Friday hamburg steak

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

Today in the evening about 8:30 p.m. I ate hamburg steak with my brother for dinner at Gold Rush, Ikebukuro (ゴールドラッシュ池袋店).



Tonight he treated me to this dinner. f^_^;

Before visiting Gold Rush, I went to a household goods department, The Loft, Ikebukuro (池袋ロフト).
I bought a mechanical pencil produced by Tombow, "Olno*" (315 yen.)

Although I have lived in Tokyo for 8 years since 2003, I had never visited every branch store of the Loft.

Run around everywhere

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

I have given up writing entries in English because it takes too much time for me to write in it while I have a lot of subjects to write.
Therefore I write a entry in Japanese for the present and make a summary of it in English for readers who are not good at reading Japanese texts.
However, of course you can write a comment in English or other languages.
Thank you for your understanding.

Today's summary

• I went to Hitotsubashi University with Rick in order to listen to a lecture by a sociologist from Germany, Ulrich Beck.
• We ate suta-don for lunch in Kunitachi city.
• I was very annoyed with the sudden operation stop of Chuo line that was caused by jumping suicide of a woman.
  
• In the evening I was questioned by the police at Akihabara.
• I ate ramen at Ramen Dai Horikiri for dinner.
  

[Read more]

ドイツの超高名な社会学者ウルリッヒ・ベック（Ulrich Beck）の来日講演とシンポジウム*が催されるというので、一橋大学に出かけた。わたしは相変わらず昼夜逆転の生活をしており、朝方寝つくことができなかったばかりか、昼前に眠ってしまったら、13時開始の講演に絶対間に合わないので、言うまでもなく一睡もせずに講演へと臨んだ。

2005年、大学3年生だったわたしは、ベックの著書『世界リスク社会論』（平凡社、2003年）に取り組んだ……のだが、イマイチよくわからなかった。翌2006年には、その年初めて大学で教え始めた若手社会学者（T先生）の授業で、ベックの著書（確か『世界リスク社会論』）を原語で読んだ……はずなのだが、内容は全く覚えていない。

けれども、大学8年目、大学院も4年目になった今、ベックの話を聞いたら、なんとなくしっくりとわかった気がした。やはり講演を聴きに来ていたRickに、そのことを偉そうに言ったら、「講演だから、易しい内容を易しく喋っていたからでしょ」と失笑されながら言われた。そりゃそーかもしれん。


(l. to r.) Beck, Shimamura Ken' ichi (島村賢一氏) (interpreter)

ベックの講演のあと、日本人学者3人の「アンサー」的な講演が予定されていたが、わたしたちはそれを失礼して会場を後にし、国立の「名物すた丼の店*」で昼食を食べた。すた丼屋が桐朋高校のサッカー部員他で混んでいたので席が空くのをしばらく待つことになり、わたしたちが食事を始めたのはもうすぐ15時になろうかとしていたときだった。



そのあと、国立駅前大学通りの歩道でRickと30分ほど立ち話をした。大概が悪口だったので、その内容をここに書くことはできない。翌週にゼミで発表を控えていたRickと別れ、一橋大学図書館に向かったのは、16時頃だった。図書館の資料をコピーしたかったのである。

土日祝は17時で閉まる図書館を出て、国立駅から東京行きの電車に乗ったとき、時刻は17時を少し過ぎていた。わたしは買い物のため、秋葉原に向かっていた。国立からなら、普通は1時間とかからず辿り着く旅程である。

けれども、国立駅隣の西国分寺駅で電車の運行が止まる。時を同じくして西国分寺から8駅先の荻窪駅で人身事故が発生したらしい（後日、毎日新聞*によれば、自殺の可能性がある若い女の死亡事故だったそうだ。また自殺騒ぎかよ……。）わたしが足止めされている西国分寺駅は、運良く武蔵野線に乗り換えられるので、南回りの武蔵野線→南武線→京浜東北線経由で秋葉原に向かうことにした。

南回りは失敗だった。西国分寺から中央線を使わずに秋葉原に行きたい場合、電車の便を考えても、乗り換え回数を考えても、そもそも実際に移動する線路の距離を考えても、北周りの武蔵野線→京浜東北線経由のほうが明らかに早かったはずである（ヤフーの「経路、運賃検索*」によれば、北周りは48.3キロの1時間9分、南回りは52キロの1時間32分だそうだ）。

府中本町駅で10分弱待たされて、南武線の川崎行き電車に乗ったのは、17時59分*だった。先にも述べたようにわたしは完徹明けなので、この頃になると疲れと睡魔でかなりふらふらになっていた。吹きさらしのホームで電車を立って待つのも辛く、一刻も早く電車の座席に座って爆睡を決め込みたかった。だが、その目論見は儚く消えた。

南武線の電車は混んでいた。わたしはあまり南武線に乗ったことがないので、この混雑は土曜日のこの時間帯のゆえなのか、それとも中央線が止まっているからなのか、わからなかった。小田急線との乗換駅である登戸でも、眠気を堪えて必死に立席乗車するわたしの目の前に座る客は降りようとはしなかった。平均駅間距離1.5キロ*という南武線はよく停車する（中央線の平均駅間距離*は、2.3キロだそうだが、三鷹以西はもっと離れているように思う）。わたしの前に座る客がどこで降りていったのか、今となってはもはや覚えてはいないが、座席を確保するや否や、わたしは直ちに爆睡モードに入った。ベンチシートの一番端というのも、都合がよかった。こういうときの列車睡眠のなんと気持ちいいことか。気づいたら、終点の川崎駅に到着していた。

川崎で乗り換えた京浜東北線では、問題なく座席に座ることができた。そこでも案の定寝てしまったわけだが、起きたときには秋葉原から一駅先の御徒町駅まで行ってしまっており、慌てて降りて反対方向の電車に乗り換えたのだった。秋葉原駅に到着したのは19時頃。メンヘラ自殺女のせいで通常より1時間も余計にかかってしまった。

散々な目はこればかりに留まらなかった。秋葉原の街中で、ポリ公に職質をかけられたのである。秋葉原の中央通りは、APEC（11月13、14日）開催の時節柄か、それとも加藤君*の相変わらずのお陰なのか、何だかいつもよりマッポどもが多くうろついていた。徹夜明けで眠たい目を細めながら、わたしは「暴力装置」の末端部分たちを眺めていたら、むべなるかな、あっさりと声をかけられた。わたしは中央通りを上野方面へと北上していた。

そもそも眠くて疲れているのに、人身事故により列車が止まったせいで遠回りをさせられて余計に時間はかかるわ疲労は溜まるわで、殊更にイライラしていたところに、人を見た目で判断するという公権力の横暴にさらされた。わたしのフラストレイションは爆発寸前である。

連中の話を総合すると、リュックサックやシザーバッグを提げている奴は、アブない人間と見なすようだ。この日の私の風采は、ユニクロの5年選手の白いフリースにジーンズ、リュックサック、腰にはシザーバッグ、という感じである。ちなみにわたしが職質されるのは2度目で、最初のときは東京駅構内で、そのときもわたしはリュックサックを提げていた。

若手と中年の制服組二人に威圧的に取り囲まれる。
「シザーバッグにナイフとか入れている人を取り締まっているんです。」
「そうですか」俺がカリスマ美容師に見えるか？

「カバンの中見せてもらっていいですか？　何か危ないもの持っていませんよね？」
「危ないものを持っている人は、普通『持っている』なんて言いやしませんよね。爪切りくらいっすわ」そりゃそーだろ！
「あっ、爪切りなら大丈夫でーす」

「今日はお買い物ですか？」
「そのつもりで来たんですけど、特に何も買っていません」余計なことを訊くなよ！

「お急ぎのところ、ご協力ありがとうございました」中年のほうは心得ているのか、結構低姿勢だった。
「まあ職質されているところを傍から見たら、あんまりいいイメージは持たれないっすよね（怒）」

嗚呼、不愉快千万。こんな日はラーメンでも食べて帰ろう。二郎がいい。松戸の二郎なら、拙宅からも近いし、ちょうどいい。

千代田線の湯島駅から常磐緩行線直通電車に乗る直前のことだった。「ラーメンの神」ならぬ「ラーメン大魔王」がわたしに宿ったのか、何やら勘がピンと働いた。二郎のこと、もしや臨時休業があるやもしれぬ。そう思って、携帯電話からTwitterを検索してみると、何たること！　本当に松戸二郎は本日休業*だという！　わたしはラーメンのサタンか！

そういうわけで、町屋駅で下車し、京成線の成田空港方面電車に乗り換え、3つ先の堀切菖蒲園駅で降りた。

時刻は20:40分頃、やって来たのは、ラーメン大堀切店。二郎インスパイアとしては最大の系列であろうと思われる。他の大には行ったことがあるが、堀切店は初めてである。到着当初席が全て埋まっていたので店の外で待っていたところ、足許が覚束ない通りすがりのおっちゃん（オジイチャン？）がいきなり「混んでるでしょ？　ここ人気店だから」と話しかけ、すぐに去っていった。これが葛飾区クオリティである。わたしも葛飾区に住んで8年目だが、常磐線沿線と京成線沿線とではまた下町の人種も異なるらしく、拙宅の近所ではこのようなおっちゃんには話しかけられたことはない。


Ramen Dai

着席するのにはそんな時間はかからなかった。店員は、両腕にタトゥーをキメた若い男性が一人。この店員も声が小さく案内もないので、この店に初めて来るわたしは店のシステムがわからず、しばし戸惑った。思えば東小金井の大に行ったときも、店員にたいして同様の感想を持った。ラーメン大は、どこも店員の接客が悪いのだろうか。正直に言って、一般的なラーメン店と比較すれば接客が悪いとされる二郎各店も、わたしが行った東小金井や堀切の大に比べれば、愛想はいいし、声も大きいし、接客はいいように思える。



わたしが食べたのは、ラーメン（600円）。野菜はやや硬めで、スープはしょっぱめ。二郎インスパイアに間違いはないが、以前わたしがよく通っていた秋葉原の影武者に味が似ている。微妙な違いだが、やはり大は二郎とは違うのだなあ。わたしが旨いと思えた二郎（立川、新小金井街道、松戸、小岩など）は、しょっぱさの中に、恐らく乳化したアブラの甘味が仄かに感じられたのだが、堀切大は、しょっぱさの後から甘味があとからついてこない。不味かったわけではないし、無休で24:40までやっていることを考えると、夜遅くまでふらついているわたしには都合のいい店だから、行きつけにしてもよいのだが、周囲の二郎好きに強く勧められるほどでもない、といったところか。

食事を終え、店を出たわたしは、お得意の徒歩帰宅をやってやろうと思ったが、正直方角もわからないし、葛飾区の端から端へ帰るとなると、結構な時間もかかることが予想され、すぐさま断念。大人しく京成線に乗って帰ることにした。

駅舎に入る直前、脇の京樽で持ち帰り寿司が全品半額で売っていたので、鯖の押し寿司を2パック買った。もちろん帰宅してから食うためではなく、翌日の朝飯用である。


At Keisei Takasago station (京成高砂駅)

ついでに、後日、上掲のT先生から4年ぶりにメールをいただいて、このシンポジウムのことを教えていただいたのだが、ときはすでに11月3日で、東京の回は既に終わっていた（本人もそのことは後悔していた。ベックの講演旅行は、このあと京都、名古屋と続いている）。

(First updated Nov. 29. 2010)

Active Life and Contemplative Life

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

This week I had less time; Oct 23 to 24 Koba, and 24 to 26 my brother visited and stayed at my room.
However, the truth is, it was planned that I make a study presentation in our seminar today.

Therefore today in the evening I had dinner with Rick, Kaz, and Anneke at Ikebukuro (池袋), which meant recognition for myself.
Of course this dinner was also a welcoming-back party for Anneke, and perhaps, it might mean a cheering-up party for Kaz who had no colleagues to talk with each other and had felt lonely in his office.
It was Rick who proposed me to invite Kaz to the dinner.

[Read more]

Going from the university with Rick, at Ikebukuro Rick and I rendezvoused with Anneke and Kaz who had arrived there and joined each other earlier.
I had not seen him for about half a year.

The restaurant which we were going to, Gold Rush, is my and Rick's favorite, and we have sometimes visited this restaurant.
So Anneke said to me in German, "du bist Leiter" ("you are a leader.") Of course what she meant is I was a person to lead them to the restaurant.
But then I said a black wit to them with the right hand raising above, "Leiter? Nein, ich bin Führer!" ("No, I am Führer!") Also Rick raised the right hand above with a serious look.
Der Führer (総統) was a title for Adolf Hitler (アドルフ・ヒトラー) in Nazi Germany (ナチスドイツ) 1933-1945, but translated into English, führen means lead as well as leiten (see Oxford German Dictionary.) And in fact in English texts or books Hitler is called the leader of Nazi Germany. Therefore now in Germany the word Führer is not used in a sense of leader (but used in a sense of driver, for example, Führerschein is a driver's license (運転免許証).)

ヒトラーはder Führer（デア・フューラー / 総統）と呼ばれていたが、英語圏ではthe leaderと呼ばれていた。他方、ドイツ語の動詞であるführen（フューレン）もleiten（ライテン）も、英語ではlead（導く）と訳すこともできる。もちろんナチスとヒトラーという負の記憶を喚起するFührerという単語は、とりわけドイツ人にとっては、心安らかならざるものである。それをわかっていて、わたしは「案内人」という意味でLeiterと呼ばれたことにたいして、「いや、俺はFührerだ」とブラックジョークを飛ばしたのである（ドイツでは、ヒトラーに敬礼するときのスタイルであったことから、発言や挨拶の際に右手を45度に上げることもご法度である。ドイツでは発言権を得たい場合は、人差し指を伸ばしながら手を挙げるそうだ）。Führerも、「案内人」という意味がないわけではないが、現在のドイツではまず使われない。

と、このように言うと、何だかわたしがとんだ無礼な輩であるように見えるかもしれないが、ジョークのセンスで言えば、Rickのほうが遥かにどぎついものを持っているので、悪しからず。むしろわたしは、彼の普段のジョークを真似たにすぎないのだ（わたしが「案内人」と「総統」をひっかけてFührerという単語を用いたことを、Annekeも承知しているはずである）。彼のジョークは、しばしば聞くに堪えない。

I was reproved by this German woman for the black wit, as expected. lol
(She knows that I have studied the theory of Hannah Arendt, and that I am interested in Hitler and totalitarianism.)



We chose Gold Rush hamburger steak (450g, 1050 yen) with an optional fried egg (sunny-side up.)
The fried egg was free because I had a coupon downloaded from Hot Pepper* (gourmet guide website) and printed (for I was Führer Leiter!)
This was the first time for Anneke and Kaz to eat its hamburger steak but they said that it was very good.

And we drank a carafe of red wine.
I rarely drank wine but that red wine with eating its steak was so good that I might have got drunk.
I hit an wine grass with the carafe by accident and broke the grass when I poured wine into my grass (very sorry!)
However, this accident could prove that I really enjoyed the dinner and felt happy with my friends. (Rick must call me "euphoric.")

About 10:30 p.m. we moved to Lotteria* (ロッテリア) in front of Ikebukuro East Area Crossing of five radiating streets (東口五差路).
The truth is, I do not remember what we were talking about there and then (because it is Nov. 25 today and almost a month has passed since then.)
All I have remembered is that Rick told me for a joke to rename this blog of mine "Ramen Satan's blog" because I had always written down about ramen.
Then Anneke said that I had not written only about ramen but also about soccer, World Cup, and Paul the octopus.
"Yes," I answered, "Paul has died just three days before, you know."

However, indeed renaming this blog could be needed because I have not written in my diary in idleness but literally in busyness...

I have just remembered that Rick said I had better write in this blog in German. Then I answered "rather interesting."

=====
I have written articles in broken English in this blog in order to break English. To be precise, I might use broken English in order to try to destroy being-broken English perfectly.

English has been almost broken all over the world; it has been possessed and spoken by many peoples and nations, that is, in the UK Received Pronunciation* (RP) have been allowed and the American speaks in American English as their almost sole common language. Moreover, Englishes are used as official in some countries and areas, for examples, Canada, Australia, India, South Africa, Hong Kong and so on. And it has been taught as the second language in a lot of countries including Japan. In other words, English is never single as if it were broken and had fallen apart all over the world.

But on the other hand, German is spoken only in nearly limited countries and areas in Europe, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and a part of Swiss. This situation of German cannot be called "broken" while in fact German language has many dialects of it in the territory where it is spoken. German is less spoken but more firmly protected against the variation than English. Therefore it can hardly be broken, and I hesitate to break German (to write in broken German.)

Even I could be allowed to break English because it has been broken by various peoples and nations all over the world, as stated above. But as for German, it is debatable that I, a foreign student who learns German, could be permitted to break it.

Incidentally, in fact around me there are some teachers for German named "dilettante," and I am hesitated by them to use German...
=====




Because the original photo looks like a portrait of a deceased person. lol

About 11 p.m. when we went out of Lotteria, in front of this shop there was a crowd standing and occupying on the street. And all of them were starring into the black night sky above. At first I did not know what they were looking at.

Kaz said to me, "suicide."
Looking carefully, someone was about to jump to the death from the multistory building.
Around the building the police and a rescue team had already prepared for saving.





I did not witness the self-killer jumping because we hurried to the station.
It was after getting to my room about 0 a.m. when I was informed through Twitter* of the fact that the self-killer gave up "her" last wish and was rescued at last.
(I was not able to tell whether the jumper was a man or woman because it was dark and I have bad sight. That tweet told me first that it was a woman.)

=====
I will not stop a suicide-commiter killing himself. Would it happy to keep alive in the world for those who lost have no hope for their future, lost faith in life, and have despaired of the world they live? I never think so. There would be no use in trying to kill themselves unless they can be released from the desperation by doing nothing but suicide. Of course it would be true that they might be happy if they even keep alive. But they must never be convinced of the happiness in the future.

Needless to say, I will stop them killing themselves if they would be about to attain their last wish just in front of my eyes.
However, I do so because I do not hope that they stay still alive but my feelings would be hurt if they would try to commit suicide before myself.

I hate the theatrical suicide show to try to commit suicide in front of other persons. I cannot understand why they have to kill themselves with the other looking on.
It seems as if they would not want to kill themselves but be eager to be sympathized by the other. The self-killer need not commit suicide in such situation.
=====

(First updated Nov. 28. 2010)

Return of the driver

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

About 0 p.m. I went to Kappa Zushi* (かっぱ寿司) (a conveyor belt sushi restaurant) nearest to my room by car with my brother.
Now it serves one plate of sushi at 90 yen in tax on weekdays (till Dec. 10. 2010) while every one plate is priced at 105 yen in tax on holidays.　
I ate 13 plates, and he ate 9 plates (22 plates, 1980 yen in total.)

[Read more]

After eating sushi, we headed the car for Sumida ward (墨田区) in order to see Tokyo Sky Tree** (東京スカイツリー) under construction.
He had never seen this new highest tower in the eyes in spite of the fact that he had come to Tokyo last December.

We ran through on National Route 6 (国道6号線) for the tower.
I took photos through the window in the car for my brother taking the steering wheel.



We passed by Narihira-bashi station on Tobu Isesaki line (東武伊勢崎線 業平橋駅) and went near the place where the tower was being built but did not park the car.



My brother said that he was not able to look carefully at the tower after all because he was concentrating on driving the car.

After getting back to my room and take a short rest, about 5 p.m. he started for Koriyama city.

(First updated Nov. 19. 2010)

Long-distance driver

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

My younger brother, Ryoma, headed for Koriyama city, Fukushima prefecture (福島県郡山市), our hometown where our parents and youngest brother lived from Kochi prefecture (高知県) by car through the following prefectures: Tokushima, Kagawa, Hyogo, Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Mie, Aichi, Shizuoka, Kanagawa (徳島県, 香川県, 兵庫県, 大阪府, 京都府, 滋賀県, 三重県, 愛知県, 静岡県, 神奈川県).
And he dropped in at my room, Tokyo to give me some Kochi souvenirs and take a rest on the way back to Koriyama; he said that he had kept on driving on the expressways without stopping for 12 hours except some short rests at service areas. And he said also that his legs were numb slightly and this was the first time for himself.

I said to him, "how crazy you are!"

[Read more]

I asked him whether he was hungry or not because I had eaten nothing but tsukemen in the evening today (already yesterday) and felt a little hungry.
He answered, "yes, a little" because he had not had dinner because of the long-distance driving.
So we went out by car in order to buy gyu-don (牛丼) at Sukiya (すき家) (I drove his car because he said that he was extremely tired.)
It was about 2:30 a.m.

---

And the day broke.

It was I who proposed that we go to Ramen Jiro Koiwa (ラーメン二郎 小岩店).
And we went out there by his car; Koiwa is a northern area of Edogawa ward (江戸川区) and close to the southern border of Katsushika ward (葛飾区) but we have to take a bus or use a car to go there from Kanamachi, a northern area of Katsushika because there are no railway to Edogawa running through the length of Katsushika.

About 1 p.m. we had to wait in line in front of the shop for a short while but got the seats soon.
This was the first time for him to eat ramen at Jiro.
He said that Jiro tasted good but was a little surprised at its strong broth and garlic.
I think that Koiwa Jiro is as good as Musa-ko (むさこ = 武蔵小金井) or Matsudo (松戸), better than Ikebukuro Jiro (池袋).
And Koiwa reminded me about a taste of old Takada-no-baba Jiro (旧高田馬場店).


Small-sized ramen (小ラーメン) (700 yen) we chose





By the way, because of Jiro Koiwa we had not felt hungry until about 9-10 p.m. lol

After going back to my room from Koiwa, about 5 p.m., we went to Akihabara (秋葉原) in order to buy a switching hub and LAN cables (Ethernet cables) for him.
We walked around there and looked for more reasonable products at some shops.
A new switching hub was a little expensive therefore we bought a secondhand one (made in 2002) at Sofmap* while we bought new LAN cables at Tsukumo*.

At first we had planned to eat Sutadon (すた丼) at Densetsu-no-Sutadon Akinabara* (伝説のすた丼 秋葉原店) but we were still full (because of Jiro!) about 9 p.m. so we went back to Kanamachi for the present.

In the train on the way to my town, I had just thought of the idea that we go to Bamiyan* (a Family Restaurant) in Katsushika ward by car and suggested that idea to my brother. At that time we had started feeling hungry.
It was about 10 p.m. when we got to Kanamachi, and about 11 p.m. when we started eating dinner at Bamiyan.
He said that Mabo doufu (特製おぼろ豆腐のコク旨マーボー) (418 yen) he ate was very delicious.
And I chose a set meal with deep-fried chicken (特盛り唐揚げ定食) (999 yen.)
(Here* you can see Bamiyan's menu.)



After the late dinner, about 0:30 p.m., we went to Nonbe Yokocho* (呑んべ横丁) (small pathways occupied by a lot of bars, pubs or "Snack Bars" (スナック) and "Izakaya"(居酒屋)) in front of Keisei Tateishi station (京成立石駅) not because we wanted to drink alcohol but this miscellaneous and dingy area might be lost because of the redevelopment therefore my brother would like to see the look of them.
(In view of that chaotic construction, Nonbe Yokocho is compared to Kowloon Walled City** (九龍城塞) in Hong Kong in rare instances.)
We were hanging around these pathways for about 30 minutes in the midnight but the sudden rain stopped our crawling.


The sigh of "Nonbe Yokocho" and my brother


Dingy pathway

(First updated Nov. 18. 2010)

Mawaranai sushi

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

I was stood sushi for dinner by Ajimo, my old friend since we were six or seven years old and elementary school students.
It was Non Conveyor Belt sushi (回らない寿司) he treated me at Tsukiji Tamazushi Ginza Core* (築地玉寿司銀座コア店) because I bought him the Academic Package of a certain computer software he wanted (of course with his money.)
(Only students, teachers or those who work for education can buy the Academic Package.)
That software is priced at 134,400 yen as fixed at Yodobashi Camera Akihabara (ヨドバシアキバ店) but the Academic Package is priced at 13,440 yen (90% off.)
That is, he treated me sushi in order to show me his gratitude. However I said to him that he needed not consideration for me.

[Read more]

Ajimo and I went to the same elementary school, the same junior high school and the same high school.
We have been buddies known each other for a longer time than June and Canon.
After graduating a national graduate school of engineering last year (2009), now he has worked for a company as a computer programmer in Tokyo.
And he has been called his slightly strange nickname, Ajimo, since he was nine or ten years old.
(I do not know in detail why he was called so. A nickname children gives their friends is often strange or sometimes come from where adults hardly think of.)
More funnily, his parents sometimes call him so.


One of sushi plates we ate

Tamazushi was very delicious! I love sushi!
I would like to take my family to this sushi restaurant someday.
Ajimo, thank you very much!

During eating sushi at Tamazushi, he confessed to me that these months he had been very and very busy at his work; on weekdays he come back home (he lives in Asaka city, Saitama pref. (埼玉県朝霞市)) 1 a.m. and go out to the office 6:30 a.m. He said that he was able to sleep only for three or four hours on weekdays. He was a hard-core video gamer when he was a student but he played the latest Pocket Monsters title released Sep. 18, 2010 in Japan, Black Version and White Version** only six or seven hours in total.
Therefore he wanted to eat delicious foods with someone in order to get rid of his stress. He did not treat me sushi only in order to show me his gratitude.

By the way, we ate about 70 sushi pieces (70貫) in total. (Can't eat less than expected!)

This restaurant closed at 10 p.m.
So we wanted to enter any coffee shop around Yurakucho station (有楽町駅) in order to carry on chatting. But any of them around that station was going to close at 11 p.m.
There was no help for it. We bought plastic bottles of drink at a Convenience Store and chatted with each other seated on the bench in the Underground Square* under Yurakucho station (有楽町地下広場) where there were few passengers going then.
We were talking especially about our family. (One tends to take care of his parents when he gets old.) As of myself in detail, I told him of my father's condition.

It was about 11:50 p.m. when we parted from each other in front of a ticket gate of Tokyo Metro Yurakucho line (地下鉄有楽町線) in Yurakucho station.

Who's a currier?

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

About 9 p.m. I visited Mammoth Curry* (マンモスカレー), Akihabara (秋葉原) with Koba.
I have already eaten their Mammoth 1.1 kg Curry three times.


Mammoth 1.1kg Curry (including 100g of free additional rice) (880 yen) with Salad (150 yen)

[Read more]

It is no doubt very easy for me to eat it up all!

And Today I cooked ramen for lunch by myself.



It looks bad but tastes no problem.
It is not "Jiro" (二郎) but could be named "Saburo" (三郎) or "Shiro" (四郎). lol

Curry on!

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

Hahaha! I'm also the Curry Satan!
Today in the evening, about 8:30 p.m., I just conquered a curry kingdom at Akihabara: Mammoth Curry*.
The enemy was mighty and heavy: 1.1kg!

[Read more]

Mammoth 1.1kg Curry (including 100g of free additional rice) (880 yen) with Salad (150 yen)

But it was not my opponent. I ate it up all easily.
It was cleaned away by my friend Beelzebub, Koba, too!



Hahaha! I will curry on... no! carry on my way!

A hard cold's night

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

It was deadly cold today too, and moreover, the wind blew heavily.

I met Koba at Akihabara about 7:30 p.m. in order to eat Mammoth Curry* (マンモスカレー) because we were not able to eat it though we visit it last Tuesday.

Before we visit Mammoth Curry, we went to a secondhand book store Bookoff there.
I watched a very famous and big hit movie Yougisha X no Kenshin (容疑者Xの献身) (The Devotion of Suspect X**) so I wanted its original same-titled novel written by Higashino keigo (東野圭吾)... Call me a "mie-her," copycat or lowbrow if you want!
I bought this novel (400 yen) as well as Tantei Garireo (探偵ガリレオ) (the detictive Garireo) (200 yen) and Yochimu (予知夢) (predictive dream) (350 yen) written also by the same author and these novels have the same main character: a 34 year-old associate professor of physics Yukawa Manabu (湯川学).

After left Bookoff about 9:00 p.m. we visit Mammoth Curry but it showed us the sign of "closed" (「準備中」) in front of its entrance in spite of the fact that its website said that shop hours are between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m!
I got mad at its closing so I sent an E-mail to its address shown at the website after I got home "when are you open? We have visited you twice but you were always closed!"

We had no alternative but to visit Densetsu no Suta-don ya* (伝説のすた丼屋). We did not go to a ramen shop such as Ramen Kagemusha (らーめん影武者) or Hakata Furyu (博多風龍) which are both located in Akihabara because I will not eat ramen in the 6 days as I decided the day before yesterday.
We had not visited this shop since we came to it last October.
When we got there there were already customers waiting in line therefore we also had to wait in deadly cold air.
I chose large-sized Suta-don (すた丼飯増し) (690 yen) and Koba ordered normal-sized Suta-don (600 yen).


large-sized Suta-don


The outside of Suta-don; it was about 10 p.m. when I took this pic but many Suta-don fans were still waiting in line.

After leaving this shop about 10 p.m., we chatted at McDonald's, Suehiro-cho (末広町) until 0 a.m.
We were listening to many Hard Rock, Heavy Metal on Youtube through the internet with my laptop computer today, too.

After we left each other when I was waiting a train at Yushima station (湯島駅), we got an E-mail from Koba. It said that he missed the last train on Ginza subway line from Suehiro-cho station (末広町駅) therefore he had to go to Akihabara station in order to take a train on the JR line from there to Takada-no-baba station (高田馬場駅) and had to go by walk on the way home which took 20-30 minutes from Takada-no-baba.
What's pity to walk through deadly cold air in the night!

After getting home I received an E-mail with some pics from my younger brother living in Niigata city, Niigata prefecture (新潟県新潟市) which is one of the snowiest regions in Japan.
He reported that it was the first time for him to see such heavy snowfall since he stared living there 3 years ago. And he said "I woke up in the morning, my car disappeared in the snow (laugh.)"
A TV news also said that the ground was covered with 80 cm of snow in Niigata city.


My younger brother's car; rescue it right now! (photo taken by himself)

It was deadly cold in Tokyo today too, and moreover, the wind blew heavily here.
Therefore I closed rain shutters (雨戸) of my room in order not to avoid rain- or snowfall (in fact it was neither raining nor snowing here then) but to protect my room from cold air itself and keep it warm when I went to bed.

Jiro-like ramen strikes Koriyama

*External link to the Japanese website

I had never known that in Koriyama city (郡山市) there was a ramen shop inspired by Ramen Jiro (ラーメン二郎).
According to this website* they said that this shop, Men-ya Ohsuka (麺屋 大須賀), had started its business since the end of October 2007.
And my mother told me that it had been more popular in Koriyama city and Fukushima prefecture, and there were always, day or night, many customers waiting in line.
It was last New Year holidays when I had stayed in Koriyama that my mother informed me of this ramen shop but I was not able to visit it then because it would be closed until Jan. 5 for New Year holidays.

At last today I visited this shop with my youngest brother Asuka who was at home because his high school had been closed for 3 days since Monday, the day before yesterday (today is Wednesday) for an entrance examination for his school.
About 1 p.m. there were about 10 customers waiting in line including 6 students of Koriyama Commercial high school (郡山商業高校) but we got seats sooner than I expected.
I chose large-sized Tomo ramen (ともらーめん大盛) (850 yen) and Asuka ordered normal-sized Tomo ramen with optional slices of boiled pork (ともらーめん小豚) (850 yen.)


Large-sized Tomo ramen

Tomo ramen tasted rather good but was LIKE but NOT Jiro as same as Ramen Kagemusha (らーめん影武者); it was less oilier and plainer than Jiro, too.
(It is recently that I noticed that in fact I sometimes got a intestinal trouble when I ate much oilier foods while I liked such oily ones; I will ask Jiro staffs next to make ramen less oilier.)
And I thought that in amount Ohsuka was less than Jiro, for example, Tachikawa (二郎 立川店) or Ikebukuro Jiro (二郎 池袋店) which I often visit and eat. Therefore it was much easier for me to eat up ramen than these Jiros.

After eating it, we went by car to the hospital in Atami town (熱海町), the west area of Koriyama city where my father had been in order to see him.

In the evening I cooked and ate Okonomi-yaki (お好み焼き) (a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients) for dinner with my family at home.
And after dinner I took Shinkansen from Koriyama station 10:04 p.m. in order to go back to Tokyo.
It was already 0 a.m. when I reached my room in Tokyo.


Okonomi-yaki on the electric griddle

[続きを読む (但し日本語のみ)]

Below are NOT translated texts but my comments only written in Japanese.

ところで上掲リンク先の画像には「川島ジム」からの花環が写っているが、大須賀の店主は元ボクサーか同ジムの関係者であろうか。川島ジムに所属する選手たちの戦績が見られるこちらのページ*には大須賀智弘という選手の名前があり、2006年2月16日を最後に成績が掲載されていないが、この大須賀選手が現在の「大須賀」の店主だろうか（そういえば、同店のラーメンは「ともらーめん」だった）。

Reading books at Pronto

*External link to the Japanese website

On the internet I searched for a coffee shop to read a book near my house.
The shop I found and went to is Pronto*.

Today this was the first time to use this shop including its all branches.
I ordered large-sized iced cocoa (340 yen). Rather reasonable.
I was reading books for 3 and a half hours between 5 and 8:30 p.m.
Surely it was not quiet but comfortable to read books because there were no noisy high-school students, teenagers and the vulgar opposite to McDonald's.
I like it. I would like to use it again.

And I would like to thank staffs of this shop who gave me a glass of water 3 times as if they had told me "to go out quickly." (This is a sarcasm.)

My brothers from Koriyama (2)

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

It was I who woke up first this morning (about 9 a.m.)
My youngest brother who fell asleep first last night woke up latter than the owner of this room; usually we wake up early whenever we sleep in an unusual space, for example, a hotel room on travel or our friend's house? At least I cannot sleep well in such a place. (Therefore I rarely stay at others' house.) That is, he can sleep well everywhere. (He is amazing!)

We had lunch a little late about 2 p.m. because he woke up so late (about 0 p.m.)
We ate hamburger steaks at France-tei* (ふらんす亭) near my house today too for the same reason as yesterday. (That is, my youngest brother wanted to eat it.)
They tasted rather good. Therefore I said to brothers "we can eat good hamburger steaks near my house without bothering to visit Shibuya."


Double Garlic Hamburger steaks I ate (1130 yen)

It was about 4 p.m. when we started from my room for Koriyama city because I had not finished preparing for the homecoming.
Therefore we were not able to visit Tokyo Sky Tree** (東京スカイツリー) which is under construction and which my 21 year-old brother would like to visit.
While I was preparing for about 1 hour my brothers had a nap.

Our car ran through on the highway, Tokyo-gaikan Expressway (東京外環自動車道) and Tohoku Expressway (東北自動車道).
My 21 year-old brother drove it on the whole way to Koriyama city. (In fact this car is his own.)
And he asked me to take turns at driving before starting but after about 1 hour from starting I fell asleep as well as my youngest brother (laugh.)

It took about 2.5 hours to go to Koriyama city from my room in Tokyo.
Our driver said that this was the first time and it was easy to drive a car on these highways.

Dormitory meeting

I ate dinner with Rick & Kaz at Yayoi-ken (やよい軒), Kunitachi.

At first I promised only Rick to have dinner together but on the way to where to rendezvous with him, I encountered Kaz really by chance on the street in front of Kunitachi station.
We left each other 8:30 p.m. because they had to attend a meeting for the dormitory they lived in starting since 9:30 p.m. and they called this meeting "NPA" sc. "the National People's Assembly" (全人代; 全国人民代表会議) of China.
In other words, they thought that this meeting was just rituals and meaningless.

I went to bed earlier, about 10:30 p.m. because last night I stayed up all night and was very tired.
But about 11:30 p.m. my cellular phone received E-mails from them both.
They said that "NPA will keep on going more" (Rick) or "NPA is very hard" (Kaz.)
Of course it was in the next morning after I woke up that I read them.
And I do not know when it came to an end.

Presentation and party

Today I gave a research presentation to my professor Mr. Fujino and his seminalians.
Therefore I had stayed inside my house for 5 days (since Dec. 13) in order to prepare it.
And I did not no time to get a wink of sleep last night because of it.
I was very tired and suffered from stiff neck and backache.
I almost got to be crazy.

There were 6 students including Rick attending to the seminar.
Mr. F did not appear who was so euphoric because he would study abroad in Germany for a year since next February.
...At least I (maybe and Rick) did not want him to come.

During my presentation, about 6:30 p.m., Kaz and a woman student came to our room and invited us to their party which was held in their professor Ms. Furusawa's office room.
Our professor answered that he attend it with a German wine.
(He always stores wines, especially German ones, in his office.)

Mr. Fujino got CDs on which natural voices of Hannah Arendt had been recorded (maybe in German) when he went to Germany 3 weeks ago.
Dr. Mac who is the oldest among us except our professor and study on Arendt's theory borrowed them from him.
Mr. Fujino speaks in Kyoto dialect and is abusive but has something to be engaging.



In Ms. Furusawa's small office there were 15 students and professors crowded at the most.
To this party students and professors attended from Prof. Ogata's seminar as well as Furusawa's or Fujino's one (that is us.)
And Ms. Furusawa's seminarians most of who were women cooked meals and prepare it (thanks!)
That is to say, we Mr. Fujino's seminarians ate and drank only (oh, sorry!)
But of course we helped them clean up the room after the party.

I almost got to be crazy and perhaps drunk a little because I drank beer and ate a stew seasoned with Japanese sake (日本酒) in spite of being very tired.
I talked with Mr. Ogata about trains and railways.
He is a hard-core railfan and belonged to a railfun club when he was a high school or university student.

During the party I took some photos so I showed them on the internet after it.
And I sent a E-mail to the attendees to share these photos with them.
But I got no reactions from them! F**kin' s**t!


Smoking Kaz (photo taken by Rick, no obscuring)

Break the lukewarmness!

I ate dinner with Rick at Yayoi-ken (やよい軒), Kunitachi city, tonight too.

We were taking about what (or whose theory) we should study in the future.
And we confirmed that we had to study harder because students of our graduate school including us sometimes became lazy.
We should not be content with the lukewarmness, the lazy circumstances of our graduate school.

On and after the seminar

On today's seminar I heard from our professor that tommorow he would go to Germany for official duties.
I envy that because of yen's present appreciation against the euro.
(now 1 euro is about 130 yen. Very cheap!)

And I heard from Rick that Kaz caught a cold which might be the H1N1 (or swine) influenze (新型インフルエンザ).
I saw him Monday this week so I may catch this disease from him (what a trouble!).

After our seminar I ate dinner with 3 seminarians including Rick who belong to the same seminar as I at a family restaurant, Bamiyan in Kunitachi city (sorry no photos).
I have never visited every Bamiyan for 2 or 3 years.
Bamian-ramen tasted good in spite of the fact that it was low-priced (418 yen in tax).
After a dinner we chatted there until about 10:30 p.m.

Beaujolais nouveau and spaghetti

In the evening, about 9:30 p.m., I went to the university dormitory in Kodaira city where my friends Rick and Kaz lives.
And we ate spaghetti for dinner which both cooked (I did nothing but taking photos!) with drinking beer and wine Beaujolais nouveau (ボージョレー・ヌーヴォー) of this year which was just released on Thursday this week.
(Beaujolais nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November in every country every year.)


Two men's cooking

Rick said "this wine is not good."
I do not like wine so much and then took some sips of it that I was not able to tell whether it was good or not.
One of Japanese newspapers said (like to the Japanese website) that Beaujolais nouveau of 2009 was the best in the last 50 years.
(Of course the trouble is that they say every year that Beaujolais nouveau of this year is the best.)

Their spaghetti was rather good.


Mainly Rick cooked spaghetti and in fact he was a good cook.

After having a dinner, we chatted at Rick's room until about 6:30 a.m. (Kaz went back to his room at about 3 a.m.) with watching Rick's photos which were taken during his travel around Eastern Europa including Moldova and Romania in last summer.
Only Kaz kept drinking the rest of that not-good wine then.
And I also brought my photos which were taken when I travelled with my friend Koba in Germany for 8 days Mar. '06 so we watched them. These photos showed us younger myself (then just 21 years old) than I now.

We, Rick and I, went to Matsuya (松屋) near Kokubunji station and ate Buta-don for breakfast before we left each other at this station about 7:30 a.m.
I bought Weekly Shonen Jump at Kiosk of Ochanomizu station and arrived back home 9 a.m.
When I went to bed is about 9:30 a.m.

Christmas tree

I had a dinner with my friend Rick at Yayoiken, Kunitachi city (やよい軒国立店).

In front of a supermarket Seiyu (西友国立店) opposite Yayoiken, Christmus tree has already stood.
It will be Christmas soon, and no sooner is this year going to end than Christmas...
Time cannot wait for me. That is exactly "time flies like an arrow".



After a dinner, we chatted at McDonald's next to Seiyu until 11 p.m.
He always speak ill of our seminarians and about his favorite female TV personalities, Yamamoto Mona (山本モナ), a British-Japanese comedienne Becky (ベッキー), and a young girl from UK Becky Cruel (not on TV but on Youtube she appears, of course I know).

Study presentation

This week I had been busy until today because I had to give a presentation of the results of my study on philosophy of an political theorist Hannah Arendt in our Professor's seminar.
A little more seminalists (8 persons) attended to today's seminar than to last week's one (7 persons).
Last night I had less time to sleep because I had to prepare for next day's presentation of mine. And I was very nervous.
The seminar had been held from 4.30 to 7.00 p.m...So tired.

After the seminar I, his seminarians and my study mates (including Kaz & Rick) went to the restaurant near our university and had evening meals.
And I drank beer.
I do not like drinking alcohol so much but drinking beer after working is very good!
One of them said to me. "You got drunk a little?"


*I took this photo so I was not on it.

[日本語版を読む]

今週は今日まで忙しかった。
大学院のゼミで研究発表をしなければならなかったからだ。
テーマはもちろん、政治理論家ハンナ・アーレントの哲学である。

今日のゼミ（8人）は先週（7人）に比べてちょっとだけ参加者が多かった。
前日の夜は翌日の発表の準備のために寝る時間もあまりなく、他人の粗探しばかりが得意な聴衆を前にしてわたしは非常に緊張していた。
ゼミは午後4時半から7時まで続いた。すげー疲れた。

ゼミのあと、わたしはゼミ生、研究仲間たち（KazやRickを含む）と大学近くのレストランに行った。
わたしはビールを飲んだ。
アルコールを飲むのはそんなに好きではないが、しかし仕事のあとのビールは最高だとつくづく思った。
同伴者の一人に言われた、「きみちょっと酔ってんじゃないの？」と。

（ここからは英語版では書いていません）
KazとRickが先に帰ったあと、残ったメンバー（3人）でしばし談笑した。
まず話題に上ったのは、なぜか、わたしの「かな打ち入力」であった。
きっかけは、居残りメンバーの一人がポメラを購入したと切り出したことだった。

わたしはローマ字ではなく、かな打ち入力でワープロを使うのだが、
わたしが「頭に思い浮かべた日本語の文章を、ひとまずアルファベットに置き換えたのちに入力するというのは、ちと理解できない」と言うと、
一人に「それは慣れの問題だ」とあっさり言われた。その通りだと思うけれども。
しかし、このサーヴィスをいつまでもマイクロソフトが提供しつづけてくれる保証はないので、
「早くローマ字打ちに慣れろ」と結論づけられてしまった。

わたしは欧文を、それもご覧の通りそこそこ早く、打てるのだ。
ところがローマ字入力をせよとなると、途端に思考が鈍るのである。

そのあと、どういうわけか話題はヴィデオゲームに移行した。
わたしたちは大体同世代なので、やってきているソフトもまあまあ同じなのだ。
最年長の博士過程3年生は、スーパーファミコンで止まっているとは言っていたが。
この彼は、ドラクエ3のセーブデータがやたら消えやすいことに悲憤慷慨していた。

Lost in Akihabara

I went to Akihabara with my friend Koba in the evening.



At first I bought a manga Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (神のみぞ知るセカイ) (The World God Only Knows) , vol. 6. serialized on Weekly Shonen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー) by Wakaki Tamiki (若木民喜) at a book store, Melon Books (メロンブックス).
I love a love comedy!

Then we ate Suta-don (すた丼) at Densetsu no Suta-don (伝説のすた丼) (legendary Suta-don) at evening meal.
Suta-don stands for Sutamina-don and is a rice bowl with sauted pork seasoned with soy sauce, spice and garlic flavor.
I have eaten it at Waseda and Kunitachi city but this was the first time for me to eat it at Akihabara.


*Right is Suta-don; left is Miso soup and above is a raw egg.

At last we went to McDonald's at Suehiro-cho (末広町).
We chatted there about Heavy Metal and Rock and Roll music with listening to, for example, METALLICA, KING CRIMSON, DREAM THEATER, PARADOX, and so on with my Gigabeat and ultra-mobile laptop.
We were there until almost 0 a.m. next day, the time to get the last train.