Since the planned trip was cancelled, so, we decided to have a drinking party…
ビール・日本酒・ワインがテーブルに並び、これはビールを飲み終え日本酒に移るところ。
Beer, sake, and wine were lined up on the table, and this is when we finished the beer and moved on to the sake.
ワタシも食べたい!とアピールすると、、、
Konatsu said, “I want some too! I want some too!
出てくるんだよねえ、こなつ用の刺身が
Sashimi for Konatsu!
このあとも沢山いただきました! ここからは我々のオツマミです。
Konatsu had plenty more after that! The following is our meal.
焼いただけの下仁田ネギ。皮1枚を剥いて食べると中はトロトロで旨い。
Shimonita leeks, just grilled. When you peel off the skin and eat it, the inside is tender and delicious. It’s hard to describe the food from here on out, so you’ll just have to guess from the pictures.
刺身の盛り合わせ
蛇腹ポテトと言うらしいが、モスラみたい、、、(笑)
大根と蕗のとう味噌
御殿場のミートプロ鈴木の馬刺し
ワタシ、まだまだイケるんですけど、、、 お手して催促(笑)
I can eat more… Konatsu said.
結局もらえちゃうんだよねえ。。。
Then, this is what happens in the end.
ドライいちじくFigLogと生ハムとチーズのサラダ
ブロッコリーの唐揚げ(ニンニクとめんつゆに浸して揚げる)
蒟蒻白和え 菜の花白和え
ウィンナーとピーマンの炒め物
たくさん食べて満足顔のこなつ。
Konatsu looks satisfied after eating a lot.
最後にとらやの赤飯大福、これも美味しい!
Finally, Daifuku for dessert! Daifuku is a rice cake stuffed with red bean paste.
これはもらえないと悟ったこなつは諦めて寝る態勢。楽しい飲み会でした。
Konatsu, realizing that she would not get it, gave up and went to bed. It was a fun night.
For all the fun I had been looking forward to, New Year’s Days passed by without me doing anything. It was a good thing that Konatsu seemed to be having more fun than usual, with friends coming to visit and my daughter coming to visit.
Yesterday, my daughter and I trimmed Konatsu’s hair. We couldn’t do it as well as a professional trimmer, but I think we got a reasonably clean cut. By the way, this New Year’s Day, we had a lot of GosetsusHI that we bought and my wife made, so there is still a lot of Osechi left after the three days of the New Year.
残ったお刺身は昆布締めにして食べたが、昆布の旨味が浸み込んでこれまたイイ感じ。
I ate the leftover sashimi by kombu-sandwiched flounder sashimi , which is also good because the flavor of the kombu soaks into the sashimi!
煮物もまだまだ沢山ある。
There are still a lot of simmered dishes.
まだまだこんなもんじゃない。。。
This is not all…
特にお正月感がある訳ではないが、おでん
It is not particularly New Year’s feeling, but oden
玉子料理あれこれに栗きんとん。まだまだ終わりじゃない、、、
egg dishes, and chestnut kinton (sweetened sweetened chestnuts).
最後は日替わりのお雑煮。初日の御節の他にこんなに料理があったら、そりゃなかなか食べきれないよなぁ。
Since there are so many dishes besides the first day’s Osechi, it’s hard to finish all of them, isn’t it?
On New Year’s morning, I went out to walk Konatsu as usual, but as soon as I left home, the roads were jammed.
湘南海岸は初日の出を拝みに来るスポットだから県外ナンバーの車がやたらと多い。
Shonan coast is a spot where people come to see the first sunrise of the year, so there are a lot of cars with license plates from outside of the prefecture.
This is the railroad crossing in front of Kamakura High School Station, famous for the “Slam Dunk” movie. It usually takes me 5 minutes to get here, but today it took me more than 20 minutes.
R134もちっとも進まない。。。
R134 is not going any faster…
日の出の時間が迫り、振り返ると富士山がピンク色に染まって見えていた。
As sunrise time approached, I looked back and saw Mt. Fuji turning pink.
日の出を待つ人々が海岸に大勢見える。良く見ると砂浜は人で溢れている。
Many people can be seen on the beach waiting for the sunrise. The beach was full of people.
私もギリギリ日の出に間に合い、この写真が撮れた。
I was just in time to catch the sunrise, and was able to take this photo.
更には、江ノ電の窓の中に上る初日の出が撮れた!
I was also able to take a photo of the first sunrise in the window of the train!
そして、いつもの七里ヶ浜の広場に移動して
Then we moved to the usual park at Shichirigahama…
アンズちゃん、今年も宜しくね!
Anne, I wish you all the best this year!
ハウル君も宜しくね!
Howl, you too!
そして家に戻って、新年祝いの膳。今年も稲村ケ崎「虹」の御節です。
Back at home, we had a New Year’s celebration breakfast “Osechi” “Osechi” are traditional foods which are eaten by a lot of Japanese on New Year’s Day. It includes many kinds of Japanese traditional foods, and they are packed together in “Jubako”, which is a special box that resembles bento boxes.
11月に金沢に行ったときにお正月用に買っておいた御神酒
sacred sake
こなつも我々も健康で幸せに過ごせる1年でありますように!
May this be a year of health and happiness for Konatsu and for us all!
The year is almost over. Yesterday, we were going to have a drinking party at our house with our neighbor’s friends, and as we were preparing, Konatsu sniffed the first whiff of something…
かなり早い時間から外の様子を見に行ったり、、、
She went to look out the window from quite early in the afternoon…
「まだ来ないのかなぁ」と玄関まで降りて行ったりしていた。
She went down to the front door and wondered if they were coming yet.
そして夕方に飲み会スタート。乾杯はちょっと珍しいベルギービール!
Then we started drinking in the evening. A toast with some rare Belgian beer!
このあと、こなつママの料理や友人が持ってきてくれた料理が次々と出てきて、、、
After this, dishes that my wife cooked and friends brought were served one after another…
Today, we invited our friends to a home party at our house. It was the day of the World Cup soccer match between Japan and Costa Rica, so we planned to enjoy the party while watching the live TV broadcast.
我々が準備をしているのを見て、こなつは今夜は誰かが来るようだということを感じ取り、、、
When Konatsu saw us getting ready, she sensed that someone was coming tonight,
so she went down to the front door and waited. When they don’t arrive, she sometimes goes to the window on the stairs to see what is going on outside. I am impressed by Konatsu’s ability to sense things at times like this.
やがて皆さん到着し宴会スタートです!
Soon everyone arrives and the party begins!
おお、何だか前菜から気合が入っているねえ!
Oh, my wife’s cooking is really enthusiastic right from the appetizer!
漬物の盛り合わせ
Assorted Japanese pickles
里芋の煮物、カボスの風味付けで里芋の美味しさが引き立っている。
Taro simmered with kabosu (a type of citrus fruit), the flavor of the taro is enhanced by the kabosu.
As the party progressed and we were feeling tipsy and comfortable, the game kicked off. I was watching the game thinking that there was no way they could lose…
The day before this, I went to Gunma on a business trip and bought some Shimonita leeks from the production area. It is an ingredient that feels like winter as it is just entering its season.
近所の魚屋に頼んでおいた刺身。これが出てくるとこなつのアピールが始まる!
Sashimi I ordered from a local fishmonger. As soon as this appears on the table, Konatsu’s appeal begins!
それ、ワタシの分もあるよね!と鋭い視線(笑) こなつ用には別のお刺身を用意してある。
You have some for me, too, right? she looked at me sharply (lol). I have prepared other sashimi for Konatsu.
こなつの至福のひとときなのだ
It is a moment of happiness for Konatsu!
3種類のコロッケ コンビーフ、鮭、コーン
Three kinds of Korokke, which is like a Japanese croquette.
In the 26th minute of the second half of the match, Ito was knocked down and it looked like a penalty kick, but it was just outside the area. The free kick was not scored, Japan lost a goal right after this! I was so stunned that I did not take any pictures of the food after the game. The result of the game was not so good…
In our neighborhood, many good soba restaurants have closed one after another in the past few years, and now I heard that Sea Castle, a German restaurant in Yuigahama, will close this month. When I hear that a restaurant is closing, I suddenly feel like going there to eat…
今日の昼過ぎになって急に「食べに行こう!」と、こういう話はまとまるのが早い!
This afternoon, I suddenly said, “Let’s go eat there!” And, this kind of story is decided so quickly!
I heard that the restaurant is always crowded these days due to the spread of the closure story on SNS, but luckily we were able to get in without any problems today. The restaurant has been featured on TV and in magazines for a long time and has many fans, so it will be crowded every day for the rest of the week.
いかにもドイツの家庭料理って感じの雰囲気がする店内。
The interior of the restaurant has the atmosphere of German home cooking.
私はソーセージ盛り合わせのコースを注文
I ordered the sausage platter course.
ママはドイツ風ミートボールのコースを注文
My wife ordered the German-style meatballs course.
The lunch menu comes with a main dish, salad, soup, bread, and coffee. It’s been a while since I’ve had it, but it’s still delicious. It is a pity that this restaurant will be closed.
When we paid the bill, the famous owner (a German woman) told us, “If you see me anywhere, please talk to me,” but she is already very old, so I just wish her well.
We toasted with beer, followed by sparkling red wine. This was also brought by a guest and cost 900 yen at Costco. But pretty tasty and great value for money!
Cooked eggplant, kelp and myoga. After this, there was Japanese buckwheat noodles to finish the meal, but I forgot to take a picture of it, so we moved on to dessert.
小田原土産の夏柑ゼリー
Natsukan jelly, a souvenir from Odawara
それとメロンがこの日のデザートでした。今回はお酒を控えめに飲んだので翌朝もスッキリ!
And melon was the dessert of the day. I drank less alcohol this time, so I felt refreshed the next morning!
翌日は朝から強い雨が降ったり止んだり、台風の影響を感じるねえ。。。
The next day, it rained hard from the morning, and I could feel the effects of the typhoon.
The first and second times, I waited and waited, but by the fourth time, I was like, “Again? Up to the third time, I had taken Pfizer, but this time I took Moderna, which is rumored to have strong adverse reactions. I was worried about what kind of symptoms I might have, but today I invited my friends over for a drinking party at my house.
ビールはよりどりみどり
Beers are more plentiful
こなつも準備万端
Konatsu is ready to go.
最初のおつまみは刺身。ということはこなつの出番だね!
The first appetizer is sashimi. Which means it’s Konatsu’s turn!
Hungry, I searched on my smartphone for a doggy-friendly cafe or restaurant nearby, and found a doggy-friendly steakhouse less than five minutes from here. Steak for lunch? I thought to myself, “But why not have a light dinner! So we went to the restaurant.
This is the terrace where you and your dog can sit together. The terrace seating is surrounded by walls and a roof, making it a very cozy, semi-private room.
店内の席よりも広く使えるし、周りに気を遣うこともないし、犬連れには嬉しい。
It’s more spacious than the seats in the restaurant, you don’t have to worry about your surroundings, and it’s great for dogs.
これがランチメニュー
This is the lunch menu
私はD:ランプステーキ
I ordered D: rump steak.
こなつママはA:ハンバーグステーキとサーモンフライ
My wife had A: hamburger steak and fried salmon
これがセットで付いてくる。コーヒー・スープ・サラダはお代わり自由。
This comes as a set. In addition, coffee, soup, and salad can be refilled freely.
これで帰ろうとしたら、まだデザートが出されるということで
We were about to leave with this, but they were still serving dessert.
美味しかったし、これだけ食べてメニューにある値段ならコストパフォーマンスはかなり良いと思います。
It was delicious, and for the price on the menu for so much food, I think the value for money is quite good.
While we wait for it to be ready, let’s have a drink and wait! This is also the sake that was sent with the meat. It says “Super Special,” but I have never had such sake.
美味しいし、呑みやすいし、何杯でもグイグイ行いけちゃいそうです(笑)
It tastes good, is easy to drink, and I think I can drink as many glasses as I want.(lol)
こなつは準備の様子を食い入るように見ており、、、
Konatsu watches the preparations with rapt attention…
アタシのもある? という顔で私に訴えかけています。
Konatsu is appealing to me with a face that says, “Do you have one of my own?
これはこなつにはあげられないけど、、、
I can’t give this to Konatsu, but…
こなつはいつものようにお刺身をもらっています。
Konatsu is getting sashimi as usual.
お刺身をもらえただけでこの笑顔。可愛いねえ。。。
This smile was made just by being served sashimi. How cute…
すぐにもっと頂戴!と手が伸びてくる。
Right away, “Give me more!” and the hand reaches out.
As expected, Golden Week Holidays As expected, Kamakura and Enoshima are crowded during the Golden Week holiday season. One of the aim for tourists is fresh shirasu (whitebait), but the catch has been slow recently. Today, I called fisherman’s store Hamano and asked, “Do you have any fresh baby sardines?” They replied, “We have some! So I immediately made a reservation.
江ノ島のすぐ目の前に流れる境川、その河口に浜野水産はあります。
Hamano Store is located at the mouth of the Sakai River, which flows right in front of Enoshima.
知る人ぞ知るシラスの名店
A famous fisherman’s store for those in the know
生シラスだけでなく、獲れたてイワシもあったので2袋ゲット! 安くて新鮮!
Got two bags of freshly caught sardines as well as fresh whitebait! Cheap and fresh!
夕飯の食卓にド~ンと登場! ビール&ワインには最高です。
Plenty on the dinner table! Great with beer & wine.
お刺身大好きなこなつは人間の一人前くらいペロリと食べちゃいます。
Konatsu, who loves sashimi, eats about one human portion in one sitting.
更に、残ったイワシの骨はオーブンで65℃で7時間半焼きます。すると、、、
Furthermore, the remaining sardine bones are baked in the oven at 65°C for 7.5 hours. Then…
これもこなつが大好きな「骨せんべい」の完成です!
Here’s another one of Konatsu’s favorite “bone crackers!”
「それ、アタシのですよね!」と見つめるこなつ
That’s mine, isn’t it? Konatsu stares at them.
早くちょ~だい!!!
Hurry up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
あっという間に残り僅か。これは大事に食べようね!
In no time at all, there are only a few left. Let’s eat the rest little by little with care!