Ohayo SMAP!
Sept.20-Sept.24,1999

Sept.20(Mon):
Fall is the season of good food. For me, fall is the season of mackerel pike which is the seasonal fish. I like so called "blue fishes" such as mackerel pike, sardine and mackerel. These are called "blue fishes" because of their dark skin colors. I like them not only broiled but also on Sushi. In case of mackerel pike, it is best to be charbroiled using a small charcoal pot. The atmosphere of broiling the fish reminds me of old Samurai stories. (laughing) Ah, what else is the seasonal food? Well, when it comes to some gourmet food, it got to be Matsutake mushrooms which are very expensive. At Bistro SMAP, we use a lot of Matsutake. I think the bistro is quite a luxurious show. (laughing) However, I prefer Shiitake mushrooms over Matsutake mushrooms. Ah, Shiitake tastes better while Matsutake smells great. After all, fall is the season of good food and great appetite. I can keep talking about food forever.

Sept.21(Tue):
Continuing from yesterday, I will talk about the taste of fall today. It is nice to have some drinks for the long fall evenings. During a hot summer, I like to drink cold wine. Um. Liquors have seasons, too. Toward winter, I will heat up some Sake. Yeah. However, I don't change my drinks for each season. It is up to the feeling of the day to choose what to drink. It is said that wine is good for your health. But, basically, it should be limited to two glasses if the person is drinking everyday... Um... I heard that having more than two drinks a day is not good. Well, wine is high in calories and it is not good to take too much alcohol. Therefore, I suggest to have a moderate amount of drinks which is a nice way to enjoy alcohol.

Sept.22(Wed):
Well, yesterday, I was side trucked from the taste of fall to wine. I enjoyed talking about wine. In deed, I received lots of questions about how to keep wine. You know, there is a vegetable drawer in your refrigerator. I was doing this a while ago. The vegetable drawer is a good place to keep wine. But, you don't just put wine in there. The temperature is too low there. In order to keep 12 ~ 14 C, which is the best temperature for wine, you need to wrap the wine will with towel. Then, put it in the vegetable drawer in your refrigerator. I tried this because I was told by someone that this way is a good way to keep wine in the best temperature. Well, I don't think it was 12~14 C. It was colder than that. If you don't have a refrigerator, keep the wine in the place with some humidity. Don't keep wine in the place with high temperature. It may sounds not clean but keeping wine in shoe closet might work. If you have any other question regarding wine, please ask me any time.

Sept.23(Thu):
Yes, today is the holiday special. The morning show is broadcasted from Nasu hot springs. Of course, I am not in Nasu. (laughing) Ah, both Mr. Tachibana and Ms. Shibata are there. I wonder if they are broadcasting from hot springs. Well, I don't know. I like hot springs. I want to go. This is about the season of leaves changing their colors. Probably, we can see them soon. It will be great to see some beautiful view while dipping myself in a hot spring. Oh, well, I put "hot spring powder"(a bath salt) in my bath at home. (laughing) I like it quite a bit. Um. I wonder what kind are the effects of this hot springs in Nasu. I wanted to go. I envy them doing the morning show there. (Translator's note: Many hot springs in Japan are rich in minerals and sometimes helpful to heal some physical problems such as joint and muscle pains.)

Sept.24(Fri):
Yes. The morning show was broadcasted from the hot springs yesterday. It is such a luxury to go to the hot springs. I am envy of them. Well. I really want to travel. I will go even if it is inside Japan. If I had 2 days off, I would have taken some trip...But if it is just 2 days, such as a weekend, going to overseas like to Saipan will not be my trip. If going to overseas, I have to have at least one week. Um. It is difficult just going to Narita Airport. Even if we can fly to Saipan in three hours, it will take another 3 hours going to Narita Airport. That's why I travel inside Japan when I have 2~3 days off. My two-day trip is often to Okinawa. I like Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. Um. Other places, such as Yakushima Island, the southern islands of Japan are great when it comes to traveling inside Japan. Um.

Ohayo SMAP