Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Bowling Game

     An event of the Matsuyama City Medical Association was held and I've reported it in this blog before. (http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/03/bowling-meeting.html) 20 staff members from my hospital joined the event this year and I won  18th place out of more than 200 people. I was in incredibly good condition. Moreover, I got 2nd prize in my hospital. I'll show you both prizes in the picture. One is a domestic humidifier and another is an assorted "Tsukudani (佃煮)", foods boiled in soy sauce from a long-established company in Kyoto.

New Digital Camera

     I bought a new digital camera. The one that I use now was rolled out in 2003 and still takes good pictures, but the indicator lamps don't work to show when it is on, or being charged. I can continue to use it, but I got new one because when I went up the JR Tower in Sapporo last November, several school kids came to me and asked me to take their picture. It was my pleasure to do so, but the direction that they want me to take it at was not good. I explained that their faces would disappear in the dark due to the sun. They looked like they couldn't understand me, so I took the picture as a trial to show how it would become if it was taken against the sun.
     However, the picture I took was nice and fine. I was so surprised and felt embarassed. I wasn't aware of how the function of the camera had become remarkably advanced. I decided to renew my camera at that time.
     I've been examining several cameras from various manufacturers but all of the cameras have the same original functions so it was not easy to choose one. After considering it for a while, I selected one from Fujifilm because my present camera is a product of this company and I thought it would be easier to use one from the same company.

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/11/jr-tower.html

（Vocabulary)
against the sun  逆光で

Net Book (Mobile PC)

     Some types of portable PCs are becoming popular in Japan since last summer. A Taiwanese company seems to have sparked the boom. The characteristics are cheaper and limited functional. Roughly speaking, it costs a fourth of a regular notebook PC and has a fourth of the functions of regular one. When I heard about this kind of portable PC, I was skeptical about it. No matter how cheap it is, it seemed pointless not to have high performance. However, to the contrary of my opinion, the media has reported that the sales of this kind of portable PC are increasing. This news hasn't gotton out of my mind for a long time and I checked out several websites and could hear opinions directly from people who had already started using it. Finally, I ended up getting it and am showing you below.
     I've already used it for a month now. I really think it's nice and useful. It has enough power for netsurfing and exchanging e-mails. I installed a Japanese dictionary and Longman English-English and English-Japanese dictionary. The weight of the pc is only 1 kg. The size of the keys is just fit to my fingers. It connects to the internet via wireless network. It is also called the net book. It's a good naming , I suppose. It's small enough, light enough and has enough power for me. I am planning to visit South Korea in March. I'm sure I'll bring it and access to the internet.

（Vocabulary)
spark   火付け役となる
not get out of one's mind    気になって仕方がない

Mocha Goes to School Again

     My dog, Mocha, started barking in vain again. He showed the same behaviour just two years ago and I asked a dog trainer for a remedy. The remedy for his bad behaviour was totally successful at that time. When he came back home, he looked like he was under a spell and hardly barked, but now he started barking again, which may be because we have spoiled him. My house is in a secluded place on the outskirts of Matsuyama City. A dog barking can be a big problem here. After the family conference, I took him to a dog school where he was going to be trained with several smart dogs who were being trained to become police dogs.
     The trainer interviewed us and examined Mocha's place, but the reason for Mocha's barking wasn't detected. He wondered whether Mocha was in season. If so, his barking originates from his own instinct. Can the trainer correct it? Speaking of season, it was March that he was sent to the school last time and I recorded this in the blog:  http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/03/mocha-go-to-sch.html
     Anyway, I feel sorry to see the garden without him and am looking forward to seeing him again in April. The picture in below was taken last year.

(Vocabulary)
come into season   盛りがつく
An old dog barks not in vain.
老犬は無駄吠えしない。／老人の言うことには一理ある。
correction / cure / remediation（問題・欠点などの）矯正
be under a spell  魔法にかかっている
quiet spot // secluded place   閑静な所
on the outskirts of sth   ＜場所＞の郊外［はずれ］に

Germany

     It was in my university days when I felt close to Germany for the first time. Japanese medical science was installed from Germany in the Meiji era in an effort to catch up with powerful countries and there still remains an influence of Germany in Japanese medicine today. A lot of medical jargon originates from German. When I was a medical student, I was strictly required to learn German. I studied it very hard and was able to graduate from my medical school. After school, I didn't have any chance to use German in my daily life and my skill got rusty.
     One day I watched a movie, "Pianist". This is the extraordinary story of one man's survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945. Official website is http://www.szpilman.net/
     In one scene a warm-hearted German commander said to the protagonist, "Kommen Sie bitte." It means "Come over here, please." However, the Japanese translation was "来い！" which is "Come on!" in English. The conversation between the German commander and the poor pianist in this scene is a high point of the story. In this scene, the highly-educated German commander starts showing respect to the pianist who looks like a beggar or something. The translation was helplessly mistaken here. If I hadn't have learned German, I wouldn't have been able to catch the change in attitudes of both of the characters.
     That's why I restarted learning German. Besides, my second daughter is majoring in German now. It might not be in the so distant future that I'll enjoy skiing in German-speaking countries with my family.

（Vocabulary)
jargon   (けなして) 専門［業界］用語
high point of a play   劇の見せ場

My second daughter and my dog, "Mocha"

Briefing in My Office

     The general concern for the outbreak of new types of influenza is growing in Japan. Public facilities such as airports, seaports, train stations, city halls and places like that carry out exercises in a variety of mock situations and emergencies, like the outbreak of new, unknown contagious diseases.
     The picture was taken in the briefing about sterilization. My hospital holds such briefings regularly to inspire us. Every lecturer is invited to the hospital from outside companies and today's lecturer is from a pharmaceutical company.
     These briefings begin after our daily work and are a bit of burden, although a box meal is offered to everyone. However, medical science is constantly advancing so I believe it's our duty to refresh our knowledge day by day.
     Some of my friends e-mailed me the other day. They said, "your topics in the blog are nice and interesting, but nothing medical. Are you working seriously?" They are joking, naturally. So, I chose this topic this time. (grin)

 

A Juicy Work

     The woman in the picture is my daughter, who lives in Tokyo. She sent me this picture the other day. She is on a rickshaw in Asakusa, a famous tourist attraction in Tokyo. Do you know the rickshaw? It's a human-powered vehicle with two wheels. It seems that rickshaws can be seen in various places in the world but the word "rickshaw" is supposed to originate from Japan. Most rickshaws in Japan are designed for one or two people. The rickshaw in the first picture seats one person.
     Formerly, the rickshaw was one of the forms of transport and rickshaw men had to be tough and powerful enough to pull their rickshaws. At present, however, they are required to show the tourists around. Asakusa has old town elegance and its own history. There are some famous tourist spots in the area. The present rickshaw men have to learn Japanese culture, traditional things and need to have a litle knowledge of foreign languages.
     Then, there becomes a problem of who judges the rickshaw men's knowledge and attitude to the customers. As the rickshaw man is often away from the rickshaw station, taking his customers to visit tourist spots and giving explanations about the sights, it is not possible for the supervisor to monitor the level of service being provided.
     My daughter's task, commissioned by the rickshaw company, is as a kind of tester of the rickshaw men. She gets on the rickshaw, as indicated by the company, and talks to the rickshaw man, who is usually newly hired. After that, she reports her remarks to the company. Needless to say, the rickshaw man doesn't know she is a tester. Japanese culture is her subject and she can talk in English, French and Korean. This task isn't hard for her, besides she looks like she is enjoying sightseeing.
     It's a real juicy job, I think. What do you say?

(Vocabulary)
jinrikisha / rickshaw / ricksha / rikisha / rikshaw  人力車
old town elegance  下町の粋

(KW: くるま屋　浅草　人力車　あさくさ　くるまや)

The Rock

     I watched a movie on DVD, "The Rock", starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris.

     The story is like this:
     A few dozens of angry marine soldiers who are led by a hero in The Vietnam War seize Alcatraz Island and 81 tourists. The soldiers are discontented with the U.S. top officials. The FBI dispatches a battery of SEAL and an inmate, Sean Connery, who used to be kept in the prison on the island, also an FBI agent, Nicolas Cage, who is just a chemist and works in the FBI laboratory. Sean was meant to be a mere guide of the underground secret tunnels and Nicolas was going to neutralize the enemy's chemical weapons. These two weren't supposed to use the weapons. However, all SEAL members are killed by an enemy trap which meant that Sean and Nicolas had to fight with the professional soldiers.

     As the story goes on, Nicolas gradually realizes that Sean is handy with every kind of weapon. At that time, I was thinking, "Oh, he used to be the British Agent 007". Needless to say, I'm joking. But, exactly at that point in the movie, Sean said, "I was trained by the best. British Intelligence." I couldn't help laughing. Is this movie a comedy or a serious one?
     Anyway, I like Sean's pronunciation. His tone of voice is clear and electrifying. I think it's a useful listening exercise for me. I enjoyed this movie to my heart's content.

(Vocabulary)
be discontent with sth  ～に不満を持つ
as we all know / needless to add / needless to say  言うまでもなく
electrifying  しびれるような

 (KW: ショーン･コネリー　ニコラス･ケイジ　ロック　アルカトラズ刑務所)

Starspotted smooth-hound (Mustelus manazo)

     It's not so common for me to write about this kind of fish as a topic of my blog and you can see how it is in the following picture. Yes, it's a kind of shark.
     I live in Ehime Prefecture in the southern part of Japan, and especially in southern Ehime, this shark has been eaten for a long time. The name of this local cuisine is "Fuka no yuzarashi". I'm addicted to it.
     Starspotted smooth-hound is called "Fuka" in Ehime. You strip the starspotted thin membrane off the skin of a fresh one first and fillet it with its whole skin. Next, you slice it into what you call sashimi in Japan, then blanch it in the boiling water, and lastly immerse it in iced water. When you eat it, you dip it in the fermented soybean paste blended with mustard. This cuisine is essential for ceremonial occasions such as coming of age, marriage, funeral and ancestral worship in Ehime. The bland taste of "Fuka" is well blended in with a spicy paste and it stimulates our appetite. It can be more colorful and tasty with tofu, cucumber, konjaku and other vegetables.
     I wonder where else people eat similar dishes in the world.

(Vocabulary)
starspotted smooth-hound　星鮫　フカ(愛媛での呼び名)
local cuisine  郷土料理
genre  ジャンル
blanch   <野菜など> を湯通しする, 湯にくぐらせる
immerse  (フォーマル) (液体に) …をすっかり浸す, つける
immerse sb/sth in something
Immerse your foot in cold water.  足を冷水につけなさい．
fermented soybean paste  味噌
ceremonial occasions for the coming of age, marriage, funeral and ancestral worship  冠婚葬祭
bland foods  淡泊な
stimulate one's appetite   食欲をそそる

(KW: フカのゆざらし　愛媛　郷土料理)

President of the U.S.

     If you asked me which president of the U.S. I feel most familiar with, I'd answer it is ex-president Jimmy Carter. It is because I met him in Shimoda City in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1978 or 1979. A meeting between college students and him was scheduled in his first official visit to Japan and I was one of the students. The picture is the monument of his visit and it stood in Shimoda City.
     I had been learning English for 6 or 7 years at that time and I thought I could understand at least 20 percent of his speech, but it was just an illusion. I couldn't catch his words at all. I was so disappointed at my English skill. I studied English very hard to pass the entrance exam of one of the best universities in Japan. Years later, when I listened to the inauguration address of Ronald Wilson Reagan, which was so beautiful and clear, I figured out the reason why I couldn't understand Carter's speech. It was due to his dialect and inflection.
     Anyway, I had a sense of closeness to him and had paid attention to his policies during Carter's presidency. The society at that time wasn't like today's IT society and my sources were only newspapers and TV news. Therefore, my opinion might be biased. However, I think it was President Carter that developed the present situation of Afghanistan.
     President Carter was elected in a mood of weariness towards war and approval of becoming weak just like now. He planted the seeds of distrust in Asia, seeking withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Republic of Korea. He didn't intervene in Mozambique, made a serious mistake in Iran and ended up allowing the Russian invasion into Afghanistan. I wondered if he might be an ordinary farmer living in a sleepy village.
     Don't you think that the situation of Obama is similar to that of Carter? President Obama was born from the peoples' revulsion against a war. When he announced his candidacy, he was obscure just like Carter. Both presidents are Democrats and didn't and don't have enough experience.
     I'm afraid that the U.S. will collapse day by day during next 4 years and something serious for the human history will happen just like during Carter's presidency.

(Vocabulary)
during Carter's presidency   カーター大統領政権の間に
develop  (問題･事態が)発生する、生じる
get weary of war  厭戦的になる
plant [sow] the seeds of distrust  不信の種をまく
seek withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Republic of Korea  在韓米軍の撤退を求める
revulsion  激しい嫌悪感
announce one's candidacy 　　立候補する
collapse day by day　　日に日に衰弱する

　米国大統領の中で誰に一番親しみを感じるかと問われたら、ジミー･カーターと答えるだろう。それは学生時代に下田市で直接会ったことがあるからだ。写真は彼の訪日を記念したものだ。当時、英語を６，７年かけて勉強したところで、彼のスピーチをある程度は理解できると思っていた。ところが、まったくわからない。愕然とした。かなり勉強をしたつもりであったのに。その理由は後のレーガン大統領の就任演説を聴いたときに判明した。カーターの英語は南部訛りが強かったのである。

　カーターに親しみを覚えた後、彼の政策に注意を払っていた。今のような情報社会でなかったため主な情報は新聞やテレビからだけだったが、今のアフガンの原因を作ったのはカーターではなかったか。

　カーターは、いまの米国のような厭戦と衰退容認のムード的状況から生まれ、在韓米軍の撤退を最初に主張して、アジア各国の不審をよび、モザンビークが転覆しても介入せず、ついにはソ連軍のアフガニスタン侵略をまねいた。いなかの普通のおっさんが大統領になったような気がした。

　オバマはカーターに似ているのではないか。厭戦感覚から生まれた実務経験のない、またこれといった実績を積んでいない民主党大統領である。そして次の四年間に米国の力は衰弱し、カーター時代の悲劇のように、世界史を塗り替える何かがおきるだろう。

 
(KW: カーター大統領　下田市)