In 2023, I started again with the goal of climbing all of Japan’s 100 most famous mountains before I die. During the cold season, I plan to climb low mountains that do not make me sweat profusely, and when the weather gets warmer, I will increase the altitude of the mountains I climb.
The mountain I had in mind for the cold season was Mt. Ogusu. it is only 241 meters above sea level, it is located near the sea and is said to have a good view.
However, rain was forecast for the day we were supposed to climb the mountain, so we canceled. Instead, we visited “Marm Garden Hayama,” a postpartum care facility located halfway up the mountain.
This facility is for the wealthy, and the minimum price is 40,000 yen per night. If you choose an expensive room, the price will easily exceed 100,000 yen. Even so, due to the nature of postnatal care, the average length of stay for a patient is two weeks, which is shocking.
The average stay is two weeks, which is impossible for a person with an ordinary income. I was told that a few percent of the patients are rich people with roots in China or Southeast Asia. When I hear stories like this, I am amazed at how the gap in Japan is gradually widening and how the rich are really rich.
The services are so complete that it takes a lot of money. Babies can be left in a neonatal room staffed by nurses and midwives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Mothers who need to regain their strength immediately after giving birth can sleep while leaving their children in the safe care of the hospital, or they can take a rock bath or beauty treatment. If she wants, she can even sing karaoke with those who have come to visit her. The facility is run by Pacera, a well-known karaoke chain.
The list of other great things about this facility is endless, but that’s not the point, so I’ll stop here.
After touring such an amazing facility, we got in the car and drove down to the coast. Our destination was the main store of Marlowe’s, known for its pudding in a cup.
This main store not only sells pudding to go and other items, but also has a restaurant where you can eat. I think I will have lunch here.
The first thing I wanted to do was to say, “I want to climb Mt. But I don’t think Ishi and my son Takeshi would want to climb the mountain. So I would climb the mountain alone, while Ishi and Takeshi would spend their time eating delicious food at Marlow, a restaurant at the foot of the mountain. In other words, he wanted to involve his family in his climbing.
But the crucial climbing trip was canceled, and instead a visit to a postpartum care facility and a meal at Marlow’s main restaurant were scheduled. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Besides, the weather was clear. If the weather had been like this, I could have climbed the mountain. What a waste.
There were a lot of customers outside Marlowe’s. It was a very popular restaurant.
However, we did not seem to have to wait that long for our turn, so we decided to wait to enter the store.
A large number of cup puddings were being sold in the store.
Garlic Rice with Homemade Smoked Char Siew and Hiratoshi Hijiki” (1,700 yen).
The hijiki on the rice is unusual, and the garlic flavor is strong, making this dish both elegant and mischievous. It is delicious.
The price, however, is indeed high. I have the impression that prices are higher than in Tokyo.
Ishi does not usually eat out,
He ordered “Spaghetti with Meat Sauce” for 1,300 yen, a relatively inexpensive item on the lunch menu, saying, “It’s so expensive, I can’t order anything.
This was also tasty for the price. It is tasty, but the portion is not very large.
I guess it was inevitable, considering the touristy nature of Hayama and the high cost of living these days. But Ishi still grumbled.
I guess my perception is not up to date, but eating out has become too expensive compared to the old days. If that’s the case, I’d rather go home and cook for myself or go out for onigiri (rice balls).
I think he’s right. We live in a world where we either have to give up eating out or try to raise our own salaries to keep up with rising prices. We have gotten too used to deflation over the last 30 years. I think it has had a negative impact on our business mindset as a society.
Unfortunately, I am almost 50 years old, and it is difficult for me to improve my skills and increase my salary. So I would like young Ishi, who is still in his mid-30s, to do his best to improve his skills now. I would like to set up such a formation where I try to maintain the base of household income as much as possible and Ishi aims to increase it further.
I am about to eat a delicious meal, but I have been thinking about money.
After dinner we had Marlowe’s pudding.
We were both concerned about the cost of the main meal alone. We both wondered if we were being too fiscally undisciplined by ordering an extra pudding, which was quite expensive. The two of us had a discussion about this. But in the end we decided that there was no way we could come to Marlowe’s and not have the pudding, so we did.
Yeah, it was good.
I was hesitant to order an expensive lunch, but in the end I couldn’t resist the delicious pudding. The rising cost of eating out is a reality, but sometimes it is the spice of life to allow yourself the luxury of eating a pudding that suits your palate!
(2023.04.16)
Comments