My Sister's Visit (Day 1) / 妹の訪問 （一日目）

This year my mother and sister unexpectedly came to Japan. One of my uncles recently passed away and they decided to come for his internment ceremony. What the Japanese call noukotsu. It is when the place the ashes of the deceased into the family grave. Although my grandmother's house is located in Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture where my uncle also lived, my sister and mother made time in their very short schedule to come visit me in Aomori. My sister came the day after our uncle's internment. My mother would come the following week. My mother would be staying in Japan about a week more than my sister so they did not have the same schedule. My sister would be coming to Aomori by plane on March 11th.

今年僕の母と妹が突然日本来ることになった。二ヶ月ほど前に僕の叔父さんが亡くなり、母と妹は叔父さんの納骨の為に日本来日。せっかく日本に来てるから、僕にも会いに来てくれた。僕のお婆さんの家は京都府舞鶴市にあり、叔父さんもお婆ちゃんの家に住んでました。母と妹の短時間の滞在の中で京都から青森まで来てくれました。母は妹より一週間長く日本滞在するため、二人のスケジュールが異なってる。妹が３月１１日の昼に来る予定。

As this is my sister's second visit to Aomori City, there was one thing she was all set to do. That was to eat Aomori's B-gourmet dish miso curry milk ramen! As her flight would be arrive a little after one in the afternoon, it would be just in time for lunch. My wife and I already checked out the restaurant at the airport and was pleased and surprised to find the dish on their menu.

今回は妹が二回目の青森だ。妹はどうしても食べたい青森B級グルメの食べ物が食べたいとリクエストされた。それが味噌カレー牛乳ラーメン。僕と妻は空港のレストランを調べて、なんと空港のレストランのメニューにあった。妹の到着時間が昼一時過ぎなので、ランチは空港で食べることに決めた。

This was my first time going to Aomori airport. 

僕も初めて青森空港に行きました。

While waiting for my sister's plane to land, we wandered around the airport. I was watching these senbei makers make senbei (rice crackers).

妹の便を待ってる間空港にちょっとブラブラ。煎餅作ってる職人発見。

Miso Curry Milk Ramen - this was at the top of my sister's list of things she wanted to do in Aomori.

味噌カレー牛乳ラーメン。妹の念願の食べ物を食べた。

My sister in Aomori! We will head back home to drop off her luggage before we do anything else.

妹が青森に参上！さきは家に戻って、妹の荷物を降ろして、それから青森探索。

The first place we took my sister after dropping off her luggage was to the Asamushi Hot Spring area. There is a place where you can make your own onsen tamago (hot spring egg). As it takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, we would be soaking our feet in the free foot bath that is located nearby.

荷物を降ろしたあと、妹を最初に連れてあげた場所は浅虫温泉郷。そこにたまご場というところがあって、ただで自分の温泉卵が作れる場所です。１５分から２０分かかるから、待ってる間は近くにある無料の足湯を使用。

Free foot bath / 無料足湯

We had told my sister about a shop that has over one hundred different flavors of shakes on their menu and as its close to Asamushi, of course we would be taking her there.

妹にみちのくのシェイクショップを話したことがあり、店は浅虫の近くですから、もちろんそこにも寄りました。

My sister may be able to read a little bit of Japanese but she cannot read most kanji characters, so when she was confronted with the large menu, I went through all the flavors she could choose from. She was fluctuating between kinako kuromitsu or annindofu. She chose the annindofu (a dessert made with almond tofu) shake. I decided to try the aojiru (green juice, usually made with kale or young barley grass) shake.

妹はひらがなくらいしあ読めないので、シェイクメニューを全て訳してあげた。妹が迷うに迷うに、やっと決めた。きなこ黒蜜か杏仁豆腐のどっちか。妹の考えはアメリカにほとんど味わえない杏仁豆腐を選んだ。自分は青汁シェイクを頼みました。

At the shake shop.

シェイクショップの店内。

Our evening plan was to go out for a yakiniku dinner with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law and her husband. We would go to another restaurant that my sister has been to before. A place called Stamina Taro. An all you can eat yakiniku place. However, at this restaurant, you can also eat sushi, pasta, ramen, curry and other main dishes. They also have a large dessert menu as well.

夜の予定は義理の母と義理の妹と旦那で街の焼肉食べ放題の店。妹は以前青森に来たとき行った店です。スタミナ太郎でした。肉以外に寿司やカレー、ラーメンとデザートがいろいろあって、満腹になるのは間違いない。

My brother-in-law doesn't seem to believe in eating any vegetables!

義理の弟は野菜というものは頭の中にないのかな？

As I mentioned, you can eat other main items besides barbecued meat.

焼肉以外の食べ物が楽しめるので、最高なレストラン。

Pork belly / 豚角煮

Dessert / デザート

My sister-in-law's dessert plate. Yes, she ate them all. But I don't think she was her usual self. The last time we went here, after eating a lot of barbecued meat, she also had about ten slices of cheesecake! Or one whole cheesecake to herself. And the thing is, she is very thin! I don't know how she can eat all that food and not gain any weight!

義理の妹のデザートプレート。はい、彼女は乗ってるケーキ全部食べました。でもこれは大したことない。以前に来たとき、肉を食べ終わったら、チーズケーキ１０個くらい食べた！マジです！彼女は凄いスリムなので、そんなに食って全然太らないのは羨ましい！

And so ended my sister's first day and night in Aomori. Tomorrow we will take her to the mountains so she can enjoy one of Aomori's most popular hot springs - Sukayu.

そして妹の青森旅、一日目の幕が閉じた。明日も早いので。明日は青森県の名所の酸ヶ湯。