Zen Christmas －禅クリスマス－ ジャパンタイムズに記事が掲載されました

ウィルの クリスマスの記事がジャパンタイムズに掲載されました。

リンクはこちらです：ジャパンタイムズ記事リンク（2020/12/25）

メリークリスマス☆

Lunch Minus Forty －ランチ マイナス ４０－

It was my fortieth birthday recently.  So I decided to go with my wife to a high-class Italian restaurant to celebrate. 

My wife took a half day off from work, so that we could go while my son was at nursery.  We chose an expensive restaurant which has a relationship with our health insurance provider.  That relationship meant that we could eat for half the normal price, as long as we showed them our insurance cards. 

Having a four year old son, it is difficult to go to any restaurant that is not a family restaurant.  So we hadn’t eaten any gourmet food for years.  We were both really looking forward to the experience.  We spent ages debating which course we should select – the 4,000 Yen, 6,000 Yen, or 8,000 Yen per head course?  In the end we settled on the 6,000 Yen per head course, which we could get for just 3,000 Yen each. 

This meal came with a meat dish, a fish dish, a pasta dish, soup, salad, bread, dessert, and coffee.  We spent a lovely evening debating truffles versus duck, and sorbet versus tiramisu.  Then my wife completed the on-line booking, and we went to bed happy. 

The restaurant is far from our house.  So we had to take a 55 minute bus ride to get there.  It was cold on the bus, because all of the windows were open.  But we were warmed by the thought of the Italian delicacies we would soon be enjoying. 

We got to the restaurant, had our temperature taken, disinfected our hands, and handed over our insurance cards.  A slight smell of exotic cheeses drifted from a luxurious tray carried by a passing waiter. 

“Ah, you did make a reservation, didn’t you?” said the receptionist. 

“Yes,” said my wife, brightly. 

“It’s just that we have no record of your reservation,” said the receptionist.  “You do know that in order to eat a course lunch, you have to book at least two days in advance, don’t you?” 

My wife’s on-line reservation hadn’t been completed correctly.  We couldn’t eat the course lunch.  And the staff weren’t in any way sympathetic. 

“All we can serve you is the daily pasta lunch, or the chicken lunch.  It’s 550 Yen.  It comes with some bread.” 

My wife said quietly, “Um, I have an egg allergy.” 

The receptionist didn’t look pleased.  “You had better eat the chicken lunch then, without any bread.”

 My pasta lunch was probably nice – about 550 Yen’s worth of nice. But every mouthful tasted of the ashes of my lost truffles and tiramisu.  Then we paid and left.  And the 55 minute bus ride home was oh so cold. 

I just hope I can survive until my fiftieth birthday lunch.

 

Vocabulary:

a health insurance provider – a company which will help to pay your medical costs if you get sick

gourmet food – luxury or high-class food

per head – for each person

a delicacy – a rare or luxury food dish

to disinfect something – to thoroughly clean something, to remove viruses

ashes – the black and grey powder that is left after something is burned

 

Dougal －ドゥーガル－

In a comedy series set in the home of three Irish Catholic priests, there was once a very silly scene.  The drunk priest is snoring in the corner.  The clever priest is sitting next to a window with the stupid priest.  Outside the window, some cows are chewing the grass. 

The clever priest holds up a tiny little plastic cow, and shows it to Dougal, the stupid priest.  “This cow is small,” he says.  He points out of the window.  “That cow is far away.” 

Dougal tries to understand, but can’t get it. “But they both look the same size!” 

I remembered this scene when I took my son to the top of Nerima ward office.  We went up to the twentieth floor, and looked out of the windows.  My wife pointed out Tokyo Sky Tree in the distance. 

“Did you know that that’s the biggest tower in Japan?” she asked. 

“No, it’s not!  Our tower is bigger!” insisted my son.  “Look!  Tokyo Sky Tree is very small!” 

It must be nice to be four years old.  There is so much still to learn and understand about the world.

 

Vocabulary:

to snore – to make a loud sound through your nose when you are asleep

to insist – to refuse to back down or accept another person’s opinion or suggestion

 

I Want to Run, But There’s Nowhere to Go －逃げたくたって、どこにも行き場なんてないんだ－

He and I used to be inseparable, the best of friends. But we have had a falling out. 

I lived for many years with few friends – with no friends but him, really.  I would stand by the window in my flat late at night, with the moonlight spilling in through the glass.  And I would wish I had a woman to keep me company.  I used to turn around and tell him of my hopes and my dreams.  And he just lay there on the floor, his feet stretched towards me, and he listened.  He was a great listener in those days. 

Then one day it happened.  I found Bethany.  She sat next to me at the counter in a dark little bar playing old Fifties and Sixties records.  We bonded over the old instrumental track, “Apache.”  What a great tune! 

I met Bethany at that bar every Friday for several weeks.  We talked about music, and books, and about our hopes and dreams.  One night after that I found myself in Bethany’s apartment.  From her stereo, the Four Tops were singing, “I’m getting ready for the heartaches to come, Can’t you see me standing in the shadows of love?”  The lights had been turned out, and we danced.  It was beautiful. 

I didn’t see my friend in those first, beautiful days spent with Bethany.  I’ll admit it – I didn’t think of him at all.  I didn’t stand before him in the moonlight and talk to him in my lonely room, as I once had.  And he must have gotten extremely jealous. 

He has started following Bethany and I everywhere.  I took Bethany to a modern art gallery, to stare at the brightly lit paintings on display.  And he emerged from a crowd of people, following us round the gallery.  I took Bethany to the beach on a sunny afternoon, and he appeared again.  I looked around and he was suddenly there, lying on the sand behind me. 

Bethany is too nice a girl to say anything directly about him.  But I know she is concerned.  Whenever I glance around and jump when I see him close by, she asks me what is wrong. 

If anyone reading this can help me, please get in touch.  I’m at my wit’s end.  Hasn’t anyone ever had the same problem?  How can I escape from my shadow, my jealous shadow who follows me around everywhere I go?

 

Vocabulary:

Inseparable – very strongly connected together; unable to be pulled apart

to have a falling out – of friends, lovers etc., to have a fight or disagreement which leaves the relationship in a bad state

to bond – to form a strong connection

to be at your wit’s end – to be desperate; to be in a very bad mental state