Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Edo-Tokyo Museum

　　I spent the last two days of March in Tokyo before leaving Japan for Taipei. My eldest daughter finished postgraduate school and got a job in Tokyo. My wife and I wanted to see her company building and her new apartment. Seeing them, we felt a deep sense of relief.
　　On the first night, we, along with my daughter, visited a Japanese style inn run by my Facebook friend of the same hue. I had wanted to meet him for more than a year. Although it was the first time to talk face to face with him, we were already acquaintances online, and chatting was really fun. His wife was from Taiwan and we got some information from her.
　　We visited the Edo-Tokyo Museum at first. Edo is the old name of Tokyo. There were lots of things associated with Edo or Tokyo, and among them I admired the excellent technology of the water supply system most. Some actual wooden structure was exhibited in the hall, though it was partly rotten. In the history of Japan, the period when Edo had been the seat of government and power is named as the Edo period. I've never thought of the water supply and sewage system of the Edo period, but this kind of system must have been inevitable in the biggest city in the world at that time. I'm really proud of the civilized society of those days.

(Vocabulary)
a sense/feeling of relief  ほっとすること, 安堵感
hue  a type of opinion, belief etc:
of every hue/of all hues (= of many kinds) political opinions of every hue



http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/english/index.html

Garmin ForeAthlete & New Balance Marathon Shoes

　　I made up my mind to join the 52nd Ehime Marathon next February. However, I haven't run more than 50 meters in 30 years. What should I do first? I asked one of my friends for some advice, and he told me to walk fast during my commuting time of 30 minutes for some time and then start running. He also gave me a lesson about the runner's watch. It seemed to be very useful not only for the training but for the actual marathon. I bought a ForeAthlete 110, which is shown below. This gadget is really wonderful. It has a GPS receiver built-in and can record the time and its position every second. That is, it records the running route and various data about running. When I carry it while commuting, it records my walking route and speed in detail. Those data will be uploaded on the net and utilized to increase my physical strength.
　　Adhering to his advice, I have tried walking rapidly every day for a few weeks and I bought a pair of shoes for the marathon today, which were manufactured by American company, New Balance. They are said to be designed for participants of the ultra-marathon. I tried various pairs of shoes on at the shop and chose those because they fit my feet perfectly, holding my heels tight and keeping my toes free to some extent. I can't wait to jog with them on.