Student: Good morning. Happy New Year.

Nobu: Happy New Year. How are you this morning?

Student: I'm good. How are you doing?

Nobu: I'm very good, too. Did you have a New Year's holiday?

Student: Yes, of course. I was very satisfied with it.

Nobu: That's good. How many days off did you have?

Student: About two weeks.

Nobu: That is longer than usual.

Student: Oh, what does that mean, "longer than usual"?

Nobu: It means it was longer than average. Usually, people have holidays from around December 27th to January 5th. So, it's usually about a week and a few days. In your case, it was two weeks, so it was longer than other people's holidays.

Student: I see. My holiday was longer than others.

Nobu: What did you do? Did you do anything special?

Student: Yes. I was able to review the year and I had some "thinking time" to reflect. I also read books, played golf, ate delicious meals, and went to Tokyo.

Nobu: Very good. Yes, people usually make New Year's resolutions at the beginning of every year. Do you know what a New Year's resolution is?

Student: Yes, I do. By the way, I went to Meiji Jingu Shrine for the first time with my family—my wife and daughter.

Nobu: Why did you decide to go to Meiji Jingu?

Student: Well, my son lives in Yokohama. He actually came back to Gifu, but he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. I accepted his decision, so we decided to go to Tokyo instead. We stayed in Tokyo on New Year's Eve.

Nobu: So, you went to the shrine just after midnight? There must have been many people already.

Student: Yes. We stayed at a hotel in Shinagawa and took the Yamanote line to Harajuku. The train wasn't crowded.

Nobu: Not crowded? Okay.

Student: Yes, Harajuku station wasn't crowded either. We walked about 10 minutes to Meiji Jingu Shrine. We couldn't go straight in; we had to wait for about an hour.

Nobu: That’s a bit of a long time.

Student: Yes, we waited in the middle of the night.

Nobu: It must have been very cold while you were waiting.

Student: Yes, it was, but we really enjoyed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. When it became New Year's Day, many young people were saying "Happy New Year." There were so many young people. It was our first time visiting, and we enjoyed it. We were just relaxing. How did you spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?

Nobu: I actually went to Todaiji Temple, also just after midnight.

Student: Wow. You were there at midnight?

Nobu: Yeah. There were a lot of people waiting to get inside Todaiji.

Student: Oh, really?

Nobu: I was going to join the line, but it was very long, so I gave up. I decided to just see the building from the outside and came back.

Student: How far is it from your home?

Nobu: It's about five minutes on foot.

Student: Five minutes from your home to Todaiji Temple? Wow, that is a very good location. Did you eat Toshikoshi Soba?

Nobu: Yes, I had Toshikoshi soba.

Student: And did you eat any Osechi?

Nobu: I don't really like Osechi, but I ate some of it.

Student: I see. I usually eat a little Osechi too. This year, since we stayed at a hotel, we had a morning buffet instead. Where did you go during the winter vacation?

Nobu: I didn't go anywhere. I wished I could go somewhere, but you know, it's always crowded.

Student: Yes, that's true during the winter holidays. That was a good choice.

Nobu: But if I could, I would love to go to an Onsen and eat some seafood or good food. Going to Ise would be very nice.

Student: Probably not during the holidays because it's very crowded.

Nobu: Yeah, probably not during winter holidays, but maybe on some regular weekends. I like going to Ise; it's a very nice place.

Student: Yes, I like Okage Yokocho.

Nobu: Ah, okay, in Ise.

Student: Yes, because there are a lot of delicious restaurants and shops. Have you ever eaten Ise Udon?

Nobu: Ah, Ise Udon, yes. It's softer than regular udon.

Student: Yes.

Nobu: Many people like Ise Udon, but many people don't. I feel it's about 50-50. But I love it. It's local food, so I don't mind the soft noodles. It's special to the place.

Student: Yes. Ise Udon's taste is very deep. I like that deep taste.

Nobu: So the soup is thicker?

Student: Thicker? What does that mean?

Nobu: Thicker means it has a stronger taste or texture.

Student: Ah, yes, a stronger taste. Also, I recommend the "Korokke" (croquettes) at a meat shop called "Butasute" in Okage Yokocho. Do you know Butasute?

Nobu: No, I don't.

Student: It is a very recommended meat shop. I also recommend the Zenzai at the Akafuku store.

Nobu: Ah, okay.

Student: It is very good.

Nobu: When I went to Ise before, I stayed at a Minshuku (a small guesthouse) on the coast. We really enjoyed the fresh seafood and the onsen there.

Student: That sounds nice. For me, it takes about two hours by car from my home to Ise. It's a good distance for a drive, so I don't usually stay at a hotel or Minshuku. I come back on the same day.

Nobu: Mm-hmm. Can you also take trains to go to Ise?

Student: I couldn't use the train this time, but I sometimes visit for business trips. Mie is my sales territory. By the way, do you know the "Gyoza" in Ise? It's soul food there.

Nobu: No, I don't.

Student: It's a famous gyoza restaurant called "Misuzu." It stands in front of Ise City station, or nearby.

Nobu: Okay, so it's near the station.

Student: Yes. I'll send you the URL so you can check the restaurants and shops when you go to Ise.

Nobu: Okay, thank you.

Student: At Misuzu, I recommend the rice balls (onigiri), fried chicken, and gyoza. It is very cheap and delicious.

Nobu: Is it very popular?

Student: Of course. Many people line up in front of the restaurant.

Nobu: Very good. I like gyoza. Talking about gyoza, Gyoza in Tochigi is also good. Have you ever tried it?

Student: Yes, I ate Utsunomiya gyoza once. But I've eaten Hamamatsu gyoza more often. Hamamatsu gyoza is sweet and very good.

Nobu: I see.

Student: Back to the meat shop, Butasute: I recommend the croquettes. Their beef bowl (Gyudon) and beef hotpot (Sukiyaki/Nabe) are also good, but the hotpot is expensive. The Gyudon is about 1,500 yen.

Nobu: Okay, so you've tried those too?

Student: Yes, I ate them once or twice. But since I stop at a lot of restaurants, I get full. So I usually choose the croquettes. They are small, so I buy two or three. I recommend buying one or two when you visit.

Nobu: I have to go back to Ise and try many more restaurants. That would be very fun.

Student: Yes, Misuzu is recommended.

Nobu: Okay, I will try it.

Student: Okay, thank you very much.

Nobu: Please have a good day.

Student: Have a good day. See you next time, bye-bye.