2018/12/19 My brother's cooking

I’m so tired. Masato, why is your apartment so far from the station?

It's cheaper. Your new place is small and expensive.

But it's close to the station. That way I can sleep a little longer.

You sound like a child.

I’m not a child.

I’m going to move to Tokyo to start working. My old brother, Masato, helped me look for an apartment. We finally found a place close to the station. I move in next week.

Anyway, I’m glad you found a nice apartment.

Uh-huh. So,  why don't we celebrate? You can buy me sushi.

No way. Sushi is too expensive. Why don't I cook for us?

Do you cook?

Of course I do. Eating out is expensive. So I propere my own meals to save money.

I’m impressed. You are a real adult now.

Well, I've been living by myself for a few years already. Hmm. Let me see what I have.

Ah, you have spaghetti. And here’s a can of meat sauce. You can make spaghetti with meat sauce.

No, no. That’s too easy. I'll make something with olive oil, garlic and chili peppers.

Chili peppers? But I can't eat spicy food.

Don't worry. It won't be so spicy. First, we cook the spaghetti. Put lots of water in a large pot. When the water boils, add salt and put in the spaghetti.

Okay.

Cook it for about seven minutes. While the spaghetti is cooking, get the garlic ready. Crush it like this.

Why do you crush it?

You can taste the garlic more if you crush it instead of cutting it.

Wow. You know a lot.

When the garlic is ready, put some olive oil in a frying pan. Then, add the garlic.

Wait. You forgot to turn on the heat.

You turn on the heat after you put in the garlic. This way, the flavor of the garlic will go into the oil. When you start smelling the garlic, you put in the chili peppers. Don't forget to take out the seeds first.

It smells so good.

Yeah. I love this smell. Okay. The spaghetti is ready. Let's put it in the frying pan. Don't forget to add some water from the pasta pot. Finally, add some salt and pepper, and we're done. Ta-da. Here is spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino,

Wow. You are a good cook.

Try eating it before you say that.

Okay. Itadakimasu. This is so good. I can taste the garlic and the oil, and it's not so spicy. Your cooking is really good.

I’m glad you like it. And it's not that difficult.

No, it's not. When I move to Tokyo, I’m going to..

You're going to cook every day, right?

No. I’m going to come to your place to eat.

What?

2018/12/18 The Tanishi choja part1

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived an old farmer and his wife. They worked hard in the rice fields, and they were very happy together. But there was one thing that they really wanted. The old couple wanted children.

Every day before working, they prayed to the rice field gods.

Please give us a child. Any child is all right. It doesn't have to be a human child. Even a baby tanishi snail is all right.

One day, the old man was working in the fields, and he heard a voice saying,

Father. Father.

The old man looked around and saw a tanishi snail.

I want to be your son.

The old man was surprised.

This must be a child from the rice field gods.

So he took the Tanishi snail home. The old man and his wife filled a wooden bowl with water. It was for the Tanishi snail to live in. they put the bowl in the best place in the house. It was in front of the altar. They took good care of their new son. The Tanishi snail ate a lot. He was still small, but he became a strong snail.

Several years passed. The old man and his wife became very old. One day, the old man had to go to a rich man’s house. The old coulpe had to give him some of the rice they grew on his land every year.

But this year, taking the rice to the rich man’s house was too difficult. The old man was too old to ride a horse well. Then the Tanishi snail said, Thank you for taking care of me. You are very good parents. From today, I will take the rice to the rich man every year. Please put me on the back of the horse.

The old man and his wife put the Tanishi snail on the back of the horse. The Tanishi snail cleverly controlled the horse and soon arrived at the rich man’s house.

The old couple always talked about their son, so the rich man knew about the Tanishi snail.

It's nice to finally meet you. Please join me for dinner.

The rich man and the Tanishi snail talked and talked. The rich man was surprised. This Tanishi snail was so smart and funny. The rich man liked him very much. So he asked the Tanishi snail to marry one of his daughters.

First, the rich man asked his oldest daughter to become the Tanishi snail’s wife. But she said, No. Then, the rich man asked his youngest daughter. She said, I will marry him. Father.

At the Tanishi snail’s home, the old couple were surprised to hear the news. On the day of the wedding, the rich man’s beautiful young daughter came to their home with many gifts from her father. The Tanishi snail and his parents were very happy.

2018/12/17 A&B @ Matsushima

Akito, look. There's a cruise that will take us aroud the baby.

Ben, we're not tourists. We don't need to go on a cruise.

Are you still mad, Akito? The bus tickets the woman gave us were for Sendai, not Tokyo.

Why didn’t you tell me before we got on the bus.

Ben never shares important information with me, it makes me mad. Oh, I’m Akito, by the way. Right now, Ben and I are in Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture.

The view of the ocean and the pine trees is fantastic. I can see why it's called one of the three best scenic places in Japan. I’m so glad we took the time to come.

You know, there are about 260 islands in this bay. It is said that Matsuo Basho, the haiku poet, thought the scenery was so beautiful that he had trouble thinking of a good haiku.

I can understand why. Oh, excuse me. The view is great, but it won't fill up my stomach.

Let's go eat the famous anago-don.

We don't have enough money for that.

Then, we should perform.

We are A and B, Akito and Ben. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you.

After the show, we finally eat Matsushima’s famous anago-don. It is delicious.

Hey, Akito. Try these oysters.

Ah, Miyagi is famous for oysters.

I can see that. These are so good. They're really big and have so much flavor in them.

Ben, I know you eat a lot, but be careful not to eat too much.

I know, I know. Ah, the scenery is great, and the food is just wonderful. What more can I ask for?

We should thank Date Masamune.

Date Masamune?

He is the famous samurai that used to control this area. He actually created the city of Sendai.

After lunch, we walk across a red bridge and go to Fukuura island.

The local people say the bridge has magical powers and can help you meet people.

So if you walk across this bridge, you might find a boyfriend or a girlfriend?

Uh-huh.

Too bad I’m with you today.

I feel the same way, too. Anyway, I think this place is kind of magical.

Why do you think so?

The Great East Japan Earthquake destroyed many parts of the Tohoku coast. But Matsushima still looks the same.

Really?

There was a lot of damage, but I read that the tsunami wasn’t so bad here because of all the small islands.

So the islands of Matsushima saved this area.

Hey, Ben, why don't we go un that cruise? I want to see what Matsushima looks like the sea.

Sounds like a good idea.

2018/12/14 The restaurant with many orders

Two young gentlemen dressed like English soldiers were walking in the deep forest. Each man had a shiny gun over his shoulder and a big dog like a polar bear.

This mountain is no good. I haven’t seen any birds or  animals. I want to shoot something. Bang bang.

It would feel so good to shoot a deer in its stomach. Shoot it twice or three times.

Yes, that would be nice. By the way, where is our guide?

I don't know. Maybe he got lost.

Hey, look at our dogs. Something is coming out ouf their mouths.

Oh, no. Both of our dogs are dead now.

That dog cost me 2400 yen.

Mine was 2800 yen.

Both men were angry about losing their money.

I think I will go back home now.

Good idea. It's getting cold, and I’m getting hungry.

We didn’t shoot anything, but we can buy a mountain bird at the hotel where we stayed last night.

They sold rabbits, too. If we buy them, it will be the same as killing them ourselves.

The two men started to go back, but they soon became lost. Strong winds blew, the grass moved, leaves rustled and the trees made strange sounds.

I am so hungry that my stomach hurts.

Me, too. I don't want to walk any more.

Me, neither. I want to eat something.

Yes, anything.

Just then, they looked back and saw a beautiful western-style house. On the front door, there was a sign saying, Wildcat House Western-style restaurant.

We are lucky. Let's go in.

Wait. Isn't it strange? Why is there such a beautiful restaurant in such a quiet place?

Well, it must be a great restaurant. People come all the way here just to eat at this place.

You're right. I need to eat something. Or I wll fall down.

The entrance was made from white tiles. There was a glass door with a sign written in gold letters: Welcome. Please feel free to come in.

The two men were very happy to read this.

Today was not a good day, but finally, something good is happening. This restaurant is going to give us food for free.

Yes, it says, Please feel free to come in. Free.

The two men opened the door and went inside. They entered a halway. On the back of the door it said, We especially welcome young and fat people.

Look at this. This is talking about us.

Yes. We are both young and very fat.

The men were very happy. They walked further down the hall. Then, they saw a sky-blue door with more words on it. It said, we are a restaurant with many orders. Thank you for your understanding.

2018/12/13 Romania

I am romania. I am a country built by Latin-speaking people, and you can find me in southeastern Europe. I am surrounded by the Black Sea and five countries: Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria. I am about the size of mainland Japan, and the population is a little less than 20 million. Have you heard of my capital city, Bucharest? It is a beautiful city, and it was once called Little Paris, you know.

You may know of my country from the Dracula legend of Transylvania. There are many old folklore stories about such mythical creatures, but the story of vampires become famous after the book, Dracula, was written by an Irish writer. I am also famous for a mysterious waterfall and roks that move.

There are so many places I want to tell you about, but I'll just tell you about one, the Merry Cemetery. You heard me correctly, a cemetery doesn't have to be dark and sad. It can be a cheerful place. You'll see why. Now listen.

The Merry Cemetery is in the small traditional village of Sapanta. Around 30000 people visit there each year. Tourists come to see the colorful and beautifully carved wooden crosses on the graves. The crosses are painted in bright blue, and each has a detailed painting and an original poem written about the person who died. The poem tells how the person lived his or her life.

When someone in the village dies, a family member asks artists to make a cross. The poems are written in first-person style, so it feels like the dead person is talking to you. Some crosses say, I liked to drink, then my wife left me, so I drank some more. Will you leave a drink for me? or It was my destiny to die young, to leave my sister alone. Dear sister, as long as you live please take care of my grave.

The poems come from a tradition in this village. It is a tradition for a church leader to write a song about the person who died. The song tells the truth about how the person lived his or her life, thanks people who surronded him or her and says sorry for any mistakes. This song is also written in first-person style and is sung while the body is going to the cemetery.

The people of Sapanta believed that death was not the end of life, but a joyful beginning of a new life.

Try writing your own song someday. It will help you take a look at your life. You should enjoy life while you are alive, you know. And make sure to come visit my wonderful land before you die.