I attempted to compose a senryu-style poem about the lottery. When I turned on the TV, every channel had flashy commercials for the year-end jumbo lottery. It has truly become a year-end tradition. The origin of the lottery dates back to the early Edo period, said to be the “富会　(Tomie)” at Takian Temple in Minoh City, Osaka. Originally, winning this lottery meant receiving a charm, not money. After then, it evolved into a money-based lottery, but due to its strong gambling nature, it was prohibited multiple times. Interestingly, public lotteries didn’t exist until after World War II, when they were introduced for fundraising during the post-war reconstruction. The “Jumbo” lottery, starting with the 1979 “Summer Jumbo Lottery” and “Year-End Jumbo Lottery,” saw increasing prize amounts. This year’s prize money is 1 billion yen, including the first prize winning number and the prizes for the numbers before and after that number. By the way, the world’s highest lottery prize was 279 billion yen, won last year in the American “Powerball.” Even Shohei Ohtani would be surprised.

宝くじを川柳風に詠んでみました。テレビを捻ったら、どのテレビ局も年末ジャンボ宝くじの派手なコマーシャルです。すっかり年末の風物詩になりました。そもそも宝くじの起こりは、江戸時代初期、大阪府箕面市にある瀧安寺の「富会(とみえ)」だと言われています。このくじの当たりは金銭ではなくお守りでした。それがやがて金銭が掛かった宝くじになりますが、射幸性が強いと言う事で、何度も禁止になり、じつは第二次世界大戦までは、公の宝くじはありませんでした。第二次世界大戦後は、戦後復興の資金作りの為、様々な名目で宝くじが売り出されました。「ジャンボ」と名打った宝くじは、1979年の「サマージャンボ宝くじ」と「年末ジャンボ宝くじ」が始まりです。賞金額もどんどん高額になり、今年の賞金額は、１等・前後賞合わせて10億円です。因みに、世界最高の宝くじな当選金額は、昨年アメリカの「パワーボール」で出た2,790億円です。大谷くんもビックリですね。

As the year-end approaches and New Year’s draws near, advertisements for Christmas cakes and New Year’s feast reservations decorate not only downtown department stores but also convenience stores throughout the city. Signs proclaiming the sold-out status of Christmas cakes or the completion of home-delivery reservations for New Year’s dishes are prominent. Regardless of the advertisement, the offerings are extravagant, with many New Year’s feast sets priced in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 yen. However, a recent trend suggests a move towards higher-end options in the New Year’s feast competition, with sets priced between 100,000 and 300,000 yen becoming more prevalent. Moreover, it appears that even the high-priced options are selling out, as department store employees attest in television interviews, stating, “New Year’s feast sets sell out starting from the expensive ones.”
Intrigued by this, and driven by a sense of curiosity, I decided to play the role of a spectator and researched the most expensive New Year’s feast. To my surprise, I found the ‘Ultimate Special (for 5 people)’ priced at a staggering 1,998,000 yen (see photo). This is a price that could buy a small car. Given the recent hot topic of Shohei Ohtani signing a 10-year contract with the Dodgers for 101.5 billion yen, my sense of financial perspective seems to be numbed, and I can’t discern the difference between the 1,998,000 yen New Year’s feast and the 23,000 yen convenience store counterpart.

いよいよ年末も暮れてお正月も迫ってきました。都心のデパートはもちろん、街中のコンビニでも、クリスマスケーキとお節料理の予約広告が店先を飾っています。クリスマスケーキは完売とか、お節料理の宅配予約は完了とかの貼り紙が目立ちます。どの広告を見ても豪華で、2、3万円台のお節が多いですが、最近の傾向としては高級化が進んでいるようで、お節商戦でも10〜30万円代の高級お節セットが増えているそうです。しかも、高額なものから完売しているそうで、テレビ取材でも「お節は高額なものから売り切れてしまいます」と百貨店の店員が証言しています。
それではと野次馬根性を発揮して、一番高額なお節料理はとネットで調べてみたら、なんと「極みスペシャル（5名用）」199万8000円（写真）なりと言うのがありました。ちょっとした車一台が買える値段です。ドジャースと10年1015億円で契約した大谷くんのホットな話題がありますから、こちらの金銭感覚も麻痺して、199万8000円のお節料理とコンビニの2万3000円のお節料理との違いが分かりません。

Due to the lingering heat of autumn, I had anticipated a delay in the blooming of daffodils, but they have started to bloom as usual. While daffodils are often considered harbingers of spring, early-blooming Japanese daffodils and Fusazaki daffodils begin blooming as early as late November, welcoming winter and even crossing into the new year. Around March, alongside Japanese daffodils, trumpet daffodils and lipstick daffodils start to bloom, allowing daffodils to grace us with their presence throughout almost half a year during the winter. Believed to have originated along the Mediterranean coast, Japanese daffodils might have entered Japan from China, possibly as early as the Heian period or even earlier. There is a theory suggesting that daffodil bulbs might have drifted across the Sea of Japan to reach Japan. The name ‘水仙 (daffodil)’ is derived from Chinese classics, where the flower’s beautiful appearance and fragrance were likened to that of an ‘仙人 (immortal).’ The English name ‘Narcissus’ comes from the Greek myth of a beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection in a spring and, captivated by his image, transformed into a flower.

暑い秋が続いたので、遅れるかと思っていた水仙が例年通りに咲き始めました。水仙は春を告げる花とよく言われますが、早咲きの日本水仙や房咲き水仙などは、早い所では11月下旬頃から咲き始めますから、冬の訪れとともに咲き、年を越す花と言った方がいいかもしれません。３月頃から日本水仙に混じって、ラッパ水仙や口紅水仙が咲き始めますから、水仙は冬の間中およそ半年間咲き続ける訳です。水仙の原産地は地中海沿岸と言われていますから、日本水仙も平安時代頃、ひょっとしたらもっと早く、中国から入ってきたのでしょう。それも、水仙の球根が日本海に流れ着いたのが起源ではないかと言う説もあります。水仙は中国の古典から取った名前で、きれいな花の姿と芳香が まるで「仙人」の ようだと言うところからきました。英語名の 「ナルシサス」は ギリシャ神話の美少年の名前で、 泉に映った自分の姿に恋をして 毎日見つめ続けたら いつのまにか １本の花になってしまったと言うところから来ています。

As I walk along the road, in a field, large red and yellow vegetables are planted in pairs. Initially, I thought they might be a type of turnip, but when I asked the person tending the field, they said it was ‘Umaina.’ While I’ve heard of and eaten Umaina before, it was never such large vegetables. Taking a photo and searching online, I found it to be Swiss chard. Despite its distinctly Western name, its Japanese name is Fudansou (不断草), both of which are unfamiliar to me. The colorful stems and the glossy, deep green leaves, reminiscent of spinach, are impressive. It turns out that this vegetable has a considerable history. Originally from the Mediterranean coast to the Caspian Sea, it has been cultivated since ancient times, even making its way to Japan during the Edo period.
Around the early Meiji era, varieties with visually beautiful red or yellow appearances using large leaves were imported as ‘Kaensai’ (火焰菜), but they are no longer seen today. The Fudansou I saw this time might be related to those flame-colored vegetables. Fudansou has been in Japan for a long time, and during the summer, it was used as a substitute for spinach, acquiring various names in different regions. In Osaka, it is called Umaina. In modern times, it is used under the name Swiss chard in colorful recipes.

道を歩いていると、畑に赤と黄の大柄な野菜がペアで植っています。最初はカブラの一種かと思って、畑の人に聞いたらウマイナだといいます。ウマイナだったら聞いた事はあるし、食べた事もあります。しかし、こんな大柄な野菜ではありません。写真に撮って検索してみると、スイスチャードとあります。いかにも西洋野菜らしい名ですが、和名を調べるとフダンソウ(不断草)とあり、どちらも耳慣れない名前です。見るからにカラフルな葉柄部と、ホウレンソウのように濃い緑色で光沢をもつ葉の大きさには圧倒されますが、結構歴史のある野菜だそうです。原産地は地中海沿岸からカスピ海辺りで、紀元前から栽培され、日本にも江戸時代には入って来ています。
明治初年頃には、大葉で赤色や黄色の外観的に美しい品種がカエンサイ（火焰菜)として輸入されましたが、現在では全く見られなくなっているそうですが、今回見たフダンソウがその火焰菜かもしれません。フダンソウは日本にも早くから入ってきていて、夏場にはほうれん草の代わりとして利用され、各地でいろんな名前がついています。大阪ではウマイナと呼ぶそうです。今風には、スイスチャードの名前で彩り豊かなレシピとして使われています。

In the southeastern outskirts of Kishiwada City, known for its danjiri festival and located near the border with Wakayama Prefecture, stands Daiitoku-ji Temple, renowned for its autumn foliage. This mountain temple, steeped in legend as the founding site of the Shugendo tradition by the ascetic En no Gyoja on Mt. Ushitaki, has long been revered as a sacred place in the Katsuragi Shugendo.
As the delayed autumn leaves continue to unfold, a woman dressed in a half-coat reminiscent of Santa Claus enters through the temple gate. vAmidst the vibrant foliage, a particularly vivid red maple leaf stands out. Adorned in clothing seemingly competing with the intense red hues of the leaves, the woman’s attire, complete with a white collar, strongly resembles that of Santa Claus. Whether intentional in her choice inspired by the autumn colors or a deliberate imitation of Santa Claus, her juxtaposition within the temple creates a captivating and amusing scene. The intersection of autumn foliage and Santa Claus, Buddhism and Christianity, out-of-season foliage—it’s as if entering a world of chaos.

だんじり祭りで知られる岸和田市の南東、和歌山県との県境に近い山手に、紅葉で知られる大威徳寺があります。修験道の開祖である役行者が牛滝山に開いたと伝承される山岳寺院で、古来、葛城修験道の霊場として尊崇を集めてきました。季節遅れの紅葉が進む中、山門からサンタクロースと見紛うハーフコートを着た女性が入ってきました。色とりどりの紅葉の中でも真っ赤な紅葉が目立ちます。その真っ赤な紅葉と競い合うかの様な服に白い襟はまさしくサンタクロースです。紅葉を意識した装いなのか、サンタクロースを真似た装いなのか、お寺にサンタの取り合わせも面白い装いです。紅葉とサンタクロース、仏教とキリスト教、季節外れの紅葉、まるでカオスの世界です。

Around the 4th century, in Myra, a small city in the Eastern Roman Empire (present-day Turkey), there was a priest named Saint Nicholas. Preaching the teachings of Christianity, Saint Nicholas was a compassionate figure who helped the poor and the weak. One day, he encountered a father contemplating selling his three daughters due to extreme poverty. Touched by this plight, Saint Nicholas, in the dead of night, secretly threw gold coins down the chimney to assist the family. The fireplace, without even a fire burning, had stockings hung for drying. By chance, the coins landed inside one of the stockings. The next morning, the family discovered the coins and rejoiced. The three daughters were saved from being sold, and all were able to marry. The father, who had been seeking his benefactor, eventually found Saint Nicholas repeating the generous act in another poor household. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he fell to his knees, crying.
The story of Saint Nicholas spread throughout Europe, and the Dutch pronunciation of Saint Nicholas, “Sinterklaas,” eventually evolved into the name “Santa Claus.” From this tale, the tradition of Santa Claus placing presents in stockings became established.

４世紀頃、東ローマ帝国のミュラ(現在のトルコの小都市)に聖ニコラウスと言う司祭がいました。聖ニコラウスはキリスト教の教えを説きながら、貧しい人や弱い人を助ける心優しい人物でした。ある日、貧しさのあまり3人の娘の身売りを考える父親に出会います。心を痛めた聖ニコラウスは、何とか家族の手助けにならないかと真夜中にこっそり暖炉の煙突から金貨を投げ入れました。焚べる薪もない暖炉には靴下が吊るしてありました。聖ニコラウスの投げいれた金貨は偶然その靴下の中に入ります。翌朝金貨を見つけた家族は大喜び。３人の娘たちは身売りをせずにすみ、全員が結婚もできました。恩人を探していた父親は、同じ様に貧しい家に金貨を投げ入れる聖ニコラウスの姿を見つけ、ひれ伏して大泣きし感謝しました。
聖ニコラウスの噂はヨーロッパ中に広がり、聖ニコラウスのオランダ語読みである「シンタクラース」がやがて「サンタクロース」という呼び名になりました。この話から、サンタクロースは靴下にプレゼントを入れる、という文化が定着したと言われています。

Today is the day of ‘Shogatsu Kotohajime,’ beginning the preparation  for the New Year. To welcome the ‘Toshigami’ (deity of the year) who descends to bring good fortune in the new year, preparations for the New Year, such as cleaning, welcoming pine branches, and pounding rice cakes, gradually begin from this day. In the past, when there were Kamado (stoves) in the kitchen, special attention was given to cleaning the kamado, especially because it was under the jurisdiction of the deity ‘Kojin god.’ Kojin god, who not only presides over the kamado as the god of fire but also governs the fortune of the house, was believed to flee from a home that did not keep the kamado (kitchen) clean.
Coincidentally, today I happened to visit one of Japan’s three major Kojin, Kasayama Kojin, who is enshrined to pay respects. However, the main purpose was not to visit Kasayama Kojin but to eat new buckwheat noodles at ‘Kasa-soba’ just in front of it. ‘Kasa-soba,’ located deep in the mountains beyond Hase-dera Temple in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, is a well-known soba restaurant in the Kansai region. However, when we finally arrived at Kasa Soba along a narrow winding mountain road, we found out that it was closed on a day. It seems we were punished.
Once again, I sincerely apologize to Kasayama Kojin god.

今日は「正月事始め」の日です。新しい年に福をもたらすために下って来られる『年神様』をお迎えするため、この日から煤払い、松迎え、餅つきなどの正月準備を少しずつ始めます。まだ台所に竈(かまど)があった頃、特に荒神様が司る竈の掃除は念入りに行われていました。火の神であるとともに家の運を司る神様でもある荒神様は、竃周り(台所)をきれいにしていないと、その家の運も逃げてしまうと言われていたからです。今日は偶然にも、その荒神様をお祀りする、日本三大荒神の一つ、笠山荒神を訪ねる事になりました。
と言っても、笠山荒神を訪ねるのが目的ではなく、その前にある「笠そば」で新そばを食べるのが目的であったわけです。奈良県桜井市の山深くにある長谷寺の更に山深くにある「笠そば」は知る人ぞ知る関西の蕎麦処です。ところが、ところが、曲がりくねった細い山道をやっと辿り着いた「笠そば」はなんと休業日。バチが当たった訳です。
改めて、笠山荒神様にお許しを乞う次第です。

After completing pruning, the street trees stand exposed, lined up in a cold and barren row. Amidst them, a pyracantha surrounds one, its branches adorned with abundant bright red berries. Thinking back, around the beginning of summer, it was adorned with lovely white flowers. Now, after six months, it has quietly adorned itself with these red berries, signaling the imminent arrival of the New Year. I feel bewildered by the swiftness of time passing. While pyracantha bears these red berries, I ponder what I have accomplished. In the midst of this barren winter, not only pyracantha but many plants display red berries. It’s not merely for the pleasure of human eyes; rather, it attracts the attention of hungry birds, serving as both attraction and sustenance for the preservation of seeds. Reflecting on this, one realizes the vastness of the myriad ways of nature, and how humans often impose their own perspectives.

剪定を終えて丸裸になった街路樹が寒々しく並んでいます。そんな中の一本を囲む様にピラカンサが枝もたわわに真っ赤な実を付けています。思えば、夏の始め頃には可愛い白い花をいっぱい咲かせていました。それから半年、いつの間にかこんな赤い実を付けて、もう間もなく正月です。時の流れの速さに戸惑いを感じます。ピラカンサはこうして赤い実を付けているのに、自分は一体何ができたんだろう、そんな自省の念にも駆られます。ピラカンサに限らず、この冬の殺風景ななか、赤い実をつける植物が多いですね。別に人の目を楽しませる為に赤いのではなく、餌の乏しい鳥達の目を惹き、餌になって種を保存する為の摂理なんでしょうが、そう考えると、森羅万象、人間が自分勝手に考えていることがいかに多いかに気付きます。

It’s a vivid morning glow. There’s a saying about the weather: ‘Red sky at night, shepherds delight; red sky in morning, shepherds take warning.’  While this saying is generally accurate, it’s not always definitive. Generally, when the morning glow transitions from pink to orange and then to yellow, the day tends to be sunny. Similarly, in the evening, when the sky is covered with clouds and the sunset turns extremely red or ominously red, it often indicates rain the next day.
In general, the vibrant colors in the sky are due to the abundance of water vapor in the air. In the morning and evening, when the sun is low, the short-wavelength ‘blue light’ scatters in the atmosphere, while the long-wavelength ‘red light’ reaches the ground without much scattering. When there’s a considerable amount of water vapor in the air, it scatters just enough, making it more visible to the eye. Particularly during the rainy season, when there’s an increased amount of water vapor in the air, the chances of having vibrant morning and evening glows are higher.
The saying  ‘Red sky at night, shepherds delight; red sky in morning, shepherds take warning’  is applicable mainly during the seasons of spring and autumn when there’s a tendency for mobile high-pressure systems alternating with low-pressure systems. It’s not very reliable during winter or summer. This saying is most accurate during the seasons of spring and autumn when there’s a higher likelihood of the formation of migratory high-pressure systems caused by the alternating passage of high and low-pressure areas.
By the way, it was recently reported that the Northern Lights were visible in Hokkaido after several decades. This phenomenon is different from morning and evening glows and is attributed to increased solar activity.

色鮮やかな朝焼けです。「朝焼けは雨、夕焼けは晴れ」というお天気のことわざがありますが、概ねは当たっていますが、一概には言えません。朝焼けも、ピンク色からオレンジ色、そして黄色へと、順に明るい色に変わっていく日は晴れることが多く、夕焼けも、雲がかかっていて、極端な赤色、不気味な赤色となると翌日は雨になることが多いです。
一般的に、空が濃く鮮やかな色に染まるのは、空気中の水蒸気が多いことが要因です。朝と夕方は太陽高度が低く、波長の短い「青い光」は空気中に散乱しますが、波長の長い「赤い光」はあまり散乱されずに地上に届きます。そして、空気中に水蒸気が多いと、適度に散乱し、目に入って来やすくなるのです。特に、梅雨時期は空気中に水蒸気が多くなっているため、より鮮やかな朝焼けや夕焼けになる可能性が高くなります。
「朝焼けや雨、夕焼けは晴れ」が当たるのは春と秋のみの季節限定ネタで、冬や夏はあまり当てになりません。このことわざがよく当たるのは、高気圧と低気圧が交互に通過する移動性高気圧が発生し易い春と秋に限るわけです。
ちなみに、つい最近、北海道で何十年ぶりにオーロラが見えたそうですが、これは朝焼けや夕焼けと違って、太陽活動が活発になったせいです。

As Christmas approaches, in addition to Christmas trees, flower arrangements such as Christmas wreaths and Christmas bouquets are adorned. Among them, Christmas wreaths have become increasingly popular recently. While other decorations are placed indoors, wreaths are displayed at the entrance, making them more noticeable. Common materials for the base of the wreath include wisteria, mountain grapes, tsuru-umemodoki, kiwi, and kudzu, chosen for their pliability and ease of handling. In contrast, nobudou grapes, are less suitable for crafting wreaths. The young parts are not sturdy, and the older portions become woody and rigid, making them challenging to bend.
However, the nobudou grapes undergo a fascinating transformation, starting as green and gradually changing from light green to pink, purple-red, blue, and finally black. The evolving colors are so beautiful that it is also known as the Nishiki grape. During this season, the nobudou grapes mature into thirteen jewel-like colors, making them perfect for Christmas wreaths.
Nobudou grapes are found all over the country and have been used traditionally as herbal medicine and as a tea substitute. Recent research indicates that nobudou grapes have the highest polyphenol content among fruits. Since polyphenols are said to exist in as many varieties as there are colors, the changing colors of nobudou grapes accurately represent the diversity of polyphenols in the fruit.

クリスマスが近づくと、クリスマスツリーの他に、クリスマスリースとかクリスマスブーケといったフラワーアレンジメントが飾られます。中でも、最近よく見かけるようになったのが、クリスマスリースです。他が室内に飾られるのに対して、リースは玄関に飾られるのでよく目に付くようになったためかもしれません。リースの土台になる蔓には、フジ、ヤマブドウ、ツルウメモドキ、キウィ、クズなどがよく使われます。木に粘り気があって扱い易いからです。
その点、ノブドウは若い部分は丈夫でなく、古い部分は木質化して硬いので曲げにくく、クラフトをするには扱いづらい素材です。しかし、ノブドウの実が、でき始めは緑色ですが、徐々に薄い白緑色からピンク、赤紫、青、黒へと変化します。色の移りゆく様が美しく、錦ブドウという別名があるほどです。そしてこの時期、13色ものまるで宝石のような実が出揃います。クリスマスリースの素材にはもってこいです。
ノブドウは全国どこにでもあって、昔から生薬として使われたり、お茶の代わりにもつかわれてきました。最近の研究では、ポリフェノールの含有量が果実類の中でダントツ１位だそうです。ポリフェノールは色の数だけ存在すると言いますから、正しくノブドウの実の色がポリフェノールの種類を表しているわけです。