That Day I Threw Some Japanese Udon Noodles into the Simmering Pot.

This is not a video taken in an udon shop but a hot pot restaurant. In Osaka, there is a hot pot restaurant chain called "Shabutei" that serves shabu-shabu in a single pot dedicated to you. Shabutei impresses customers with its original sesame sauce and locals who have been to this chain will first recall the taste and flavor of that "silver sesame".

Decades ago, the author was in charge of managing a bar in Mitsutera-suji, a sub-area in Osaka's Minami district where, along with more famous Soemon-cho, there are many high-end clubs. I was still in my twenties, and the hostesses of the high-class clubs used to visit my bar as customers. It was around that time that I first encountered the taste of Shabutei.

Shabu-shabu is truly soul food to me as well as most Japanese people, with each guest throwing meat and vegetables into a his or her dedicated single pot although the video contains only Udon noodles, which are a unique part of this shabu-shabu dish. Whenever I visit this restaurant, the udon is my ultimate goal.

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FIREWORKS THAT COULD SET THE FOREST ABLAZE, BUT DON'T WORRY, WE ARE IN A WATER CITY

Last July 25 was the day of Tenjin Festival. However, for the last three years since the COVID-19 disaster, there were no fireworks, a summer tradition. Therefore, last night was the first fireworks display in four years. For several years prior to the Corona Disaster, I was invited by a friend who lives in a cultural property building adjacent to Sakuranomiya Park and had the rare opportunity to view the fireworks from close range of the launching pad.

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Tenjin Matsuri is a festival in the city of water, and fireworks are launched from the riverside. There are a lot trees in the park, and when watched from a close distance, it seems as if the forest is about to be set on fire as you worry as you watch my video. But I don't think we should underestimate the festival in the city of water. Fireworks display with water, sky, fire, and earth in the hot season. I hear that bidding for the Osaka Expo has been stalled, but I think the Tenjin Festival reflects the essence of Osaka as a city with history and culture.

Is there a "plot twist" that drives the Taliban out of Afghanistan?

In the world (to be more correct, the non-Islamic world), a storm of criticism is raging for the Biden administration's transfer of Afghanistan to the Taliban. However, in the United States, there are overwhelming voices in favor of the withdrawal of the US military.

The Taliban, which occupied Afghanistan, are said to have begun banning the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine from some parts of the country.

Afghan news media Shamshad News reported on August 12 that the Taliban banned the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine in Paktia after it occupied the eastern state of Afghanistan.

The state's director of public health in the region said the Taliban warned local hospital staff to stop distributing vaccines. Since then, they have closed the COVID-19 vaccine ward at the regional hospital.

■Source: TALIBAN CONQUERS MUCH OF AFGHANISTAN, BANS COVID VACCINE

Will COVID-19 rage in Afghanistan from now on? The upper Taliban will also be unvaccinated or pretend to be unvaccinated. To take a deeper look, the Taliban's seniors will want to ban the general public from vaccination but want to take it themselves..

Black trade will be done. And if the vaccine given ro the Tabliban is "set up", a surprising twist could be established. I think it's possible that the CIA is considering that plot. It shouldn't have any effect if you mention it on an unnamed blog like mine. Or maybe I'm just watching spy movies too much.

Coronavirus - Are Still-Open Pubs the 21st Century Version of the Black Market that Brought Japan to Life?

Osaka where the Request was issued based on emergency measures. The majority of restaurants where alcohol accounts for the majority of sales have been closed for dinner since August 2. The night town of Osaka has become silent.

However, this is a "request", not a "command". If the request is followed, a flat rate of 60,000 yen a day will be provided for each restaurant. However, there are no legal penalties for not complying. Restaurants that are still open just don't get paid for the cooperation.

The photo above is a crowd of Japanese people flocking to "Yami Ichi" after the defeat of World War II. "Yami Ichi" is a black market formed by people who can't stand the control of the wartime economic system, which puts most of the daily necessities such as rice, clothing, and daily necessities under distribution control.

Perhaps pub goers also couldn't stand the request. The "Yami Ichi pubs", which have suddenly become more competitive with many of its competitors closed, are packed with drunk people. The young part-time clerk is also lucky not to lose their job.

The drunkards take off their masks and chat loudly. You may be worried about coronavirus infection. Perhaps Yami Ichi pubs could be a place for cluster infections. However, it is necessary to recall once again that Yami Ichi (i.e., the black market) was the driving force behind Japan's recovery from the defeat.

Anyway, this izakaya I visited tonight was very prosperous. It is famous for Kyushu-style fried chicken, but it is a cheap restaurant that sells draft beer and highball for only 180 yen. It is a hero for drunkards, who does not raise prices when there are fewer competitors.

Opposition to the Olympics is a Proof of the Left Wing

It seems that my ancestor were hidden Christians ("Kakure Kirishitan") around Nagasaki. Moreover, I know that my Kyoto ancestors are the chief priests of temples that have become tourist destinations. The story of ancestors and religion deviates from the main subject of this article, but the story of the Edo Shogunate using "fumi-e" to identify hidden Christians is notorious.

It is Japan, my lovely home country, that the followers of a specific idea are identified by a similar technique even in modern times. For example, in a hot topic these days, "opposition to the Olympics" is a proof of the left. Again, I have to explain the complexities of Japan's left, but they are pro-China and pro-Korea. According to people on the right side of Japan, China and South Korea are said not to want Japan to succeed in the Olympics.

So it seems that the Japanese left wanted to cancel the Tokyo Olympics. Hence, "Olympic cancellation" is a proof of the left wing.

Another proof of the left wing seems to be the words and deeds that support the "homeless people" mentioned in the last two articles on this blog.

I think it's unlikely to be misleading on the English web, but I'll clarify my position. I am a non-political person who is neither a right wing nor a left wing. However, let me reveal that when I was young, during the Cold War, I sneaked into communist countries as an economic animal minion and corrupted local officials. I'm trying to novelize that story, but it's still incomplete.

There is a "Cruising" Ambulance in Osaka city - You can't stop it even if you raise your hand, how can you get on it?

I live in Osaka city, and even if I travel by taxi, it is often a short distance. Therefore, I often avoid taxis that are parked at taxi stands and catch cruising taxis. In fact, "cruising ambulances" are also running in Osaka city (there may be "cruising ambulances" in cities other than Osaka, but the author has confirmed the existence of "cruising ambulances" only in Osaka city).

If you are from abroad:

There are few cruising taxis in Tokyo these days. Cruising taxis are freely available only in local cities such as Osaka.

However, the "cruising ambulance" will not stop even if you raise your hand. So if you happen to have a car accident there, will the "cruising ambulance" stop to save you? The answer is probably "No". This is because the driver of the "cruising ambulance" is not running on the assumption that he may encounter a traffic accident site.

Many people may think, "Well, ambulance drivers who ignore when they encounter the scene of an accident are negligent in their duties." However, the "cruising ambulance" does not belong to the fire department in the first place. Drivers and crew are not civil servants.

A “cruising ambulance” is an ambulance that belongs to a particular private hospital. However, even though hospitals often own their own ambulances, not many hospitals operate their ambulances as “cruising ambulances”. If you read this continuation, you will understand why.

If you are clearly ill, your consciousness is stunned, you speak unintelligible words, or you are completely unconscious, they will put you on a stretcher and take you to the hospital. It is by no means a philanthropic activity that hospitals operating "cruising ambulances" are accommodating patients who have fallen over in this way.

It's a solid business. The detained patient does not need to have health insurance. The hospitalization fee and treatment fee for the patient who has fallen over will be paid by the local government (in Osaka city, of course, it will be Osaka city). Since the local government will pay the examination fee, the detained patients will undergo various examinations.

This is one of the causes of the infamous Osaka city's deficit finance, but it is not well reported. The medical association may or may not be putting pressure on the press.

Patients who are accommodated while lying down on the street in this way are called "Koro-san" in field terms. There may not be many hospitals that accept Koro-san, but they are scattered throughout Osaka City. Some hospitals specialize in Koro-san, while others accept both general patients and Koro-san (it seems that the latter hospitals mainly operate "cruising ambulances". In the case of Koro-san specialty hospitals, it seems that patients are often transported by ambulances from the fire department).

Some hospitals name him or her "[lastname], [serialnumber] Ro" if they don't know the identity of an unconscious Koro-san. The name of the hospital is entered in place of [lastname]. For example, if he or she is the 50th ("Goju" in Japanese)in a "Splendid" hospital, he or she is named "Splendid, Goju Ro". The [serialnumber] part is a kind of serial number. Next time when another unconscious & unidentified [Koro-san is brought in, he or she will be named "[lastname], [next-serialnumber] Ro". For example, the real name of former major leaguer Ichiro is "Suzuki, Ichiro". Ichiro means that the [serialnumber] in "[serialnumber] Ro" is 1 (“Ichi” in Japanese).

Discovered unconscious on the street, Koro-san are connected to a life support system in the hospital room and continue to sleep unknowingly when they will wake up. The longer they sleep, the more money they will receive from the municipality. In other words, the citizen's blood tax is poured indefinitely.

However, these hospitals should not be categorized as scams. After losing the place where Koro-san live, it is absolutely necessary to save ther life as they become weak on the street. However, I haven't seen any detailed information in the text, perhaps because it is taboo to touch these facts. I covered this story in Japanese more than 10 years ago, but was disturbed by suspicious people. So now I'm telling this story in English. No matter where you look on the web, you won't find similar information, except for my Japanse blog.

However, any medical professional who has traveled around Osaka should know this story. In fact, the story I heard directly from such medical professionals is the basis of this article.

As mentioned above, there are cases of unconsciousness, but in reality, many of the hospitalized Koro-san are getting better and eventually being discharged. After recovering to some extent in the hospital room, many patients become restless,wanting to return to their original "free environment."

A long time ago, a subordinate of a friend who works for a listed company was hit by a car and taken to a hospital. The destination hospital was the one that accepted Koro-san and others. And, as expected, the subordinate was put in a shared room with Koro-san and others. He was conscious, but had a complex fracture in his leg.

If you think in common sense, this young man, who is a first-class company employee, may feel uncomfortable with the appearance of the patients around him and appeal for a transfer. However, he also had the experience of wandering around developing countries around the world, and he completely blended into the atmosphere. When a visitor recommended a transfer, he stubbornly said, "I like this place." It is said that he spent about a month and a half until his feet healed happily in the hospital room with a strange atmosphere, just like "To every bird, his own nest is beautiful."

Urban legend about Osaka homeless hospitals

Mr. K, a university student who started a part-time job at a caterer in Nishinari Ward, a labor district in Osaka City, went around the customers' premises, such as small town factories and construction sites, to collect the used lunch boxes. Only one hospital was included in those customers. He also thought that the hospital that took lunch boxes was uncommon. The staff at this hospital do not eat lunch in the cafeteria, but instead eat the lunch boxes delivered by the caterer.

The hospital he visited for the first time stood on the side of the road without a garden. He was told by his seniors, "There is no entrance, so go in through the outpatient entrance." He wanted to do exactly that. However, on the contrary, it seemed that there was no entrance and only a doorway. Moreover, it is guarded by an iron grill. Is this the front door?

He was able to get in at the right time, as a person who looked like a staff member came out from inside. But he thinks. It's not like a hospital. Even if the outpatient reception is open only in the morning, if it is before 2:00 pm, there may be people who have not completed the accounting and usually there are many people in the lobby. No, in fact, there was only a small space that couldn't be called a lobby.

He passed by a woman who seemed to be leaving the hospital as he tried to retrieve used lunch boxes. But the woman, who looks around 50 years old, shook her legs and dropped the paper bag she had in her hand on the floor. Dozens of 500-yen coins spilled out of her.

The friendly K-kun was sorry that he was in the way and helped to collect the 500-yen coins. The woman thanked him and she laughed, but her teeth were missing.

A middle-aged man appeared and said, "You're a new part-time worker at the caterer. Given the cost of collecting the lunch boxes, I think it would be better to use disposable lunch boxes. Well, our hospital costs 7,000 yen for one washbasin."

"What? Is it such a high-class washbasin?" K responds unintentionally.

The man answers. "Oh no. There are so many things in the world, you know? The people who come in here leave the hospital without paying any money.The weird woman just made money and was discharged from the hospital instead of paying, so it's not normal. "

"Huh?"

"People who are hospitalized here usually only have a few tens of yen in their pockets. To put it bluntly, they specialize in people who have fallen over. In industry terms, they specialize in "Koro" homeless people. Well, you will learn the truth of society that you couldn't study at school. Hahaha ".

The man is gone. Mr. K is full of doubts. At a hospital where only people who don't have money come, is a washbasin 7,000 yen? It was strange, but why did the woman just have so many 500-yen coins?

When Mr. K returned to the caterer's office, a senior part-time student approached him. "Isn't that hospital a little surprising? The patients' hospitalization fees are all paid from our tax. I don't pay much tax, though. Those who are, and who are unlikely to have a health insurance card, that is, homeless sick or injured, are brought to that hospital. They are called 'Koro san'."

"What is a 7,000 yen washbasin?"

"If you are hospitalized there, you will be given various tests. Even if you are debilitated due to malnutrition, you will always have a CT scan and a gastrocamera test.

"The inspection fee alone is tens of thousands a day. It costs money anyway. So, the hospital charges it to the national government or the local government.

"The hospital gives every patient a set of washbasins with toothbrushes and towels, and the price is 7,000 yen, which is more than 10 times the market price."

However, even if the mystery of 7,000 yen is solved by this, the mystery that dozens of 500 yen coins spilled from the paper bag of the woman who should have been hospitalized there because she does not have money is not solved yet. .. When I talked about it, his senior grinned.

"I wish you were taken care of," he said, and the momentum was such that laughter was about to spill out from his senior's mouth. "That middle-aged woman seems to be a regular at that hospital, but she seems to be doing business on the roof when she is hospitalized."

"What is business?"

"You look well-bred. Are you still a virgin? That woman usually operates in the corner of a park, but when she is hospitalized, she operates on the rooftop. It's 500 yen each time. It's a one-coin prostitution. "

This is one of the crazy anecdotes of my beloved hometown, Osaka.This isn't really an urban legend, it's a true story I've heard from someone close to me. In Japanese, it seems that some people overreact to this article, which is annoying, but in English, it's probably okay.