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15 The Beauty of Shiraoka |
| “Hosui（豊水）” ,“Kosui（幸水）” , “The 20th century（２０世紀）” … Can you guess what these are? If I add one or two more examples, you will know the answer. “Chojuro”(長十郎) and “La France”. Yes! They are all the names of pears. |
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Then, do you know which town has produced the most pears every year in Saitama? It is Shiraoka-Town. They get more than 3,000 tons of pears every year in Shiraoka. But why is Shiraoka famous for pears? Who started growing pears? |
| The people in Shiraoka started growing pears in the
Meiji period. In 1884（明治17年), a man studied how to grow pears.
His name was Igarashi Hachigoro .(五十嵐八五郎)
In Gunma, he learned how to grow them well and taught it to his
relatives. That was the
start.
In 1910（明治43年）, there was a big flood around Shiraoka.
Other crops were terribly damaged by the flood. But pears were
safe because they were grown on the
shelves. (Please look at the picture on the right.)
Can
you imagine how they gathered pears at that time?
They used boats!
Do you know how to choose good pears when you go to a grocery store? I’ll teach you how to tell good pears from bad. Good pears are light-brown. If the “bellybutton” of the pear is black, that means it is too ripe or it was eaten by a worm. |
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You can enjoy fresh pears in the late summer.
Because they are so sweet and fresh, the pears are called “Shiraoka-Bijin”(The
beauty of Shiraoka). But if
you can’t visit Shiraoka during the best season of pears, you don’t
have to be disappointed. Pears
are made into many kinds of sweets such as jelly.
I am sure you will like it because its name is “Monku-nashi
jelly”. Now, you can’t
complain, can you? (293語) |
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↑もんく無く美味しい！ |
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pear梨 produce(d) 生産する、生み出す ton(s) （重さの単位）トン relative(s) 親戚 flood洪水 crop(s) 農作物 were terribly damaged 大きな被害を受けた on the shelves 棚かけして（棚を使って栽培すること） grocery store 八百屋 how to tell good pears from bad 良い梨の見分け方 light-brown 薄茶色の bellybuttonおへそ ripe熟れている worm虫 be disappointed がっかりする jellyゼリー complain 文句を言う |
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埼玉のガイドブックを見ながらクラスメートの仁（Hitoshi）と話しています。 |
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| Greg: | Hey, Hitoshi. I want to visit this town, Shiraoaka. How can I get there? | |
| Hitoshi: | I think I can go with you. It’s not so far from here. But why do you want to visit it? | |
| Greg: | Well…. Do you have a girlfriend? | |
| Hitoshi: | No. But why? | |
| Greg: | I have wanted a Japanese girlfriend since I came to |
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| Then, I found this comment in my guidebook. It says, “Shiraoka is famous for Shiraoka-Bijin.” | ||
| “Bijin” means “a beautiful woman” in Japanese, right? | 
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| I guess there are so many beautiful girls in Shiraoka. | ||
| Will you be free next Sunday? Let’s go together! | ||
| Hitoshi: | Ha-ha-ha! I’m afraid you misunderstood. | |
| Greg: | What do you mean? | |
| Hitoshi: | “The beauties in Shiraoka” are sweet and fresh. | |
| But they have round and light-brown faces. | ||
| Greg: | ... You mean they are not so pretty? | |
| Hitoshi: | I mean they are not human beings! | |
| Greg: | Oh, no! What are “Shiraoka-Bijin” then? |
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| Hitoshi: | The pears in Shiraoka are called “Shiraoka-Bijin” because they are sweet and fresh. | |
| Greg: | Pears? | |
| Hitoshi: | Come on, Greg! Don’t be disappointed. | |
| Shiraoka-Bijin is really delicious. | ||
| We can enjoy picking pears in Shiraoka. It’s really fun. | ||
| We can also buy cakes or jam made from pears. | ||
| They are very delicious too. | ||
| Greg: | Oh! Do you remember? Mayumi, our classmate, |  |
| once said that she loved cakes. I’m sure she will like | ||
| the cakes of Shiraoka-Bijin! I want to buy one for her. | ||
| Do you think she will be happy with my present? | ||
| Mayumi is so lovely. I want her to be my girlfriend! | ||
| Hitoshi: | … You never learn, do you? | |
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guidebookガイドブック misunderstood misunderstand（誤解する）の過去形 human beings人間 picking pears 梨狩り you never learn こりない奴だなぁ |
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