DAYS
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Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
from Sicily / Italy
Kaori Sakurada
Coordinator / Travel Agent / Journalist
Born in Tokyo and currently lives in Sicily, Italy.
Former international flight attendant for Japan Airlines Co.
I have been traveling around the world since my twenties due to my job, and I settled down in my favorite country, Italy.
In Sicily, where not only Japanese common sense but also Italian common sense does not prevail, she has been working as a coordinator for TV and magazines and as a travel agent. In Sicily, where not only Japanese common sense but also Italian common sense does not prevail, she works as a coordinator for TV and magazines, a travel agent, and a journalist.
He is an expert on Sicilian cuisine and its history.
4.12.2025
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Yellow flowers and artichokes
This is Kaori Sakurada, a columnist living in Sicily.
It seems that March in Japan was a month of three cold and four warm days, with quite a wide range of temperatures.
I heard that the temperature rose so high that it seemed like early summer and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Tokyo, but the following week it got very cold.
Many people must have fallen ill.
Here in Sicily, the weather is similarly warm or cold, and we are already having a hard time planning our costumes.
There were days when I could go out in just a blouse, but the next day I had to wear a down coat.
Come to think of it, this time last year I had a fever for the first time in about 20 years, and I spent a lot of time taking care of myself.
This year, thanks to you, I am in good health every day.
It is around February, but you can see yellow flowers here and there.
On March 8, International Women's Day, which seems to have become well established or well known in Japan, mimosa flowers are sold everywhere in town.
Other flowers like chrysanthemums, clover flowers, acacia flowers, etc. are also on sale.
In the suburbs, of course, but even in the city, you can find them growing in small open spaces.
In Sicily, where there is no maintenance, this may be the case (laughs).
(Laughs). They are abandoned here and there.
As I write this in late March, daylight saving time has started.
Every year on the last weekend of March, the time changes from Saturday to Sunday, and immediately after, the time advances one hour to 2:00 a.m. That is, from 1:59 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
In other words, the time jumps from 1:59 to 2:00 to 3:00.
And sunset, which was 6:30 PM the day before, switches all the way to 7:30 PM.
I remember writing this last year, but it is exciting when the sun gets longer.
And every year when Daylight Saving Time starts, I feel that “another 3/4 of the year is over.
It is peaceful and calm, but I feel that I have spent my days without much productivity, and I am a little impatient.
I shouldn't, I shouldn't, I'm trying (as of now) to review my lifestyle a little more.
And this time of year, I spend my days eating all kinds of artichokes.
Artichokes, which are available from December, are called “Western thistle” in Japanese, but I wonder if they are still unfamiliar in Japan.
Due to the high prices in the past few years, artichokes are much more expensive than they used to be at the beginning of the year, costing 1€ (about 160 yen) each.
Usually, the price goes down as the year progresses, but this year it didn't go down very much.
However, they started to drop around the end of January, and I began to think that it would be OK to buy them.
I buy 10 sticks every time and keep eating them.
Risotto, pasta, fried, omelette, hollowed out and stuffed...there are many ways to eat them.
They are also delicious just boiled.
My favorite way to eat them is thinly sliced and raw in salads.
However, it can only be done with very tender artichokes, so I am lucky if I can get such ones, and I always have a heaping pile of them in a salad.
The drawback with artichokes is that they are very lye-y.
If you don't soak them in lemon juice from the cut side, they get darker and darker.
It doesn't change the taste, but the appearance is important, especially when eating raw.
And after some prep work, the fingertips will also turn black....
This is hard to remove even if you wash them with soap.
In the suburbs of Palermo, where I live, there is a village called Cerda, famous for its artichoke cultivation.
For a small village, there are quite a few restaurants and trattorias, and during the season, all of them serve “artichoke dishes.
There are no menus, just sit quietly and the dishes will be brought to you as they are served.
The most attractive thing is the array of appetizers, about 10 kinds lined up one after another, but they are all so delicious that you can't stop, and the wine just keeps on coming.
After that, pasta and risotto as primo piatto, and three kinds of grilled meat as the main course are the standard.
The volume is so large that even the locals can't eat it all, it is hard to get to the end, and many people take their meat home with them.
It has become a yearly event to visit this place at least once a year to fully enjoy the artichokes.
The season is quite long, from December to the end of April, but after that, the locals eat them all the time because they are only available pickled in vinegar as a preserved food.
But like eggplant, it is not so popular among children.
Why is that?
Every year, the seasonal transition between winter and spring is becoming more and more ambiguous (the same may be true in Japan), and it seems that “summer” suddenly arrives with a repetition of three cold and four warm days.
So let's enjoy the spring-like days to the fullest and get out and about.
Let's go out and enjoy the spring-like days as much as we can.
2.8.2025
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
A month passed in the blink of an eye, 2025.
My name is Kaori Sakurada, and I live in Sicily.
It's early, one month has gone by so fast this year.
Around Christmas last year, the weather was unusually bad for Sicily, with heavy rain and strong winds for a week.
After that, the weather cleared up like a lie and we had a calm New Year's Day, and I spent my days feeling good at the beginning of the New Year.
We went for a walk by the sea, had a New Year's party at a Japanese friend's house, and went out a lot, but....
Then, in the middle of the year, the bad weather returned again.
Not only did it rain heavily, but it even hailed.
I hardly went out for a week and stayed indoors.
The tension was low.
As I write this in late January, the weather is stable and my mood is stable.
However, I wonder if I have become a Sicilian in that my mood is so influenced by the weather.
People here are really affected by the weather.
If I lived in northern Europe, I would hardly see the sun during the winter, and it rains a lot, so I don't think I could live if I had to depend on the weather every single time.
However, here in Sicily, it rains a lot! Here in Sicily, heavy rain can cancel dinner appointments without a care in the world.
“This weather..., what shall we do for dinner tonight?
Or messages are exchanged and cancellations are made....
I used to find it hard to believe that it was not a typhoon, but now I am completely used to it.
I sometimes worry that I will not be able to have a social life in another place.
I have no plans to move at the moment, though.
Birthday Month
My partner and I, whose birthdays are five days apart, have grown one year older together this year.
We each decided who we wanted to spend the day with and where, and this year we both enjoyed a small dinner out.
How many birthdays have we spent together already?
He used to go out on the morning of my birthday and come home with a bouquet of flowers, but that hasn't happened for about 10 years now (laughs).
And I don't mind it any differently.
It is true that many Sicilian women complain about these things, but I don't care, I don't beg or expect it.
That doesn't mean I'm cold, but as I mentioned above, I do enjoy celebratory meals.
Perhaps that is because I place more importance on day-to-day life than on anniversary events?
Because if I can spend my time peacefully, that is all I need to feel happy.
In my opinion, birthdays have a stronger sense of “a new year is about to begin” than New Year's Day.
Maybe it is because it is my own New Year and not the New Year of everyone else.
I will be healthy, enjoy delicious food, soak up the sun, and be in good spirits.
I want to cherish the time with my close friends, spend my alone time drawing, and live a life with enough space and margin without overfilling my schedule.
This is a month in which I thought about these things deeply, and I thought I was doing them.
Nothing special, but it was a happy birthday month.
12.5.2024
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Looking Back to 2024
This is Kaori Sakurada, a columnist living in Sicily, Italy. It has been a while.
I'm sure you all feel the same way, but the year is quickly coming to an end.
I am sure you are looking back on the year 2024 and thinking about your aspirations for the coming year.
I would like to take a look at my notebook and review the past year.
In 2024, I had a desire to go to the theater.
I used to visit the theater rather frequently, but for the past few years, or rather for the past 10 years, I have been away from it.
There was no particular reason for this.
So, around this time last year, I suggested to my partner that we go to the theater next year.
As a result, we were able to go to three operas, one musical, and three ballets.
All of them are in Palermo's main theater, the Teatro Massimo.
In addition, the last ballet, “The Nutcracker,” awaits us this month, which is the most popular ballet during the Christmas season.
I love the atmosphere of the theater as well as the stage itself, and I am always excited when I step into the theater.
This is one of the things I would like to continue next year.
I did not take any major trips this year, but I was able to go to Venice, Rome twice, and Florence, all for the first time in several years, and I was able to reconnect with friends I had not seen for a while.
We were also able to eat crispy pizza in Rome, which does not exist in Sicily, and T-bone steaks in Florence, which was also satisfying.
All of them reminded me of my late mother, as they were all her favorites.
Hotel Danieli” in Venice, where I used to stay with my mother, and now it is too expensive to stop, so we just went for breakfast.
The breakfast buffet at this hotel was wonderful, and I remember eating it with my mother on the terrace.
I had lived in Florence for about 7 years, so even though the city had changed a lot, I missed it.
I visited my old apartment and looked at it from the outside and sighed.
It was the starting point of my long life in Italy, you know.
From spring to summer, it was a year of many visitors.
Some were good friends from Japan, some were friends of friends whom I met for the first time, and some were foreign friends living outside of Italy.
I had many opportunities to speak English, and I was thankful for that, because if you don't use the language, you forget it.
One of the biggest events for me was that I was able to exhibit my paintings, which I have been doing since last spring, in a group exhibition at Gekkoso in Ginza with my teacher and fellow painters in July.
It was a pity that I could not be there because I could not return to Japan, but many of my friends who live in the Tokyo area visited the exhibition, and the number of visitors was close to 10% of the total number of visitors.
A Japanese woman whom I met in Palermo in May went there with her husband, and to my surprise, she also started painting under the same teacher.
I am very happy to be able to influence someone in some way and to have more drawing friends.
Another big event and accomplishment was the publication of a “recipe book” with my friends.
In a FB group that was formed in the Corona Disaster, people who like to cook and upload what they eat were always asking for recipes when they saw something that looked good.
At first no one took me up on the idea (laughs), but gradually they became interested and it took shape.
It is self-published and we do not plan to sell it, so it is like our “graduation album.
It is a group that is not open to the public, and someone is connected to someone else.
Among them are professional illustrators, editing and layout professionals, people who know Japanese publishers, etc., etc. This book is the result of people doing what they can do.
I also wrote some columns.
People living in Japan have already received the book, but it will be a little while before those living overseas receive it, so we are waiting with baited breath.
Toward 2025
There are many things that I was not able to accomplish this year and will carry over to next year.
One of them was a trip to Turkey, which I really wanted to do, but for various reasons, I could not make it happen.
I would like to carry it over to next year.
I am very eager to go on a balloon ride in Cappadocia and to enjoy Turkish cuisine to the fullest.
Turkey is the crossroads of the West and the East, and I have wanted to go there for many years, but my partner is not very enthusiastic about it.
In Japan, it would be possible to say, “Well, I'll go with my friend,” but in Europe, it is very difficult to do so.
I wonder if it is times like this that I envy Japan, where married couples are usually allowed to live separately.
I was planning to start “morning yoga” at home, but my willpower is also weak and I don't do it or not....
I think I should start from this very moment, instead of thinking that I will start next year (laughs).
One thing I started but then neglected is “researching Sicilian cuisine.
I was given a one-year series of articles on NHK's TV Italian text with the title “Cutting through the History of Sicily with Food”.
I did quite a bit of research on Sicilian cuisine and ingredients at that time, but I would like to deepen it a bit more.
Sicilian cuisine today is a mixture of many different cultures, many ingredients brought in from outside the country, and a mixture of all of them.
I am proud to say that I know more about the roots of Sicilian cuisine than the Sicilians, but I would like to dig deeper.
I'm lazy by nature, so I won't study unless I give myself a challenge...you know.
The words I wrote on the first page of my notebook for 2024,
Think, feel, draw...
Feel, think, write
In my notebook for 2025
Be kind, be strong, be interesting,
Take good care of yourself, be flexible, and be at peace.
I wrote “Be kind, be strong, be funny, take good care of yourself, be supple, and be at peace.
In this busy season of the New Year, I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.
And we hope to bring you the fragrance of Sicily again next year.
4.15.2024
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
The arrival of spring
It's getting warmer and it's nice to dine at a restaurant by the ocean.
This is Kaori Sakurada, a columnist from Sicily, Italy.
In the Catholic world, Easter was celebrated on the last Sunday of March. It is the second most important feast day after Christmas.
Easter changes every year, but this year it happened to coincide with the beginning of daylight saving time, which somehow made me feel as if spring had come all at once.
When daylight saving time begins, the sunset time suddenly becomes one hour later, and it is light until around 7:30 p.m. This happens every year, but it makes me feel excited.
Is it because my parents told me to come home before dark when I was a child?
I laugh at myself for thinking that I can still play outside.
This year, however, I fell ill before Easter.
It was the first time in nearly 20 years that I had a fever, and I was surprised at myself.
I thought it might have been a cold. But the next day I had a fever, and it might have been the flu.
I took some medicine, went to bed, and somehow recovered after sweating about 2 liters of sweat in the middle of the night.
But the next day, I was sick again in the evening and went to ・・・・.
I repeated this for several days. I was able to move around quite a bit, starting on Tuesday and fully recovering on Saturday, but it seemed to have drained my strength more than I thought, and I would get tired after a little movement.
It may have been due to my age, but it was also quite a shock for me.
I'm feeling much better now, but it was a week of no success.
After the ballet. Dinner with ballerinas, their families and friends who went with them.
Fun in March.
Looking back on the past month, I went out to the theater again in March and enjoyed the ballet "Cinderella".
This is the third consecutive month since the beginning of this year that I have gone to the theater, and once again I enjoyed the happy time and space.
Moreover, there is now a Japanese ballerina at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.
She is also a friend of mine, or rather I first met her mother, and we have had dinner together several times and have become good friends.
Her mother, grandmother, and sister came to Palermo to see her perform, and we had a wonderful time with them.
Even on days when she has evening performances, she has rehearsals during the daytime, and of course she is always at the theater, even on days when she is not dancing.
She also has to be at the theater every day, even on days when she is not dancing.
So I was able to go out with my family members during the daytime and talk with them a lot.
I have a lot of friends in Italy, but it is very precious time for me to talk with them in Japanese.
In April, my best friend from my JAL days will come to visit us with her husband.
We will be going to Palermo, then Rome and Venice together, which I am looking forward to.
We will spend about a week together, but I am sure that will not be enough time.
Sicilian Seafood
Daily Delights
While I was back in Japan exactly one year ago, I took a drawing course that I found on FB, and since this March I have been taking a higher level course.
The course, called "Pictorial Artist," lasts for five months from March to July, and although I have a lot of assignments and homework, I am enjoying it.
I want to be able to draw buildings and people, which I am not good at, and I want to be able to draw more quickly.
In February, a friend of mine opened a cafe in Jiyugaoka, Tokyo, and I would like to be allowed to draw the menu for it.
My dreams go on and on.
I don't draw large objects because it is a notebook sketch, but since I started drawing, I have been able to observe things more closely.
It was a great decision for me to start this hobby, which I can continue even if I lose the ability to stand on my legs and feet.
Sometimes I draw every day in my spare time, and sometimes I take the time to sit down and work on it.
I always carry a small Moleskine notebook and a Ben in my bag, and when I am out and about, I pick up a pen whenever I feel like it.
My mother used to do watercolors, too, and I wish I had started earlier so I could have taken her on painting trips with me.
But that is no longer possible.
But I am sure she is watching my sketches from the sky.
Everyday is not dramatic, but I am thankful to be able to live a normal life.
After I became ill, I felt even more so.
I wake up in the morning normally, can walk on my own feet normally, and find food delicious.
My days are enriched by drawing, and I enjoy spending time alone and with friends.
I feel strangely happy today.
Delicious drawing
2.10.2024
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
The beginning of the year 2024 is
It's my first column of the year 2024, as we are now one month into this year in the blink of an eye.
How is everyone doing?
I have been back to work a little bit, which I haven't had since Corona, and I went on a business trip to northern Italy and Germany in January.
While it was fun to spend the days relaxing, cooking, and drawing, the tension of work was quite nice.
After the business trip, I met up with my partner in Rome, and we enjoyed a three-day trip.
How many years had it been since I had been to Rome?
At the hotel where I was working, I wrote down a list of things I wanted to eat in Rome at night.
First of all, "Puntarelle salad," which is only available at this time of the year.
This is a type of chicory, a slightly bitter and chewy vegetable that I like to eat with anchovy dressing.
I found it in Palermo a few years ago and was overjoyed to purchase it, but I realized that it is something else in the real world.
It should be available in stores all over Rome during the winter months, so if you are going to Rome in the future, I highly recommend you give it a try.
Puntarelle Salad
In pasta, it is called "cacio e pepe.
The most famous pasta in Rome may be carbonara or amatriciana, but I prefer cacio e pepe because I can never seem to make it well myself.
I succeed one out of three times, but two times I end up with an unsatisfactory result. ・・・・
The main course was lamb and saltimbocca.
Roman lamb is famous and is called abacchio.
It is simply grilled over charcoal, but it is certainly delicious.
Saltimbocca is floured veal sautéed with prosciutto and sage, then simmered with a little white wine.
This is a dish that sometimes appears on our table.
But since I couldn't eat it, I ate it at a restaurant serving "Roman food" when I came back to Palermo.
Why don't you make it yourself?
Pizza in Rome
And one thing you definitely cannot miss is Roman-style pizza.
In Japan, the Neapolitan style, with its thick and fluffy dough, is the mainstream, but I definitely prefer the thin and crispy Roman style.
Even in Sicily, Neapolitan style is the mainstream, and you can't find Roman style, so you shouldn't miss this opportunity.
I asked around to cab drivers and policemen in the area and was told that it was "absolutely delicious," so I went to the restaurant, but when I saw people eating it, I thought, "This is no good.
Even my Sicilian partner said, "Isn't this awful?" so let's not have pizza here.
Every time I have a meal in the middle of a serious trip, I get quite depressed if I miss one, but I happened to sit next to a couple, an American man and a Ukrainian woman, and we started talking, and as a result we had an enjoyable evening, so I was satisfied.
Of course, "what you eat" is important, but "who you eat with" is equally important.
Even though we had never met before, we had a great conversation and a lot of laughter.
I believe that it is good to have a once-in-a-lifetime encounter when traveling, but unusually, we exchanged contact information.
As a result, we decided to meet again the next night.
We were able to visit museums we had never been to, museums that were open for a limited time, and for the first time in nearly 30 years we were able to visit the Vatican Museums, where we were reunited with Raphael and Michelangelo.
I heard that it is difficult to live in Sicily because of various problems, and it is the same in Sicily.
Rome is still Rome, and I think it is the eternal city.
After all, I fell in love with Rome on my first arrival there when I was a JAL flight attendant, so it is also the starting point of Italy for me.
Birthday present from my partner: tickets to the opera!
A double birthday
This last Sunday in January is actually my birthday.
And since I left Japan and arrived in Florence on my birthday 30 years ago, and my life in Italy began, it is actually a birthday with double meaning.
Yes, I have been living in Italy for 30 whole years.
I had no idea at the time that I would be living in Italy for such a long time.
The law changed and I was able to get a work visa (which was quite hard work), and I was blessed with people around me who helped me.
When I first went to the immigration office in Florence to apply for a "residence permit," I was told that I could not get one without an Italian bank account. I remember that I was so tired and desperate that I burst into tears.
This was the unreasonableness of Italy that I had heard so much about!
The banker saw this and said, "Don't cry, don't cry. Come upstairs with me. I will open an account for you." He took me by the shoulders and took me upstairs.
As a result, I was able to open the account and he said, "When you get your residence permit, bring it back to me." I was told, "Bring it back when you get your residence permit.
I had heard that Italian men are kind to women, and it was true.
It was also true that they are susceptible to women's tears.
I thought later that if the attendant had been a woman, the problem might not have been solved so easily.
I was lucky.
I also continue to draw and paint. Delicacies I ate in Rome
These days I look back on the past.
I recall many events of the past 30 years like this.
I remember the fun times, the hard times, and the many people who helped me.
When I was at my wit's end, someone reached out to me.
Yes, I am blessed by the people around me, and I am truly grateful.
I remember the many kindnesses I received.
Life in Palermo is not so easy, and it is true that there are many things that make me mad, but I will never forget Italy and the kind people who accepted me, and I want to be a person who can give a helping hand to those in need.
I had a lot of hard times in 2022 and 2023, so I will spend this year with a smile and freedom as if I were flying in the sky.
12.10.2023
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
November
The year is almost over, and many people are probably reflecting on the past year at this time of year.
My year 2023 was quite different from the norm.
As I have written before, I returned to Japan last November for the first time in over four years, and since my mother passed away during that time, I extended my stay and was in Tokyo for five months until mid-April.
Then I returned to Japan in late September to finish the inheritance process again, and stayed for two months.
I have just returned to Sicily.
In other words, I spent more than half of the year in Tokyo.
This was the first year like this since I started living in Italy.
Leaving the inheritance aside, there was one thing I was really looking forward to this time.
It was the scent of "Kinmokusai.
In fact, it is (probably) my favorite scent of flowers.
However, the blooming season is short, just a little more than two weeks from the end of September to the middle of October, and the last time I returned to Japan at this time was in 2017, so it had been six years since I had last seen it.
I heard that many people think of fragrant air fresheners when they hear the word "kinmokurinosai," but the scent of real flowers is wonderful.
However, a few days after returning home, I could not smell it at all.
There are some in my parents' garden, but they are not blooming at all.
I asked my friends, "What happened to the golden osmanthus? They all answered in the same tone of voice, "Well, it hasn't bloomed yet this year.
Perhaps the extremely hot summer has delayed the blooming this year. They laughed at me.
Later, when I was walking around the neighborhood, the scent came out of nowhere.
Yay!
And a few days later, the golden osmanthus in my garden bloomed well, and every morning when I open the upstairs window to change the air, the fragrance flies in.
Those living in Japan may not understand how much happiness this alone brought me.
Though not as showy as cherry blossoms, and they often do not show their appearance, their fragrance makes a wonderful statement.
Of course, I think that every Japanese person loves cherry blossoms, but I think that Chinkohana in spring and Kinmokusei in autumn definitely make us feel the season.
Another event was being able to attend a reunion with friends who were together from elementary school through high school.
During lunch with friends during my last trip back to Japan, we talked about having a reunion for the first time in over a decade, and the date was decided on the spot.
The reunion was to be a celebration of my 60th birthday.
I thought November would be a good time for me to attend, and I was very happy that it came to fruition.
Some people who live in the U.S. came back to Japan for the reunion.
It was a big party with 48 people gathered.
I was one of the group that initiated the event, but I was not able to participate in any preparations from Italy, so I arrived early on the day of the event to help with the balloon inflating and decorations.
During the status report, we talked about illness and caring for parents, but it was encouraging to hear that so many of my friends were active in their lives.
One of them is planning to open a café, which has been his dream for a long time, and another person is going to wholesale cakes to the café.
I must definitely go there next time.
During my last long trip back to Japan, I got sick, had an unexplained leg swelling, food poisoning, and so many other things, so this time I had to make sure I had insurance, but nothing happened.
I guess that's the way it is.
If nothing had happened, I would have felt that it was a waste of time, but if I had not taken out insurance, I might have had another malfunction.
Yes, that's the way it is, I guess.
This year's autumn in Tokyo has been hot and lazy, and the weather has been abnormal.It rained suddenly, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees Celsius, and it got cold, and then the temperature went up to over 20 degrees Celsius.
When we returned to Sicily, the temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius even though it was December.
It was also strange, because we usually turn on the heating system.
Usually I miss Japan when I return to Sicily, but it is strange that this is the first time I feel like I am "back home".
It is not that I missed pasta or Italian food, and I think Tokyo is better in terms of eating habits, but I realized that "this is where I belong at the moment.
Maybe it was because my mother was no longer at home.
Maybe it was because my brother usually lives alone at my parents' house, and I was very careful not to disrupt his rhythm of life.
Just as many of my friends in Japan were waiting for me to return home, there were many friends in Palermo who were also waiting for me to return home, and I kept getting calls and plans to meet up with them.
I am grateful for that.
I believe that more friends are not necessarily better, but I am truly blessed to have many friends whom I can rely on when I am in trouble.
I wish I could be that kind of person for them.
Well, the year 2023 is coming to an end, and if I can spend December happily, all the best.
If you ask me if it was a good year or a bad year, I would say it was a good year because we overcame some difficult times.
And in 2024, I would like to do even more fun things.
I received a lot of power from my classmates, and there is still time to realize what I want to do.
What can I do today to achieve this? I ask myself.
8.5.2023
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
August Daily Life
Daily Life
In my previous column written around the end of June, I blurted out that "spring never comes to Sicily," but to my surprise, summer suddenly arrived in July, skipping spring.
It was quite intense, with temperatures quickly rising above 40 degrees Celsius.
The humidity was also high for Sicily, and I thought, "This must be bad. It was like, "This must be bad," I thought.
Fortunately, this year we have an air conditioner, so we are able to get over the heat even though it is only in the living room.
Until last year, we had been living without an air conditioner.
I only had a fan in the bedroom, and if I needed to sleep, I could sleep on the sofa in the living room.
In mid-July, I went on a one-week trip to Calabria, at the tip of the Italian peninsula, where it was just as hot. Just a short walk, or rather, even without walking, I was sweating as soon as I stepped outside, and I was forced to go sightseeing around the outside, including the archaeological park.
It was going to get hotter and hotter, and I wondered what would happen. I was a little worried about what was going to happen.
After returning home after a successful trip, the heat continued to increase.
Of course, it was not as hot as in Japan, but the humidity left my skin sticky and sweaty even after sunset.
After that, "You-Know-Who" arrived.
That guy was the "Sirocco," a seasonal wind from Africa.
It is a very troublesome one that brings strong winds and dust.
In Japan, it is like yellow sand in China.
The sirocco is very dry, so the humidity drops rapidly, but the temperature rises.
The temperature in the Palermo region rose to 47 degrees Celsius.
If it were humid like this...it would surely kill me.
Close the windows, never let the hot air in, and if you open them, even sand will get in and you will be in big trouble.
If you open the window, what it feels like is the same hot air that hits you in the face when you open the oven.
It started on Sunday and continued for three days until Tuesday.
It is interesting that most siroccos are three days long.
On the first day, I had to go out with friends, so we went out, but almost no one was sitting on the terrace of the restaurant, and we settled inside the air-conditioned room.
Even so, there are still people in Sicily who say that air-conditioning is bad for your health.
Isn't that idea too old-fashioned?
It was 47 degrees on Monday and I couldn't go out. I left the air conditioner on and went to bed at night.
It would be a little different if it were on in the living room alone, and just thinking about how much the indoor temperature would rise if we turned it off was frightening.
On the third day, Tuesday, we were already in trouble.
I heard that the mountain where my friend and her family lived was also in a big fire, so I called them immediately and found out that an evacuation order had been issued the night before.
He sounded exhausted, saying that they had spent the night in a plaza a little ways down the road, with no shelter.
He evacuated with his wife, college age daughter, and two dogs.
I can only imagine the horror of everything burning in an instant depending on the direction of the wind, but I'm sure it's not really like that.
Palermo's topography is a bit like Nagasaki's, with mountains just behind the coastline, and the fire had come down the mountain and was quite close to the city.
Wildfires break out every year in Sicily, but I had never seen such a terrible situation before.
By Wednesday, the sirocco had subsided and the temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees to about 30 degrees.
It felt somewhat cool and comfortable at 30 degrees Celsius.
I can live like a normal person.
Such is my favorite way to spend my time these days.
I am still alive even though the heat is killing me, and the thing I spend most of my time on these days is "drawing.
In March during my return to Japan, I stumbled upon an online colored pencil drawing course and immediately signed up for it.
I have been using a one-page-a-day "Almost-a-Day Notebook" for about 15 years, and at one time I used to draw illustrations of the food I ate in it, but I had neglected it for four and a half years.
I had always wanted to draw, but for some reason I just couldn't do it.
When I saw this course and the atmosphere of the teacher's drawings had the touch I liked, I applied without hesitation.
This teacher's method is to draw directly with a pen, without drafts.It doesn't matter if it is distorted or different from the real thing, just draw it. It's fine.
It's also nice that the theme of the contest is "Adult's Picture Diary.
You can go at your own pace on youtube, and sometimes meet up with others via zoom.
Once a week I post a picture on FB and we comment on each other's work.
I started drawing for the first time in a while, and it was still too difficult for my hand to move, but I was inspired by everyone else's drawings, so I kept at it and finished the 3-month course.
It is not so easy to say that I have improved in three months, and I am still stuck in the "children's drawing" stage, but at any rate, I am having a lot of fun.
But I am enjoying it anyway.
First of all, I started to observe things more closely.
Observation is necessary to get the shape, but it is also difficult to color.
Is the color of roast pork almost gray or brown?I had never eaten roast pork with such thoughts in mind.
Even the color of soy sauce, which color should I choose from 36 colored pencils?
How many colors should I mix?
I started to know the names of flowers I didn't know before, and I started to look closely at the construction of buildings.
I realized how many things had been right in front of my eyes, but I had never paid attention to them.
Some may think that's what it is, but that's okay with me, because I enjoy it.
I also bought a small Moleskine notebook that I can carry with me every day.
Most of the time I would take pictures and draw while looking at them when I got home, but there were times when I would sit at the bar and draw things that caught my eye.
My partner is surprisingly pleased that I have started drawing again.
He gave me a set of 24 color pencils, which are easy to carry around, and I brought them with me on my recent trip to Calabria.
I pulled out my long-neglected watercolor pencils and watercolors from the back of the closet, and after carefully sharpening all the colored pencils, I began to enjoy them even more.
So far I've done mostly food illustrations, but I'd like to be able to draw buildings and people.
Once I'm able to do that, I'm actually thinking about what I want to do.
It is thanks to drawing that I found what I want to do.
I am going to cherish this encounter.
6.10.2023
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Where is the Sicilian spring?
Nearly two months have passed since I returned to Sicily after a long five-month temporary return tu Japan.
Spring came early to Tokyo this year, and I even went out in short sleeves in April.
However! I was surprised to find that it was quite chilly the night I arrived in Sicily.
When I looked at the clothes of the people at the airport, I saw that many of them were still wearing down jackets.
Since it was almost midnight when I arrived and I were very tired from the long trip, I went home without thinking much about it.
However, the temperature did not rise at all after that, and I asked myself, "Where is spring? I said,
Not only was it cool, but it was raining all the time.
It was so rainy that I thought the rainy season had come to Sicily.
Even when it didn't rain, we had cloudy skies most of the time, and I can only count the number of days that were pleasantly sunny in the past two months.
I have never seen such a year.
I remember last year, when the temperature didn't rise very high and then it turned into summer all at once, but I never saw gray skies day after day.
Even the faces of Sicilians, who love the sun so much, became cloudy.
Everyone I met was talking about the bad weather. When will spring ever come?
Usually at this time of year, many people are already swimming in the sea and getting sunburned, but this year, it doesn't seem that way yet.
On rainy days, people who usually drive scooters or motorcycles start to drive, which also causes a very obvious phenomenon: traffic jams on the roads become more intense.
I myself am fed up with this weather, though not as much as the Sicilians. I like the fact that the temperature does not rise, but I want to see blue skies and sunshine.
Spring Never Comes, But Some Things Have Arrived
Despite the unusual nature of spring in Sicily, there is one thing that has arrived.
That is the arrival of tuna, the Mediterranean tuna season.
Mediterranean tuna is in season from May to July, and it is the season we have been waiting for.
This year, I ate a lot of tuna in Japan, so I had more time to enjoy it than usual, but I still get excited when I see tuna on the shelves of fishmongers.
In Sicily, the tuna is cut in a very dynamic way, and is sliced into round slices, starting from the tail.
There is no such thing as a "demolition show" (laughs).
And to my delight, the price of toro and akami are the same.
Many Sicilians prefer red meat, so you can definitely get toro.
When you get a thick slice, quickly sear it on both sides and eat it rare inside, you are already in a state of bliss.
It is a staple of Sicilian cuisine, and I like it with a sweet-and-sour sauce with lots of onions, and I also like it as a cutlet, but I think it is the simple way that tastes the best.
Tuna in the Mediterranean has been eaten since ancient times, and is even depicted on a Greek vase about 2,500 years ago.
I was quite surprised when I saw a scene of a fishmonger selling tuna on a vase.
Even before that, tuna was found painted on a wall painting in a cave on a small island (I am not sure of the age of the painting).
The most famous island in Sicily is Favignana, which can be reached by boat from the town of Trapani in the western part of the island.
The tuna industry began in B.C. and, although it died out for a while, it was quite extensive during the reign of the Arabs in the 9th century.
Since then, tuna has been on the tables of the citizens during this season.
A great tradition, a great history.
In the 20th century, the island of Favignana also had a factory that canned tuna for preservation, and most of the islanders worked in this factory.
Yes, in other words, the first canned tuna in Italy.
Unfortunately, the factory closed long ago.
This year, spring did not come, but the tuna did come.
I won't say extravagant, but that's good enough for me.
4.10.2023
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Thoughts after a long stay in Japan
My name is Kaori Sakurada and I live in Sicily. However, I am still in Tokyo after returning to Japan last November for the first time in four years.
In fact, my mother passed away at the beginning of the New Year, and I had planned to return to Italy in the middle of February, but I had to move my trip.
Now I am busy with the inheritance procedures, sorting out her belongings, and cleaning up my parents' house.
It is hard to describe the atmosphere of my parents' house without my mother, and it is a strange feeling.
My brother, who has been living with my mother at home for the past few years since the divorce, is busy with his work, and we don't see each other very often because of the time difference.
I wrote in the last issue that I was busy or sick soon after returning to Japan, but it is also true that I am still able to enjoy life in Japan.
Since the beginning of the year, I have been going out with my friends, and I was able to enjoy cherry blossoms for the first time in eight years because I moved the date of my return to Italy.
The greenways around my parents' house are lined with cherry trees, so I am blessed to be able to enjoy cherry blossom viewing without having to go out of my way.
The cherry blossoms started blooming unexpectedly early this year, and the temperature dropped considerably and it rained heavily during the first weekend.
I thought they would fall, but contrary to my expectations, they held up well.
I took the liberty of thinking that it was for me for the first time in eight years, and I was filled with gratitude, saying, "You did a great job, cherry blossoms.
Many foreigners do not have this custom of cherry blossom viewing in Japan, and it is a culture unique to Japan.
Even in England and Germany, where people put a lot of effort into gardening and love flowers, there is no such thing as a party under the cherry blossoms, such as drinking and making a lot of noise.
I have never put down a plastic sheet to view cherry blossoms, but I like to take a "hanami stroll" while walking around.
I was very happy to be able to realize a walk in the midst of the cherry blossom blizzard.
Another thing I enjoy in Japan is "solo mornings.
There are several Starbucks-like stores near train stations, and some look like old-fashioned coffee shops.
Most of them open at 7:00 a.m., so I go out around 8:00 a.m. to enjoy breakfast and coffee alone.
I spend less than an hour relaxing while reading a book on my Kindle phone.
Various people are reading newspapers or working on their computers, and I find this space and time very relaxing.
That's because there is almost no sound.
This space is very different from bars in Italy, where there are no clanging noises and no loud chattering people.
I love bars, but they are not the place to spend long hours.
On the other hand, in Japan, you can sit back and relax, and I can imagine how much I will miss it when I return.
It may be an ordinary space for Japanese people, but for me it is special.
After that, I take a walk for almost an hour.
There are many places to walk: a residential area where no cars pass by, a large park, and so on, so I change it up depending on the day.
And again, since the cherry blossoms started blooming, it has become a luxurious stroll, just gazing at the rows of cherry trees.
And of course, I met up with old friends.
I was able to spend time with friends from my school days, friends from my workplace, and many friends from this year.
We never run out of things to talk about, whether it's a status report or an old story.
The topics of conversation have changed from when I was younger: health, illness, caring for parents, inheritance, my own retirement....
On the other hand, I don't talk about these topics with Italians.
Italians don't like to talk about things like, "At my age, it's no wonder that anything can happen at any time, isn't it?
It's a bad omen! It's like, "I don't want to be surprised when I'm old.
It is a big difference between Italians and Japanese that they cannot talk about illness and death so casually.
With my Japanese friends, I can talk about these things with laughter.
Furthermore, there are many delicious Japanese foods.
I can easily get take-out and there are many places to eat in my neighborhood.
As the day of my return to Italy is approaching, I can't waste even one more meal, so I have to be very selective.
I have lived in Japan for a total of five months, and this is the first time since I started living in Italy that I have been back home for such a long time, and it is true that it feels strange, but time is flying by, and there are only two weeks left.
Time is flying by and I have only two weeks left to go.
But I am also enjoying the time I have left to linger and watch TV (laugh).
In many ways, this trip back to Japan has been different and confusing, but I am grateful to Tokyo, my friends, and the cherry blossoms for welcoming me so kindly.
12.15.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Returning home for the first time in four years
I am Kaori Sakurada, a Sicilian resident, and I am currently in my long-awaited return home, spending time at my parents' house in Tokyo.
I was supposed to return home in the fall of 2019, but gave up after falling and breaking my shoulder two weeks ago, and when I changed my ticket to late February of the following year, Corona.
My mother, who is elderly and has a chronic illness, was terribly afraid of my return to Japan, and the years passed without her giving me permission.
It was mid-September when I received a call from my brother asking me to come back to Japan for a visit, as my mother might have to have an operation.
Due to various circumstances, I finally left Italy in mid-November, and I was filled with a feeling of "finally, finally....
The direct flight between Romer and Haneda started in November, and it was worth the wait.
At the end of the month, I joined a support team for a project, and meetings have been going on since I was in Sicily.
Meetings were held every other day until the sun went down, plus I had to take care of my mother....
I didn't have time to relax and have fun with friends, as I usually do when I come back to Japan, and I was rushed around every day.
Then, various changes appeared in my body. First of all, my ankles swelled up and hurt when I walked.
It swelled to the point where I could no longer see my ankles, and I had to take antibiotics.
I felt like I had arrived at the event with blue breath.
I felt I had reached my mental and physical limits. I hadn't been this tired in years.
Was it my age?
After that, I fell even sicker, slept for a few days, and am now barely recovering.
Caring for my mother in that situation was quite difficult, and a month passed without me being able to enjoy Tokyo to the fullest.
I must enjoy it from now on (laugh).
But even in such a situation, it is good to breathe the air of Tokyo.
There is no sound of car horns, the streets are clean, and everything feels "gentle.
The shower in my parents' house has a smaller hole in the shower head than in Italy, so the water pressure is sufficient, but gentle.
The service in restaurants and stores is also gentle and very polite.
The feeling of being surrounded by kindness is very comfortable.
If there is a mistake, they apologize firmly without blaming others, and if you have lived abroad for a long time, the "expectation hurdle" is set very low to begin with, so there is no need to be upset.
This year, I will be spending the year-end and New Year's holidays in Tokyo.
My mother is getting weaker by the day, so I have some concerns, but for me, I am looking forward to the first Japanese New Year's in more than 10 years.
We won't do much and it will be a fairly simple New Year's Day, but just eating the festive food, going to the shrine, and enjoying the atmosphere should be enough to recharge my energy.
For now, I'll leave Sicily to the side and be truly happy to spend my days wrapped up in the breeze of Tokyo.
11.7.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Mozzarella from Sicily
The other day a friend of mine said, "I went to a cheese shop and found real mozzarella from Sicily on sale.
I didn't buy it, but I didn't know such a thing existed.
Of course, mozzarella is sold everywhere in Italy, but "real" mozzarella is a different story.
In order to be "real," mozzarella has to be made from buffalo's milk, and its origin is in the Campania region, the capital of which is Naples.
Therefore, what is usually sold in supermarkets and retail stores is an imported product made in that region.
Of course, there are products made from ordinary milk, which are also delicious, but when it comes to eating it as it is, buffalo milk is the winner, regardless of whether it is used for cooking or not.
Milk is produced all over Sicily.
However, when I heard that there is milk produced in Sicily, the first question that came to my mind was, "Are there buffaloes in Sicily? And where is it?
And where are they?
Sicily is an island slightly larger than Shikoku Island, so I wondered which part of the country they were talking about.
I immediately searched, and to my surprise, it was only a 30-minute drive from my house!
There are buffaloes there?
We had no choice but to go there.
As soon as we got off the highway and entered a side road, we were suddenly in the countryside, and the road was not paved.
After looking at the trusty Google Maps as we proceeded, it was easy to get there.
As we pulled into the parking space, we were greeted by goats, donkeys, and chickens.
The cheese store itself was very simple, and my partner and I opened the door to say, "Sorry to bother you.
The owner answered the door and told us that he was the second owner.
I wondered how long this cheese shop had been in existence.
I was surprised to learn that it has been open for 25 years.
They have been making mozzarella for that long, and yet they were not well known....
I asked a rude question like, "Does real mozzarella mean there are buffaloes? I asked a rude question, "There are 100 buffaloes out back, why don't you go and see? I was told, "There are 100 buffaloes in the back.
Yah, they were really there, the water buffaloes.
When I approached the fence, they were so curious that they came close to me from the other side.
Their dull eyes were so cute.
I watched them for a while.
I heard that there is a river flowing nearby, and they sometimes take the buffaloes there.
I thought to myself, "Of course, they are water buffaloes, so they need water.
We arrived around 10:00 a.m. and were able to purchase "real mozzarella," made from milk that had been squeezed first thing in the morning.
The price was 14€ per 1Kg, which is about 2000 yen in today's terms.
There is a village near here with good bread, so we stopped there and took a rest at the only bar in the area.
After that, we bought some bread and went home.
Let's eat it for lunch.
Freshly made mozzarella is best tasted as it is.
I tasted a slice first, then mixed it with tomatoes, onions, anchovies, and olive oil to make a panino.
It could be said to be a classic Sicilian panino.
From the time I left home to the time I got home, it took a little over two hours, including the time to take a break.
It was a day that made me feel virtuous to be able to enjoy something so simple, easy, and affordable, and I felt that it was great to be able to find something enjoyable around me.
And I felt that it is the best way to find fun and enjoyment close at hand.
At least, that's what I think.
10.7.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Are Italians loose with time?
signs of autumn
Although the sun is still shining strongly, I can feel a hint of autumn in the Palermo area.
Thinking back, this summer was hot and long.
No, in terms of temperature, last year was hotter.
There were days when the temperature rose to 47 degrees Celsius around where I live, and a whopping 52 degrees Celsius was recorded near Siracusa, on the east side of the island.
But summer started late last year.
It was still soggy and cool in June.
This year, on the other hand, the temperature already reached 30°C in late May and remained above 35°C until just a few days ago.
Life without an air conditioner is quite severe.
Looking back on this summer, I really didn't see many people.
Well, many people go on long vacations, and there are fewer dinners with friends in the summer, but I still didn't really go out.
Part of it was because I had to participate in an "online event" scheduled for late August, and I had to spend a lot of time covering the event, videotaping, and editing, which I am not used to doing. I guess I am getting old, huh?
Now that the vacation is over, people have returned to the towns that had been deserted all summer, and life is back to normal.
Traffic jams have also returned. And life is back to going out with friends.
Meeting up with friends for the first time in a while, I was struck by the Sicilian's concept of time.
They are very out of the ordinary.
What is the Italian conception of time?
A long time ago, I was living in Florence, in the central part of Italy.
I had heard many things about Italians being loose with time, but I remember being surprised to find that they were actually quite different.
I was surprised to find out that the Italians were punctual.
I thought, "Wow, Italians are different from what people say.
Where did this bad rumor come from? I wondered.
Well, the train delays are still famous.
A few years later, however, when I started living in Sicily, I was again surprised to discover that the trains were not punctual.
The start of an opera or concert is sometimes more than 10 minutes late.
The start of an event is also usually delayed because "people haven't gathered yet.
In the case of individuals, when meeting someone, they say, "Well, I'll be there at 6:00 or 6:30. What's that?
To me, and to many of you, 6:00 is 6:00 and 6:30 is 6:30, right?
This way of making appointments, it has been that way since cell phones were not widely available.
Perhaps because I was raised by a father who took punctuality for granted, I am very precise. It is not uncommon for me to be late for a meeting.
Making people wait would be stressful for me.
So I would go to the meeting place at 6:00 a.m., and we would all meet there after 7:00 a.m., which was very tiring.
When meeting a large group of people, they have an idea that I would never have thought of: "It's okay if I'm late because everyone else is chatting.
They don't seem to feel sorry for making everyone else wait (laughs).
(Laughs) Now that everyone has a smartphone, this sense of "aboutness" has been pushed to the forefront.
Even if you are late, you can still get in touch with them, and even if you can't see them, you can still get in touch with them....
It is true that cell phones are convenient, but Sicilians are becoming more and more loose with time.
So, every autumn when I start going out with my friends, I am reminded of their loose schedule.
To their credit, there are some who come properly.
There are many "international married couples" around me, Sicilian men married to Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, etc., and they are all punctual.
And it is interesting to hear the foreign women who are wives say, "My husband is late getting ready, and I was so nervous that he might be late for the meeting that I spanked him.
It's the same in my family.
They say, "When in Rome...," and that is true.
But I will continue to go to the restaurant on time and spend my time waiting in vain.
This is part of Sicily, I tell myself, so don't get frustrated every time.
7.11.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
A little air change.
Every month we bring you a report from Sicily, but this month we are going a bit further afield and coming to you from France.
About a month ago, I received a call from the "Porsche Club de France," a club I have known for a long time.
They said they would invite me to a Porsche event in Le Mans.
However, there were only about 10 days before the event, and I had to make a quick decision to get an air ticket and a hotel room. I thought about it for about three hours with my partner.
My partner and I thought about it for about three hours, and then we decided to go.
Of course, Paris in June is full of hotels everywhere, and Le Mans during the event is even more difficult.
After staring at the computer for several hours, we finally secured a room. Whew.
I remember our last trip to France before Corona.
We go to Paris every February, and in 2020, we were able to go to Mont-Saint-Michel, which we had longed for.
And then Corona as soon as we got home.
It was our first trip since then, and our first airport since then, which means flying.
I was excited.
I think Paris is beautiful any time of the year, but this time of year is the best.
It's light until 10 p.m. and the sun is completely different from winter.
All of Europe is lovely in the summer, though.
And after not having left Sicily for over two years, a lot of things jumped out at me.
Differences between Italians and French
We arrived in Paris on a morning flight and checked into our hotel just around lunch time.
We went out to eat lunch first and found a café that looked good, so we sat down there.
The first thing I noticed was how small the tables are in French restaurants.
It is interesting that all the tables are small round tables.
When you order, you are offered free water in a carafe, maybe tap water?
Even though the restaurant is nearly full, the voices of the people around us are quiet.
The tone of voice is very different from Sicilians, because if you were in Sicily, you would think it was too loud wherever you go.
As I look around, I also notice that the Parisian women, who give the impression of being classy and elegant, are quite lax.
They put their handbags on the floor of the terrace without hesitation, which is something Italians do not do.
Even cloth bags are placed on the floor.
Perhaps it was because we were seated outside, but there were quite a few people smoking cigarettes.
On another night when it was raining heavily, I was surprised to find that the tables under the eaves of the café were occupied.
Even though there was a "hisashi" (a bamboo fence), the ground was flooded with water, and depending on the direction of the wind, the rain was also splashing on my body.
Italians would not sit outside on a day like this.
Many people sit on the terrace even though the street in front of them is under construction and they are covered in dust.
And French people "sit on the floor.
Whether in a museum, along the Seine, or in an ordinary square, they sit on the ground.
This is also something Italians never do.
Of course, they sit on the grass in the park, but not on the ground.
I knew these things before, but these are some of the things that caught my attention again.
And I thought, "I've changed the air.
Seeing and feeling things that are different from what you normally see is stimulating in itself.
Even if it is something we already know, we often forget that it even exists.
I believe that "awareness" is very important in our daily lives.
There is a big difference between not noticing and not noticing, including small changes in one's physical condition.
However, at the same time, there is "habituation," and I feel that the more we become accustomed to things, the less effort we make and the duller our senses become.
The things I recognized again in France this time are not really important, but I feel as if fresh air has entered my mind and heart.
I arrived home thinking that I would like to look for this change of air in my daily life as well.
5.5.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Let's Walk in the Market
I like to walk through markets.
Even when I travel to different countries and different cities, I try to visit them as much as possible.
It's not so much that I say "I do," but rather "I want to, I want to go.
The way of being and the expression varies from country to country and from place to place, and I can see many things when I observe them (I think).
In the markets in France and Germany, the aisles were wide and easy to walk through.
Even a mother pushing a baby buggy can easily walk along the aisles.
I felt like I could shop at a leisurely pace.
The market I visited in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, had a more upscale image.
The goods on sale and the way they were displayed were different from my image of a market, and the atmosphere was like that of an expensive delicatessen.
On the other hand, what are the markets in Sicily like?
Not only in Palermo, where I live, but also in other large cities in Sicily, the markets are usually quite chaotic.
Baby baby carriages? Outrageous! The streets are not that wide.
You can force your way through, but it is extremely difficult to walk through that crowd while pushing a baby carriage.
And scooters go through that crowded narrow street without a care in the world....
Even if you don't mean to, your bag might get caught on a piece of clothing, so you can't be too careful in the Sicilian market.
Of course, unfortunately, there is no shortage of pickpockets with bad intentions, so walk around with your valuables securely in your arms.
The market in Palermo is not close to my house, so I don't go there often.
That is why I am always excited when I go there.
First of all, I am struck by the colors, the noise, and the smells.
Yes, Palermo's market is very colorful.
From vegetables and fruits that can be found anywhere in the city, to things that cannot be found anywhere else, to things that I can never imagine how in the world I would eat, just looking at them is enough to activate my brain.
That's why I can't sit idly by at the market.
How many people know that the tomato, which is now a typical Italian dish, was not actually brought to Italy until the 17th century?
Moreover, at first it was thought to be a toxic plant and was used for ornamental purposes.
Knowing this, the question then becomes, what was Italian food like before that? The question arises, "What was Italian food like before that?
Right?
It's a great way to stimulate the brain, isn't it?
However, not everyone is a history buff.
It is not necessarily a place where you have to study before going.
Just by looking at the way the items are displayed, I think you can get a sense of the local people's temperament.
Are they meticulous or rough (like in Sicily)?
You can see the local way of life.
Tuna season is about to arrive in Sicily, and the way the tuna is boldly sliced into round slices, starting from the tail, would make a Japanese cook in Japan wince.
A dismemberment show?
There is no such thing.
The head is almost completely discarded.
Cheese is no different.
Cheese shops in French markets look like they are selling jewelry. The way they handle them is different from Sicily.
They are much more polite.
Cheese shops in Sicily also use big knives to cut and sell their cheeses.
You can feel the difference in culture just by looking at this.
Isn't it fun?
If you can't even bring yourself to think about it, don't worry, there are other ways to enjoy yourself.
In recent years, in order to encourage tourists to spend money, the number of simple eateries in the market has increased.
The styles vary from standing food stalls to places where you can sit down and have your food served to you.
The dishes lined up in a row make me want to eat even though I live in Sicily.
Sicilian cuisine is rich in appetizers, and if you order a variety of appetizers and sip a glass of wine, you will surely forget your worries and be filled with happiness.
People and ingredients mix and intertwine in the frying pan that is the market.
It is just like pasta.
4.5.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
From now on I have to think for myself.
My name is Kaori Sakurada and I live in Sicily.
More than a month has passed since the war between Russia and Ukraine started, and as I have both Russian and Ukrainian friends, I feel very sad.
It may be a country far away from Japan, but it is also close to Europe.
It's kind of a dark story all of a sudden, isn't it?
With the constant news of war day after day, on the contrary, the topic of Corona has been decreasing rapidly.
Life in Sicily has almost returned to normal, and the number of travelers from EU countries and Amelia is increasing.
Currently, you cannot enter restaurants or museums without a "Green Passport," a three-dose vaccination, but this requirement will be removed in April, as will the requirement to wear masks indoors.
And from May, life will be completely normal.
I wonder if it will be OK? Many people are thinking, "What is this?" but while saying so, the Sicilian people are already full of energy to play.
In the midst of all this, I remembered two years ago, right after the first lockdown, which lasted more than two months, was lifted.
My partner said, "Paolo called me.
Who is Paolo? Which Paolo?" And me.
It is complicated because there are many people with the same name.
You've met my high school classmate, right?" Yes, we have met, once, a few years ago at a lunch with about 40 people.
For some reason he friended me on FB at that time, and we are friends in case you were wondering.
I never commented or liked it.
This Mr. Paolo has invited me to go to an agriturismo a little over 100Km away from Palermo on the first weekend of next month. He said, "I told him I would get back to you after discussing it with you." When I asked him about it, he said it would be a three-day, two-night weekend.
Moreover, he said, 10 groups of 20 people would go.
The moment I heard this, I thought, "Are you nuts?" I thought, "I'm not going to be able to do that.
We hadn't even had coffee at the bar yet, and of course we hadn't been to a restaurant.
We hadn't even met our good friends.
And yet, a weekend getaway with 20 people? It would be impossible.
Even though there are no longer any restrictions, wearing a mask is still mandatory.
Gloves are also required when entering supermarkets and stores.
And it is also obligatory to maintain a social distance of 1 meter.
Traveling in such a situation?
And almost all of them with people they don't know?
The agriturismo was run by a friend of Paolo's, and of course it was closed during the period of self-restraint because there were no customers.
It reopened with the easing of restrictions, and he wanted to bring his friends to stay there to support them.
I think that's a wonderful feeling and it's good that they want to help.
But I just can't bring myself to go stay in a strange place with 20 people I don't know, not yet.
If I want to go out, I'll go with good friends first.
There are several people I would like to meet.
And if I eat out, it will be at a restaurant I know.
I think so, and I decline the invitation.
Just because there are no more government regulations doesn't mean that Corona itself is gone.
I've always been able to live my life without feeling more fear or nervousness than I should have, because I believed I was doing what I had to do.
But you can't measure how other people are living their lives.
Again, I am becoming more and more naive, and now that government regulations are disappearing more and more, I have to think for myself and decide what I am going to do.
Everyone wants to have fun, and when invited to join a large number of people, many people think that since everyone else is doing it, it must be OK and that it will be all right.
But I don't think so.
Even though the restrictions have been lifted, I don't think it is OK to do whatever you want.
To use a simple example, there is a law that says "minors are not allowed to drink alcohol," and everyone obeys it.
But just because you turn 20 doesn't mean you can drink as much as you want, right?
You should not drink so much that you get drunk and embarrass yourself or almost die from acute alcohol poisoning.
That's the point: "You can drink, but you have to control yourself.
I believe the same thing applies to this situation.
The restrictions will be gone, so you'll have to use your head to figure out where this is going.
As you can see from this teaser from two years ago, it's normal life - and I think there will be people who will go ballistic.
What do you think is going to happen in the future?
At least I know that no matter what people around me do or say, I will only think for myself and only do what makes sense to me.
3.6.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
Signs of Spring and the Cheerfulness of the Sicilian People
As of this writing in February, I hear that Japan is still experiencing cold weather, but here we are seeing the first signs of spring.
It will not become spring as it is, but the sun is extending and we can enjoy pleasant sunshine.
When that happens, Sicilians are eager to get out and go.
They are very simple and easy to understand.
Many Sicilians, especially women, are naturally sensitive to the cold, but when the weather turns warm and sunny, they can't seem to stay still.
They are increasingly asking us to go out for lunch or for a walk.
Lunch is, of course, outdoors, and yes, it is the time of year when restaurants are adding more and more terrace seats as the weather permits.
However, if the wind blows a little, you may suddenly feel chilly, and you may have to put on a coat to have a meal.
I would prefer to go indoors where it is warmer, but it is difficult for me to say no when I am surrounded by them, because I would definitely lose the majority vote (laughs).
It's funny how people's faces light up when they are simply basking in the sunshine, and their laughter grows louder.
It somehow makes them feel festive, doesn't it?
I tend to take a step back and watch, but when I am surrounded by a circle of happy people, the mood is contagious.
Yes, this is one of the characteristics of Sicilians.
What happens when this is reversed is that the probability of the electrician who was supposed to come on a slightly rainy day not showing up increases (and even if it is sunny, he may be stood up), and when you meet with friends, the conversation often starts with complaints such as "It's cold, the weather is bad.
It is not unusual for people to feel more relaxed when the weather is nice and comfortable, but Sicilians have a very clear idea of what is going on, which is interesting.
I wonder if there is any other race of people whose moods are so immediately affected by the weather.
They have a lot of emotional ups and downs, so they get involved in both good and bad ways.
And while it can be exhausting, when you look down on them, you often feel as if you are watching a play or a scene in a movie.
I am impressed by their straightforwardness.
Since the weather changes from the end of winter to spring, I have many opportunities to see the Sicilian people in action, which I secretly enjoy.
This kind of fun is even more interesting because they don't seem to be aware of it at all.
This is the moment when I rediscover what a lovable Sicilian I am.
2.5.2022
DAYS/ Kaori Sakurada Column
Surrounded by Sicilian Air
I hope that the Sicilian wind I feel will reach you.
Hi, I'm Kaori Sakurada and I live in Sicily, Italy.
Where is Sicily?
When Japanese children learn the map of the world and Europe, I believe Italy is the first place they learn.
It's easy to tell them apart because it's known as "the country in the shape of a boot.
And the pebble kicked by the toe of the boot is "Sicily".
Even though it is a pebble, it is the largest of the 20 Italian provinces, the largest island in the Mediterranean, and has a long history of being under the control of various peoples since BC.
It has a long history of being ruled by various peoples since B.C. Rumor has it that the island of Sicily was kissed by a god, the sun, or some other incredibly large being, so to put it simply, it is very blessed.
The famous Greek myth of the Odyssey is said to have wandered around Sicily for ten years before returning home, did you know that?
When I think about it, I wonder if it means that the Greek gods have been watching us for a tremendous amount of time. That's what I thought.
In fact, there are many places in Greek mythology where Sicily is set and passed down.
Part of the island was also a Greek colony, which is probably part of the reason.
Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs.................... Of course, being invaded by other peoples means that there are wars, but after overcoming these wars, Sicily has become the country it is today.
I live in the western part of the country, in Palermo, the capital of the province.
Where Arab and Spanish influences are still strong, and Greek influences are not seen at all.
Yes, this island, slightly larger than Shikoku, has different scents and different air depending on where you are.
To put it more precisely, the temperament is also different.
I have been living in such a place for 20 years now.
At first, I was a bit confused because of all the differences from Florence, where I lived before that, but I guess I'm used to it now, right? Just when you think you've gotten used to it, you run into something surprising.
It's like a box of surprises, sometimes amazing gems pop up, and usually "Oh no, what am I going to do" things pop up.
Yes, Sicily is a place to be reckoned with.
You have to keep "Italy" and "Sicily" separate.
When you arrive at your destination, you may think you are all set for your trip, but there are no rooms or windows in your planned accommodation.
The long-distance bus doesn't show up at the scheduled time, or the museum you've reserved is closed.
Many things can happen (laughs).
It's no laughing matter when you are traveling.
Even so, what is the reason why most of the people who have visited the museum once say they want to come back?
It must be because it has such a mysterious charm, after all, it is kissed by God or the sun.
The general image of Sicily is of the coast and the sea, but the inland areas with their wheat fields are also wonderful.
Sicily is also famous for its citrus fruits, including the famous blood orange.
Sicily is a fusion of cultures, food, and history.
I would like to keep this column as subjective as possible.
In many cases, Sicilians themselves do not feel the influence of other ethnic groups that they have been involved with in the past.
Today's Sicilians, of course, are young people who run to McDonald's, like anime, wear brand-name jeans, and play with their phones.
However, I definitely feel the history in the Sicilian breeze that passes through the alleys when I am walking.
I hope that wind will reach you...
