Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Fishing

　　Two anglers were fishing something at the yacht harbor and I chatted with them for a while. I was disappointed with my listening ability for English in the Cotswolds in the U.K. last autumn, and I was afraid that I would not be able to communicate with them, but they talked slowly for me, and the communication was perfect. The yacht harbor looked off limits to the public, but it looks like anyone can step in until 8 o'clock. Their target was sardines. One of them was using a Japanese sabiki, and the other nothing, just only a hook. It was glittering under the morning sun and it might take a jiggle-fishing like role. Their catch were so-so. Each was catching one per 5 minutes though I felt that it would be smarter to use a landing net. Take a look at the following pictures, and you will be sure to think so.
　　I asked them how to cook sardines, but their real target was not sardines. They are going to aim for bigger fishes at the tip of the breakwater over there, but sardines were also edible. My rods might be in my luggage next year or rather a fish net? Anyway, it's not bad to eat deep-fried or grilled sardines landed in Waikiki over beer in my condo next year.

(Vocabulary)
catch [C] (魚の) 捕獲量, 漁獲物
landing net タモ　玉網　a net on a long handle used for lifting a fish out of the water after you have caught it

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2018/10/parking-violation.html

ヨットハーバーでは釣りをしている人がいた。朝８時まではここで釣りをしても良いらしい。網ですくえそうに思ったが、一人はサビキ、もう一人は餌を付けないで針だけで釣っていた。キラキラ光るのでルアーのような効果があるのだろう。５分に１匹程度の割合で釣れていた。魚篭を見ると、十分な海水を入れて生かせている。この魚を食べるのでは無く、すぐ先に見える防波堤の先端まで行って大きなサイズの魚を狙うらしい。ここであまりつれなかったらウォルマートにも餌を売っていると教えてくれた。来年は釣り道具持参、ワイキキで釣りをして、つり上げた獲物はコンドミニアムで料理＋ビール、、、なんて良いなあ。でも、釣り竿よりタモがいいかな。（笑）

Miscellaneous Thought

　　There were ethnically mostly white workers in the ticket booths of London Eye, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. On the other hand, simple work like the inspection of tickets, the lending and collecting of the audioguides were for non-whites. The simple jobs which wouldn't apparently make so much money seemed to be for non-whites. The workers for the most part in convenience stores in the big cities of Japan are from other countries. The situation is likely in Japan too, leaving questions of right or wrong.
　　I often listened carefully to conversations which were being made around me and strongly felt difficulty in understanding them. It would be a matter of getting familiar with them. I don't feel so much difficulty in reading English literature, but my skills of listening to English are surely at the beginner level. I decided to spare the time for listening at least 30 minutes a day after this trip. We didn't have enough time and were just able to sightsee only in the center of London. I'd like to visit other places on the next trip to the U.K.

雑感

ロンドンアイ、ロンドン塔、タワー・ブリッジでチケットブースには白人が多かったが、チケットの確認やオーディオガイドの貸出や回収などの単純作業はほとんど有色人種だった。日本人はいなかった。たいした稼ぎにはならないだろうと思える仕事に彼ら、彼女らが多いように感じた。日本でも都会のコンビニは外国人が多いが、似たようなものか。

周りで話されている言葉に聞き耳を立ててみた。アメリカの英語に比べ聞き取りがかなり難しい。慣れの問題だろうが、自信喪失。英語を読むことについては、よほど難解なものでない限り苦労はしなくなったが、リスニングはまだまだ。帰国後、１日３０分のリスニングを心がけようと思う。今回はロンドンの中心部しか歩けなかったので次回があれば、もっとロンドン市内を歩き回ってみたいと思う。

Alumni Meeting

　　We got on the tube at Monument Station before transferring to another line, and got off at Covent Garden. We could choose Horborn Station, but I've heard of its name and got off at Covent Garden. There were very busy and enjoyable streets around the station. Just wandering such streets was really joyful. Following the ideal route offered from Google, we got to the designated restaurant, 32 Great Queen Street.
　　We were going to meet two alumni there, who used to belong to my junior high school and graduated from colleges in London and Wales respectively and now lived in London, though they were considerably younger than me. One of them asked me about our choice of the dinner in advance, and I chose the British cuisine. That's why we visited that restaurant. I selected a dish from the menu in the following picture. Pigeon and foie gras pastie was that! though I've never eaten pigeons. That was a little bony and difficult to eat, but delicious. Their stories about their life, families and jobs in London were very interesting to me. I told them about what we got through during this trip, like the parking violation and the conversation with the parking lot attendant and other topics about English. They must be freely able to communicate in English. I envied them their English skills and I hoped that they would build their secure bridge head of life in London.

Monument Station から地下鉄を乗り継いでコベントガーデンで下車。Horborn駅でも良かったのだが、聞いたことのある地名だったのでコベントガーデンで降りてみた。実に賑やかで楽しそうな店ばかりが並んでいた。こういうところはただブラブラするだけでも楽しい。グーグルマップの指示通りに歩いて指定された32 Great Queen Streetという店に着いた。

今日の夕食はロンドンの建築関係の会社で働いている同窓生２人と夕食。どのような料理が良いか、選ばせてもらったのだが、イギリス料理の店でと依頼して選ばれたのが写真の店。僕の注文した料理はPigeon and foie gras pastie。鳩を食べたのは初めて。骨っぽくて食べにくかったのだが、美味しかった。ロンドンで暮らす二人の生活の様子が実に興味深く楽しい時間だった。二人はロンドン、ウェールズの大学の出身で、英語はもう自由に使いこなせているはず。今回の旅行で各地で英語のリスニングで苦労した話や、駐車違反をして、その係員の英語がサッパリわからなかった話などで盛り上がった。あの時は、本当に、こいつの喋っている言葉はもしかしたら英語ではないかも知れないとまで思ったから。またロンドンに行って、話をしたいなあと思っている。

Great Western Railway

　　I didn't book the train in advance and got tickets for London at Oxford Station. The Great Western Railway covers the southern and southwestern areas of the U.K., and I thought it was the counterpart of Japan Railway company in Japan. Our train started at 10:55 hours. I had written about the pronunciation of the local people in the previous entries again and again. Though I often wondered who spoke in BBC's English, the English which I heard in the announcement in the coach was just the English as I recognized as British English! It was very clear and easy to understand. It was like music to me. The understandable English was really comfortable. The coach was crowded, but we were able to take seats and we enjoyed the scenery through the window. Take a look at the 5th picture. I instantly assumed that those buildings were part of an atomic power plant, but suspected at the same time that the location wasn't suitable for atomic power plants. The later examination revealed that it was a steam power plant, Didcot Power Station, which had been already closed and whose demolition work was underway.
　　I searched internet for something related to the plant, and found a news item about a fatal accident which occurred in the plant on Feb. 24th in 2016. As the dog that trots about finds a bone, I get such trivial information every time I make trips.

(Vocabulary)
demolition [C,U] (建物などの) 取り壊し, 解体







　
列車の予約はしておらず、駅に着いてから切符を購入。Great Western Railwayはイングランド南部の鉄道会社。日本のＪＲのようなものか。オックスフォード駅から乗車してロンドンはパディントン駅へ向かった。駅でやっときれいな英語に出会えたこと。車内アナウンスで初めてＢＢＣの英語を聞いた。なんと聞き取りやすかったこと。(^_^;)一字一句正確に聞き取れた。車内は混んでいたが何とか座れて車窓からの風景を楽しんだ。乗った列車は１０：５５発のパディントン行き。しばらく走ると右側に原発か？その立地に驚いたが、後で調べると閉鎖され、解体作業中のディドコット火力発電所Didcot Power Stationだった。で、ネットでこんな記事を見つけた。
　
「火力発電所が崩壊…１人死亡、３人不明　英」 2016年2月24日 06:42
　
「英南部のディドコットで２３日、閉鎖された火力発電所の建物が崩壊。１人が死亡し、３人が行方不明、５人が病院に運ばれている。当局は、建物が崩壊した原因などを調べている。この発電所は３年前に閉鎖され、当時、２つのボイラーの解体作業が行われていた。」
（http://www.news24.jp/articles/2016/02/24/10323153.html）
　
犬も歩けば棒に当たるというが、こんな感じで旅に出るといろいろと雑学が増えることになる。

Parking Violation

　　As soon as we reached the parking lot, I found a slip of paper on the windshield. It was a parking violation notice. We didn't examine the information of the town beforehand and parked our car without thinking enough at a parking lot which I had happened to find.
　　I caught someone who seemed to be responsible for this matter though he was just about to leave the parking lot, and I asked him what the slip meant. The slip was written in English and I spoke to him in English, but we weren't able to communicate with each other. I even suspected he might not speak in English. I've watched a news item handling the topic about the independence of Scotland before. I noticed and wondered at that time that some people who were interviewed were talking in a certain language other than English. The U.K. is recognized and handled as a single nation in Japan, but I felt that the U.K. wasn't a solid nation. I re-recognized the meaning of "United" of the U.K.
　　This man, who looked to be in the latter half of his 60's, had such a strong and ugly accent. I barely understood that he told us to read the description on the slip. It said the fine was 85 GBP, but if I paid the fine in two weeks, they would give me 35 GBP discount. I didn't need to present myself to the police station and was able to pay online. I gave the money up for a lesson fee for the experience of listening to an obscure and ugly English accent. I saw parking passes on the dashboard of other vehicles around us. This parking lot was apparently for vehicles which got a parking permit in advance. I understood why there was no fare collecting machine there.

イギリスに来てまで駐車違反とは、、、トホホ

さて、街を散策しながら駐車場へ戻った。するとフロントガラスに何かメモが貼ってある。駐車違反切符だった。この町の下調べしておらずたまたま見つけた駐車場に駐めたのが良くなかったようだ。

周りを見渡すと切符を貼り付けたと思われる人がいたので、意味を問いただしたが、言葉が全く通じない。貼ってあった紙には英語が書いてあるので英語で話したが、もしかしたらこいつの話す言葉は英語ではないのかも？と思ったほど。少し前にスコットランド独立騒ぎがあった頃、地元民にインタビューしているニュースを見たことがある。彼らの話す言葉は英語ではなかった。日本ではイギリスと一つの国のように呼んでいるが、この様子を見て、イギリスは決して一つではないと実感したことを思い出した。イギリスの正確な国名を見れば確かに"United"といくつかの国の集合体だとある。

この係員、年齢は６０代後半くらいだろうか。訛りが酷い。何を言っているのか全くわからないが、どうも、チケットの説明書きを読めと言っているようだった。読んでみると、駐車違反８５ポンド、すぐに支払えば５０ポンドにしてやると書いてある。出頭義務はなくオンラインでＯＫと、、、まあ便利ではあるが。仕方ない。５０ポンドは、このおっさんの英語モドキ言語を聞けたことに対する授業料と考えることにした。後で周りに駐めてある車を見ると、中に駐車許可証が置いてあった。駐車場に料金の支払場所がなかったのは、あらかじめ許可をもらった車だけの駐車場だったと思われる。大きなわかりやすい看板を設置して旅行者にもわかりやすいようにしてもらいたい。クソッ。

Burford

　　A cafe originated from Burford is getting known and tote bags of this shop brand are popular in Japan. The shop's name was HUFFKINS. We dropped in at Burford to enjoy cakes and tea at this cafe. The following pictures were taken in the street which the shop was facing. I didn't want it to rain today, but the rain might suit this street. I loved this atmosphere. While we were having cakes there, we checked the prices of tote bags on Amazon's shopping site and knew that they were considerably higher than those of tote bags around us displayed in the shop. There was their souvenir shop next to the cafe and we bought several tote bags there for souvenirs for our friends.
　　By the way, when I ordered something at the cafe, I had a hard time again. The shop person understood me, but I wasn't fully able to understand him. Why didn't they speak slowly to a Japanese who was not familiar with English? It's natural, I thought, to care about non-English speaking people. Was it difficult to speak slowly? However, he was kind enough to explain their products again and again, and to advise us which to pick up.
　　The around 10 minutes' walk to the parking lot was also fun. The typical British street, just as I had imagined before, entertained us.

　
バーフォードではある喫茶店に寄るのが目的だった。名前はHUFFKINSという。写真はHUFFKINSの前の通り、この街のメインストリートの雰囲気を撮ったもの。雨が残念だが、雨がこの街には似合うかも知れない。さてこのHUFFKINSだが、日本でそのトートバッグが人気が出てきているのだとか。調べてみるとアマゾンでも入手できるようだが、ここでお土産用にたくさん購入。日本の価格に比べるとかなり安かった。

写真にある一番人気のケーキと紅茶を注文した。これはウェイターのお勧め。美味しかったが、彼の英語がまた早口で聞き取りにくかった。こちらの言うことは理解してくれるのだが、リスニングがしんどかった。英語に不慣れな日本人に対してゆっくり喋ってくれるという配慮があっても良いのにと思うが、ゆっくり喋るのが難しいのだろうか？まあそれは置いといて、この喫茶店の隣がお土産屋でいろいろな種類のトートバッグが置いてあった。娘はしばらく居たかったようだが、先を急ぐので１０分ほどで店を出て街を歩く。歩くだけでも楽しい街だった。

 

Pickpocket

　　Then we took a walk around Merton College. The streets had emitted a very relaxed and traditional atmosphere. We moved to the city center on foot. We are good walkers and didn't mind a long walk. We visited Bodleian Libraries and around it, only the outer appearance of which we saw the previous day.
　　When we dropped in at a pub to have lunch, my daughter noticed that she had had her purse stolen by a pickpocket. That purse was one which I had bought her at Haneda Airport. It was her favorite one and her driving licence and about 300 GBP were inside.
　　It is said that there are lots of pickpockets in Europe, but my daughter had never fallen victim to pickpocketing during her one-year stay in Germany. Did she relax her mind with me? She was always holding her shoulder bag in front, but when she was targeted by a pickpocket, her hands were full of nylon bags of souvenirs and her shoulder bag was hung over her right shoulder. We were going to pack those souvenirs into my backpack at lunch time. It was a very short time from purchase to packing that the pickpocket did his/her work.
　　Our appetite disappeared and we headed for a police station without having lunch. When I took her to the Thames Valley Police Station, she asked me why I knew its site. I had happened to find it while she was shopping in the Alice's Shop. I didn't even imagine such an incident at that time.
　　My daughter told a policeman about the situation. I expected that an official certification would be issued, but we didn't receive any document from the police. We felt a little bit uneasy, but went out believing his comment, "If something problematic occurs, I'll send you an e-mail". However, we had nothing to testify our visit to the police station. I thought we should have received something like his business card. During the police interview, a drunken homeless man came to the station and he was instantly repelled by a few policemen. I tried to listen carefully to their conversation, but I wasn't able to understand their words, maybe including several slang words and unique accents. Where are people who speak the BBC's English?
　　This incident had an influence over our sightseeing plan. I advised my daughter to continue sightseeing, saying that if she stopped sightseeing, our regret would be more intense though we had to give up visiting Blenheim Palace in which Sir Winston Churchill had been born.
　　After coming back to Japan, my daughter reported the incident to the insurance company and also reported that the police interview had been done at the Thames Valley Police Station in Oxford. The sum of money after a 3000 yen (about 25 US$) deductible was reduced from the price of her purse was paid into her bank account. I was so sorry to doubt the exact work of the nice daddy policeman in that police station.

アリスショップを出て皇太子殿下の留学先、マートンカレッジの周辺を散歩。美しく伝統を感じる街だった。そして中心部へ移動。小さな町なので健脚の二人にとっては交通機関は不要。そして昨日概観しか見ていなかったボドリアン図書館とその周辺を見て回った。

そして、昼食のために立ち寄ったパブで娘が財布をすられたことに気がついた。羽田空港で出国後、ターミナル内の免税店でこの旅行の記念に買ってやったもの。選び抜いて買ったお気に入りの財布。中には日本の運転免許証と現金が３００ポンドほど入っていたらしい。

スリが多いと言われるヨーロッパ。娘はドイツに１年住んでいたが、その間は何も無かったのにと涙を浮かべて悔しがっていた。親が一緒だったので気が緩んだのか。いつも前に抱えていたバッグが、お土産を買って両手が塞がり、後ろに回ってしまっていた。昼食時に整理して僕のデイパックに詰めるつもりだったのだが、それまでわずかの時間にやられた。うっかりとはこういう事を言うのだろう。
結局食欲は失せてしまい、注文した昼食を食べずに警察へ向かった。娘を警察に案内すると、『なぜ警察の場所を知っているのか?』と娘が問う。たまたま見かけて覚えていたからだが、こんなことになるとは思いもしなかった。

警察署で事情を説明した。盗難にあったことを示す証明書が発行されるかと思ったら何もくれない。何かあったら連絡するということだけ。少し不安になったが、そう言われて警察署を出た。これでは警察署を訪れたという証拠が残っていないのであの警察官の名刺だけでももらっておくべきだったと思った。この間、酒瓶をぶら下げた酔っ払ったホームレスがやってきたが、警察官に署から追い出されていた。この数名の会話が全く聞き取れない。いやはやＢＢＣの英語を喋るイギリス人はいったいどこにいるのか。

これにより予定が大幅に狂った。観光気分が失せてしまった娘に、これで観光をやめたら余計に悔しくなると諭して、観光は続けた。チャーチルが生まれたブレナム宮殿は諦めざるを得なかったが。

帰国後、所定の手続きをし、またイギリス警察テムズバレー署に届け出た旨を保険会社に伝えたところ、財布の購入金額から免責金額３０００円を引かれた額が帰ってきた。警察のあのおっちゃん、きちんとやってくれていた。疑ってゴメン。

The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

　　We traveled to Christ Church without having lunch. Buildings along the route were emitting a historic dignity and I envied my daughter her youth and opportunity to study in Oxford. I wanted to step into some narrow old paths, but I didn't have enough time to do so as I was able to spare only one and a half days for sightseeing in Oxford. Her college was located in the center of Oxford and we went down the main street of Oxford to the south. The street was regrettably not clean. What's more, I saw more than 10 homeless people within about 500 meters. Most were young and white. The atmosphere on the street was far from what I expected of Oxford. Is the British financial situation worsening?
　　When we reached Christ Church, there was yet some time until the opening so we decided to visit The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin first. The first picture was shot on the way from Christ Church to the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. This building was Merton College in which the Japanese Crown Prince studied concerning water-transport on the Thames.
　　The church is shown in the 3rd picture. I heard that you could climb up to the handrail over the clock hung on the wall, and went up. I tried to tell my age, 60, to the ticket booth person, and got a senior's discount!

 (Vocabulary)
travel　 [自](米)(インフォーマル) 速く歩く
The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin 　聖メアリー教会

身軽になってまず向かったのはクライストチャーチ。お昼も食べずに観光開始。歩いてみるとほとんどの建物に歴史を感じる。こういうところで勉強に没頭できる娘を羨ましくも思った。細い路地にも入ってみたいが時間が無い。オックスフォード観光は１日半しか時間を割けないので有名なところを見て回る。娘のカレッジが街のほぼ中心に位置しており、南に向かってメインストリートを歩いたのだが、街は汚れていた。そしてホームレスが多い。それも若い白人のホームレス。驚いた。聞いていた様子とは全く異なっていた。イギリスの経済事情が悪化しているのだろうか？

クライストチャーチに着いたものの午後の内部の開放まで時間があったので、聖メアリー教会へ先に行ってみることにした。１枚目の写真は移動の途中で見かけた建物。見事だなと思って撮影したが、ここが皇太子殿下の御留学先、Merton Collegeだった。手前はその運動場。

３枚目が聖メアリー教会で、良く見ると時計が掛かっている。すぐその上の手すりの部分まで登ることが出来ると聞いて登ってみた。教会に入って奥の方に進むと階段があり、その手前で入場料を支払うのだが、シニア割引が効いた。言ってみるものだ。「シニア」とか「ペンショナー」で通じるようだ。もちろんペンショナーではないのだが。歳を取るのも悪くない。この後、娘にからかわれつつもあちこちで高齢者割引を利用した。(^o^)

 

To Oxford

　　I forgot to write a topic about British English in the previous entry. I don't have opportunities to write or talk in English in my daily life, and it's why I keep writing this blog. If I didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to keep my English skills, nor improve it. I sometimes listen to the news program from the BBC as a listening lesson and I can understand more than half of what the casters say. Therefore, I didn't have any concern about communication with local people. However, I wasn't able to understand the words of the front desk person of the hotel. It was a huge discouragement to me.
　　My daughter often kiddingly tells me that she forgot English during learning German, but she was better at least at listening to the front desk person. She was surprised at the fact more than I. She was in Freiburg in southern Germany when she was about 20 years old. Was that helpful? Anyway, I was often annoyed at communications in the U.K..
　　The breakfast was included in the hotel fee. It looked gorgeous at first glance, but the variety of vegetables was poor. I felt that the breakfast was so simple, but it would be the standard in the U.K.. The content was the same as other hotels which I stayed at later, Best Western in Oxford and Conrad London St. James. I was a little sorry about breakfast. I remembered that my wife had put retort bags of rice and miso soup into suitcases which we brought to the daughter who lives in Oxford. It might be a good choice.
　　I asked a concierge to calculate how long it would take from the hotel to Oxford by bus. It was considerably longer than we had expected and we didn't want to move to the bus stop with four suitcases on the reverse route of what we moved the previous night. Then we decided to take a taxi to Oxford. This concierge and the taxi driver were nice and friendly. The first impression of the U.K. recovered, which had gotten worse by the English of the front desk person last night. Surprisingly, the receipt of the taxi fare came to me by an e-mail. I'll show you that below.
　　These are the ideas which I thought after coming back Japan: we should have put up at a hotel near Paddington station, which is one of the principal stations in London. It would take about an hour from Paddington to Oxford by train. One thing, however, it was a first time visit to the U.K., the first time on the tube and the national railway of the Great Western Railway. It's doubtful if we were able to successfully use that transportation, but it wasn't so hard to utilize transportation like above. On the other hand, I think it's hard for the first-time visitors to Tokyo to use public transportation. I believe that the authorities should improve this situation before the Olympics.

昨日の投稿で書き忘れたこと。それはフロントスタッフの英語。聞き取れず。日頃ＢＢＣのキャスターの英語を半分くらいは聞き取れるので英語に何ら心配していなかったのだが。まだ娘の方が理解していた。１０年くらい前に英語圏ではないドイツに留学していたことが役に立ったのだろうか？「なぜ聞き取れるのかわからない」と、僕よりも本人がビックリしていた。このイギリスの英語にはこの後、あちこちで悩まされた。

ホテルの朝食。一見豪華に見えるのだが、日本のホテルに比べて野菜が極めて貧弱。非常にシンプルに感じたがこれがイギリスの一般的な朝食なのだろう。この朝食の内容はこの後泊まったベストウエスタン、ロンドンのコンラッドでもほぼ同様。イギリスの朝食の定番なのだろうが、毎日これだったので少し辛かった。カミさんが留学中の娘にレトルトの米や味噌汁を詰めていたが正解だったかもしれない。

ヒースロー空港からバス移動した場合のオックスフォードのバスターミナルまでの所要時間を計算してもらった。さらにそのバスターミナルからホテルまでタクシーを必要とするので、費用と時間を考慮して、ホテルからタクシーを頼んでもらった。このコンシュルジュの英語は比較的わかりやすく、感じの良い人だった。タクシードライバーも感じよく、ホテルのフロントの話す英語で悪くなった初イギリスの印象が改善された。（笑）タクシーの領収書は、なんとメールで送られてきた。参考になるかなと思い、ＵＰする。

帰国してからの考えだが、前夜のうちにパディントン駅まで移動しておけば良かった。電車ならオックスフォードまで１時間だったし。ただ、初めてのイギリス、初めての地下鉄、はじめての国鉄。スムーズに切符を買って移動できたかどうかはあやしい。あくまで帰国してからの考えとしてそう思った。また一方で日本の国鉄、地下鉄は多分外国からの旅行者にとって使いこなすのはかなり難しいと思う。オリンピックまでに改善すべきと感じた。

Comfortable Flight

　　As soon as Matsuyama Airport opened, we headed for the ANA counter. Even then, we had only an hour until the departure time. We wanted to ask a counter person to have our luggage transported through to Heathrow Airport, because we would change aircraft in Haneda and Munich Airport and it wasn't acceptable to move with our luggage in these vast airports.
　　Additionally we had asked her to upgrade our seats of the international flight from economy class to premium economy class. As one of the membership privileges of the Super Flyers' Club of ANA, this upgrade is free of additional charge if there were vacant seats on the departure day. Therefore, before other passengers upgraded their seats, we needed to get our seat upgrade done. That's why we rushed to the counter. However, the computer system in Haneda Airport was busy and wasn't able to receive a favorable reply from ANA in Matsuyama Airport. Finally we received the definitive answer from ANA at Haneda Airport. The upgrade was successful! The flight between Haneda and Munich was really comfortable.
　　Our ticket was offered free corresponding to the obtained mileage and we had no option other than the route via Munich. However, we had high expectations in Munich. Oct 3rd is a German holiday called "Tag der deutschen Einheit", which means the unification of the former west and east Germany. We hoped that we would come across various social gatherings or entertainment concerning the day in Munich Airport, but in vain.
　　Another interest is: The U.K. is still in the EU, but out of the Schengen Agreement. Did that mean that we had to go through two immigration inspections in Munich and Heathrow Airport? Actually we had to pass the carry-on baggage inspection in Munich Airport, but didn't pass passport control. We had just run in Munich Airport. There was no appropriate guidance and I felt an obnoxious aspect of German. It seemed that we were the only passengers who changed aircraft from ANA to Lufthansa bound for Heathrow Airport. We hurried in the deserted and dark passage. It was a little hard work for me who had drank a lot of wine.
　　I understood that the inspection at Heathrow Airport was strict under the influence of repeated terrorism, but it was done in a minute. Because of our nationality? The Japanese Passport is said to be the strongest in the world. Anyway, we arrived in the U.K.

(Vocabulary)
obnoxious 〈人・発言などが〉 ひどく不愉快な, 鼻持ちならない

松山空港が開くや否やＡＮＡのカウンターへ直行。それでもフライトまで１時間しかありません。この荷物を何とかヒースロー空港までスルーしてもらう手続きと座席のアップグレードを依頼するため。フライトは地元松山空港から羽田空港、ミュンヘン経由でロンドンヒースロー空港です。スーツケース４個を空港ごとに受け取って持ち運ぶなど考えられません。

また、ＡＮＡのＳＦＣ会員なので当日空席があればエコノミークラスからプレミアムエコノミーにアップグレードが無料なのです。そのためにも朝一でカウンターへ！ところが羽田のコンピューターが混んでいて返事が来ないとのこと。結果は羽田で聞くことにして出発しました。そして改めて羽田で尋ねるとアップグレードＯＫでした！！！足を伸ばせるし、幅は広いし、言うことなし。

ミュンヘンを経由するのは利用するのが特典航空券で他に選択種がなかったから。しかし、楽しみもありました。この日はドイツ統一記念日で何かイベントに出くわすのではないかと。しかし、結果的に何も無くがっかり。そしてもうひとつ、イギリスはシェンゲン協定未締結。なので、ミュンヘンとイギリスと両方で入国審査に出くわすのだろうかと興味がありましたが、ミュンヘンでは手荷物検査のみで書類チェックなし。結構な距離を走らされただけでした。案内もなく、ドイツの嫌な不親切な面を見ました。ワインを飲み過ぎた身体には少しきつかったです。(^_^;)　

入国に関してイギリスは厳しいと覚悟していましたが、実にあっさりと済みました。日本人だったから？ま、とにかく快適にイギリスに到着です。

Manzekibashi Bridge

　　We landed at a port in the southern part of the island and went up north by bus. A red bridge abruptly appeared in front of us and its name was Manzekibashi Bridge. Our tour leader advised us to walk on the bridge and I followed his words. Looking down from the bridge, I noticed that both sides of the shore were surely artificial. According to the guide, the channel, which we were looking at, was secretly constructed just before the Russo-Japanese War to make it easier for military vessels to move between the eastern and western areas of the island. A signboard was attached saying "Don't Dive Here!" in Korean, and I found a Korean restaurant on the opposite side of the bridge. I realized that this island was really the border island.

위험　　危険
뛰어들지마시오　飛び込まないでください

対馬の南部の港へ上陸して北部へ向かっていた我々の前に立派な橋が現れた。万関橋という名前だった。我々のリーダーが是非この橋は歩いて渡ろうというのでバスから降りて歩いた。下を見ると、両側の岸辺は明らかに人の手が加えられている。聞けば、日露戦争に備え、島の東西を迅速に軍艦を移動させることが出来るよう極秘裏に運河が作られたのだという。飛び込むなと朝鮮語で書かれた板が橋に取り付けられていた。朝鮮語でメニューの書かれた食堂もあった。聞いてはいたが、朝鮮人観光客が多いのだろう。

Pearl Harbor

　　The destination of April 11th was Pearl Harbor. My wife would rather take a walk around Waikiki and I went out alone. I already understood how to use the fixed route buses. When I got to the nearest bus stop, a just-arrived bus extended the ramp for wheelchair users. This town might be physically challenged-friendly.
　　I arrived at the Pearl Harbor Historic Site by the number 42 bus directly without an exchange of buses. I heard other passengers chatting in the bus; one of them was happy to turn 65 soon, because he will get the yearly discount bus ticket for seniors. I wanted to know its price, but I'm not good at talking, so I didn't. I'll check it later.
　　The quantity of today's blog entries would be more than 20. Most of them will be sad stories for U.S. citizens, but I mean no offense to U.S. citizens who live now. I don't want to force them to apologize, but I want them to know the historical facts without embellishment nor exaggeration. The good facts are all right to be repeated in our history, but we must know the facts in order to avoid repeating the bad happenings. I'll start writing about what I felt in the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.

 (Vocabulary)
mean no offense (to somebody) （＜人＞に対して）悪気はない
embellishment 潤色として加えられる細部

今日はパールハーバーの観光をする。カミさんはワイキキ周辺の散歩をするというので一人で出かけた。路線バスの利用方法をマスターしたのでタクシーは使わずバスで移動。目の前に止まったバスから車椅子利用者用のスロープが出てきた。この町は意外にも身障者に優しい町かも知れない。

ワイキキから４２番バスで乗り換えなしでパールハーバーに到着した。他の客がもうすぐ６５歳になると喜んでいたので聞き耳を立てるとバスの格安年間シニアパスがあるそうだ。いくらなのか尋ねてみたかったが、話すのは苦手なのでやめた。帰宅後調べてみよう、、、

今日の記事はおそらく２０編以上になるだろう。アメリカ人には辛い話が並ぶと思うが、僕は今生きているアメリカ人に謝らせたいとも、謝ってもらいたいとも思っていない。ただ、起こったことを正しく理解してもらいたいと願うだけ。事実を事実として、なんら脚色することなく理解してもらいたいと思う。良い事実なら繰り返されても良いが、悪かった事実を繰り返さないためにはまずその事実を知らなければならないと思うから。では、始めます。

Check-in for the Honolulu Half-Marathon

　　A whole day's rest on the arrival day will do me good, but I've had a very hectic day. At first I had to activate my SIM free smartphone. It was my first time to use my SIM free smartphone and I felt slightly uneasy, but the activation process was really smoothly done while waiting for immigration inspection. That enabled me to use Google Map at any time. It was very handy. I bought a two generations old Taiwanese smartphone to save money, and it was right! Its performance was satisfactory.
　　I had asked a Japanese taxi driver in advance to take us to my condo from Honolulu International Airport. I knew him from the last trip. He gave us various information on Hawaii on the way. Leaving my wife at my condo, who suffered from jet lag and wanted to take a good sleep, I stopped by a travel agency of HIS five minutes from my condo to get their running bus (LeaLea Trolley) tickets valid for seven-straight days. With this ticket, I can go around the principal areas on Oahu island.
　　Then I reached the Hawaii Convention Center on foot. The check-in procedure was really easy. There were several booths handling jogging gear and goods for keeping fit. Their explanation was half in English, and it was a good chance to listen to English conversation concerning jogging. I stayed in the check-in site for some time.

ハワイへ着いた日は時差ぼけのためゆっくりしたいが何かと忙しい。まずはＳＩＭフリースマホのアクティベーション。初めてのことなので不安だったが、入国審査を待つ間に完了。これでグーグルマップが利用できるなど便利になる。費用を節約するために２世代前の台湾製のスマホを買ったのだが、機能的に十分満足。

空港からの移動は前回の旅でなじみになった日本人タクシードライバーに日本から前もって依頼していた。彼からハワイ情報などを聞きながらコンドミニアムに到着。旅装を解いた後、うちから５分のところにあるＨＩＳのオフィスへ寄ってトロリーチケットの購入。７日間乗り放題を購入。これがあると買物などに便利で、ダウンタウンからワイキキまで気軽に移動できる。

そして次にハーフマラソンの受付。受付会場のハワイ・コンベンションセンターはうちから徒歩圏内。助かる。受付は簡単に終了。いろいろなブースが出ていたので冷やかして廻る。英語で商品説明をしているのを横で聞いてマラソン関連の英語表現を聞けたのもよかった。

Necktie

　　I don't usually wear neckties even in my office. While commuting, I wear everyday clothes. As soon as I arrive at my office, I change my clothes to my white coat or surgical gown, so I don't need so many neckties.
　　Today, I had to attend an important meeting and looked for a suitable one in my closet. The one I found and will show you below was new to me. I didn't remember where or when I got it. Anyway, someone might have presented it to me on some special occasion. I tried to put it on. When I asked my wife for her advice, she found a weird word on it. Takeshima island, which has been illegally occupied by South Korea, was described by its Korean name. I immediately pulled this necktie off and threw it away. I got angry at South Korea.
　　Most Japanese media don't want to report the inconvenient truth of both Koreas and China, but now even ordinary people can get the truth online. Lots of Japanese people know the fact that Korean people distort their history. They damage lots of books and maps in public libraries worldwide. They insist that the Sea of Japan should be called "East Sea", though they don't appeal to China for the modification from Yellow Sea to "West Sea". I can read Korean a little, and the more I know about Koreas, the more I hate them.

ネクタイ

日頃ネクタイをしない。通勤はほぼ普段着で、職場に入るとすぐに白衣に着替える。ところが今日はライオンズクラブの会合があり、久しぶりにネクタイを着けることになった。誰かにもらったものだと思うが着けたことのないネクタイをクローゼットの中に見つけて着けてみた。家内がじっと書かれている地図を見て大変な事実を発見した。南朝鮮が不法占拠している島の名前が朝鮮読みになっていたのだ。すぐにこのネクタイを外し、捨てた。いったい朝鮮人ども、どこまで腐っているんだ。
　
日本のメディアの多くはシナ、朝鮮の不都合な真実を報道したがらないが、今では普通の日本人がネットで正しい情報を得ている。朝鮮人たちが世界中で公立の図書館などで本や地図を毀損していることを知っている。彼らは日本海を「東海」と呼べと言うが、ならばシナ様に黄海を「西海」と呼べとなぜ言わない？日本を馬鹿にしているのか？少しだけ朝鮮語を読めるのだが、知れば知るほど嫌になる国だ。＞朝鮮
　
黄海北道・黄海南道という北朝鮮の地名から黄海と名付けられたのでは？と思われる方へ：
　
ＷＩＫＩからの引用ですが、黄海道（ファンヘド、こうかいどう）は、李氏朝鮮の行政区分朝鮮八道の一つ。主要都市である黄州と海州から頭文字を取って命名された。黄海に面していた故の名称ではない。高麗時代は「西海道」と呼ばれていた。現在の北朝鮮の行政区分、黄海北道・黄海南道に相当する。なので、日本海を東海と呼べと主張する奴らが筋の通った連中なら、黄海を西海と呼ぶよう主張するはずなのです。

International Students In Matsuyama

　　As a part of volunteer activities of Matsuyama Century Lions Club, we held a friendship gathering inviting about 40 overseas students who live in the city of Matsuyama. Their nationalities were, though I don't exactly remember, about ten kinds, and varied from a country in Africa to Barbados. I was grateful for their choice, I mean, they picked my hometown among lots of cities in Japan.
　　In an orchard whose owner is a member of the club, the participants enjoyed harvesting sweet potatoes, persimmons, oranges, etc, and baking pizza, okonomiyaki savory pancakes, etc. The hardest part of cooking okonomiyaki savoury pancakes is flipping them over with spatulas. Some weren't good at it, but it was fun to see them mis-flipping. I didn't get permissions to upload their pictures, but it would be no problem to show you pictures below. People wearing a yellow jacket are the members of the club. I was happy to have the chance to talk with international students about their countries and their daily life in Matsuyama.
　　There is no Muslim around me and I don't fully see their way of life. My knowledge about them is only obtained from books or literature. I heard that "Mirin", one of the essential seasonings in Japanese traditional dishes, doesn't go well with their religious life. I was surprised to hear that. I can't put up with the fact that religion interferes with personal food preferences. I wondered that they didn't feel ill at ease. I understood that it's the way of their lives. It was the day when I learned much.

１２月９日　留学生との交流会

松山センチュリーライオンズクラブの奉仕活動の一環で愛媛県松山市に住んでいる外国からの留学生の交流イベントを開催した。正確な数を覚えてはいないのだが、７～８カ国から４０名くらいの留学生が集まった。小さな田舎町によくこれだけの人が来てくれたなあと感謝。

会員の所有する果樹園で皆で芋、みかん、柿などの収穫体験、ピザを焼いたり、お好み焼きなどを作ったり、丸一日楽しんだ。参加者に許可は得ていないのだが、多分大丈夫だと思うので何枚か写真をＵＰする。黄色のジャケットを着ている人がライオンズクラブの仲間です。各国からの留学生と話すといろいろな話を聞けて楽しい。それぞれのお国の様子や松山で学んでいることを聞けた。

自分の周りにムスリムがいないから彼らの習慣についてあまり知らない。日本料理に欠かせない「みりん」がムスリムには都合が悪いと聞いた。調味料の成分にまで宗教的なものを持ち込まねばならないなんて、僕には耐えられない。彼らの習慣と言ってしまえばそれまでだが、窮屈には感じないのだろうか？　いろいろなことを勉強した一日だった。

Dougashima

　　Dougashima, which is located on the west coast of the Izu Peninsula, is famous for its distinctive terrain generated by ancient volcanic activities. There was a museum of a movie star of yesteryear, Yuzo Kayama, but I skipped it. I wasn't interested in him at all. After a short walk along the seaside, I got on a small boat. The 20 minutes to 90 minutes' boat tours were available and I picked the shortest one, which took me to some of the most popular spots. By the unthinkably long time of wave erosion, lots of holes and slits were formed in the rock on the coast. A part of the ceiling of those holes had collapsed and bright sunlight was streaming through those clefts. I took pictures with my brand-new digital single lens reflex camera.
　　A group of international tourists was on the same boat. An apparent friend of theirs, who, I thought, wasn't professional, was translating the Japanese tourguide's explanation. I admired her translation skills on one hand, but I was afraid that her words might have been misunderstood in parts on the other hand. Listening to their conversation, I found myself not short but totally lacking the specialized vocabulary of earth science. I'm thinking of visiting Kauai Island, where "Jurassic Park" was made, and Hawaii Island to see the volcano, Kilauea in the not-so-distant future. I realized that the technical vocabulary of earth science was in order to understand the guide.

(Vocabulary)
yesteryear 昨年；往年
those superstars of ～ 往年のあのスーパースターたち
in parts ところどころ
be in order 必要である、ふさわしい

堂ヶ島

この地も地球の火山活動が生み出した独特の景観を呈する。往年の映画俳優、加山雄三記念館があったりしたが、この方面には全く興味が無く、少し海岸線を散歩した後、海からの景色を楽しんだ。所要時間２０分～９０分くらいのクルーズコースがあったのだが、先を急ぐので人気箇所だけを廻る最短コース２０分コースに乗ってみた。長い間の波の侵蝕により海岸には洞窟がいくつも形成され、一部は崩落して洞窟で有りながら上からの日光が差し込んでいた。購入したばかりの一眼レフで撮影してみた。
　
外国人観光客が同乗していた。友達と思われる(つまりプロではない)方がガイドの説明を英語に翻訳していたのでそれを横で聞いていた。上手く訳すなあと感心することもある一方で誤解されるかもなと心配になる部分もあったが、何より自分に地質学の専門用語の語彙が足りないというより、一切無いということに気がついた。そう遠くない将来にジュラシックパークが撮影されたカウアイ島やキラウエア火山を見にハワイ島へ行ってみようと思っている。基礎的な地質学の知識と英語での表現を現地のガイドの説明を理解するためにもしっかり勉強しておかねばと思った次第。

 

Anniversary

　　I had started writing my blog in English in 2005. I had no opportunity to write stories in English at that time, though I often read technical papers in my daily work. Then, I was barely able to make myself understood in English in case of overseas trips or something. On the other hand, due to the complete grammatical difference between Japanese and English, Japan had been misunderstood by other nations for a long time. I really wanted to express my private humble opinion toward all of the world. My purpose of being a blogger was to improve my English skills and get the various misunderstandings on Japan straight.
　　I had big difficulties in writing only 10 lines of entry when I started, but I continued and the previous entry, "Dinner and Champagne Tower" became the 2000th anniversary entry! I'm now very proud of my patience. I wouldn't have been able to fully enjoy several overseas trips without English skills.
　　I'm just thinking of the German and Korean blogs. A very short entry per week in each language would sound like a possibility.

２００５年１１月２５日に初めての記事を書いて、先の記事Dinner and Champagne Towerが、２０００本目の記事となりました。良く続いたものだと思います。始めた頃は１０行程度の文章を書くのでも大変でした。当初の記事を読むと文法書に出ているような、高校生が書いたような英文ばかりですが、現在少しは進歩した気がします。ドイツ語と朝鮮語の記事を混ぜようかなと検討中です。今度は中学生の文章になると思いますが、、、（笑）

What I Thought Seeing Posters in the Restroom

　　I don't like heights, so I felt relieved climbing down from the Sans Skypark, but I was taken to the Singapore Flyer next, which was known to be one of the highest ferris wheels worldwide.
　　The 1st picture shows the entrance of the Singapore Flyer. A woman in it was our tour guide. She talked with us in Japanese, but with local people in English or Mandarin. As I wasn't able to distinguish the conversation between her and the bus driver at all, I asked her. That was Hokkien. She sounded like she was able to use Cantonese too. I was taken by complete surprise. She would guide Cantonese people. She must be one of the top tour guides in Singapore. I can give her a well-deserved pat on the back.
　　The 2nd picture shows the Marina Bay Sands Hotel from the Singapore Flyer. I was scared only to recall that I had been at the edge of there shortly before. The next two pictures were shot at the restroom in the entrance hall of the Singapore Flyer. It must be for a campaign to save water.
　　According to our guide, most of the water in Singapore was imported from Malaysia. The gravel to extend the land was bought or robbed from other countries. It sometimes led to even the disappearance of tiny islets. I felt some fragility in Singapore's infrastructures, whose land can't support the people. I'm not sure, but the army drills in Taiwan.
　　While we are on the subject of Singapore, let me digress a bit and tell you a short story about Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was handed back to China, the UK wasn't required to return Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. They were obliged to return the New Territory Area only. However, the UK restored the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island along with the New Territory Area. It is said that the then Prime Minister Thatcher had been threatened with not supplying water from the mainland to the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island by the then Chinese Communist Leader, Deng Xiao Ping. He promised that China would adopt two different policies between their mainland and the newly-returned area for the coming 50 years then, but the promise is now going to be scrapped. The Singapore Flyer would run on electricity, which must be imported. Reflecting vaguely on various things, the prosperity of Singapore began to seem a house built on sand.
　　Back to the track, the streets in Singapore were clean without litter, but Japan is the same. However, as for public toilets, both countries were completely different. Japanese toilets are second to none.

(Vocabulary)
Hokkien　福建語　閩南語
Cantonese　広東語
Deng Xiao Ping 鄧小平
a house built on sand 砂上の楼閣

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　シンガポールのトイレで考えたこと
　
実は高所恐怖症のためSans Skyparkから降りてホッとしたのだが、すぐにまた観覧車に乗るという。世界でも有数の高さらしい。Sans Skyparkから見えていたので嫌だなと思っていたのだが。
　
最初の写真は観覧車、Singapore Flyerへの入り口。立っている女性はガイド。我々に対しては日本語で話すが、現地の人とは英語やシナ語で話していた。バスの運転手との会話は全く聞き取れなかったので尋ねると、福建語だという。バスの運転手は福建語しか話せないという。このガイドの語学力には驚いた。広東語も使えると言うから香港からの観光客も案内するのだろう。おそらくはトップクラスのガイドだろう。
　
２枚目の写真はSingapore Flyerから撮影したMarina Bay Sands Hotel。あの上に立っていたのかと思うだけで怖かった。Singapore Flyerから降りてトイレに寄った。そこで次の２枚のポスターを見つけた。水を節約しようという啓蒙ポスターのようだ。ガイドに寄れば水はほとんどマレーシアからの輸入。国土を拡げるために使っている土砂はインドネシアなどから買ったり、無断で奪ったり、、、小さな島がなくなってしまうほど。水や食糧を自給できない国の脆さを感じた。この国の陸軍は確か台湾で訓練をさせてもらっていたはず。
　
香港の歴史を思い出した。香港返還時、あまり詳しく報道されていないが、イギリスは香港島と九竜半島の返還義務はなかった。返還義務のあったのは新界地区のみ。香港島と九竜半島を返還することになったのは水を供給しないなどと鄧小平に脅され、向こう５０年の一国二制度という彼の言葉を信用したサッチャーが結果的には騙された形だ。Singapore Flyerは間違いなく電気で動いているのだろう。この電気も結局は輸入。いろいろと考えているうちにシンガポールの繁栄が砂上の楼閣に思えてきた。
　
街並みが美しいと評判のシンガポール、確かにごみが落ちていないが、これは日本も同様。ただトイレは違った。日本のトイレに勝るトイレは世界中探してもないと思う。

Going Out

　　I was meaning to stay on the ship all day as I wrote in the previous entry, but I felt that something was missing without setting foot on Malaysian soil, so I went out of the ship to take a walk around the cruise ship terminal. I had heard that there was nowhere to look around the terminal, but it would be a kind of exaggeration, I thought. I'd like to chat with local people.
　　When the passengers go out of the ship, you have only to show your cruise card to the security personnel. When I went out of the ship, I asked a question which I had harbored since I got on board to a staff member. That was why most signboards were written not only in English, but in Japanese. The answer was that the Diamond Princess was to be used in cruises which start and end in Japan from April for 6 months. For that reason, several dozen Japanese crew were on board for training. Hearing that, I uttered words of joy. He asked me, "Are you Japanese?" in Japanese. He was also Japanese. He assumed that a Korean was accusing him of not having the Korean language in the ship. My way of talking in English might have sounded like an accusation. I felt sorry to have him feel that way. I have to be careful when talking to others.

 

マラッカ海峡クルージング記： 朝鮮人に間違われた件　(^_^;)
　
一日船で過ごすつもりではあったが、マレーシアの大地に一度も足を踏み入れないのも寂しいのでターミナル周辺を散歩することにした。何も無いとは言っても休憩できる喫茶店くらいはあるだろう。地元の人と話もしてみたい。
　
船から下りるときはたいした手続きはなく、クルーズカードを呈示して船を離れることを伝えるだけ。出入りをチェックするクルーに乗船したときからずっと思っていた疑問を尋ねてみた。なぜ日本語の案内が多いのかということ。船内の案内は船内新聞を除いて英語と日本語の表記なのだ。理由は何と４月からこの船は日本を中心に航海する予定で、そのための訓練として日本人クルーも乗っているとのこと。それを聞いて凄く嬉しいと答えると、「もしかして日本人？」と日本語で尋ねられた。そのクルーも日本人だった。(^_^;)　朝鮮人が日本語表記しか無いことについて文句を言っていると勘違いしたらしい。言い方に気をつけなければ、、、と反省。

Real Rain Forest and N chan's Papa's Sauce

　　Borneo would make most Japanese people evoke the rain forest. I am one of them. N chan's family took us to Marimari Cultural Village which was established to show tourists their original culture and was located deep in the rain forest 20km away from KK. When we visited the village, however, all the performances had unfortunately finished. The second picture was shot in front of the ticket booth of the village. Though I didn't see inside of the village, I was able to see the deep rain forest of Borneo on the way to the village. It was darker and greener than the Japanese forest. Seeing the rain forest and local people's life along the way really drove my curiosity.
　　Going back to our hotel, we took a rest for about an hour. Then, N chan's family guided us to a seafood restaurant, which is shown below. The restaurant was so noisy, and we were overwhelmed by its heated atmosphere. We would hesitate about entering the restaurant without N chan's family. They were really helpful. We might have made do with box lunches from the shelves of a convenience store if they hadn't helped us. At this restaurant, the customers chose their food from the lots of kinds of displayed live materials at first, then order its cooking method, such as simmering, grilling, and so on. We just obeyed their suggestion. My Mandarin, which didn't help in Taiwan, was useless also this time. I wasn't able to understand what people around were talking about. Their language wouldn't be Mandarin, but I didn't even know that the language was Chinese or Malay or another.
　　The last picture shows a plate of soy sauce, roughly mashed garlic, and some spicy seasonings like red peppers. How do you think you eat it? It's N chan's father's favorite. I followed his way of eating. He mixed these materials into soy sauce and put them on the rice. It was an unpredictable taste, and I tried it. Now this became my favorite. His recipe is called N chan's papa's soy sauce in my house. It's served only on the previous night of holidays, ,,you know, due to foul breath. However, the taste of this special sauce is different between KK and Japan, though I tried various seasonings with soy sauce. I'm not sure, but soy sauce in KK might not be made from soy beans, but from fish. Fish sauce, which is made from fermented salted fish, isn't popular other than a certain restricted area in Japan. I'll resolve this question on my next visit to KK.

(Vocabulary)
red pepper  [C] 赤ピーマン; [U] (粉末の) トウガラシ
foul　〈におい・味などが〉むかつくような, ひどくいやな, 悪臭のある
fish sauce 魚醤

マレーシア旅行記：　超ローカルなレストランで
　
ボルネオと聞いて多くの日本人が想起するのは熱帯雨林だろう。熱帯雨林やボルネオの文化を知るために彼らが連れて行ってくれたのがマリマリ文化村。ただ、この日は主なショーが終わっていて文化村の中を見ることはできなかった。しかし、そこまでの往復は圧感。車窓に映る熱帯雨林、日本の森林とは別物だった。熱帯雨林とそこで暮らす人々の暮らしを眺めながらのドライブに好奇心をかき立てられた。２枚目の写真は営業を終えて閑散としていたチケット売り場の前で全員で撮ったもの。
　
ホテルへ戻り、１時間ほど休憩して夕食に出かけた。で、写真のようなレストランに入ったのだが、我々二人だと注文することさえ怖じ気づいてしまうような熱気だった。Ｎちゃん家族がいてくれて本当に助かった。二人だとコンビニ弁当で済ませていたかもしれない。レストランは食材を選び、調理法を伝えるようだった。どのような調理法が適しているのかもわからない。Ｎちゃんご家族にお任せするしか手は無かった。料理はどれも美味しく、大満足。台湾でも通じなかった付け刃的僕の北京語。今回も全く聞き取れず、多分北京語ではないと思うがマレー語なのかシナ語なのか？それさえもわからず(^_^;)
　
最後の写真は醤油とニンニク、唐辛子などの香辛料。これをどうするのか、Ｎちゃんパパを見て真似てみた。なんとこれを醤油に混ぜてご飯に掛けて食べる、、、あり得ない食べ方だったが、試してみると結構いける！我が家では今、『ニンちゃんパパの醤油』と名を付け、休日前の食卓に並んでいる。なぜ休日前か？わかりますよね。その強烈なニンニク臭が、、、ただ、この写真をヒントにいろいろ薬味を混ぜてみてもＫＫで食べたこの味にはならない。ひょっとしてこの醤油は魚醤だったのか？これも次回のＫＫ旅行で確認しなければならない。