Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Hungry

     She had a bad smell of garlic. She seemed to eat garlicky foods alone. As for me, I was so hungry. I was going to have some dinner with her, but it was too late. I could order the room service, but it was expensive and I went out for some snacks. I bought a snack in a convenience store and grabbed a hamburger at a McDonalds. This was my first food in Korea.

My Daughter Missing

     It took about an hour to reach my hotel, Coex International Hotel Seoul, from Incheon International Airport. It was chilly outside, but I enjoyed the scenery from the window. I smoothly checked into the hotel.
     I was going to get together with my eldest daughter here. I left Matsuyama City, and on the other hand, she was to start from Narita International Airport in Tokyo and arrive at this hotel five hours earlier. However, she wasn't in the room. I was upset. I called her, but something was wrong with my cellular phone and I couldn't connect with her. I asked my father to call her from Japan with the phone in the room and knew that she was in Seoul. She could use Korean a little bit and went out for a walk to the center of Seoul by subway just after her arrival. I was relieved to know that. She came back at about 21:30 hours. I was so mad at her.

 

Arrival

     The flight was not bumpy and was comfortable. I got out of the security area first because I didn't check my baggage and need not drop in at the baggage claim. A travel agent who was supposed to take me to my hotel could easily find me. She was a good Japanese speaker and showed me some landmarks and told me fundamental information about South Korea such as how to use taxis, subways, or how to behave in the country, on the way to my hotel. We Japanese might be careful about raw food and tap water. She advised me not to drink tap water directly. I felt at home in the minivan she chartered.
     Additionally, however, I felt bad when I talked about Hangul letters. She was proud of her language; Hangul letters. She insisted that Hangul letters could express all kinds of pronunciation in the world. I didn't think so, but let it go. She didn't know that I could speak and read Hangul letters a little bit. Actually, Korean people can't tell the difference between r and l, k and g, p and f,,,,many letters. For example, Kimpo Airport is frequently described as Gimpo Airport on maps. Korean ears can't hear the difference between Kimpo and Gimpo. Consequently, the same Hangul letters stand for dull and resonant sounds at once.
     I wanted to ask her how to express the German pronunciation of R or CH in Hangul letters. It's very very hard, at least for me.

(Vocabulary)
check  [他](米) 〈手荷物など〉 を預ける
dull sound // voiced consonant   濁音
resonant sound   清音

Underneath

     The weather was clear and I could enjoy the landscape of the ground from the window. I didn't bring my portable GPS this time, which was a mistake. I was probably over Yamaguchi Prefecture when I took the picture.
     The second picture shows South Korea 20 minutes before landing. The place was probably south of Seoul, just before we went out to sea. It was so regrettable that I forgot to bring my handy GPS. Where was I, then? If I'd had my GPS, I could've match the pictures and maps using the data of the position later. See also; http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2005/11/get-started.html

A320

     I saw my plane, an A320, from the departure lounge although I couldn't tell the detailed classification. It was a long time ago when I got on this type of plane last. Also the company, Asiana Airlines, was new to me. I've never used this carrier. I wondered what the flight was going to be like. I got nervous and excited all at once. "Let's go aboard!"
     A cheap dinner was served just after taking off. It was not good, but it was better than nothing. To tell the truth, it helped me later and I'm going to write the reason in a later entry. Actually I didn't expect any food to be served, because the flight time was only an hour and 30 minutes. I want to show you, but I'm sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it.

After Embarkation Procedure

     I use domestic airlines several times a year, and I'm accustomed to going through the security gate. However, I was surprised to see the number of security guards at the gate. Did something happen? No! It seems to be usual these days. I know that it is for us passengers, but I wondered if there is a better way of doing things. I had to take my jacket off and empty my pockets, which was annoying. Besides, the only duty free shop was shabby. This airport is a local one, so we might have to accept it.

(Vocabulary)
departure formalities // embarkation procedure   出国手続き

Let's Go

     The day came on which I'll get my first step into South Korea. Korean letters have been commonly seen in our society. I don't remember when they showed Korean letters on public signs, but South and North Koreas are our neighbors.
     The picture shows a signboard in Matsuyama Airport. This is written in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese. I'm going to use Korean sometimes in this trip. Let's go to South Korea.

 

Travel Guide

     It was not so busy today so I took a short walk to the nearest bookstore after lunch. My hospital is located in the busiest area of the city so the location is very convenient to shop for something, to go to the headquarters of the local bank, to go to the central post office and access public transportation. Anyway, I bought a guidebook on Seoul. My first visit to Seoul is just around the corner. I'm planning the whole schedule in Seoul in order to look around as much as I can, and make the most of my trip there.

Korean Won Bill

     I wrote about Korean Won a few days ago in http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/03/piquant-news.html  Actually, I have not seen the bill before.
     Today, I exchanged Yen to Won for my trip. It's not familiar to me and I felt it looked like toy money for kids. 10000 Won is equal to 750 Yen now. When my friend went to Seoul this time last year, he got 10000 Won for 1000 yen. So, this means that the value of the Won has decreased by 25% from its value a year ago. There are many Korean students in my city. I wonder what will become of their life in Japan?
     I checked out some public fares such as that of subways, buses, taxis and some tourists' tours. They were awfully cheap. The average meals were likewise. It is so helpful for us foreigners. Our hotel is one of the luxuriest hotels in Gangnam-Gu, which was set by JTB, the leading tour company in Japan. I've never stayed such a high class hotel, but now in Seoul I can. Besides, a casino only for foreigners is adjacent to the hotel. I'm going to try things like slotmachines and roulette there. I've seen several casinos in movies, but never went into one. I can imagine the atmosphere of it, but you never know until you try.
     Anyway, my expectation is getting bigger and bigger now.

(Vocabulary)
this time next year   来年の今頃
not a few  かなりの、かなり多くの、少なからぬ、相当数の、数多くの
You never know until you try.   やってみるまでは分からない。

 

First Visit to South Korea

     I'm planning to visit Seoul with my eldest daughter this month. I've made it a rule to write more entries than usual during my travels. I will encounter many things that are new to me. I mean, the trip is out of my daily life so it will be nice to write lessons about unusual stuff. I'm going to take many pictures and try to explain them in English. I'll be able to use new expressions that would not be used daily.
     I'm going to join two sightseeing courses. One is to visit Panmunjeom (板門店 판문점) and the other is to see some tourist attractions in Seoul City. I heard that North Korea have started to prepare the launch of missiles. I'm afraid that Kim Jong-il will set off the rocket during our stay in Seoul.

(Vocabulary)
Panmunjeom  板門店
Kim Jong-il  金正日

　この３月に娘と韓国旅行を計画している。旅行中はたくさん写真を撮り、帰国後その説明を英語で書く練習をしている。非日常のことを書くことは新しい英語表現を学ぶことになる。滞在中は２つのツアーに参加するつもりだ。一つは板門店観光、もう一つがソウル市内観光で、滞在中金正日がロケットを発射しないことを祈っている。

Ainu Culture

     It seems that Ainu people are not well-known in the world, but they had lived in northern Japan and eastern Russia since recorded history and had been keeping their own rich culture. However, they are almost totally absorbed in Japan at present because of the forced assimilation of the then Japanese Government. I know it was for the defense against the Russian invasion, though. The policy of national defense in Meiji era is acceptable, but I wonder if there was any other choice?
     It was not until 1997 that I had interest in Ainu. For, I rode my motorcycle in Hokkaido, located in the north of Japan, for a week and I visited many Ainu related sites at that time. I heard that 99% of the names of places in Hokkaido originate from Ainu language. In fact, place names in Hokkaido have something different from that of other areas. I wrote about Ainu Museum and Ainu cuisine in this blog before. To my regret, the culture of them has already disappeared or come close to perishing.
     I knew an Ainu woman who ventured to record their culture about 100 years ago. Ainu people didn't have their own letters and so, her work to preserve their cultural heritage was very tough. She investigated many stories by word of mouth from the elderly and wrote a book. I read it through and I admired her work.

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/08/porotokotan.html

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/03/ainu-cuisine.html

(Vocabulary)
rich culture  豊かな文化
assimilationism / forced assimilation / integration policy
（異なる文化・人種に対する）同化政策
by word of mouth  口伝で

　アイヌ民族はおそらくあまり世界的には知られていないだろうが、日本の北部、ロシア太平洋岸で暮らしていた文化度の高い民族である。現在は日本に吸収されている。時の政府の過度な同化政策のためである。北方からの侵略に備えるためであった。

　９７年に北海道をバイクで走ってから興味を持つようになった。

　文字を持たなかった民族の記録を残そうと立ち上がった一人のアイヌの女性が残した本を読んだ。文字を持たなかったが故にその文化は消えかかっている。民族が存在した事実は記録として残していかねばならない。

 

Piquant News

     I had heard that two new bills would be printed in South Korea. The 50,000 and 100,000 won bills were to be made next year, but the 100,000 won bill was cancelled the other day. Do you know why? Guess!
     The problem had to do with an old Korean map that was chosen to be on the bill. The disputed Takeshima islands don't appear on the map. It is natural, I think, because Korea hadn't perceived it as their territory until Rhee Syngman drew the border between Japan and Korea in violation of international laws in 1952.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee_Line
     Additionally, anti-counterfeit technology was introduced from Japan. South Korea can't independently print their own bills.
     Don't Korean people wonder why the old map doesn't have the islands?

For reference: http://dokdo-or-takeshima.blogspot.com/2008/01/korea-adds-dokdo-to-old-map.html　

(Vocabulary)
piquant  1 having a pleasantly spicy taste:  a piquant wild mushroom sauce
               2 interesting and exciting
the thing is...   実は…, 問題なのは…
You see, the thing is I've decided to leave home.
あのう，実は家を出ることにしたんです．
have/be to do with sth  ～と関係がある
Rhee Syngman  李承晩 〔韓国初代大統領〕
in violation of 　～に違反して

韓国１０万ウォン紙幣発行中止

　その理由が面白い。予定していた図柄が韓国の古い地図なのだが、それに竹島が載っていないのだという。そりゃ当たり前だろう。竹島は韓国領土としては認識されていなかったのだから。しかもこの紙幣に使う偽造防止用ホログラムは日本の技術である。独自に紙幣の発行もできないような国なのである。韓国という国は。墓穴を掘ったと言うことだ。 　付言すると、１９５２年に李承晩が国際法を無視して勝手に国境線を決めた時に竹島を韓国領と言い始めたのだ。その際に日本漁民数百人を死傷させたこと、抑留した日本漁民を解放する条件として在日朝鮮人で服役中のものを許し、しかも永住許可を与えさせられたこと。まったく無法の限りを尽くしているのである。

South Korean Defense White Paper

     The picture is the front cover of the 2008 South Korean Defense White Paper and this book jacket is censured in Japan now. The Government of South Korea has been insisting that the small islands that are called Takeshima in Japan should be their own and used a color photograph of the disputed islands on the front page. Takeshima is an integral part of Japan and this Korean attitude should not be overlooked.

For reference;
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/11/korean-common-s.html

     The Korean Government should give the correct education of history to their people! As long as they have this wrong attitude, the relationship of trust will never exist.

（Vocabulary)
defense white paper   国防白書
censure   (フォーマル) 〈人〉 を非難する, 譴責(けんせき)する
use color photographs on the front page  １面にカラー写真を載せる
integral part of Japan / traditional Japanese territory   日本固有の領土
enter in existence  生まれる

２００８韓国国防白書

　写真は韓国の国防白書の最新版である。この表紙に竹島が載っている。韓国の態度はいったいどこまで図々しいのか。韓国政府は自国民に正しい歴史教育を行うべきではないか。そうでないといつまでたっても日本との間に信頼関係など生まれないだろう。

 

Lack of PR activity

     A frequent subscriber of my blog lives in Tel Aviv and sends me e-mails sometime. I only know his name and occupation. He is also a surgeon, but his specialty is the brain as opposed to my specialty, digestive organs. Anyway, he has a concern about how I catch the situation of the present conflict between Israel and Palestine in Gaza strip. I am only an innocent bystander about this issue, but this issue is so important for the peace in Mid-east area that it is well-known among people of integrity in the world.

     By the way, do you know the Kuril Islands dispute, the same issue in Japan? It is also a big problem, but isn't so known in the world due to the Japanese poor policy. The southern half of Sakhalin and these Kuril Islands are traditional Japanese territory, but are now illegally occupied by Russia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute

     I really wish that all the people in the world would know this issue. The same thing lies in the abduction issue of cruel and crazy North Korea. The PR activity by the government is absolutely lacking. The Japanese language is grammatically far from English, which is recognized as an international language. Many Japanese are not good at using English. This might be a cause of lacking PR activities.

（Vocabulary)
as opposed to  [成句] ＜…＞と対照的に, とは違って
innocent bystander  傍観者
PR activity  広報活動

　良くメールをくれる人の中にテルアビブに住んでいる外科医がいる。彼は最近のガザ地区での戦闘について日本ではどのように捉えられているのだろうかという心配をしているようだ。
　日本にも同じような問題があるのだが世界的に知られているだろうか。北方領土とサハリンは日本固有の領土なのだが政治力不足により世界的には知られていない。残念なことで、世界中の人に知ってもらいたいと思う。日本語は英語とはかけ離れた文法体系で、英語を使うことに不慣れな日本人が多い。こういったことも原因になっているのだろうか。

Today's Dinner

     You might think that this dinner is a bit cheap or poor, but actually, this is my dinner today. I have to check out the dinner for hospitalized patients before service. Since I started working as a surgeon twenty some years ago, I've tasted meals prepared for hospital feeding at least 10 times a week. These meals are strictly controlled by nutritionists. While eating this dinner, I thought that my health might be kept by these meals, because I have nothing wrong in my health now. On the other hand, I thought like this as well. We, present advanced countries' people, might be taking in too many calories compared with the ancient people who were making a precarious living because people might not be able to get foods for the next day.

（Vocabulary）
make a precarious living 　　不安定な生活をする