小さな旅：東京＆横浜 (A Little Trip to Tokyo and Yokohama)

3月30日、快晴の中、東京に向けて穂高を出発。

On March 30, We left Hotaka for Tokyo in a very fine weather.

熊谷の友人の招待で鈴本演芸場に行きました。寄席は初めてで、どきどきでした。

先に松坂屋デパートでお昼のお弁当を買ってもらいました。小さな押し寿司がぎっしり詰まっていて、こぶりのお弁当に見えて、実はかなり量があった。ひとつひとつ表の具だけでなく中身も違う、美味しい押し寿司だった。

寄席というだけあって、落語だけでなくいろいろな種類の演芸が組み合わさっていて、飽きさせなかった。へえええ、ほおおお、と思わず声が出るような芸もあった。

We visited Suzumoto Entertainment Hall by our friend's invitation. We were excited at our first experience of an entertainment hall.

Before going there our friend bought us a lunch. It was a kind of Sushi but each one not only looked but tasted differently to our enjoyment.

They treated us with various types of tentertainment to keep us excited and we were being excited all the time!

演芸を見終わったあとは、ちょうど東京の桜が満開だったこともあり、友人と別れるまでの時間、少しばかり上野公園を散策しました。ただ、上野は花よりも人が多い印象でした。

After coming out of the entertainment hall, we walked around in Ueno Park, for cherry blossoms there were just in full bloom. Still there seemed to be more people than cherry trees!

人が多いのは上野だけではなかった！

Ueno was the only crowded place in Tokyo!

この日の宿泊はKKR中目黒を予定していたので、上野から地下鉄で中目黒駅に着いたとき、駅の混雑に当惑。普段でもある程度の人はいますが、駅員が総動員で、駅構内が一方通行。いつも使う階段も、中央出入口も使用できずに、横の方から駅を出ました（写真左）。方向感覚が無くなる中、目黒川の桜の立て札を持つ警察官がいて、人の波に沿ってしばらく流れました（写真中央と写真右）。中目黒は何度も来ていますが、ここがそんなに有名な桜の名所とは知りませんでした。

We were going to stay at KKR Nakameguro and took a direct subway from Ueno to Nakameguro station. Arriving at Nakameguro, we were surprised at far larger crowds than usual. There were many station staffs shouting about going one way. We could not use wither an ordinary staircase or an oridinary main gate. Coming out of a side gate of the station, we lost the sense of direction and followed along the crowds to Meguro river. We had not known this place along Meguro river was a famous cherry blossom site.

確かに桜はたくさんあったのですが、写真を撮ろうとして立ち止まると、立ち止まらないでください！と言われる。人に揉まれて、桜鑑賞どころではなく、早々にKKRを目指そうとしましたが、人が多くていつもと道の雰囲気が違い、自分がいる場所に自信がなくなってしまいました。そこで脇道に立っていたカップルに道を尋ねたところ、Google Mapで検索して、「合ってますよ。もう少し先で折れると、あとは一本道です」と言いながら、脇道に折れるところまで連れていってくれました。お若い方たちの邪魔をしたような格好だったのに、とても親切に扱ってもらえて、嬉しかったです。

There were many cherry trees but when we stopped to try to take a picture, we were immidiately told not to stop! After all, we could not enjoy cherry blossoms at all and decided to head for KKR. The problem was that there were so many people that the atmosphere of the town was different than usual. We could not tell exactly where we were and had to ask a young couple standing talking on a sidewalk about the way. They were kind enough to check KKR in Google Map and brought us to the next sideway, saying," It stands ahead along this road." I was afraid that we might annoyed their conversation but they were so nice to us that we could walk ahead very happily.

いつものKKRに落ち着いて、ほっとひと息

Our usual room in KKR. Nice and quiet.

翌朝、早くに目が覚めたので、チェックアウト前にもう一度目黒川沿いへ引き返しました。

早朝ということもあり、交通規制もなく、前日よりもゆっくり桜を見学できました。もっとも、早朝でも、安曇野だったらこれでも人は多いかなというくらい、すでに散策の人たちがたくさんいました。

On the next morning, we woke up early as usual. Before checking out, therefore, we walked to the Meguro River side again to see how crowded it was.

In the morning, there was not any traffic regurations and less people than the day before, though there were enough people to enjoy cherry blossoms according to our Azumino standard!

青空も少し出て、気温も高めで、散策にはもってこいでした。

While walking some blue sky showed up to our joy.

KKRチェックアウト後は、東横線で横浜へ。横浜の友人とは元町中華街で落ち合いました。

久し振りに訪れた駅は記憶無い新しい造りになっていて、エスカレーターを何本も乗り継ぐことで坂道を歩いて上がらなくても、結構高いところまで出ていました。

After checking out KKR, we took a Touyoko Line to Yokohama. We met our Yokohama friend at Motomachi Chinese Town. We had not used this station for quite a long while and was first surprised to take so many escarators to go out. Still, thanks to these escarators, we did not have to climb up many steps to top of the hill.

港が見える丘公園。遠くにベイブリッジが見えました。

お天気がイマイチだったのが残念ですが、花がたくさん咲いていて、安曇野よりも暖かいのだなあと感じました。

Harvor View Park. We could see Bay Bridge far away.

It was not a very happy weather but we could see many beautiful flowers which we still cannot see in Azumino.

このあたりを散策するのは本当に久し振りだと、れいこさん。きっと僕の兄達が生まれる前のことだったようだ。

Reiko said that it was a long time since she had visited there last time. Probably it was before my oldest brother was born.

満開の桜に教会は良く似合う。贅沢を言えば、青空が欲しかったかな。

Fully blooming cherry blossoms and a church were a fine combination. If I could choose, I would have loved blue sky!

昼食

Lunchtime!

横浜駅ビルの中という便利な場所にある、美味しい中華店に招待して頂きました。

We were invited to a fine Chinese restaurant located in the Yokohama station building, which was convenient to take our train back.

どれも、普段食べる中華とはひと味もふた味も違っていて、とても美味しかったです。

デザートの杏仁豆腐、初めてレモンで食べました。料理の油分が溶け出してゆくような快感を味わいました。

All plates were so different from the Chinese dishes we can have in Azumino as to make me happy and excited. Especially the dessert, almond jelly, was impressive with lemon. It tasted as if it smoothly melted away all oil down along the throat.

僕だけが美味しい中華を食べたのでは、兄達に申し訳ないので、中華街ならではの中華まんを買って帰り、この夜さっそくひとつ頂きました。鳩サブレは友人が兄達にと持たせてくれたお土産でした。

We purchased Chinese steamed buns for my older brothers lest they should complain that only I had a good Chinese lunch, and steamed one for this night's dinner to share it with the older brothers. Pigeon Sables were our Yokohama friend's present for the older brothers.