今回の福岡と由布院への旅行の主目的は、あるお友達に会うことでした。
The main reason why we went to Fukuoka & Yufuin this time of year was to see a friend of ours.
去年までの５、６年はイタリアからのお友達とタイ（１年だけスリランカでしたが）のビーチリゾートで合流していましたが、そろそろ今年のクリスマス時期の予定を立てないとと思っていた時、イタリアからのお友達はタイはもう飽きたので今年はインドに行こうかと思ってて、とのことで、少し調べてみたものの「スリランカの悲しい経験があったのでインドのビーチリゾートには行きたくないので、では今回は見送ることにします〜。」とお返事し、今年はシンガポールで過ごすつもりでした。（ちなみにその後イタリアからのお友達の行き先は２転３転して、最終的にはなんと日本になりました。もっと早くわかっていれば、わたしたちも予定を合わせられたのですが、残念！楽しく過ごされているようなので良かったです！）
その後、シンガポールで仲良くしていたお友達がドイツから日本に帰られることになり、その時点では先の予定は立っていなかったのですが年末はご両親のおられる九州に戻ってられるのではと予想して、夫と一緒にお友達に会いに行くことにしたのでした。予定が合わなくて会えないことも考えられましたが、そのときは２人で福岡で美味しいものを食べて、由布院の温泉でゆっくりしましょう、ということに。結果的には会うことが出来て、とても嬉しかったです。
For the last 5 or 6 years, we’ve spent this time of year in a beach resort in Thailand (and in Sri Lanka one year) to see our friends from Italy, but they told me they were thinking of going to India this year as they are tired of Thailand because they’d been there so many times. Although it’s not that I had no interest in India, we didn’t want to go to a beach resort in India as we had a very bad experience in Sri Lanka. So we told them we will not join them this year. (Incidentally, they changed their mind about their destination many times since, and in the end decided to go to Japan!! We could have arranged it so we’d see them as well but it was too late by the time they decided. Such a shame! They seem to be having a good time, I’m happy to know.)
So we were planning to spend Christmas at home in Singapore this year. However, the situation changed since and we really wanted to see this friend, who moved from Singapore to Germany some years ago. We knew she would be going back to Japan from Germany before too long and I sort of guessed that she would be at her parents’ place in Kyushu at the end of the year, although nobody knew at the time for sure. We thought we’d book places hoping we can see her on one of the days somewhere, and fortunately we were able to arrange it. We would have enjoyed our time in Fukuoka and Yufuin even if it hadn’t worked out but we were very happy that we were able to see her.
わたしたちが宿泊していた福岡のホテルオークラまで来てくれるとのことだったので、ランチはホテルにある鉄板焼きを予約し、ランチセットのうち九州和牛のセットをいただきました。
As we had made an arrangement to meet at the lobby of the Hotel Okura in Fukuoka, where we were staying, I made a booking at their Teppan-yaki restaurant and we had their lunch set with Kyushu Wagyu beef.
手前にあるのは、生の落花生を発芽させたもの、だそうです。発芽させるとエネルギーが発芽に使われるのでカロリーが低くなり、栄養はたっぷりという健康食品らしいです。目の前で焼いてくださっていた時にこの話で盛り上がったのですが、焼きあがった落花生は全部わたしのお皿に（笑）。わたしがいただけないものがいくつかあったので、その代わりにとレンコンやナスとこの発芽落花生をくださったということでした。散々盛り上がったのに一人でいただくのもなんなので（笑）、３人で分けていただきました。生の落花生を煮たものは以前いただいたことがありますが、それよりももっとピーナッツらしい味でした。
Those things in front of the vegetables are raw peanuts that have sprouted. None of us had seen them before. Apparently as their energy is used for sprouting, they are low calories and have a lot of nutrients. We were very interested in them and were discussing about them when the chef was cooking them and explaining them to us, but when they were done the chef put all of them on my plate!! As I have a few things I wasn’t able to eat, these were supposed to be a part of substitute. Well, I didn’t think it was fair to eat them all myself when we were all so interested in them, so we shared them. I’ve eaten raw peanuts cooked in some sort of broth before but I’d never had them done like this before, they tasted very much like peanuts although the texture is quite different.
フランベが驚く凄さ。間違ってたくさんアルコールをかけ過ぎたのかと思いましたが、どなたもこんなにフランベされていました。
The flambé of the beef was extreme! I thought it was a mistake but every chef there was doing the same so I guess that’s the way they do it.
佐賀牛のフィレ肉、ですが、正直なところ、ちょっとドライな感じですごく美味しいとは思わなかった。。。いつも西宮の実家に泊まると滞在中１度は普通のスーパーに入っているお肉屋さんで菊池牛のシャトーブリアンを買って家で焼いていただくのですが、（カットの違いもあるでしょうが）菊池牛の方がかなり美味しいと個人的には思います。もちろん、シンガポールで食べるお肉に比べれば断然柔らかくて美味しかったですが。
To be very honest, I didn’t think this Saga Wagyu Beef was so special. When I go back to my family in Japan we almost always cook steak at least once while I’m there. We buy “Chateaubriand of Kikuchi Beef” from a butcher that is in a very ordinary supermarket, but personally Kikuchi beef is much more delicious. Still, of course, this beef was very tender and much nicer that what we get in Singapore.
写真にはありませんが、他にもサラダやお味噌汁など数品出て来ました。
I didn’t take photos but they also served us salad, miso soup and some other dishes.
食事の後は別室でデザートと食後の飲み物ををいただきました。
After the meal, we were taken to another room to have dessert and tea.
食事も美味しかったですし、ゆったりとさせていただけて、とても良かったです。
The meal was delicious and we were able to relax and enjoy the lunch.
ケーキを食べ終わって、夫はわたしとお友達と２人で話すことがたくさんあるだろうからと２人にしてくれたので、レストランのこのお部屋で３時半ごろまであれこれ話し、そろそろ出た方が良いよねと出たところにテーブルと椅子が何組か置かれていたのでそこで話の続きをしていたら、夫が４時ごろに戻って来て、「あれから数メートル動いただけ？」と笑っていました（笑）。
After eating the cake and drinking coffee, my husband left us alone saying we must have so much to catch up so we kept talking until about 3.30pm. We felt we should leave the restaurant and we did so but we found a couple of tables and chairs right outside the restaurant so we sat at one of them and continued talking. My husband came back around 4.00pm and laughed at us saying “You moved just a few meters, is that all you managed in the last 2 hours?”
ちょうどまた喉が渇いた頃に夫が戻って来たので一緒にホテルの近くでサクッとお茶をし、結局５時間ちょっと弾丸トークをして、５時ごろにお友達がタクシーで駅に向かわれたのをお見送り。
We had another tea/drink in a coffee shop near the hotel, then we hugged and said good-bye and our friend took a taxi to the train station.
彼女にとって本当に辛い大変な半年でしたが、めげずに明るい笑顔で前向きでオープンな心を持つ彼女、尊敬の念で一杯です。きっときっと、これから良いことが起きるはず、と信じています。たくさんのお友達がたくさんの場所で応援していますからね！
It’s been such a tough six months for her, but she is still smiling her lovely smile and is very positive, I feel so proud of her. With her smiles and attitude, I believe that there will be a lot of good things happening to her in the near future. I know many friends all over the world are thinking of her and sending love.
Sazanka
Hotel Okura Fukuoka
3-2 Shimokawabatamachi
Hakata Ward, Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture 812-0027, Japan
Tel:+81 92-262-1111