ドロジュンも夢の夢 Game of tag

2016.11.30

この庭園は中高から直ぐだったので、その頃何度も来たことが有ります。50年近く前は無料で出入りできました。尤も、今のように管理されておらず、小川は涸れていたし木は伸び放題でした。

今は綺麗に管理された庭園として、名古屋の名所の一つとなっています。今日も観光バスがたくさん来ていて、お客様で賑わっていました。

This garden is very close to the junior-high and high school we went. So, I have visited here many times. It was free to enter fifty years ago. Of course the garden was not maintained as now. There was no water in the stream and the trees grew as much as they liked.

Now, it is one of the places you must visit in Nagoya as a well maintained beautiful garden. Today, there were many sightseeing bus, and the place was populated with many guests.

色々呼び物が有りましたが、その中で、もう冬だというのに桜が。コブクザクラ(子福桜)というようです。この季節と早春に咲くとか。

The garden has many features, but among them there is a cherry flower blooming in this season.

The name of the tree is Kobukuzakura, a kind of Prunus. It is explained that it blooms in this season and in early spring.

勿論、モミジも綺麗です。
Naturally, colored leaves were beautiful.

山茶花は満開でした。
 Sasanquas were at their best.

結婚記念と思われる写真撮影をしていました。
A couple were having pictured for their wedding.

ここでドロジュンをしていたなんて夢にも思わないだろうね。

They would never imagine that fifty years ago in this garden rascals were playing Dorojun - a kind of tag game.

親父驚く鹿威し Surprised at Shishiodoshi

2016.11.26

題名の鹿威しについては後ほど。
Shishiodoshi is a general name for devices used to intimidate and drive away agriculture-damaging birds and animals. Especially, it means a bamboo tube rotated by pouring water that clacks against a stone. The picture below is from Wikipedia.
I will go back to Shishiodoshi later.

昨日東山植物園に行きました。地下鉄で行くのは多分50年ぶりぐらいです。それは兎も角、昨日は紅葉のライトアップを見たかったのです。
Yesterday, I went to Higashiyama Botanical Garden. The last time going there by subway was probably about 50 years ago. Anyway, yesterday I wanted to watch night illumination of colored leaves.

着いた時はまだ明るかった。地下鉄の駅に近い東山動物園に入り、その中を歩いて植物園に行きました。
When I arrived, it was still bright. I entered the Higashiyama Zoo nearer to the subway station, and walked through it to the botanical garden.

動物園の池。
A pond in the zoo.

植物園に付く頃には、日が傾き。
When I arrived at the botanical garden, it sun went lower.

寒くなってきたので、ライトアップを待ちながら熱いコーヒーを飲んでいたら、鹿威しに驚かされました。これが今回のタイトルです。
As it got chilly and when I was drinking hot coffee while waiting for the illumination, I was surprised at the sound of Shishiodoshi. That was the title of this article.

ライトアップは5時からです。日本らしく時間ぴったりに。
The illumination started from five PM. It started right on time in typical Japanese style.

 植物園を出て、地下鉄の駅に行く途中の道で、道路の片側にもライトアップの飾りがありました。
Going out of the botanical garden, on the way to the subway station, a side of the road was decorated.

これは駅の隣のショッピングモールの飾り。
This was a decoration at a shopping mall next to the station.

良いクリスマスをお迎え下さい。
Have a Merry Christmas!

アルパとカレーとモミジと団子 Arpa, curry, maple, and dumpling

2016.11.21
一月くらい前まで揚輝荘のことを知りませんでした。ウェブサイトを見た時は東京の旧古河庭園を思い出されました。行く機会を探しる所に、そこでアルパコンサートというのがあることを知った。昨日がその日だったのです。
I did not know about "Yokiso" villa until about a month ago. Looking at the website, I was reminded "Former Furukawa garden" in Tokyo. I was waiting for a good chance when I knew there will be an Arpa concert there. Yesterday was the day.

コンサートは揚輝荘の中の聴松閣という建物の地下室で行われました。元は舞踏室だったらしい。私が開始15分前に着いた時はもう聴衆で殆ど一杯でした。
The concert was held in the basement of "Choushoukaku" house in the villa. It is said the room was used to be a ball room. The room was almost full with audiences waiting for the concert when I arrived there fifteen minutes before it started.

コンサートの写真を公開してはいけないと注意されていたので、ここに掲載することはできません。アルパという楽器を聴いたのは初めてだと思う。演奏家の奥村陽子さんの説明によると小型のハープのような感じでパラグアイで一番弾かれているとのこと。そのため、しばしばパラグアイ・ハープと呼ばれるのです。サイズの割には想像よりずっと大きな音が響きます。素晴らしいコンサートでした。伴奏の谷地学さんのRolandもアルパにぴったりでした。

As we are warned not to publish pictures of concert unfortunately, I cannot post them here. I don't think I have heard of Arpa before. The player Yoko Okumura explained for us that it looks like a smaller harp and most popular in Paraguay.  So sometimes it is called as Paraguayan harp. Despite the size of the instrument, it sound much larger than I imagined. It was a fantastic concert. The accompanying electric organ player Manabu Yachi is also perfect match with Arpa music.

コンサートの後一階の喫茶室でランチをいただきました。野菜カレーでした。

After the concert I had lunch at the cafe on the ground floor of the same house. I had vegetable curry rice. 

触れてはいけません。柱は純金箔が張られています。

Don't touch! The columns are gold plated, the warning said.

天井も素晴らしい。
The ceiling looks great, too.

ランチの後建物内をぶらぶら。これは二階からの眺めです。
I went around in the house after lunch. This is a view from the upstairs.

入口付近から見るとこんな風。
Looking at the house from near entrance.

現在は揚輝荘は二分されてしまっています。この後北園に行きました。
Now, "Yokiso" was divided into two parts. I visited the northern garden later.

地下鉄の駅に向かう途中、面白そうなお店を発見。
On the way back to the subway station, I found an interesting cafe.

そこで団子と抹茶をいただきました。

I had a skewer of dumplings and a bowl of powdered green tea there.

今日もいい日でした。
It was another fine day.

白鳥庭園 Swan Garden

2016.11.17

私が白鳥庭園を訪れたのは何年も前のこと。その時は妻と私で紅葉のライトアップを見に行ったのです。
昨日、紅葉の他に寄席を見に行きました。出し物は落語と講談。
It was more than several years ago that I visited the Swan Garden previously. My wife and I visited there for watching lighting up of colored leaves at that time. Yesterday, I visited there for Yose along with watching color leaves. Features of the day was Rakugo and Kohdan.


この日の出し物は、講談師『旭堂鱗林』の「四十七士討ち入りの段」と「名古屋城建立の秘話」そして、落語家『雷門福三』の「名古屋地下鉄物語」。いずれも、題名はよく覚えていないので適当に書きました。

The stories played were "The vengeance of forty seven worriers" and "Historic story of Nagoya castle construction" by Rinrin Kyokudo, also "A story of Nagoya subway" by Fukuzo Kaminarimon. I don't remember the titles of the stories, so I named it as I wish.

出し物は皆私がよく知っている題材だったし、若くて熱心な２人にはとても惹きつけられ、1時間があっという間に過ぎました。

As the stories were all about something that I am familiar with, and the enthusiastic young players were attractive, the one hour had passed really fast.


寄席の後は園内を散策しました。モミジが素晴らしい色を見せてくれました。
After the Yose, I strolled in the garden. Maple trees there showed splendid colors.

池の鯉と一緒に。
Together with colorful carps in the pond.

65歳を過ぎたので、この庭園を運営している名古屋市はたった100円しかとりません、それどころか年間パスは400円。勿論私は年間パスを買いました。これからはここが私の散歩場所の一つになります。多分、月に一度くらい。
As I got over sixty-five years over, Nagoya city that is operating this garden charges me just 100 yen, more than that a yearly pass is 400 yen. Of course I bought a yearly pass. This will be one of my walking spots from now on probably once a month.

紅葉はこれからもっと綺麗になるでしょう。早めにもう一度来ようと思います。
The colored leaves would get better from now on, I guess. I have to visit here again soon.

紅葉を求めて Seeking color

2016.11.7

We heard there would be held a "Shinshu wine and hand-made concert party" again this year. This was the tenth time of the party, and the second time for us.

今年も、信州ワインと手作りコンサートの夕べというのがあるというので出かけていった。今年で第十回とのこと。私たちはこれで2度目。

コレだけのために行くのも勿体無いので、この度の間に錦繍の紅葉と旨い新そばを探すことにした。

Since it is a pity to go Tateshina just for the party, I decided to hunt for splendid autumn colored leaves and delicious fresh Soba during the trip.

最初の目的地はここ、高遠城址。紅葉まつりの真っ最中。
The first destination was Takatoh castle remains. The Maple Festival was going on.

同時にそば祭りも行われており、美味しい新そばを高遠閣で頂くことが出来ました。
At the same time Soba festival was going on. We are able to taste delicious newly cropped fresh Soba at Takatohkaku. Simple but tasteful!

しかし、紅葉はそれほど上手くなく。今年の気温の変化は紅葉には宜しく無かったそうだ。そしてもう霜も降り始めているのでこれ以上良くなることもないとか。
But, maple leaves were not so tasteful. We heard the change of the color was not suitable for the beautiful coloring of leaves. Also, we heard it would not get better as hoarfrost had already started.

菊の鉢も飾られていた。どこやらの物よりも綺麗。
There some chrysanthemum pots were displayed. These were better than the ones somewhere.

第二の目的地は御射鹿池だ。しかし、そこに行く途中に、杖突峠というところに寄ってみた。
The second destination was Mishagaike pond. But, on the way to the pond, we stopped at Tsuetsukitohge, Stick poking pass.

諏訪湖が蓼科の山々とともに眼下に広がる。
Lake Suwa was below us with Tateshina mountains.

御射鹿池は近い、しかし余りに景色が良かったので、車を止めて写真を撮った。
Mishagaike was close, but as the view was so wonderful, I pulled over a car and took a picture.

色々あって、御射鹿池。まだ、日没には一時間早い。

Going through many events, we arrived at Mishagaike. It was still one hour earlier than the sunset.

日が陰るとともにどんどん寒くなってきた。しかし、ついに御射鹿池のマジックアワーを見ることが出来た。

It grew colder and colder as the sun going lower. However, at last we were able to see a magic hour at Mishagaike.

日没後も周りの山々は夕焼けに飾られている。

Even after the sunset, the mountains surrounding us were decorated by the after glow.

宿について、寒い日に暖炉はありがたい。 

We arrived at the hotel. As it was so cold, we appreciate the fire.

翌朝は大河原峠へ。

Next morning we drove to Ohkawara pass.

素晴らしい見晴らし。
Nice view.

霜が〜!
Frost!

 湧き水もつららに。
Spring water was frozen as icicles.

帰り道も綺麗な景色が沢山。
Many beautiful spots on the way back.

又夕焼け。
Sunset again.

帰りは蓼科湖経由。

We went home through Lake Tateshina.

そして諏訪大社。彼女の願い事が叶いますように。

And, Suwa grand shrine. I wish her wish should come true.