Last Sunday we had our annual cherry blossom viewing party.

This year, the weather was great. Some years it is too cold or rainy, but on Sunday it was about 15 degrees and sunny. It was a little windy, though.

It was also good timing for the cherry blossoms. The trees were in full bloom, so it was the best time for the party.

I usually go alone to reserve our place with a groundsheet early in the morning, but this year my older son, Tatsuki, went along to help me.

Around 7:30 we arrived at the Sakura Carnival area. There were already a lot of groundsheets reserving places, but we found a large open area and put down our 24-tatami sized sheet.

After that we went home again and relaxed a bit and then rode back the hanami area a little before noon.

Few people came during the first hour, but from 1pm more and more people arrived.

This was not just a NEO party. Every year, I invite some of my friends and everybody is allowed to bring their own friends and family.

We don’t have a BBQ at the party. I just provide a place to sit and gather and guests bring their own food and drinks.

I like this system because people can join and leave the party any time they want to, so there is no pressure to arrive at a specific time.

Also, when people bring their friends and family, I can meet new people, which is always fun and interesting.

When the sun went down, it got chilly because of the cool breeze, and most people left by that time.

A few people remained and helped me clean up the trash and the groundsheet.

I guess that more than 50-60 people came out over the course of the day.

I was happy to see so many people enjoying the blossoms and spending time with each other.

Please join us again next year!

噂の城主猫さんじゅーろーを見てきました。いえ、正しくは「備中松山城にいる猫」を見てきた、ということです。この松山城は恐らく子供の頃に行ったことがあると思うのですが記憶が朧気なので丁度いい機会でした。行ったのは３月も末、だのに最高気温が13度。430mの高さにあり風も強くダウンジャケットが要る日でしたが、それでも土曜日曜の来城者はそれぞれ400～500人もいたそうです。お城はこじんまりとしていますが細かな説明パネルが沢山ありました。残念ながらどれも英語が一切ない。日本人以外の人もちらほらいましたが折角の説明が日本語しかなかったのが痛い。

その小さな天守閣に装束の間も備えられていました。天守閣なので平素はここに城主は住まない。でも籠城の際に城主一家が住むためで、この装束の間では城主が装束を身に付ける。いざというときにはつまり白装束を付ける場であり、つまりは切腹を果たす場であるということ。なので装束の間に入るときに私は少しゾワっとしました。歴史の古いこのお城は鎌倉時代（1240年代築城）なので、いつかの城主のときには切腹をした人がいるのかもしれませんが、知りたくないです。

このお城はそれとは別の名物が居ます。猫城主でその名もさんじゅーろーと平仮名表記される猫です。Nickも数回このお猫様に会いにいっています。猫にあるまじき人懐っこさで、この猫を目当てに来訪する人も多々。赤茶の毛ですが、これが今は珍しい三毛猫だったならばこんなにおいそれとは人前に出してもらえなかったでしょう。三毛猫は日本のどこかしこで見られたのに今は数が少なくなったようです。縁起のいい毛の猫ということで招き猫のモチーフになっていますが…招き猫さえ街角では見なくなった昨今です。

Ok, I have another restaurant recommendation! There used to be a good burger shop in Okayama called Heap Burger, but it closed down in 2023. Fortunately, the owner has opened a new shop down in Urayasu, and they have breakfast food and desserts in addition to burgers!

What else could you ask for?

The new place is called Joy My Life (awkward English, I know). The décor could be described as Americana, just like Heap Burger, but brighter and more colorful – like an old diner. And the food is delicious! They have pancakes, sandwiches and burgers, as well as some amazing cookies and other baked goods. Perfect for brunch.

A few words of caution: first, you’ll probably need a car to get there, but the parking is somewhat limited. There are only 6-7 spots out front. Also, Joy My Life is open only for breakfast and lunch – it closes at 4:30pm. They’re closed on Tuesdays.

Okayama is already lucky to have several good burger shops, and this place is a welcome addition. I’m already planning my next trip.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Last month, F-san traveled to India. She joined a Japanese tour group and went to Gaya, a holy place in Buddhism, Varanasi, famous for the Ganges River, and Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. India is very different from Japan, so there are many interesting places to go and things to do there. If you see F-san at NEO, please ask her about her trip. Where do you want to go in 2025?

Several years ago, I started going to some Fagiano football games. For many years I often saw the fans wearing lots of goods on game days, but I never thought much about it. Once I started going to games, I realized how exciting it can be. The fans in Okayama are so passionate and have been so patient for many years. The big news at the end of last year was that Fagiano managed to finally achieve their dream of making it to the top J1 league. It is exciting to see the team now experiencing the dream it has long desired. I am hoping they will finish the league in at least the top half. It would be great to see the team prove their ability and hopefully attract more great players and sponsors.

Due to the excitement of it all, it has been more difficult to get tickets this year. A lot of local people who did not go to games before are now very interested. There is also a lot of excitement to see famous J1 teams and players. I do not have a season pass but I am in the fan club. This makes it a little easier to get tickets. Since season passes have sold out this year, it is still quite a rush to get tickets for home games. I also can only go to home games on Sundays which limits my chances.

Last week I managed to finally go see my first game this year. I went to see the match against Kawasaki Frontale. Despite it being a home game, a lot of Kawasaki fans came to Okayama to watch the game. The weather was poor, and it rained throughout most of the match. Many players kept slipping and falling over. Sadly, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. For a game with no goals, it was quite entertaining. Both teams made a lot of good plays and had chances to score. I personally think Fagiano played better overall, especially in the first half which they were in control of. It was a shame they could not get a goal in, but to be fair the other team’s goalkeeper had a great game.

I already have tickets to another game in early April against FC Tokyo. There are some very famous players on that team so I am sure many people will go to see it. Fagiano are currently sitting around the middle of the table. It may still be early, but hopefully they can start to get some more wins and advance higher. I think the current team has a lot of potential, and they have some great set plays and strategies. This year will be a real test for them.

先日、作家の曾野綾子さんが亡くなられました。御年93歳だったとか。同じ綾子さんは綾子さんでも、私は三浦綾子さんの作品の方が好きです。

10代の頃はもちろん漫画も好きで呆れるほどよく読んでいました。漫画を斜め読みしすぎてあっという間に1冊を読む終えてしまうと、早々に読み終えてしまったというガッカリの襲来。これを幾度も繰り返すと、もう漫画はほとほといいやと思うようになってしまいました。同じ理由で、私は古い作家さんの本が好きです。理由は、ページぎっしりに内容が書かれてあるから。最近の本は改行ばかりでページがスカスカ。読む量が少なくて物足りないのです。

本の話になったその日、私が「月に何冊本を読みますか？」とクラスに尋ねました。そこで「ひと月ですか？」というNさんの返事です。こういう反応が来る場合はひと月よりも短い単位で沢山本を読むから、1か月に読む本を数えないといけない、という人です。つまりたったの1週間でもそれなりの数の本を読むという意味です。お返事は案の定、週に5冊程読まれると。1週間は7日しかありませんよ。つまり1日1冊読み終えていることが多いという意味です。そしてその本たちはどれも買う、自宅に保管している、と言われるではありませんか！うーん、一度お宅にお邪魔したい。書斎を見せてほしい！Can I come see your study?というのを辛うじて我慢しました。

昨今の私は本を横目にYouTubeでテニスの動画と中国語ドラマばかりに明け暮れています。それでもぼちぼち読んでいるのがこちら２冊。この東野圭吾の本は至って普通でした。三浦綾子の塩狩峠は久しぶりに本棚から出しましたが、紙の変色も凄ければ印字の小ささが半端ない。同じ日本語の小説なのに、カタカナがない古い本はどうにも読んでいるとタイムスリップさせられる気分です。１００均の老眼鏡をかけないと読めないのが痛いところです。