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(ENG)
Lightning has been rampaging through the area since midday. The radio makes a crackling noise, so it's easy to hear the thunder. And it's raining hard from time to time. Or maybe it is hail, judging from the sound.
Today in Kyoto, the Yamaboko Junko (float procession) of the Gion Festival was held. I couldn't go to see it, but I saw photos of it on Instagram. It was covered with plastic, as if it had been hit by a thunderstorm.
The Gion Festival originally takes place over a month from July 1 to July 31, and the highlights of the festival include Yoiyama, Yamahoko-junko, Jinko Matsuri, and Kanko Matsuri. Originally, the Gion Festival was divided into the “Mae-matsuri” and the “Goto-matsuri,” but since my arrival in Kyoto, the Mae-matsuri and the Goto-matsuri have been combined into one. In 2014, however, the Gion Matsuri was restored.
I have yet to see the Gion Festival live since the restoration of the original Mae and Goto festivals. I would like to see it at least once, as some of the floats, such as the Ofunaboko, are worth seeing, but with thunderstorms like today, I can't bring myself to go outside.
Today, July 24, is also the day of the Doyou-no-Ushi (day of the Ox). Doyo-no-Ushi no Hi is the day of the summer Doyo period (summer Doyo refers to the 18 days before Risshu, the first day of autumn). It is said to be a good time to eat eels as a tonic. When I went to the supermarket today, I saw a large quantity of unaju (rice topped with eel) and unadon (bowls of rice topped with eel) on sale. However, I could not afford to buy anything too expensive, so I bought an eel nigiri for 570 yen.
Come to think of it, I used to have a habit of going to a restaurant in a neighboring town with my whole family to eat unaju on the day of the Ox in Doyou (the day of the Ox). I think the eels we ate back then were big and tasty. That was more than 30 years ago.
(JPN)
昼間から雷が暴れまくっている。ラジオがバリバリと雑音を発するので雷が鳴るのがすぐわかる。そして時折強く降る雨。いや、音からするとひょうかもしれない。
京都では今日祇園祭・後祭の山鉾巡行が行われた。私は見に行けなかったが、Instagramに写真が流れてきた。やっぱり雷雨にやられたらしく、ビニールが被せてあった。
祇園祭は本来7月1日から7月31日の１か月にわたって行われるが、祭の見所として「宵山」や「山鉾巡行」「神幸祭」「還幸祭」などがある。そして本来は祇園祭は「前祭（さきまつり）」と「後祭（あとまつり）」とに分かれていたのだが、私が京都に来てからは前祭と後祭は１つになっていた。しかし2014年に、後祭が復活した。
私は祇園祭は元通り前祭と後祭が復活してから、後祭はまだライブで見たことがない。大船鉾など見ごたえのある鉾も巡行するので、一度は見たいのだが、今日みたいな雷雨だと外に出る気になれない。
今日7月24日は土用の丑の日でもある。土用の丑の日（どようのうしのひ）は、夏の土用の期間（夏の土用とは、立秋の前の18日間のこと。ほかに、春の土用、秋の土用、冬の土用もある）にある丑の日のことで、滋養強壮としてうなぎを食すとよいとされる。今日スーパーへ行ったら、うな重とかうな丼とかが大量に販売されていた。でもあまり高いものは買えないので、うなぎのにぎり570円を買ってきた。
そういえば、土用の丑の日には、家族みんなで隣町の商店街の食堂へ行ってうな重を食べた習慣があった。あの頃食べたうなぎは大きくて美味しかったような気がする。もう30年以上前の話。