2019/03/04 A&B @ Beppu hot springs

This feels so good.

Akito, what are you doing?

I’m taking a foot bath. You should try it.

Come on, put your shoes on. We’re going to the next hot spring.

I’m Akito. Today, Ben and I are at Beppu Onsen in Oita Prefecture. We came here to relax, but we’re at our second onsen already.

The water is bright blue.

This is called Umi Jigoku, or Sea Hell.

It's so beautiful. Why is a word hell in the name?

From over 1000 year ago, gas and hot water came out of the hot springs in Beppu. People couldn’t go near them, so no one liked them. That’s why they named the hot springs with the name hell. The water in Umi Jigoku is around 98 degrees Celsius.

Wow.

Today, we are going around hell.

What did you say?

We call visiting all the different onsen here going around hell.

Oh, exciting.

Next, we go to Oniishibozu Jigoku, or Oniishi Shaven Head Hell.

Is that mud? Wow. There are bubbles coming out of it. I don't want to fall in there. Akito? What are you eating?

I’m eating steamed pudding. It's a specialty of Oniishibozu Jigoku.

Pudding? I want some, too.

Sorry, I only got one for myself.

What?

Next, we go to Oniyama Jigoku, or Demon Mountain Hell.

Look, Akito. Crocodiles. They look so real.

They are real. Crocodiles usually  live in warm places. Here they use the heat from the hot spring to keep the crocodile pond warm.

That’s so cool.

Next, we go to Kamado Jigoku, or Cooking Stove Hell.

Cooking stove? That’s a funny name.

It is said that a long time ago, people use the steam from this hot spring to cook rice for the ujigami, or guardian god.

I’m getting hungry. Let's eat.

Sure. Let's go and try Jigoku-mushi, or steamed and hell foods. We can cook everything ourselves.

How?

It's easy. You put the food in a basket. Then, you put the basket in the cooking pot.

Okay. Eggs, sweet potatoes, corn and even crab.

You can also bring your own food. The cooking time is on the menu.

Great.

After eating lunch, we go to Tatsumaki Jigoku, or Tornado Hell.

Look at that. That’s hot water, right? It looks like a tornado.

The water can go up about 30 meters, but the roof stops it. Okay, we’ve finished our tour of hell. Huh? Ben? What are you drinking?

Oh, this? It's fresh tangerine juice made from the tangerines in that field.

Did you get some for me?

Uh, no. you didn’t get me pudding, so no juice for you.

Ben!

終了のお知らせ

今月でディクテーションをしばらくお休みいたします。

毎日読んでくださった方々、どうもありがとうございました。

2019/03/01 Red candles and the mermaid E4

Who's there?

The old couple didn’t know who was knocking on the door. The knocking continued. So the old woman opened the door a little and looked outside. There was a woman standing there. Her face was pale. She had come to buy a candle. Even though it was late at night, the old woman thought about the money she would make. So she didn’t send the woman away. The old woman showed a box of candles to the woman. Then the old woman noticed the woman’s long black hair. It was wet and shining brightly in the moonlight.

The woman picked up a red candle from the box and carefully looked at it.

Then, she paid for the red candle and left.

When the old woman went back inside and looked at the coins, she found they were seashells. The old woman thought she had been fooled and rushed outside to find the woman. But there was no sign of her. She was gone.

That night, the weather suddenly changed. The biggest storm that they had ever seen came to their town. The mermaid girl was already on a ship going south.

The old man said, Her ship can't possibly make it in this storm.

Night passed, and morning came. There were many broken ships floating in the black sea.

From that time, whenever a red candle was lit at the shrine, a storm came. So people started saying that red candles were bad luck. The old couple thought they were been being punihed by the gods, so they closed their candle shop.

Even though red candles were no longer sold, a red candle was mysteriously lit a at the shrine every night. And if you saw this, there would be a disaster, and you would drown in the sea.

This story spread and no one came to pray at the shrine anymore. The shrine had brought good fortune to the town before, but it was now bringing them nothing but bad luck. The people of the town wished that they didn’t have this shrine in their town. Sailors on their ships were even afraid to look at the mountain with the shrine.

The northern sea is always scary at night with the waves crashing against the rocks. And on a cloudy night with only a little moonlight, it becomes even scarier. On dark, starless, rainy nights, people saw candlenight floating between the waves. They said the light rose up the mountain and headed for the shrine.

After a few years, no one lived in the town any more and the town disappeared.

2019/02/28 Croatia

Hello. I am the Republic of Croatia. I am an eastern European country on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy. I am about 1.5 times bigger than Kyusyu. And I used to be part of Yugoslavia before it was divided into several countries. My population is about 4.3 million, and my capital city is Zagreb. You'll be surprised to learn that there are more than 1000 islands in my country. And did you know neckties first came from my country? I’m full of wonderful surprises.

I want to introduce to you a World Heritage Site I am proud of. It's a beautiful old city called Dubrovnik. It's so beautiful that people call it the Pearl of the Adriatic. Some people say that you can't talk about heaven before you see this city. It's an old seaport with a long wall around it. All the roofs of the houses and buildings are orange. The orange roofs beside the blue sea are so pretty.

Dubrovnik is located in the southern part of my county. Do you know a type of dog called Dalmatian? It's a dog with a white body and black sports. Dalmatians first came from this southern part of my country. Another fun fact, right?

In Dubrvnik, you can see many wonderful buildings built during the middle ages. One of them is a drugstore that opened in 1317. That’s old, isn't it? There are so many old things here. Even the streets. Some stone streets of Dubrovnik have been polished by many merchants and sailors coming here for hundreds of years. Now the street stones are so shiny that you can see your reflection in them.

Remember that I said that Dubrovnik was surrounded by a wall? It's a long wall, 1940 meters long, that goes almost all the way around the city. It was built from around the eighth century to protect the city. You can visit parts of the wall today.

There has been a rule in Dubrovnik that says, All people should live freely. The people of Dubrovnik thought of war as the biggest enemy against freedom. So instead of fighting with other countries, they made relationships with other countries through trade. They used their position as a port city well. And they made sure no one was a leader for a long time. This protected them from on person having too much power.

You must not sell your freedom for any amount of god. These are the Latin words carved in the entrance of a tower here. Dubrovnik is not just a beautiful city, but it is a strong city. Come and visit me one day.

2019/02/27 The greatest joys of life

Oh, no. Umeboshi?

What's wrong?

I bought this rice ball, and I didn’t think it had anything in it. But it has umeboshi in it.

You don't like pickled plums? They are delicious. Why don't you like them?

Well, they're sour.

There are many other foods that taste sour, too. Like lemons.

I like lemons. The sour taste of lemons is very different from pickled plums. Also, pickled plums are too soft.

There's a hard type, too. It's crunchy like a carrot.

I know, but I don't like that type, either.

Well, I think pickled plums are one of the greatest joys of life.

Do you really think they're so important?

Of course. I love pickled plums. I can't live without them. They are good for you, too. They have lots of minerals.

Umm, does your family have an umeboshi farm?

No. Why?

Because you sound like you're trying to sell me pickled plums. Or are you a fortune-teller? Did you see that I was unhappy in the future because I don't like pickled plums?

No.

Then, why can't you just leave me alone?

Umm, why are you so angry?

I’m not angry. I just don't like people telling me how to be happy.

Okay, okay. Let's change the subject. Are you free this Saturday?

Yes, I am.

Then, let's go on a date. My friend said he could lend me his car.

Great.

We can go somewhere far, like the beach or the mountains.

Actually, there's somewhere I really want to go.

Where is that?

It's a new music hall by the ocean. They have classical music concerts there.  The music hall is beautiful, but you need a car to get there. We can go, right?

Uh, umm.

You don't want to go?

Actually. I don't like classical music.

What? You don't like classical music?

I get sleepy when I listen to classical music. Also, tickets are expensive. I would rather go to a rock or jazz concert.

Classical music is one of the greatest joys of life.

No way. I’m perfectly happy without classical music.

You will be happier with classical music in your life.

How do you know? I think you will be happier if you like umeboshi.

Are we talking about umeboshi again?

Well, you started talking about the joys of life again.

Okay, okay. How about this? I will go to a classical concert with you.

You will?

Yes. So will you try eating this? It's my favorite brand of umeboshi. It has honey in it, so it tastes sweet.

Okay. I'll give it a try. This tastes great. Can I have some more?

Sure, but don't eat it all. Leave some for me.