冬の寒さと桜の季節
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast.
Hello.
Hello.
Good evening.
How are you?
Good evening. Good afternoon.
Good afternoon.
Yeah. Good evening. If you want to. Yeah.
It's cold outside.
Yeah. Ups and downs.
Yeah. Isn't it like really, really cold today?
Right.
Yeah.
Brought a jacket.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
It's cold.
I was walking outside this morning and I feel like winter day.
I thought it's like spring day is coming.
You know, feel so nice with the sun.
But it's over.
It's gonna get cold again.
Yeah.
Yeah. Tomorrow's gonna be colder.
Really? Even colder?
Yeah. Yeah. Two degrees colder.
It's gonna rain too.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
It's really a shame that every year like these sakura comes to their fullest blooming.
Yes.
And then just after that, like strong windy or like really cold rain comes in it.
Like in two days, three days, it's gone.
It's gone already. I know. It sucks.
It's so sad.
It's sad. It is.
I mean, I'm really sorry for them, for the trees, you know.
For the petals, right?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
They don't really have much time to shine.
So sad.
It is kind of sad.
Yeah.
It's true. That is true.
Every time I see them after the rainy days or windy days.
Yeah.
The petals are like, you know, on the road.
Or, you know, in the water, you know.
How sad.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
I did yesterday, I walked around the park, just got to see the sakuras.
Yeah.
Right. Because I know it isn't going to last long.
Yeah.
花見の雰囲気
Yeah. Yeah.
A lot of people there.
Right. Right. Right.
This morning too, I went to the park.
Last week, I went to the river, the famous Meguro River.
Yeah. A lot of people, huh?
Yeah. It was Friday night.
Are you not supposed to stop there?
Like, did they make you keep walking?
So the moment I went to the actual river was really late.
Okay.
In the night.
It was, well, it wasn't that late, like around 10, 11.
So there were not like...
It wasn't packed.
Yeah. We could walk.
We could, you know, if you want.
There were space.
You can dance if you want to.
Kind of that space.
Okay.
There were many people though, but still.
Still.
Yeah.
Not much.
A lot of people like stop and taking some pictures.
You know, some influencers like using their lights and then like...
Oh, okay.
They were live streaming?
Yeah. I'm not sure what they did.
Oh, okay.
Yeah. Yeah.
That was good.
I love that, you know, the atmosphere.
Okay.
A festival.
Do you get to do the, spread your little blue sheet and then have alcohol?
So, no, I don't think so.
Not anymore?
They banned it?
Yeah.
Right. A few years ago, like I saw some pictures or like above them doing that, but
not anymore, I think.
Too many people.
Yeah. Yeah.
Okay.
But, you know, there were like demises.
Oh, at night too.
Yeah.
Oh, okay.
Takoyaki, yakisoba and things like that.
And yeah.
Eat them all?
Yeah.
Yeah. What'd you get?
I didn't eat anything.
You didn't buy anything?
Yeah.
Okay.
I walked through.
Yeah. I enjoyed that, you know, just the view and atmosphere.
Okay. That's cool.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I feel like it's going to be gone soon.
Probably will, huh?
Probably will.
Because of the rain.
And the rain.
Yeah.
Sad.
Yeah.
Did you find a good park?
Yeah. Near my place.
There was Sakura and I got to see it.
I ate McDonald's.
Oh, under the tree.
Oh, not under the tree.
Kind of close to it.
Yeah. Yeah.
I found a bench that was there.
Oh, that's nice.
Oh, it was good. Yeah.
First time I had a Samurai Mac.
Had a Samurai Mac before?
What is that? I don't think so.
It's like shoyu-flavored burger.
Okay.
It's like shoyu, sweet, like...
Is it like teriyaki thing?
I don't think the ginger is there.
ラーメンの味と評価
That makes it taste like teriyaki.
It's more like shoyu and mirin, maybe.
Shoyu, mirin, sugar, sugary, salty burger.
Oh, I see.
Yeah.
Um...
So-so?
So-so.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh.
It's like something you got a little thick patty inside.
Yeah, it's a little bit thick.
Oh, I knew that.
It's double.
Is it double?
Yeah.
Was it like really salty?
It was salty.
Yeah, I remember I tried one last year or something like that.
Oh, yeah, you had it.
Too salty.
I know.
Oh, is it?
Like, I thought it's like mistake from the store.
Is it?
Really?
So it wasn't mistake then.
Have you had a Buy Mac?
Yeah.
At night, they give you double.
Yeah.
Had it before?
Yeah, but not the samurai version, but like a usual.
Yeah.
I think that was Big Mac Double.
Yeah, I think so, yeah.
Chunky.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I had a Buy Double cheeseburger, which means four patties.
Wow, okay.
It was so salty.
It was so salty.
The patties are really salty.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I didn't realize that, but it was very, very salty.
Yeah, because the buns are...
You know, still the same amount.
Yeah.
Usually, patties aren't salty, right?
Like authentic burgers.
Well, they are salty, but like it's not that salty, right?
Like McDonald's burger.
I wonder if people feel the same about, you know,
us feeling that the McDonald's patties are being salty.
Yeah.
Well, to me, yes.
Do you feel like Big Macs are salty too?
Yeah.
Overly salty?
Yeah.
But, you know, it's not only the patties, but also like sauce.
Well, like, you know, became double.
So salty.
Well, I mean, like everything's stronger.
Salty, punchy, creamy too much.
Oh, yeah.
You'd rather just have like the normal Big Mac.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
If you really, really want to have something, you know, junky food,
then that would be like perfect, I guess, but...
Yeah.
It's not going to be your go-to though.
No.
I'd rather have ramen, I thought.
In that case.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
True.
But if you think about like it's 100 yen or 200 yen, right?
It's just an add-on and you can get double.
That's right.
Yeah. That's why people order that.
I guess that's true.
Yeah, I understand that.
Yeah.
Right.
Yesterday, I walked near Butayama.
Isn't that the Iekei ramen?
Not Iekei, the Chokkei or Inspired?
It's not Chokkei.
It's not.
Yeah, I'd say it's one of the Inspires.
It was really clean.
It was really...
Glass doors, really clean inside the interiors.
And it was easy to go in.
I didn't go in, but it was nice looking.
Thought I could try.
Yeah.
It might be easier.
Do you think those shops have like a similar atmosphere of the employees and everything?
Being a little bit scary?
No.
They're not?
They are.
The reason why I hesitated to say that's one of the Inspired.
It's true they're inspired by Jiro, but it's kind of like, you know, it's not really good deshi.
Oh.
You know.
They're kind of betrayed?
In the family.
Yeah, kind of.
The family?
Yeah.
What's so bad about it?
They're too soft.
Soft as in what?
Like, what's soft?
Mentally?
Yeah, mentally.
Yeah.
What do you mean mentally soft?
What does that mean?
What is that supposed to mean?
You know, the shops are like a...
It's just like a ramen restaurant.
It's like...
So it's good for people, I guess.
Yeah.
They try to...
Like welcoming people, you know?
Yeah.
Isn't that what the Jiro is too?
It's like kind of...
It's not me.
I'm not saying so.
Sure.
It's how you perceive it.
Yeah, I kind of understand.
But people say...
Well, okay.
You just tell me what people say.
Yeah.
Butayama, that's not Jiro anymore.
豚山の特徴と評判
Tastely, first of all.
I see.
It's not good.
They don't have soul.
They don't have the soul inside.
Okay.
And I kind of understand that.
They make it like robots?
Is that what you're saying?
Like they don't have...
I mean, it's like it misses something.
Okay.
It misses something.
So it's missing an ingredient?
I think so.
Like a certain ingredient?
I guess so.
Or dashis or like the way they make it or something like that.
It looks just like the Jiro style.
But the portion itself is...
First of all, it's small.
Way smaller than the originals.
Yeah.
And tastes more like a usual ramen.
Okay.
Which is good for people.
Make it like smaller.
That's good for everybody.
Very good for everybody.
Yeah.
And it makes it like easier.
You know, makes the stores.
Yeah.
You know, just like you sew.
It's clean.
Yeah, it's clean.
Like glasses.
I feel like women can go in there.
Yeah, yeah.
That's what they do.
Yeah.
And that's why you guys hate it?
That's a terrible community.
That is a terrible community.
People say that's soft.
Too soft.
I don't know if the community of the Jiro's, if they're open or not.
I can't tell.
Yeah.
I can't tell if they're open or not, you know.
Well, I don't think they're really widely open.
Yes.
Oh, that's scary.
Yeah.
Okay.
But there are many Butayama restaurants in Japan.
It's like spreading.
So I guess it's really good for people, like in general.
In general.
And I understand that.
Yeah.
It's easier.
And yeah.
Maybe they hate it because Butayama went for trying to get more money.
Like trying to do business.
Yeah.
It's like they're using the Jiro brand or like Jiro's traditions and making it into like more...
Then, you know, they're pretending that they are like,
this is the Jiro, but actually not.
And it's spreading.
So that's why I guess they don't like that much.
Oh, I see.
Yeah.
So they don't use any like, you know, there are like tickets,
like little card things, you know, authentic Jiro's, but they don't do that.
They don't have like calls.
Oh, yeah.
You know, like mashi-mashi things.
Yeah.
They don't regularly have those.
So...
Oh, wow.
So is there anybody in the community that is on the Butayama side?
Is it like separated?
Is there like the agrees and the disagreers?
Or are you saying that they just collectively hate Butayamas?
How do you see it?
Is there a separation or is it just unilaterally hatred towards Butayama?
Well, there are, you know, parties that, including me, that can go and eat Butayamas.
Okay.
So I don't think like every, like whole group hates the Butayamas, but still, like I feel like
yeah, the more you get inside the Jiro world, the more...
Hatred you'll see.
Yeah, I feel like...
You know the guy that does the henshuu?
The lover.
Yeah, he doesn't, he doesn't, he doesn't...
He despises it.
Yeah, he doesn't admit that's one of the inspired...
Man.
You know, remember we did the Jiro pizza thing?
Yeah, the Kitakura.
And we ordered from the Uber.
Yeah.
The Jiro ramen, Jiro K ramen.
Yeah.
That was Butayama, actually.
Oh, that was Butayama?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then...
So that's why he was like, I don't know...
Guys, I don't know if this is a good idea, guys.
That's why he was like, nah.
Afterwards, when we asked him, hey, do you want to eat some of the ramen that we use for Kyaku?
Yeah, I can share it for you.
I can't eat this, guys.
It's like his religion.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We offered him.
Yeah.
We know he loves that kind of ramen, so we offered that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's that.
I see, I see.
But I feel like that's the best way of entering the world.
Oh, okay.
I see.
You can feel the atmosphere.
You can... from me.
That's my opinion.
Yeah.
But from, I guess, the guy.
Someone who's more into the world.
真の二郎体験の違い
Yeah, they would say that's not even a Jiro experience.
You don't taste the real thing.
And then it's so sad for them.
I see.
If you judge, oh, it's not good by just trying that, you know, fake Jiro, they would be upset.
Like, oh, you should try the real one.
I see.
So I think that's why.
Okay.
All right.
Yeah.
But to me, it's good.
Oh, so you're okay with it?
Yeah, I'm okay.
You're okay with the culture of having the Buteyama?
It's one of the things, if you see it from the distance, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I agree, I agree.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Thanks for listening, guys.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
But I agree with the taste.
It's true, it's true.
Taste is not the same.
Yeah, the real Jiro's are like.
Like more authentic.
You see authenticness in it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I see.
