春を求めて：水戸偕楽園（Looking for Early Spring: Kairakuen Park in Mito)

長い寒波が続いたあと、2月26日(金曜日）、JR東日本の平日割引き、きゅんパスを利用して、お友達と水戸の偕楽園まで足を延ばしました。

After a long and severe cold weather, we took trains all the way to Kairakuen Park in Mito, on Februrary 26, using JR East Japan's weekday pass.

長い寒波が嘘のような暖かく快晴の朝、穂高駅から出発しました。

It was a marvelously fine warm day, a special blessing after a long cold weather, when we left Hotaka station around 7:30a.m..

行きは快速で長野に出て、北陸新幹線のかがやきで上野を目指しました。途中、山が綺麗で、大宮では富士山も見えました。

On the way to Mito, we took a rapid train from Matsumoto to Nagano, where we took a Hokuriku-Shinkansen, Kagayaki, to to to Ueno. We enjoyed the beautiful mountains with snow from the train window and in Ohmiya, we could see Mt. Fuji, too.

上野で特急「ひたち」に乗り換えました。車内がガラス張りでとても明るい列車でした。

偕楽園が混んでいることも考えて上野で買ったお弁当を車内で食べましたが、ご飯が不味くて、失敗でした。

In Ueno, we took a superexpress train, Hitachi, whose inside was glassy and bright.

We purchased our lunch box in Ueno lest there should be too many people in Kairakuen Park to eat lunch and had it on Hitachi. Still this lunch was much disappointing with hard rice.

水戸駅:梅祭りの掲示板（あちこちに案内の人や標式が出ていて、とても助かりました）

Mito station, with the announcement of the Plum Festival. There were thankfully enough guides and announcements to help tourists.

水戸駅からは市バスで偕楽園入り口まで。

入り口付近でもちょぼちょぼ梅が開花していて、ほっとしました。

We took a city bus from Mito station to Kairakuen Park.

I was satisfied to find some plum blossoms at the gate.

結構人が多かった割に、園内が広いので、それほどの混雑を感じることなく散策できました。

There were quite many visitors but the park is so laarge that it did not look much crowded. We could enjoy walking around in the park.

水戸黄門様もお出迎え。僕は葵のご紋の印籠を持たせてもらえました（エヘン！）。

Mito Koumon (a famous Mito Lord during Edo peiod) welcomed us and let me hold his medicine case with Tokugawa's family crest, the crest of Aoi (Ahem!).

とてもたくさんの梅の種類があって、ちょぼちょぼの開花ながらも楽しめました。

This year plum blossoms started blooming very late but there were so many kinds of plum trees that we found enough blossoms to satisfy us.

水仙は満開。そして、花よりだんごの僕らはホット梅を頂きました。暖かな日差しの中でしたが、ホットひと息つける優しい味でした。

Narcissuses were in full bloom. And as one says, "Food before Blossoms," we did not fail to taste plum food-- in our case, hot plum drink, which warmed our heart comfortably.

南斜面の方が花が多かったです。遠くに水戸の市街地も見渡せます。

In the South side, more blossoms have opened. We could command the cetral part of Mito City.

帰りは特急「とき」で上野に出て、山の手線で新宿から特急「あずさ」で帰路につきました。

僕はうっかり、兄達にお土産を買い忘れてしまいましたが、ご一緒した友人が新宿の乗り換えの際、高島屋で今半の牛肉を購入、僕らにもワンパック持たせてくださいました（感謝！）。

On the way back, we took a superexpress train, "Toki," and a local train of Yamanote Line to Shinjuku, from where we took another superexpress train, "Azusa." Carelessly, we forgot to buy a souvenir for my oldere brothers, who brought us an excellent day. Then to our great relief, our friend purchased excellent beef in Shinjuku before taking an Azusa and presented us a one pack of it.

今半の牛肉はとても上等で、肉じゃがと、塩胡椒味でアスパラガスとの炒めものを作りましたが、甘くて柔らかい牛肉から味がしみ出して、野菜の味も一段と良くなり、兄達も加わり、楽しい食事になりました。

The beef was so excellent that the vegetables cooked with it became much tasty, too. We enjoyed these dishes very much, sharing them with the older brothers.