Attention

Thank you for coming to and reading my blog.

This blog is mainly written in English but partly in Japanese. I (the author) make an entry in English and if needed sometimes by myself translate it into Japanese with this color (darkgray). For example, like below:

[Read more or 続きを読む (日本語あり)]

このブログは主として英語で書かれますが、部分的には日本語でも書かれます。わたし（筆者）は英語で投稿しますが、必要に応じて自分で投稿文を日本語にこの文字色で翻訳します。例えば、こんな風に。

This blog is assumed to be read by the Japanese as well as readers from abroad. Moreover, I will often treat of the Japanese issues (including my daily life in Japan). Therefore I need to write it in both languages.
このブログは海外の読者だけではなく、日本人にも読まれることを想定されています。また、わたしは日本に関する話題（わたしの日常生活を含む）についてしばしば語ることにもなるでしょう。それゆえわたしは両言語でこのブログを書く必要があります。

I want your comment! You can write a comment in Japanese or German but English is recommended.

コメントをお願いします。コメントは日本語で書いていただいても構いませんが、英語を推奨します。英語や、はたまた日本語ではなく、わざわざドイツ語で書こうとする物好きな日本人がいるならば、そういう人はドイツ語で書いても結構ですが。

I am a native Japanese speaker. Please understand that I am poor at using English.

The entries posted between Oct. 28 '08 and Sep. 19 '09 are originally shown at my old blog and removed here. And I had not posted the entry for a long time since Nov. 28 '08 because my grandmother suddenly died of heart failure soon after that. Besides, I had to write my thesis. So I was very busy and confused then. Such a situation was not able to encourage me to write blog... was it?

A part of texts added Jan. 26, 10.
Some texts and date (2009 to 2020) edited Dec. 20, 09.

Heretical

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese

The other day I was called "heretical (異端) as a teacher" by some of my students.
I would not like to deny their opinion but can hardly agree with them.
At least I never want to be so at all;
I am who I am.

[Read more]

They meant, in other words at most, that I was very "strange," "unusual" or "unique."
Why did they call me so?
Because it seems that I am easy for them to talk to.
That is, teachers who are hard or difficult for them to do so are not "strange" but "usual."
It's the other way around! (事態が顛倒している)

For example, one of them said that without hesitation they could ask me about what (at least they thought that) they should or must know and understand in studying English.
They said, "for instance, we can absolutely never ask 'those teachers' what is the clause!.(節)"
"They will say, 'what's a pity! You don't know such a easy thing!' if we ask so," they added.

In fact it is true that some teachers are arrogant and overbearing toward students, also in our school.
But I do not like such teachers and never want to be so at all.
And I have never been taught by such ones in high school, university and graduate course.
I have grown and been educated in a liberal atmosphere, never in a gutter-level and vulgar sphere.
Therefore I could never become such an arrogant and gutter-level teacher even if I had wanted to.

I see, the title "heretic" (異端者) given to me might be my pride as a teacher.

Temporary come-back

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese

One year and nine months have already passed since I posted an article last November 30, 2011.
During that time a lot of changes happened to me; because of lack of my genius and talent and money, I dropped out of university and left "temporarily" the academic career.
And I became an instructor to teach English (not German) to students at high school in Saitama pref: April 2012.

[Read more]

You could ask me what I want to do most.
Study by and for myself, not make students STUDY (learn)?
So I answer to you clearly: I enjoy myself everyday.

I'm very happy and satisfied to be needed by younger people or co-workers, which I never experienced when I was a university student in master course.
And it does really matters for me that I can earn a living, no matter small it is.
I like teaching foreign languages and I have studied not only in German but also in English so I'm really happy that I can get money by teaching English.

Moreover it's very ecstatic to be asked by young girls to teach and give private lessons, and to be surrounded with them.
I would like to be immersed in this euphoria for the present.

Enshin in Ikebukuro and Akihabara

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese

About 6:30 p.m. I went to Ikebukuro (池袋) from Waseda (早稲田) by Toden Arakawa line (都電荒川線) in order to see an old friend since high school student, Enshin.
And with him I visited Ramen Dai Ikebukuro (らーめん大 池袋店) at the east side of Ikebukuro station about 7 p.m.
This is the first time for me to visit this shop as well as him.


Arakawa line tram I took(maybe the newest one)


Outside of Ramen Dai Ikebukuro

[Read more]

I chose middle-sized ramen (らーめん中盛) (750 yen) and he also chose middle-sized with more slices of roast pork (ちゃーしゅーの有料トッピング) (120 yen).

He said that yesterday night he had lost his wallet and cellular phone because he got drank badly after the work.
Next day (today) he had been able to find them out but 50,000 yen and PASMO* card had been stolen from the wallet.
Now he is very silly rather than unlucky! (see the article titled "unlucky man" on Nov. 19, Sat.)


Middle-sized ramen

I asked staffs to add "a little more" vegetables (ヤサイ多め) but he asked "more" (ヤサイマシ) therefore he had to eat incredible amount of vegetables.
(By the way when you ask "more and more" [ヤサシマシマシ] there, you see uneatable amount of vegetables.)

Frankly speaking, Dai Ikebukuro is not good (boo!), and Enshin agreed with my opinion.
It is very surprising that it has No. 280 ranking in Ramen Datebase* (as of Dec. 4.)
Tough noodles were tolerated, but roast pork was very tough and not good; Enshin was unlucky because he ordered non-free roast pork.
I would never visited this shop again unless it develops new ramen (for example, miso ramen.)

And inside the shop it was hot and very humid.
We were in a sweat so much while eating, especially Enshin more than I.
That is one of reasons why I do not like this shop.


Enshin

About 7:40 p.m., after left the shop, we went to Akihabara (秋葉原) by Subway Marunouchi Line (地下鉄丸ノ内線) from Ikebukuro because he wanted to visit Maid cafe (a kind of Costume-playing restaurants**) there.
In fact we got off the train at Subway Ochanomizu station (東京メトロ御茶ノ水駅) (don't confuse Shin-ochanomizu station [同 新御茶ノ水駅] I always use) and went to Akihabara Electric Town (秋葉原電気街) from there by walk.
He said that he had never visited any Maid cafes in Akihabara, whereas he had frequented a Lolita cafe* in Shinjuku (新宿) before.
That is, he loves such a Costume-playing cafe! (I would not like to find fault with others' taste...)

About 8:30 p.m. we arrived at "At-home Cafe" (@ほぉ～むcafe), which has been in the fifth floor of the same building, Don Quijote Akhabara (ドン・キホーテ 秋葉原店) which has been also occupied by AKB48 Theater** (AKB48劇場) (the eighth floor.)


Entrance of At-home Cafe (photos are prohibited inside. A person on the photo is neither Enshin nor I.)

When we entered the cafe, waitresses called "maid" in the same uniform greeted us, "welcome back home, our masters!" (ご主人様) though this is NOT OUR HOME here of course.
They call you "our lady" (お嬢様), not "mistress" (上記masterの女性形) if you are a woman, albeit young or old.

We were charged 700 yen for admission (oops!)
And the menu is very expensive, the most reasonable is non-alcohol drink at 500 yen.
I chose iced cocoa (アイスココア), and he chose iced cafe au lait (アイスカフェオレ) (500 yen each, see the menu*.)

They showed us to the table in front of a small stage, on which after a while two maids started a game of scissors-paper-rock (janken) with the guests including us.
It was the game that the winner got a right to take a photo with those two maids on the stage in front of, or seen by, other customers.
I lost in the first game as soon as the game started.

Oh, let me out!
I was not able to enjoy myself at heart here.
I live in the real, third dimension world.

"Your face looks stiffened," Enshin said.

About 9:30 p.m., after left the cafe, we entered "Saizeriya"** (サイゼリヤ) near it and Subway Suehiro-cho station (東京メトロ末広町駅) in order to get rid of the aftertaste of maids.
And Enshin wanted to eat sweets; he is a member of "Sweet Party" (甘党).

There and then while talking with him I found out that my watch stopped running!
I was given it by my father eight years ago, this is the third time that it did not work (also 2006 and 2009.)
(After that day I asked the makers to repair it.)

About 11:30 p.m. we went to JR Ochanomizu station (御茶ノ水駅) by walk from Saizeriya and parted from each other there.

Unlucky man

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese

Today my schedule planned already two weeks before to see my old friend since high school student, Enshin was canceled due to he caught the flu (インフルエンザ) though he was the planner and it was also planned that our old friend Nakamura would come to see us from Koriyama city (郡山市) after attending his friend's wedding party in Tokyo.
He said to me so through the phone last night.

Unbelievable! What a unlucky man he is!
Why in hell might he need to catch the flu just before the appointed day, of all days!

Today it was raining heavily since before dawn.
About 7:45 p.m. I went to Kanda Jinbo-cho (神田神保町) with my brother through the rain in order to hayauri Weekly Shonen Jump (週刊少年ジャンプ).

[Read more]

After that at first we visited "Ore no sousaku ramen Kiwamiya"* (俺の創作らぁめん 極や) which had just started a business since Oct. 23 in order to eat its tsukemen.
But its ticket maschine outside said that "tsukemen was sold out." Why?
One of its staffs answered, "tsukemen is going to start being served around next week."
Ok, no thank you! They should have announced so on the website!

Instead, next we visited "Tsukemen senmon-ten Akamugi"* (つけ麺専門店 あかむぎ), whose tsukemen we had never eaten.
When we arrived at the shop, the master came out in order to talk to us and said "sorry, noodles are already sold out." What?
You bastard! This is far from being a good ramen shop!

Oh, unlucky man, thou missedst the descent of Ramen-Satan to thyself.
And nobody except himself knows when the Second Coming would be done!

My brother said to me, "you are not responsible for missing tsukemen at these shops but I regard you as unlucky man."

There was no other choice for us then and there than to go to the shop which I had visited last week because we did not want to walk around in the rain any more.
So we arrived at Kanda Tsukemen Basho Oozeki (神田 つけ麺場処 大関).


"Oozeki" (large-sized) tsukemen

I chose "Oozeki" (large-sized) tsukemen (つけ麺 大盛「大関」) and my brother chose "Sekiwake" (つけ麺 中盛「関脇」) (690 yen each.)
We got seats at only one table in the innermost of the shop.

As mentioned when I visited here last, its soup is not bad but we got tired of it during eating.
My brother was not able to eat up his tsukemen all not only because he became full but also because he did not want to keep on eating it.
(I ate it up all but I was a little tired of it as well as my brother.)
Unnn..., their appealing point is nothing but reasonable price.

The staffs shut up the shop while we were eating tsukemen; we were the last customers who went out of the shop.
The master talked to me when they saw us off to the door, "you came to our shop last week, didn't you?"
Oops! Unluckily I got identified as myself by them though I do not hope to because I do not want to be found a regular customer!

About 9 p.m. we went to Shin-ochanomizu station (新御茶ノ水駅) in order to take Subway Chiyoda Line train (地下鉄千代田線).


My brother

---

By the way, I had had extremely bad diarrhea (下痢) which had started since last Saturday, as I stated before.
Water had carried on running out of my ass hole again and again all day long for about a week as if I had urinated like a woman.
I suspect that raw oysters I ate Thursday last week (Nov. 10) might cause such bad diarrhea.
However it seems that I recovered perfectly from diarrhea around today.
That was too much! How unlucky I was!

Ramen Tonki

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese

About 8 p.m. I visited Ramen Tonki, Kameari (らーめん豚喜@亀有) with my brother.
I chose normal-sized ramen (小らーめん) (680 yen) as well as my brother.


Normal-sized ramen

[Read more]

I found undisentangled noodles in my bowl!
That's too bad!

New challenge: Kanda Tsukemen Basho Oozeki

*External link to the Japanese website
**External link to the website except written in Japanese

About 5 p.m. I saw Rick at Lotteria (ロッテリア) near by JR Ochanomizu station (JR御茶ノ水駅).
He was then going to attend a continuation of his friend's wedding party (結婚式の二次会) from 6:30 p.m. in Ginza (銀座) after he parted from me.
(He did not attend the wedding party itself.)
I received a comment (or a sermon?) from him on my paper which I gave him yesterday.

After I parted from him at Subway Ochanomizu station (地下鉄御茶ノ水駅), we went to Kanda Jinbo-cho (神田神保町) by walk in order to buy hayauri Weekly Shonen Jump (週刊少年ジャンプ) there.
And after that I wandered around Jinbo-cho without purpose.

Then by chance I found out a sigh board by the roadside of Yasukuni dori street (靖国通り) (see photo below.)
At first I was planning to visit a spaghetti shop at Akihabara (秋葉原) but I changed my mind at once.


Sign board of Oozaki

So I visited Kanda Tsukemen Basho Oozeki (神田 つけ麺場処 大関).
This shop has just started a business at Nov. 1 this year.

[Read more]

Outside of Oozeki

Inside the shop there was only one male customer before me.
And there were four staffs, three men and one woman.
Expect the master they were probably all foreigners, one man must be Chinese or Taiwanese, one women Korean, which I judged by their accents with which they spoke in Japanese.
So I was not able to tell where the rest of them, one man was from because he was not able to speak in Japanese fluently.

All of staffs were very amiable and gave me another glass of water again and again.

I chose "Oozeki" (大関) tsukemen (large-sized, 750 g) (690 yen).
This shop serves "Mae-gashira" (前頭) (small, 300 g,) "Komusubi" (小結) (normal, 450 g,) "Sekiwake" (関脇) (middle, 600 g,) and "Oozeki" as default at 690 yen. Relatively reasonable!
And also "Yokoduna" (横綱) (extra large, 900 g) is served at 940 yen.
As you would tell by looking at these names, the master of this shop loves Japanese sumo wrestling (相撲), which also the poster inside said.


Toppings


Oozeki (large-sized) tsukemen

Here was very thicker noodles. It was so chewy.
I prefer thicker and chewy noodles when I eat tsukemen.
Its soup was not bad but not good, quite ordinary. However, even I was full so much after I ate up all of 750 g of noodles.

I would not like to come back to this shop in order to enjoy its taste but in order to eat my fill at reasonable price, 690 yen.
I do not feel like taking my friends or my brother to this shop but obviously it is recommended more than Tensouden Gaku, Suehiro-cho (天想伝 楽@末広町).

After I left this shop, I went to Subway Yushima station (地下鉄湯島駅) by walk through Akihabara (秋葉原) in order to take Chiyoda line train (地下鉄千代田線).