feed；(動物に)えさを与える
I'm not sure how to put it into words ; 言葉でどのように表現したら良いのか分かりません
realize one's long-awaited dream ； 念願を実現させる
The darkest place is under the candlestick ； 灯台もと暗し
Japanese Diary / No.413−2012.01.07 / 「外国からのお客様(その2)」
I was very busy during the year-end and New Year holidays.
It's because my daughter returned home temporary from Bangkok in the middle
of last December and then her boyfriend who was invited to Japan by her
visited my place in Yokohama from Bangkok on December 27th.
In addition, she said he would stay Japan till Jan.6 when she would go
back to Bangkok
to work.
The guest is Gerhard Wagner, an Austrian, whose nickname is Geri.
He is a young man who has just launched a new consulting company for the
security of
computer systems in Bangkok, Thailand.
According to her, he was so busy with work till late December that he visited
Japan on that
day.
So I was busy getting ready for cleaning up my shabby house in Yokohama
to receive
the guest and treating him nicely.
Because of it, my home was kept neat and the dirty windows and flooring
became sparkling clean.
And also some rooms were brightened up by pasting new paper on the sliding
doors.
We invited him to three-day two-night hot spring trip to Hakone on December
28th and 29th.
My wife guided him with my daughter for just one day as a hostess.
According to my wife, he wanted to stay in a Japanese-style room rather
than western-style
one and so she hastily changed the hotel reservation from a western-style
room to
a Japanese-style one.
She said dinner was a set menue of Japanese dishes served in the room and he was very impressed with a full service by a maid assigned to their room, who looks after them by
bringing each dish to their room and spreading the futons out at night.
Such a traditional Japanese culture must have been strange for him.
I enjoyed a crab feast trip to Taiza hot spring resort a few days ago and so took care of our
old dog at home this time.
On New Year's Eve, we went to Chinatown in Yokohama and entertained him to lunch
at a chinese restaurant.
In spite of New Year's Eve, it was very crowded with many visitors.
I enjoyed talking with him in Japanese English while having some Cantonese
cuisine.
When he couldn't understand my talk, he sometimes had a questioning face.
At that time, my daughter immediately translated my English into real one
and so I could
get through to him.
When I asked him, “How many language can you speak ?”, he answered, “Two
language, German and English.”
This was the first time I knew the national language in Austria is German.
I heard they would go to Kusatsu to stay there on New Year's Day and then
go to sightseeing in Kyoto and also attend New Year's Party at my wife's
parent's home.
So, on New Year's Eve, we served him not toshikoshi noodles but special
new-year dishes, called osechi as a dinner.
We had a toast to the coming New Year with a glass of Austrian beer which
he bought somewhere in Yokohama and gave us.
I was surprised to see that he likes Japanese sake.
When I told him that these are Japanese traditional New Year's dishes, he was taking
curiously some pictures of them with his digital camera.
On New Year's Day, they left for Kusatsu after having rice-cake soup, called zoni,
to celebrate New Year.
After spending in Yokohama during three days of the New Year, I left for
kusatsu on Jan.4
and joined them there.
[Note] return home temporary ； 一時帰国する、 in addition ； それに
launch a new company ； 新しい会社を立ち上げる
be busy getting ready for 〜 ； 〜の準備で大わらわだ
clean up one's house ； 大掃除をする， treat someone nicely ； をもてなす
become sparklingly clean ； ピカピカになる
paste new paper on the sliding door ； 障子を張り替える
three-day two-night trip ； 二泊三日の旅行, maid ； 仲居、 dishes served in the room ； 部屋食
be impressed with〜 ； 〜に感激する、 look after 〜 ； 〜の世話をする
spread the futons out ； 布団を敷く、 crab feast trip ； カニ旅行， Cantonese cuisine ； 広東料理
have a questioning face ； けげんな顔をする、 get through to 〜 ； 〜に言いたいことが通じる
toshikoshi noodles ； 晦日そば、 new-year dishes ； お節料理
have a toast to 〜；〜を祝して乾杯する、 curiously ； 珍しそうに、 rice-cake soup ； お雑煮
Japanese Diary / No.412−2012.01.06 / 「外国からのお客様(その1)」
To be continued later Weekly Topics / No.156−Jan15th.2012 /
“A foreign guest (2/2)”
Hi，everyone！
Happy New Year !
I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Shall we enjoy sailing, cycling and golfing this year too?
I’m going to challenge my perpetual youth and
longevitythrough them.
It’s a pleasure doing these activities with you.
Very sincerely
 TOPペ−ジへ戻る
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