Blessings and prayers for my loved grandmother~In Japanese~

5/21（土）の朝に病院から連絡を貰ってから、あの頑張り屋さんの祖母が、こちらの問いかけに対して反応もなくなり、目も開けることも出来なくなり、呼吸も荒くなり、日増しに弱っていく祖母をこの目で見ていると、胃ろうをしてから５年・・・その長い闘病生活の日々が走馬灯のように駆け巡り、本当に涙しか出てきませんでした。

5/23日（月）の昼、もう今日が最期だなと何となく感じました。少しでも楽になって欲しくて、枕元で昔の曲を流しました。すると少し呼吸が落ち着いてきたような気がしてホッとしたのを覚えています。

それから「赤いりんご」から「青い山脈」に変えて暫くすると、祖母の頬が少し上がり、なんと微笑みだしました。それも何回も・・・
喜んでくれてるんだと嬉しく思ったのもつかの間、それから息み出しました。ちょっと不安になり、それで音楽を流すのを止めてしまったけど、今思えば、あれは歌っていたのかも・・・最後の力を振り絞って。

２時間ほど、一緒に居て、帰って晩御飯の支度をしていた最中に、病院から危篤連絡がありました。すぐに駆け付けたけど、やはり間に合わなかった・・・

この３時間の間に祖母は身支度をして、旅だってしまいました。

３時間前に祖母に触った時と、何も変わらず、ちょっと冷たく、でもまだ温もりもありました。

３か月前に点滴がもう入らないと一度は病院から連絡を貰ったけど、看護師さんが「点滴、頑張ろうか」と祖母に問いかけたら、必ず祖母は首を縦に降ったそうです。だからこそ、看護師さんも何とか入る所はないかって頑張ってくれました。そんな皆さんの頑張りが、３か月も生きることが出来たのですね。

そんな状態で、寿命を引き延ばされていることに、最初は少し抵抗を感じたこともあったけれど、看護師さんの中でも可愛い婆ちゃんで人気があって、惜しまれる存在になっていたのですね。私たちもそんな祖母の顔を見る楽しみも、たまに会話をする楽しみもあったので、結局、断ることが出来ませんでした。祖母には辛い思いをさせてしまったと思います。

物資もない、あの厳しい戦争の時代に、商売をしながら子育てもし、私たちの礎を気付いてくれた祖母、そんな強い祖母だからこそ、一回も点滴を断らず、常に前向きで頑張っていたのだということを、私も、私の子どもも、最後のメッセージをしっかり受け止めています。

その後、祖母は5/23、24と二晩、あんなに帰りたかった自宅に１１年ぶりに戻ることが出来て、喜んでいたかな？

そして生前祖母が好きだった物をを一杯棺に入れて、２５日にお通夜、２６日に告別式を無事に終え、祖母を温かく送り出すことが出来て、今はホッとしています。

Blessings and prayers for my loved grandmother~In English~

Since I got the call from my grandma's hospital in the morning on May 21, she had been losing her reactions, keeping her eyes closed and her breath roughly. When I saw her to be weaken, I couldn't stop thinking about her long and hard hospital lives as much as for 5 years since my father made her get a gastronomy surgery and crying with sorrow.

In the afternoon on May 23, I felt like today was her last date in my mind. I wanted to reduce her pain and give relaxing time as well, and I listened to her favorite old songs beside her ears.
And then, she seemed that the breathing turned to be better and I remembered I felt happy to see it.

She moved the cheeks up and smiled many times! And soon, she sometimes stressed herself, though she had been in a terrible condition. I was surprised and confused that I stopped the music, but when I think about that now, she might have tried to sing the song with her very a little energy left in herself.

We had stayed together for 2 hours, and she went up to the heaven alone after I left the hospital.
It was 3 hours later when I went back home.
As soon as I got the call from the hospital, I left home and got there in 20 mins. She was not different from what she used to be 3 hours ago. She was still a little cold but warm when I held her.

I got the same call they didn't give any drops for her about 3 months ago, too. But the nurses had tried to do their best for her to be alive, because she nodded when they asked her if she would do her best together when they tried to give a drop. Among them, my grandma used to be familiar with and the exist that they wanted to make her alive. Moreover, we were looking forward to seeing and talking with her as well. In the end, I couldn't return and select to stop a drop. I'm very sorry for my grandma.

During the terribly awful period of the wars, she managed to run a shop and take care of her kids. It is the basis of our nowadays. She is really strong and powerful, and that's why she didn't reject a drop at all and kept going on no matter how hard she had to have been. I and all my family know her last messages definitely.

After the hospital, we made her to go back to my parents' house where she used to have wanted to return a lot, it took 11 years since she left there.
I wonder if she was glad to be there for 2 nights.

And then, we had her funeral ceremonies on May 23 & 24. We made her wear her kimono and put a lot of favorite things and foods in the coffin with our very close relatives. I felt very relieved, because we could have good ceremonies for her with heartwarming.

During these days, I'm really very sorry for no and a little response to my friends from me. Please keep a good company with me like before!!

I hope all of you have a great day with your families!

Video of a turntable of a train in the Japanese nostalgic local station

I took some photos of the station named "Mimasaka-kawai" and a video of a turntable that a train with a lot of snow turned around and went back to Tottori, where have a lot of snow. I show you the video of a turntable.

Train fans love these kinds of secluded stations in Japan and there are notebooks there for visitors to exchange information.  When they visit by train, they write whatever they want.
We found that notebooks on the desks in 2 stations we visited.

Chita station

Mimasaka-kawai station

美作河井駅にある鳥取方面からの除雪車を折り返すための転車台のビデオを撮りました。

一度観て下さい。

美作河井駅と知和駅には鉄道ファンが多く訪れているのですね～～

Diesel train and old, nostalgic stations in Japan

There are many secluded stations in Japan, because it is beside frowning cliffs, in wild highlands or there are a very few people living there. These stations have still been as it was made, and we can feel its old and long history with a station, waiting room and buildings.
These stations have only a few trains a day and people can't get there by trains easily and soon, some of them are ones even hard to go there by cars and motorbikes.

We went to 2 old stations named "Chiwa" and "Mimasaka-kawai".
These stations are JR INBI-Line Tsuyama-Shizu in Okayama prefecture, or a very local train.
Take a look of the following video, you can understand what Japanese rocal trains are like, and "Chiwa station" is around 34 mins later and "Mimasaka-kawai station" is around 40 mins in the video.

JR Inbi-Line Tsuyama-Shizu

I took some photos of these stations and a video of a turntable that a train with a lot of snow turned around and went back to Tottori, where have a lot of snow. I will show you the video of a turntable in another page.

"Chiwa Station"

Entrance

Waiting room

Ticket counter

Staff room ( inside of the ticket counter)

Ticket gate

Telephone box

Platform

"Mimasaka-kawai Station"

Entrance

昨日は、岡山のおばあさんのお見舞いの帰りに、鉄道ファンには超有名なローカル線であるJR因美線にある2駅に行ってきました。

因美線は津山と鳥取を結んでいるローカル線で、私たちが訪れたのは知和駅と美作河井駅の2つ。

上にあるYouTubeの動画の、大体３４分あたりに知和駅が、４０分あたりに美作河井駅が出てきます。なかなかのんびりした良い駅でした。こんな秘境の駅巡りを、こんな慌ただしいスケジュールで見学するのではなく、今度は電車で来たいなあ。鉄道ファンたちは、こんなローカル線の駅で泊まるのも、また旅の醍醐味の一つと旦那は話していました。

また、美作河井駅は、岡山県の最北端にあって、鳥取方面からの除雪車を折り返すための転車台がある駅で有名だそうで、それは次のページで紹介しようと思っています～～

Rameｎ Dream Academy

I watched an interesting TV program days ago. It was about a Ramen school in Osaka to open a Ramen shop.

Have you ever tried Ramen in Japan?
It was basically from China, but has been recreated in Japan. And there are so many kinds of Ramen here now.
Please take a look of the following Video. I think it's much better than my explanations.

Ramen

Almost men and women of all ages love Ramen in Japan, and we often eat it at a restaurant and at home in every season of a year.

Even if we don't have experience about Ramen, we can go and learn how to cook Ramen just for a week. 
The TV program said the number of foreigners taking the course had been increasing.

When I heard the news, I remembered when we went to a Ramen shop in Osaka with my American and Japanese friends. There was also a long queue in front of it. He said he had eaten Japanese Ramen in his place, but real Japanese Ramen was really different, and then, he ate all of it even the soup. There is nothing in the Ramen bowl, hahaha.


I watched it while thinking the Ramen dream was kind of the Gold Rush. How about trying this course someday?? 
You can select a language in the site.

Ramen Dream Academy Kansai School

つい先日テレビを見ていたら、ラーメン教室関西校が紹介されていました。

ド素人でも、２８万円ほどかけて一週間でオープン出来る程の腕前になるそうで、まるでゴールドラッシュのよう。

そんな番組を見ながら、フッとアメリカ人の友達のことを思い出しました。

黒門市場近くにあるすごい行列のラーメン屋さんに行った時、アメリカにも日本のラーメン屋さんがあるけど、こんな美味しいのは初めてだって言いながら、スープを一滴残さず飲み干したことを思い出しました。

テレビでも言ってたけれど、最近は外国人が増えてきたそうです。私もインスタントではない本格的なラーメンが作れるようになれたいいけれど、今はそんな余裕がない・・・笑。
もっと若かったら行ってたかな～ははは。

ラーメンより、今はレーシックをしようかどうか、悩んでいます。
明日、その検査と相談に行って来ます。良く見えるようになるんかなあ・・・？