Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Funkawan

　　You can identify the place named Funkawan in the Google Maps. Find it and examine its shape. Funkawan literally means "the bay of eruption" and marks the distinctive terrain of Hokkaido. The shape of the bay would imply that the bay used to be an eruptive crater. My wife and I were driving along Funkawan Bay in an anti-clockwise direction. We took a rest in a parking lot located at the west of the bay, Yakumo Town.
　　We viewed the whole landscape of Funkawan Bay from the parking lot. It was so magnificent and we took a short walk around the lot. There was lots of snow piled along the lot. Judging from the several amusement facilities, people would get together here in the summer. When I came back to my car, a sightseeing bus parked, from which several dozen Chinese people came out. Some of them started to take pictures of themselves against the background of MY CAR. I was exasperated, to say the least. They didn't care about another car which was going to park. I can't be fond of these people who have no regard for others.

(Vocabulary)
mark　〈性質などが〉…を特色づける, 目立たせる
The meeting was marked by bitter exchanges. 会議では激しい応酬の場面が目立った．[同意] characterize
eruptive crater 噴火口
have no regard for others 傍若無人である
have little/no regard for sth ＜…＞をほとんど［まったく］考慮しない, ほとんど［まったく］気にかけない

　噴火湾を見下ろす丘で休憩。元々噴火口だったと言われても、この景色を見れば納得する。雄大な景色に息をのむ。駐車場にはまだ雪がたくさんある。周辺には娯楽施設のようなものが有り、夏には賑わうのだろう。今日は素晴らしい天気にもかかわらずシーズンオフのためか閑散としている。ラッキーだと思っていたら、観光バスがやって来て降りてくるのは支那語を喋る方々。北京語ではない。あろうことかカミさんが載っている車の横に立って記念撮影をしている。まあいいか。そうこうするうちに一台の車がやってきた。駐めようとしているのにお構いなし。こんな傍若無人な人達を好きにはなれない。

Muroran

　　I took a short rest at a parking lot looking down on the Muroran City. The highway was running smoothly and the sky was clear. I had a tendency to step on the gas and I was grateful for my radar detector. I had some tourist spots which I wanted to visit in Hakodate, today's destination, so I skipped several great sightseeing places on the way, like Muroran City, Noboribetsu Hot Spa, Porotokotan Ainu Peoples' Museum, Toyako Lake and Volcano-associated facilities, and so on. They can be called a golden sightseeing route of southern Hokkaido. It was surely regrettable not to be able to drop in at them.
　　Above all, the view of Mt. Usu and Mt. Showashinzan standing out against the background of a clearly blue sky was spectacular. I should have stopped at Mt. Usu Parking, but I found myself having passed the parking when I saw the great view. I was really sorry not to be able to take pictures of them.
　　Whenever I had visited around here before, it was always raining or heavily clouded. Mt. Usu is an active volcano and Mt. Usu Ropeway takes us to the summit of the mountain, from which we could have seen an indescribably beautiful view.

　室蘭を見下ろす丘で一服。ここまで一気に走ってきた。道路はすいていて、天気が良くて、思ったよりも速く走ってしまう。警察に注意！先を急ぐため、室蘭市内観光はもちろん、登別温泉、ポロトコタン、洞爺湖などゴールデンルートとも呼べる観光地をすべてパス。残念な気もするが、仕方なし。
　快晴の空を背景に有珠山と昭和新山が並んでいるのは圧感だった。有珠山パーキングに寄るべきだった。気づいたときには既に通り過ぎた後だった。この辺りに来るときはいつも雨か霧でまともに山を眺めたことがない。今日なら有珠山ロープウェイに乗れたが、時間が無い。..いつか乗りたい有珠山ロープウェイ！

Snow

　　When I arrived in Sapporo, it was dark. I didn't see almost anything outside, and I was surprised to see outside from the window in the morning. There was still snow in places where people hadn't stepped, though the snow had been shoveled on roads and sidewalks. Very few cars have winter tires in my hometown in this season and I thought it was nice to keep my car equipped with winter tires. To tell the truth, I wondered if I swapped winter tires to summer ones before departure.
　　After breakfast at my hotel, I came by my daughter's apartment and picked my wife up. Then we headed for Hakodate immediately. I'd like to open the roof of my car, but my wife was inclined to have a pollen allergy. She firmly refused to do it.

　昨夜札幌に着いたときはもう暗くなっていてわからなかったが、朝になってホテルの窓から外を見てびっくり。大量の雪が残っている。地元ではもうスタッドレスを付けているような車はないが、スタッドレスで来て良かったと心底思った。ホテルの朝食を食べて娘のアパートでカミさんを拾って函館へ向かった。花粉はこの辺りでは飛んでいないはずだが、花粉症のカミさんの希望で屋根は開けずに走る。ただただ残念。

Sapporo

　　I drove my car from Tomakomai, which my ferryboat had reached, to Sapporo City, in which my daughter will start to work as a trainee resident and pursue her career in the medical scene. I took her stuff to her new apartment and toasted her alone with a good glass of Japanese sake and specialities of Sapporo. I wanted to walk around, but it was too late to do so. I would pick my wife up at her apartment in the following morning and start to drive down south to my hometown. The following picture shows a sashimi raw fish of "Hokke", which is one of the specialities of Hokkaido.

　フェリーの着いた苫小牧から一時間ほどのドライブで札幌に着いた。街を歩きたいがもう２２時近い。娘がこの地で４月から医師として働く。娘に持ってきた荷物を届け、１人で嬉しい酒を飲む。写真はホッケの刺身。ふるさと愛媛では新鮮なホッケの刺身は珍しい。

Tsugaru Straits

　　I took some pictures of the ferryboat which was sailing from Tomakomai to Tsuruga, but the relationship of the position was backlit. With the naked eye, however, I was able to see passengers over there waving their hands. The weather was clear in this area and backwards, but the sky in the direction of my destination was starting to be covered by black clouds.
　　My ferry crept into Tsugaru Straits. What caught my eyes first was Mt. Hakkoda, the symbolic mountain of Aomori Prefecture. It's also known as one of the historic hot spring spots. You can see snow on its upper part. I'd drop in at one of those hot springs on this trip. What appeared on the right hand was Cape Tappizaki, which I had visited nearly 20 years ago. At the next moment a ferryboat connecting Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture crossed ahead of my ferryboat. After a while my ferryboat passed off the coast of Hakodate. I'll show you a picture of Mt. Hakodate, the symbol of Hakodate City. The sight of Tsugaru Straits made me realize that I was approaching Hokkaido bit by bit.

　苫小牧から敦賀に向かうフェリーのｕｐを撮ってみたが、逆光のため少し暗い。向こうの船の乗客がこちらに手を振っているのが見えた。このあたりでは快晴だったが向かう先には暗雲が、、、

　フェリーはいよいよ津軽海峡に入っていく。目に飛び込んできたのが八甲田山。見事な山だ。上の方には雪が見える。あの数日後、あの中腹に湧く温泉に入る予定。そして龍飛崎が見えてきた。すぐ前には津軽海峡を横断する津軽海峡フェリー。左を見ると箱館のシンボル、箱館山。いよいよ北海道へ来たのだという実感が湧いてきた。

20 Hours' Detention

　　As I had nothing to do and was able to sleep as long as I liked, I didn't set the alarm to sleep as long as possible. The hunger, however, woke me up. I didn't have anything to eat and went to the restaurant. My breakfast is shown below with its receipt. As I expected, the price was a bit high. Next time I get on this ferryboat, I'll bring something to eat to save money. I saw some people eating instant noodles. The lobby was equipped with some hot water servers for such people. It seemed to be contradicting the company commercialism, but this ship can accommodate more than 600 people and the capacity of the restaurant might be small for all of them.
　　By the way, 20 hours were too long and I was bored. I slept 7 hours of 20 hours, but still 13 hours were left. I was too tired to read books. As I was reading a book, my body gradually slipped down and fell off my seat. I went to the dog run to see some dogs, but there were no dogs. After the arrival, I had to drive my car and so I wasn't allowed to drink alcoholic beverages.
　　Then an announcement from the bridge was issued. The sister ship of my ferryboat would pass by in 10 minutes. Lots of passengers apparently might be bored and they went up to the upper deck to look at it. It would be fun because there was nothing to see on the ocean. I was totally bored and followed them. I'll show you a picture of the ferryboat exchanging air whistles, though you can't listen to it. It was really a nice and comfortable cruising on the Sea of Japan.

 　いつまで寝ても良かったので目覚ましをかけずに寝たら空腹で目が覚めた。朝食は写真の通りだが、少し高いかな。次回乗るときには食料を持って乗ることにしよう！というのは、カップ麺を持って乗ってきている人を何人も見たから。そういう人たちのためにお湯のサーバーが設置されていた。これは経営にはマイナスではないかと思ったが、この船が満室になったとき、レストランの席数が足りないからかも知れない。

　２０時間はやはり長い。読書用に本を持ち込んでいたが、読んでいるとだんだんと身体が椅子から滑り落ちてゆく。甲板でビールでも飲むかという天気だったけれど、着いたらすぐに運転しなければいけないのでアルコール禁止。船内散歩も飽きてきた。写真はドッグランだが、今日はペットと一緒に乗船した人はいない様子。

　そうこうしていると、ブリッジから突然のアナウンス。もう少ししたら僚船とすれ違うという。洋上に何も無いので気晴らしにちょうど良い。甲板に出てみた。考えることは誰しも同じで大勢の乗客が集まっていた。洋上に何も見えないのでただのフェリーでも絵になるのだ。両船は汽笛の交換をしていた。天気の良い穏やかなクルーズは気持ちの良いものだ。去年の秋のにっぽん丸でのクルージングを思い出した。ふと考えた。松山から舞鶴、または敦賀まで１日、フェリーが１日、合計４日あれば車で北海道まで往復できる。来年の夏は北海道一周も良いなあ。

High Speed Ferryboat

　　I'd used this route nearly 40 years ago during my student days with my motorcycle. I don't remember exactly, but it took about 40 hours or more to reach Hokkaido at that time. I slept on the ferryboat at least two nights. This time, however, the ferryboat started at 1 o'clock after midnight and arrived at 20:30 on the same day. I was surprised to know the reduction of time. The cruising speed of the ship was 27 knots, roughly 50km/h. The diesel-specific uncomfortable noise was remarkably reduced. Amusements and other facilities were nice. My room was the least costly and I had a double-decker bed, but the design was elaborate regarding privacy. The facilities for the physically challenged were ideally placed. It was almost 2 o'clock after the exploration of the ship.

　このルートには４０年くらい前に乗ったことがある。学生時代にオートバイで北海道へ向かったときだ。そのときは確か２晩寝た覚えがある。しかし、１時出発２０時３０分到着　なんと２０時間に短縮されている。驚いた。巡航速度は２７ノット、約５０ｋｍ／ｈ。ディーゼル特有の不快な振動はなく、静かで食事もよい。内部もきれいになっている。
　泊まったクラスはツーリストＡというクラス。一番安い部屋で、２段ベッドになっているが、仕切りが絶妙で空間を見事に利用している。障害者用設備も整っている。船内探検を終えると２時近くになっていた。まずは寝て、起きてから何をするかゆっくりと考えよう。

Treated As VIP

　　I arrived at Tsuruga Port at 2350 hours, about an hour before departure. The name of the ferryboat was "Suisen", narcissus in English. I booked it and prepared papers for embarkation in advance, so the check-in should have been easy without cumbersome things. However, I was placed at the last of the line waiting for the embarkation and the attendant was talking with someone by radio. He shouldn't have to ask anybody about my checking-in. Finally it was 2 minutes before departure when I got on board the ferryboat. What was the problem?
　　I knew why after the boarding. The minimum ground clearance of my car is a little lower compared with Japanese popular cars and the attendant decided to park my car on another deck to avoid damage by the difference in level on the floor between the platform and the deck. Look at the pictures below. What were placed on my deck were tractors, bulldozers, a camper, and containers without trucks. Though I got on board last, I was the first to get off.

(Vocabulary)
narcissus 水仙
attendant 乗船待ちの車を誘導する係員、誘導員
minimum ground clearance 最低地上高
eliminate difference in level on the floor 床の段差を解消する

　敦賀港には出発１時間前に着いた。乗船するフェリーはすいせん。事前に予約し、乗船申込書も用意していたため乗船はスムーズなはずだった。なのに、列の最後尾に回され、誘導員が無線で何か報告している。手続きミスは無いはずだが、、、結局乗船は出発の数分前という慌ただしさ。一体何が問題だったのだろう、、、
　
　理由はフェリーに乗ってからわかった。一般車両を載せる階ではなく、特殊車両用のデッキだった。最低地上高が低いと言うことと、車に傷を付けないようゆったりとしたスペースを用意してくれた。写真を見てください。一緒に載っているのは、トラクターだったり、ブルドーザーだったり、他にはキャンパーが一台にあとはコンテナ。最後に乗船したけれど、降りるのは一番。これってＶＩＰ待遇だ～

Resident Days Comes Back

　　I drove up to the hill looking down on Maizuru City and visited some historic places. Then I headed for Kumihama Town to see a certain person. He is a pediatrician who works in the local base hospital. The distance to the town was about 70km, but it was not so far. The expectation made me feel high.
　　He is one year senior to me. He and I were working at the same hospital as trainees about 30 years ago in Osaka. I remember vividly that he performed an operation under a surgeon's supervision on a kid who was diagnosed with appendicitis. Very few pediatricians would do an operation. He was an unconventional figure. We'd been communicating via Faceback these days, but it was the first time in 30 years to see and talk for some time face to face.
　　After 2 hours we exchanged goodbyes promising to see each other again in my hometown next time. In my original plan I was going back to Maizuru to get on the ferryboat connecting with Otaru City in Hokkaido, but the regular maintenance of the ferryboat was running late and I had to change the route to the Tsuruga-Tomakomai line. Tomakomai is located at a distance of 2 hours to Sapporo against 30 minutes on the Maizuru-Otaru line. There was no alternative and I rushed to Tsuruga Port.

(Vocabulary)
come back 〈記憶などが〉よみがえる
sth come back to sb(話) ＜…＞を＜人＞が思い出す
unconventional figure 型破りな人物

　舞鶴港を見下ろす丘に登り、城跡などの歴史的な観光地を巡った後、久美浜町へ向かった。会いたい人がいたから。基幹病院で小児科医をされている。
　若かりし頃、研修病院でいっしょになった。自分で見つけた急性虫垂炎をベテラン外科医の指導を受けながら自分で手術をしていた。手術をする小児科医なんてそうはいないだろう。型破りな先輩だった。最近はFacebookで連絡を取っていたがゆっくりと話すのは３０年ぶりくらい。
　再会を期して別れた。久美浜からは敦賀へ向かった。舞鶴から乗る予定の船の定期検査が長引いて欠航になったという。しかたない、敦賀まで１６０ｋｍを走った。

Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum 2

　　I went up to the back hill, leaving the museum. I looked northward down on the pier from the top of the hill. You will know the positional relationship between the pier and me in the first picture. The 2nd and 3rd pictures show the rebuilt pier.
　　You can see a monument on the hill in the 4th picture, saying "Oh, my mother country!". I saw several other monuments there and all of them implied the nostalgia and the cruelty of the war. Along the path to the top nearly 100 trees were planted by people who had something to do with the war. The pile in the next picture says, "The 470th group of the embedded nurses from Japan Red Cross."
　　Incidentally, I dropped in at the pier. According to the sign by the pier, as the pier was rebuilt, small stones collected from a variety of places where Japanese people who had not been able to come back used to live or victims of sexual assaults who killed themselves in despair were placed in the base of the monument by the pier.
　　It is water under the bridge. Exactly, but I believe we human beings never forget the war, especially World War Two, when human beings got huge power and became  arrogant enough to kill more than 100,000 in only one night, or at least 140,000 with a single bomb in Hiroshima.

Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum 1

　　Japanese people who had lived on the Eurasian Continent before the defeat of the last war came back to Japan after the war. One of the ports to welcome them was Maizuru Port. Naturally, it was before my birth, but I've read the medical literature about the quarantine and hospitals at the port. Lots of people were exhausted by hunger. Lots of women were victims of sexual violence by Koreans and Russians. Not a few of those women are said to have killed themselves in the sea after seeing their country, Japan.
　　Now, a historical museum, called Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum, stands on the hill looking down on the pier on which numerous people had stepped 70 years ago. The original pier was destroyed by a typhoon and the present one is restored for remembrance under the strong intention, "No More War". The collections of this museum were recently placed on the list of UNESCO Memory of the World and the paper which certifies the listing was displayed.
　　The daily life of the detainees who were illegally captured by Russia and had to live in the bitterly cold area of the Eurasian Continent for several years after the war was explained by the panels, pictures and dioramas.

Historic Buildings

　　I visited the Maizuru World Brick Museum, which collects a variety of bricks globally and shows pictures of lots of brick buildings. I didn't expect, but I was able to see, lots of records about the war between Japan and Russia in 1904. I'd like to have stayed there more time, but I didn't have enough time to see all of them. The buildings made of bricks are preserved across the country and some of them are still in use. The nostalgic atmosphere of brick buildings has caught on in a big way in Japan. I'm writing about brick houses later again in the article on Hakodate City.
　　Maizuru City has remarkably evolved out of a small fishery town as one of the principal military ports of Japan. In the era when all the colored people other than Thais and Japanese were ruled by superpowers, Japan was intimidated by the possible invasion of Russia. Maizuru port took on the task for the defense against Russia. The red brick houses were built for the storage of munitions and some of those brick houses still stand at the port.

Maizuru City

　　Does Maizuru Port ring a bell with you? If it reminds you about JMSDF, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, you would be under 70. The older people must be recalling the repatriation after the Greater East Asian War. I did sightseeing about the former side of the port at first. While I was standing at the pier, a sightseeing boat soon came close.
　　The tour guide on the boat was a former JMSDF official and must have been up to speed. As far as he kept confidentiality of information, he gave tourists a good lecture. The boat went round the port counter-clockwise. I saw the officer candidate school of the JMSDF and its associated facilities, several oil tanks, from which the supply vessel, Mashu, which I saw later, receives oil and delivers it to other military vessels. There was the JMSDF Air Station facing the bay. The choppers on the military vessels seemed to be maintained here and when the vessels started, they flew onto their decks. There were also several big docks. A few destroyers were there for upgrade work. The surface of the sea was calm and the atmosphere was serene, but there was a feeling of tension.
　　The destroyer, Atago, which I got on board in Matsuyama Port, was tied up. It looked like it was taking a rest just after coming back from off the coast of North Korea. Pictures show several vessels. The supply vessel, Mashu, whose number is 425 and the destroyer, Hyuga, whose number is 181, were larger than I expected. It might be because I was looking upwards from the small boat on the sea, but they looked reliable.

(Vocabulary)
repatriation 　(難民・捕虜などの) 本国送還
strict confidentiality 　厳格な守秘義務
officer candidate school 　幹部候補生学校
Hayabusa-class guided-missile patrol boats　はやぶさ型ミサイル艇
Atago-class destroyer　あたご型護衛艦

Mutobe PA

　　Japanese express ways are usually toll roads equipped with two kinds of resting places about every 10 kms along the way, which are abbreviated to "PA" and "SA". "PA" means a parking area with toilets, and vending machines for drinks. "SA" stands for a service area with a gas station, restaurants, shops, an information center in addition to the facilities of "PA".
　　After breakfast on the ferry, I headed for Maizuru City. The following picture was shot at the Mutobe PA on the way. The weather was fine and I wanted to open the roof of the car, but the trunk was full of my daughter's stuff. The roof wasn't able to be stored in the trunk. It was really regrettable.

Long Drive

　　The ten days' spring vacation was given to me and I decided to drive my car for a distance of 2500 ~ 3000km to Hokkaido. A wonderful function equipped with my car to  automatically keep the car-to-car distance constant will help me drive for a long time.
　　Why Hokkaido? My youngest daughter will start to work as a doctor-in-training in Hokkaido and I wanted to see her hospital and residence. Naturally I'm able to take her possessions to her apartment. She was allowed to choose her workplace from across the country, and she picked Hokkaido. I undoubtedly assume that she was attracted by the snow in Hokkaido. She has been to the Canadian ski resort of Whistler three times and now is mad about skiing. Anyway, now, I really want her to become a trusted doctor. My daughter has just flown to Hokkaido today and my wife accompanied her to help her with chores. I'll pick my wife up in Hokkaido the day after tomorrow and return to my hometown in several days.
　　There are several ways to Hokkaido from here. I made a ferry reservation from Maizuru City in Kyoto to Otaru City in Hokkaido. The ferry will leave Maizuru at midnight. Starting from my home tomorrow morning, I'll surely reach Maizuru City in time, but I want to see around Maizuru City. So I leave tonight and move to Osaka by an overnight ferry, which will save half a day and I can enjoy sightseeing in Maizuru City.
　　The following picture was shot last December, when changing tires to winter ones. I had the winter tires of my car checked here before starting for the snow country, though winter tires are now usually changed to summer ones in my hometown. Just like I have written other trip memos before, I'm writing this article after coming back, recalling the trip.

Der Frühlingsurlaub

　　Der Frühling ist da. Ab April wird meine Tochter in Sapporo arbeiten. Weil ich ihren Arbeitsplatz und ihre Wohnung sehen möchte, habe ich mich entschieden, im Urlaub nach Sapporo zu reisen. Wenn ich das Flugzeug benutze, dauert es nicht so lange, bis ich in Sapporo ankomme. Aber ich möchte das Tohokugebiet besichtigen und will daher mit dem Auto fahren.
　　Auf der Hinfahrt will ich ab der Stadt Maizuru in Kyoto bis zur Stadt Otaru mit der Fähre fahren. Auf der Rückfahrt werde ich ins Tohokugebiet fahren und eigige Sehenswürdigkeiten besichtigen.

Rheinland

　　I wrote about the border between Germany and Belgium in March 13th's entry. This area is called the Rheinland. Does the Rheinland ring a bell with you? The Rheinland, which is German, is the western region of Germany and is located on the border with Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. The area is a major hub of the economy and industries now.
　　Seeing the area from another point of view, the Rheinland was one of the important stages of history. Since the defeat in world war I, Germany had been burdened with astronomical reparations by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler, who gained power in the chaos in the wake of the war, was trying to rebuild his country to become one of the superpowers again. The German Army made an entry into the Rheinland, which was the demilitarized zone then, in March in 1936, violating the Treaty of Versailles. At that time, other European nations went easy on this incident. In retrospect, this tolerance ended in leading to world war II.
　　The present invasion of China into islands in the South China Sea seems to be just like Hitler's occupation of the Rheinland. Hitler mentioned in later years that he had felt uneasy while he was staying in the Rheinland, because the army didn't have enough military strength then. China is now watching the reaction of other nations, while jabbing at other countries. I think it's high time to attack China, before Xi Jinping becomes Hitler. I'm expecting things from the new U.S. president who will replace Mr. Obama who was not able to do anything for global security.

(Vocabulary)
a major hub (文化・活動などの）一大中心地
reparation （敗戦国が払う）賠償金.
the Treaty of Versailles　ヴェルサイユ条約

Hepatitis C

　　The disease which is now called Hepatitis C used to be called Non-A Non-B Hepatitis when I was a newcomer to the medical scene. Hepatitis A and B were already known, but other types of hepatitis viruses weren't detected at that time. Non-A Non-B Hepatitis used to be incurable and a dreadful infectious disease. After a while, another hepatitis virus was discovered and it was named Hepatitis C. Though it was detected, the treatment of the hepatitis induced by Hepatitis C virus was extremely difficult and lots of patients were killed. About 10 years ago, the efficacy of the interferon against Hepatitis C was recognized and the treatment by the interferon started, but the therapy was to force the patients into enduring agony.
　　However, the present treatment for Hepatitis C is just taking tablets for several weeks. According to the lecture, which I signed up for today, the lecturer, who is a liver disease specialist, told us that the Hepatitis C virus would be eradicated in near future in Japan, but that would be impossible in the U.S. Do you know why?
　　If you are treated in Japan, the treatment for the Hepatitis C costs around 5, 000, 000 yen (50,000 US$), but due to the universal healthcare system and the national grant you only have to pay around 50,000 yen (500 US$). On the other hand in the States, it is apparently only 5% of the patients to be able to undergo decent treatments due to financial issues. The other 95% of the patients bearing Hepatitis C virus are left untouched. I hope that the universal healthcare system will survive the wave of the TPP.

Cenotaph

　　"Cenotaph" means the monuments for the departed thanks to the war, according to my dictionary, so it might be wrong to use it as the topic of this article. Anyway, however, I'd like to write about servicemen who were killed by the crash of the military aircraft 60 years ago near my workplace.
　　I heard an OPD patient looking for a person who can speak English. I asked him why. He was one of the people who worked for the rescue of the crews at that time and built the monument for the victims. I wrote about it here(link) in 2009. He told me that the relatives of the crew, which are written on the third line on the monument, will visit the monument to console the souls of the victims. They will visit Iwakuni City in April, where the Marine Corps Air Station is located, and wanted to drop in at the monument.
　　Listening to his story closely, the municipal staff members will help him. They would find someone who is able to translate words. I will write the names of all the victims in my blog entry, because their families or friends will easily find the monument.

(Vocabulary)
cenotaph  (戦没者の) 記念碑

Howard L. "Sam" Cornish
Steven Arthur Bobbins
Donald E. Richardson
Wayne Grogun
Ebbie Wells
Lee Ladd
George J. Brambinck
John Edward Meriwether
William Morrison Grayson
Joseph Arnold Hall Jr.
Davis Mawney
Rosene Bence
L. Lowell
George A. Murray Jr.

FYI
http://www.vpnavy.com/vp892_mishap.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/04/short-touring.html

Travel Cooker

　　A friend of mine linked to me on Facebook is working for Japanese people in the U.N. I'm writing about him and his mates exactly in another article, and now I'll tell you about his new gadget.
　　He stays in Geneve and complains of the food being costly. I've been to Basel, though only for a day, and can understand his way of thinking. After due consideration how to save money on food, he bought a travel cooker. Reading his review on the cooker and seeing its picture, I found it attractive and decided to buy the same one. It was only 2700 yen (25 U.S. dollars) and compact. It must be definitely designed for traveling.
　　I tried to cook an instant ramen and boiled eggs with it, and the result was wonderful. It's very handy and will be useful on overseas trips.