Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Day 2

　　Today, I was put in an FIV at the most dangerous point. FIV means "First Intervention Vehicle", which is usually located at the start of each special stage containing two medical personnel, motor sport fire and track marshals, and it may be required to enter the special stage in the event of an accident.

　　In the picture, the car number zero is at the starting point of the special stage. The driver of this rally car was what you call the representative of the Japanese rally drivers. His time would be the target of the entrants.

　　I was ready in the 4-wheel drive off-road vehicle with sticker saying "FIV". I could see only the start of the rally cars today.

Japan Rally Championship Day 1

　　I joined the Japan Rally Championship as an official on Apr. 29th and 30th. It's like an annual occasion for me to be involved in the motor sports. This event has been staffed by mostly volunteers. I am usually asked to be ready for emergencies at the starting point of the special stages where the entrants drove their cars as fast as they could. So, I couldn't see the most exciting scene in the race up to now, but today, another surgeon attended and I was free from the surgeon's duty. I was put at a blockage point, where I had only to block other cars and people from entering the course. I'll show you some pictures with comments.

　　In the first picture, a few dozen officials are given instructions, radios, fire extinguishers, and so on. The blue cases are a folding table and chairs.

　　Can you see the two yellow tapes in the second picture? The entrants had to turn right here and I was put on the other side of the tapes to stop people from stepping into the course. The rally cars run into this curve at their possible maximum speed. The next picture shows the latter half of the curve. As you know, the road changes from blacktop to unpaved. Additionally, they must turn at the acuter angle than right-angle. This point is one of the most exciting ones.

　　The next picture shows our side of the yellow tapes. During the time which the rally cars weren't coming, it was really relaxing. I could read books in a comfortable breeze. The yellow small car was also the role of the barricade, because of the possibility that a car careened out of the course.

　　The last picture was shot at the outside of the forest. Lots of foreign people are apt to think of Japan as an industrial nation, but it's not true. Driving for a short time, you can see such idyllic landscape anywhere except a few big cities like Tokyo and Osaka.

(Vocabulary)
staff …に人員を配置する
staff sth with sb  ＜部署など＞に＜人＞を配置する
He staffed his entire department with women.  彼は自分の部署を女性だけで固めた．
be staffed by sb 〈組織・部署は〉＜人＞がスタッフである
The store is staffed by volunteers.  その店のスタッフはボランティアだ．
radio  [C,U] 無線（通信）, 無線機
a police radio  警察無線
blacktop  [U] アスファルト [同意] Tarmac(英)(商標); the blacktop アスファルト舗装
careen 〈車などが〉暴走する;〈人・国などが〉暴走する, 歯止めがきかない
idyllic  牧歌的な, のどかで幸福な

Yellow Sand

　　In this season of the year, yellow sand is carried to Japan by the wind from deserts on the Chinese continent. It's really a nuisance. Lots of people suffer from bronchitis and allergic reactions of the respiratory organs. Laundry that has hung outside gets damaged. Everything outside gets dirty. Doors and windows must be tightly closed. It's really a nuisance.

　　By the way, my scooter, which had been left in the garage during winter, was also vulnerable to the yellow sand. It easily invades into the scooter, so I cleaned my scooter up thoroughly and wrapped it as you see in the picture below. It's getting warm and the season of motorcycles and bicycles has just started. I'll visit various places and show you the pictures of them.

(Vocabulary)
yellow sand ［dust］ 黄砂

Barista

　　I'll show you a popular coffee server machine named Barista, which I took into my office at the end of April. I've no idea if it is on sale overseas, but I really like it and I'll write about it today.

　　The most distinctive feature is the type of coffee which it uses. It's not a particular one, but the plain old instant coffee. The preparation is to put that and water in the bottles respectively set in the machine. You've only to put your cup on the base and push the button of your choice from cappuccino, demi-tasse and regular. Additionally, it doesn't require filters. This is also convenient.

My Colleagues

　　Passing by the physical therapy room, a cheerful conversation reached my ears. I dropped in the room. Several staff members were posing for pictures. A physical therapist will be getting married on May 12th and he wanted to take snapshots of the office. At the wedding party, he'd like to show pictures of his office to his friends, his relatives and his wife's parents. He invited me to come into the picture. I'll show you it. A man who is being pointed at by others in the picture is the therapist whom I wrote about above.

Shoes Repair

　　I'll write about my favorite shoes again, which I bought in 2009 and have been using for 3 years now. I walked along the streets in Germany twice and Canada once. I asked the shop master for a repair for the third time. This time, resoling of the heels, the replacement of both strips with Velcro tape and minimal adjustment of the inner soles were my order. The master faithfully performed my order, and my shoes were resurrected. Their original price was considerably high, but I think it's reasonable to be able to use my favorite ones for a long time.

(Vocabulary)
ask for sth   ～を頼む
resole  〈靴〉の底を張り替える
Velcro   (商標) ベルクロ, 面ファスナー (衣服を留めるためのマジックテープ)
resurrect   〈昔のことなど〉 を復活させる; 《通例受け身形で》〈死者〉をよみがえらせる
He has been trying to resurrect his political career. 彼は政治家としてもう一度花を咲かせようとしている．

(Vocabulary from comments)
if that is the case  もしそうであれば、そういうことなら

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/09/wonderful-shoes.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2010/06/mending-my-shoes.html

Lions Club District Convention

　　I've belonged to the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club for two years now and in that time I have become accustomed bit by bit to various activities of the club. Today the District Convention was celebrated, inviting Korean guests in my hometown, Matsuyama City.

　　Every club is controlled systematically by the International Organization and with more than 100 clubs in a certain area, called a District, it shapes into a big group. My club is registered to District 336-A. All of the members of the District 336-A, about 2000 people, were supposed to get together in Matsuyama City on Apr. 15th. Additionally, the representatives of the District 354-D, which consists of the clubs in Seoul City, attended the convention, because District 336-A has a friendship treaty with District 354-D. Anyway, I joined the convention for the first time. The first picture was shot at the rehearsal and the second shows the Korean guests.

Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

　　I belong to a big lions club, Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club, which consists of a hundred-plus members. Naturally it's the biggest one of 150 clubs in Shikoku, which is categorized as 336-A district by the International Lions Club. My club is one of the most active clubs in Japan. I sometimes feel busy in fulfilling duties, but it might be due to its scale for me to keep my membership, because there are various people with their own specialties and it's great fun to chat with them. I'm going to write about the cherry blossom viewing party which was held on Apr. 10th.

　　What do average Japanese people think of cherry blossoms? It would be far different from that of foreigners, I think, and I wrote about it before. The president of my club proposed a plan of a cherry blossom viewing party at his inauguration address last year, but the lifespan of the blossoms is very short and the time of the year and the duration of the full bloom was really unpredictable. However, we came up with the solution.

　　A hotel manager arranged a big room in case of rain. A CEO whose company specializes in indoor and outdoor advertisements, signboards, displays in a variety of events, and so on, prepared the pictures of cherry blossoms and several real trees. Our daytime regular bi-weekly meeting was shifted to the evening. I'll show you the pictures of the meeting, self-introduction of new members and kimono-wearing members.

Spring Festival

　　My hometown, Matsuyama City, has 400 years of history as the castle town. An event associated with its history was held today in the heart of the city. It featured a costume parade of every period. One of the pictures shows samurai warriors in the early Edo period.

　　I belong to the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club and the club was planning to serve a tea ceremony, called Nodate, to the public. Nodate literally means outdoor tea ceremony. I joined the activity and enjoyed the feeling of the start of spring.

　　Today was really warm, breeze-blowing and a desirable day for the festival. The last two pictures were shot in the Castle Park. The cherry trees all over the park burst into bloom. Cherry blossom is one of the national flowers of Japan. Most Japanese people love it. The cherry blossom in the picture is the kind called "Somei-yoshino", the same the kind aligned along the Potomac river. Somei-yoshino cherry trees only bloom for a particularly short period of time, and their petals seem to start dropping almost as soon as they've opened. The aristocrats of ancient days saw their own mortal lives reflected in the cherry blossoms that bloom and fall all too quickly. This dovetails perfectly with the traditional Japanese aesthetic sensibility that finds beauty not only in blooming flowers but also in the way they flutter to the ground. Some might recall the way the Japanese people fought in the last war. I believe that it has something to do with the above sensibility.
（これは我ながらうまく書けたなあと、自画自賛、、(^_^)

(Vocabulary)
costume parade  仮装行列

 

 

 

Back Home and Last Entry about Ski Trip

　　We arrived in Japan at last. Our leader, Ms. O., is smiling in the picture. She got injured in the snowy mountains and had to walk with her crutches after that. Her crutches were made in China, carried across the Pacific Ocean twice, by extension via Korea and had reached Japan. They would bring back good memories of the funny trip. The personnel of Narita International Airport, who took care of Ms. O., told us that the airport was alarmed that night when our plane gave up landing at Narita Airport. Though he was a 20 year-plus veteran, it was apparently his first experience. It might mean that we also had a very rare experience. Anyway, we enjoyed everything that had happened around us.

　　By the way, we had to stay one more night near Narita International Airport, because we arrived late and missed the connective domestic flight. Our baggage was supposed to be sent by a door-to-door delivery service, so I took my extra clothes, the electric shaver, battery chargers of my PC and cell phone out of it. We were in cold-weather clothing even in Korea, and wanted to take a shower as soon as possible.

　　I have to write one more thing. The hotel fee was offered from Air Canada in Narita too. Finally, Air Canada set up two days of hotel fees and four meals for us.

　　To Air Canada: Thanks! We'll make friendly use of your service next time!

(Vocabulary)
bring back memories  思い出［記憶］をよみがえらす
Being here brings back bad memories.  ここにいるといやな事を思い出す．
alarm〈人〉を不安にさせる, に警鐘を鳴らす
alarmed  恐れて, 不安を感じて
alarmed by/at/over
Researchers are alarmed by an increase in AIDS infections among teenagers. 研究者たちはティーンエイジャーの間でエイズ感染が増えていることに不安を抱いている．
door-to-door delivery service  宅配便
cold-weather clothing  寒冷地用の衣服

Leave Korea

　　I asked a person at the tourist information in Insadong to call for taxis. The driving was considerably rough, but the driver took us straight to our hotel early enough, at 14:30 hours. We were supposed to be picked up at 15:00 hours. The following two pictures are the taxi which transported us and Incheon Airtel Hotel. You can see the route of the taxi in the map of our trace (link). The third picture was shot just before the check-in at the airport. We were really relieved to be able to come back home. Naturally, Ms. Kaneko successfully got together with her husband here.

　　This stay in Korea stemmed from the unpredictable weather and was totally fun. I experienced lots of new things. I remember a volcanic eruption that had occurred two years ago in Iceland. Almost all European airports were reportedly closed for several days and many people were stranded. Tourists were sleeping on the floor or benches. We might have been lucky for even getting the hotel room for rest, and moreover just one day. The meal in the last picture was offered from Air Canada on the flight to Japan, even though the flight time was only two hours. I thought it was due to the departure time of 17:30 hours. I was thankful for a nice holiday in Seoul from Air Canada.

(Vocabulary)
stem from something  [句動詞] (事態・問題などが) ＜…＞から生じる, に由来する
unpredictable  予測できない, 先行き不安定な, 〈天気が〉 気まぐれな

Insadong 인사동

　　We went to Insadong district by two taxis. I made my GPS receiver (link) start working to record our trace for my friends, because they were new to Insadong and I thought they wouldn't remember where they were, but I made a mistake. I didn't turn the receiver off when we were indoors, and there's wrong data on the map, but you'll catch a rough image of our route. As I made up this map, I found that Odusan Unification Observatory was within our reach. Sightseeing in Insadong was really wonderful, but it's regrettable that we couldn't view the land of North Korea.

　　By the way, the lady who joined at the hotel was Ms. Kaneko, who is a professional pianist. She allowed me to show you her pictures and the url of her blog (link1, link2).

　　Nowadays, a flat tire has become rare, but we had it on the way to the city center. How many adventures would occur on this trip? The driver called a replacement and we had to wait for some time to change cars. However, this trip to Korea was fun and we thought of it as a present from Air Canada.

　　We had a tea break at a Korean rice cake shop and dropped in at a classical Korean restaurant. In the first picture, Ms. Kaneko was chatting with a man who was really good at Japanese. He had apparently been brought up among Japanese people.

(Vocabulary)
adventure   わくわくする体験

Wandering in Seoul

　　When I devoted myself to the pamphlet offered from the front desk as a map, which was extremely simplified and was not useful as a map, a young woman addressed me. She was also a passenger on the same plane as us. She was alone and felt lonely, and came to join us for a day. Her story surprised us. I got her permission and I'll write about her. She travelled to Yellowknife to watch the Aurora Borealis with her husband. When they arrived in Vancouver as a stopover on the way back to Japan, they had to stay one more day due to overbooking. As a result, they came to get on board the same plane with us. At Incheon Airport, in the midst of the chaos as I wrote before, they ended being separated, transported to individual hotels, and by extension they couldn't communicate with each other. Their cell phone didn't work in Korea. It's natural for her to feel lonely in an unknown nation. Finally, we, seven Japanese people, got to spend six hours in the country which we didn't want to visit.

　　Mr. W., who was our chef, had been to Seoul as an attendant doctor on a Korean patient, but he only stayed for a few hours and went back to Japan after turning the patient over to Korean medical personnel. For that reason, I decided on the place we visited in Seoul City.

(Vocabulary)
Aurora Borealis  /ərrə bɔriǽlɪs 《常に単数形で》オーロラ　北極光　[同意] the Northern Lights
decide on/upon sth [句動詞] (多くの選択肢の中から) ＜…＞を選ぶ, 決める
Have you decided on a career (×decided a career) yet? もう仕事を決めましたか．

Breakfast

　　The restaurant designated for breakfast was a cafeteria style and I chose mainly Korean items. The dishes looked plain and uninviting, but the taste was not bad. After breakfast, I contemplated the day's plan over a cup of coffee as I had six to seven hours before departure in South Korea. It's really nonsense just to kill time in the hotel. However, I had no preparations for visiting and sightseeing in Korea. I didn't even have any Korean map and cash! Additionally the battery of my PC was dead. I couldn't even access the internet.

　　The tourist attraction that I most wanted to visit was Odusan Unification Observatory (link) which is located on the lip of Imjin River, which is the border between South and North Korea. I had seen the observatory itself from the highway to the border when I visited Panmunjeom a few years ago. Every time I watch on the TV that varied VIP, like the U.S. President and the Secretary of State, visit there and have a poor view of North Korea, I'd like to visit the same place. I asked a hotel clerk how long it would take to visit it and come back to the hotel, but he couldn't figure it out. I also wanted to see a junior high school (link) in Incheon City, which must have been ten or twenty minutes from my hotel, but I thought my friends wouldn't want that. Finally I decided to enjoy sightseeing in the heart of Seoul.

(Vocabulary)
plain  (デザイン的に) 飾りけのない, 〈衣服などが〉無地の,〈紙が〉罫(けい)のない; 〈食べ物が〉あっさりした味の, 淡白な
a plain wooden table  シンプルな木のテーブル
The food was plain but delicious. 食べ物はあっさりしていたがおいしかった．
uninviting  〈場所などが〉 魅力のない, 行く気のしない
Imjin River/Rimjin River  臨津江／イムジン川 （ハングル表記：임진강 〔イムジンガン〕、朝鮮半島中部に源を発して黄海に注ぐ川。下流では漢江と合流し、川幅が広がる。
Panmunjeom  板門店

Nice Restaurant

　　One of the front clerks could speak Japanese and it was really handy. It was about 3:00 hours and he looked really sleepy, but we were not, thanks to jet lag. We went out for dinner despite the time of 3:00 hours. The restaurant was near the hotel. We started dinner with Korean beer. We were hungry and ate so much, but the price was about 25 U.S.D. per person including alcohol. We were surprised at the delicious dishes and their low prices. We enjoyed Korean cuisine and alcohol to our heart's content. It was about 4:00 hours when we got back the hotel. I went straight to bed, but woke before 7:00 hours. I suffered from serious jet lag.

　　The battery of my mobile PC was almost dead and I had no charger. I went to the hotel lobby to kill time and get some information about the flight schedule and the weather in Japan. I received a sheet faxed from Air Canada, and I'll show you it below. I assumed that our next flight would be before noon, but it was scheduled for 17:50 hours. We would be picked-up at 15:00 hours at the hotel. What should I do? I thought.

　　Anyway, I decided to have breakfast and plan today's actions.

Hotel and Airport Personnel

　　I looked at things from the hotel and airport personnel's point of view. Our plane arrived at Incheon Airport only two hours after the change in destination. The staff members of Air Canada in Seoul would arrange hotels for more than 300 unexpected visitors in a hurry. The situation would be the same in the airport. Personnel on midnight duty would call for assistance to staff members of security, immigration, or other ground staff. People whom we had met at midnight must have been called when in their bed. Such an idea made me thankful for accepting the landing of the plane. According to our hotel's front staff, the direct flight from Toronto seemed to have arrived at Incheon Airport before our arrival, avoiding the furious weather at Narita International Airport. I understood the chaos in the airport.

　　There was something that I suspected at the front desk of the hotel. The clerk insisted that he would keep our passports. I didn't know why, but I had no choice at that time. I deposited my passport at the front desk. I'd not been challenged to do so in other hotels. When I visited Seoul last time, I kept my passport all the time. Naturally, it was not his own idea, but the general rule of the hotel. Did they worry that we would escape or go missing? However we didn't visit there by our own desire. We were afraid that they might be used illegally.

Incheon Airtel

　　I found several buses waiting for us in front of the gate. I didn't know which bus we should take and we just stood still around the gate. At that time, someone came over and asked me, just "Air Canada?" and I replied "Yes". Then, he urged us to get in his minivan and we got in it, without being provided with any guidance from Air Canada. Thinking later, it might be dangerous to get in a car, without even knowing its destination in an unfamiliar country. Anyway, we were taken to Incheon Airtel, a hotel in Incheon City. The pictures show the name and location of the hotel. The hotel side was also a little confused. They didn't even know how many passengers were to stay at the hotel when we checked in.

　　About my room, there were several unfavorable and unbelievable things, but the network circumstances were perfect. I could freely connect my PDA to the internet. In the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, the internet connection was charged. Recalling the Hyatt Regency, only at this point, this hotel was better than the Hyatt Regency.

　　However, the chargers of my PC and PDA were in my luggage which was locked
in the cargo space of the plane. Not only the chargers, but extra clothes, underwear, my electric shaver and a bottle of Canadian whiskey were also in my luggage. What should I do? I didn't feel sleepy at all due to jet lag.

Chaos

　　I heard an airport worker saying aloud "Come here". I obeyed her. She was maybe a Korean, who was not good at speaking English. She would be able to talk only particular usual formulas in English. Our situation was above her English skills. The line of passengers who were walking toward the exit was gradually getting longer and longer. Our group leader, who had suffered from a knee problem, couldn't walk at a normal pace without any wheelchair. We almost lost our way.

　　On the way to the exit, I saw several dozen people gathering at the corner of the corridor. They were depositing their liquid possessions which they had bought after departure procedure in Vancouver, but why? They would apparently be confiscated at the re-embarkation from Korea. Why? They can put them in their luggage.

　　We got to the luggage claim. The conveyer was at a standstill. The luggage didn't come out. I knew that the luggage was locked in the cargo space of the plane. I understood the pilot's words now. I was supposed to get on board the same plane. The maintenance of the plane would start at daybreak, and the crew should take enough rest and sleep. I thought our next flight would be in the afternoon. When I began thinking where I could have a rest, I saw several buses come in, and airport personnel told us to get on the bus without any instructions. It was complete chaos.

(Vocabulary)
formula [C] (ほとんど意味のない) 決まり文句
His speech was full of the usual formulas and clichés. 彼のスピーチはありきたりな言葉と陳腐な表現に満ちていた．
deposit  (安全な場所に) 〈貴重品など〉を預ける
confiscate  (罰として) …を押収する, 没収する
daybreak  夜明け, 日の出

Incheon Airport

　　Our plane smoothly and successfully landed at Incheon Airport, and some passengers burst into applause at the skillful pilots. I thought I would immediately have some guidance on the next flight to Japan, but there was no instructions about what to do at the airport. Anyway, we got out of the plane. So tired! Stretching myself was really comfortable. To record the rough time of our arrival, I took the picture below. The accurate time was probably 1:00 hours local time.

　　When I got out of the plane, I came across a pilot who was just coming out of the cockpit, and he said to me, "See you tomorrow." I couldn't understand this phrase. At that time, I supposed that we would take a rest for several hours at the airport, change planes and go back to Japan by another plane. That means, I thought that I would never see the same pilot on the next day. While thinking like that, I missed having time to reply to him. I was really sorry that I didn't say anything to express my gratitude for their tough work.

　　I wondered how hard the operation of passenger planes was, and while I was looking for the labor regulations of Air Canada, I found a news item on sleep inertia in Yahoo News (link). According to the rules, a pilot seems to work as long as 17 hours. It must be tough, I thought.

(Vocabulary)
inertia  惰性, 停滞; 無気力

http://news.yahoo.com/sleepy-air-canada-pilot-thought-collision-coming-dives-135232948.html

Unwanted Seoul, but...

　　Look at the picture below firstly. We had to continue flying two more hours and got to Incheon International Airport at midnight. I'm writing about this unexpected visit to South Korea. It's the beginning of Chapter Two of the trip.

　　Listening to the announcement from the cockpit, we were surprised. The storm usually passes from the west to the east and both Chubu International Airport (Nagoya) and Kansai International Airport (Osaka) are located to the west and must have been in operation for 24 hours. Chubu was very windy and the fuel left in our plane wasn't enough for multiple attempts at landing. Kansai International Airport was already overflowing with evacuated planes. These are the reasons why we had to move to Incheon.

　　Such an event was new to me and I didn't know what to do and what would become of us. To my surprise, there were no instructions from Air Canada after the announcement of the modification of the destination. The crew must have been in panic.

　　However, just after the announcement, I began planning to enjoy Seoul or Incheon. There were several places that I had wanted to visit, but I didn't have any maps, guidebooks or cash. Moreover, I didn't know how long we had to stay in Incheon.

(Vocabulary)
instruction 《[C]通例複数形で》 指示, 指令
an attempt to do sth ＜…＞しようとする試み
an attempt to climb Mount Everest  エベレスト登頂への挑戦
an attempt at (doing) sth ＜…＞（すること）への試み
My first attempts at speaking Spanish were embarrassing. 初めてスペイン語を話そうとしたときは恥ずかしい思いをした．