Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Royal Selangor and Malaysia Tourism Center

　　The last place we visited was the head factory of Royal Selangor. This company was apparently the biggest one in the world in the field of pewter products. The guide's explanation recalled the fact that Malaysia had developed with the production of tin, but unfortunately it plunged the country into the pit of misery as a colony of Britain at the same time. I walked along the sightseeing route, admiring the skillful work of craftswomen, and reached the souvenir shop. The items on the shelves were great. I wanted some, but I had a long way to go yet. I gave up buying them. When I got back to our hotel, our laundry was delivered as I show you below. The laundry fee of 59 Ringgit (1550 yen) was high or low? It was not dark yet, so we went out for a walk around the hotel.
　　There was the Malaysia Tourism Center behind our hotel. This colonial building was built as a mine operator's residence in 1935, but it was converted to the British Army's Office, then it was used as the Headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army until 1945, the defeat of Japan. The center was out of service, but I was able to enter the facility and it was bigger than I expected. It had a theater and a restaurant inside. The KL Tower and my hotel were seen from the garden of the center. I didn't climb up the tower, but I would visit KL again. The last picture is the Petronas Twin Tower which was glowing with the setting sun. The area around the tower was swarming with people who were celebrating their Independence.

(Vocabulary)
Royal Selangor　ロイヤル・セランゴール
tin [U] ([化学記号] Sn) スズ, (金属元素) ブリキ

 

マレーシア旅行記：　ロイヤル・セランゴール本社工場　旧日本帝国陸軍本部

最後の訪問地はロイヤル・セランゴールの本社工場。この会社はピューター製品の分野では世界で最も規模が大きい歴史ある老舗だとか。そういえばマレーシアはスズの生産で発展した国だったと思い出した。そのために英国の植民地ともなってしまったのだが。職人の鮮やかな手さばきにほれぼれしながら、最後はお決まりの土産物コーナー。どれもこれも素晴らしく買って帰りたいのだが、残りの行程が長いため我慢した。ホテルへ帰ると洗濯物が届いていた。これだけで５９リンギット（１５５０円）は高いか安いか。きれいに仕上がっていた。まだ十分明るいのでホテル周りを散策した。
　
ホテルの裏手にマレーシアツーリズムセンターがあった。このコロニアル建築は１９３５年にスズ採掘業者の邸宅として建てられたもので、イギリス陸軍オフィス、そして大東亜戦争中は日本陸軍本部として使われた歴史上大きな役割を果たしてきた建物。時間外だったが中に入ることが出来た。シアターやレストランもある大きな施設だった。同センターから宿泊したホテルとＫＬタワーが見えた。結局ＫＬタワーに登る時間は取れなかったが、また来ることもあるだろう。最後の写真は西日に映えるペトロナスツインタワー。独立記念日のためだろうか、大勢の人たちで賑わっていた。

 

Batu Caves

　　I visited Batu Caves, the Hindu sacred place, which was a big limestone cave and was 10km away from the downtown of Kuala Lumpur. The moment our car went into the parking lot, a golden statue with a snake, must be a cobra, around its neck caught my eye. It must have been a statue of Shiva. Additionally a long and steep stairs. The stairs were long and steep enough to scare my wife, and she didn't go up and waited for me downstairs. When I climbed up 272 steep steps, I reached the orifice of the cave, inside of which Hindu deities were enshrined. There was a small temple honoring Saint Subramanian in the back.
　　In shrines in Japan, you should walk on the edge of the approach. The approach to a shrine is used by the deity, so it's considered proper etiquette for visitors to avoid walking in the middle so as not to get in the way of the deity. In Hinduism, however, I didn't know about its proper manner. I just followed other people. It seemed all right to take snapshots and take some drinks in the cave, but I saw a monkey snatch a nylon bag of juice from a young girl. You must watch monkeys and I put my digital camera into my pocket.
　　After coming back to my wife I found terrible pictures at a cafe. They were of the Hindu Festival, Thaipusam. It apparently takes place every year at Batu Caves.

(Vocabulary)
Batu Caves バトゥ洞窟、ヒンドゥー教の聖地
Saint Subramanian　聖者スブラマニアン
Thaipusam　ヒンドゥー教の大祭タイプーサム

マレーシア旅行記：　クアラルンプール市内＆郊外観光　バトゥ洞窟

クアラルンプールから１０ｋｍほどの距離にあるヒンドゥー教の聖地を訪れた。バトゥ洞窟と呼ばれる鍾乳洞。大きな金色の銅像が目に入った。コブラだと思われる蛇を首に巻いているその姿からシヴァ神だろう。そしてその横に長い階段。この階段を見た瞬間、カミさんは怖じ気づき下で待っているからと言うので一人で登った。２７２段の急な階段を上ると鍾乳洞の入り口が有り、中にはいたるところにヒンドゥー教の神々が、そして奧の寺院には聖者スブラマニアンが祀られていた。

日本の神社は階段の端を歩くのが作法だが、ここでは？ヒンドゥー教の作法など全くわからないので他の人に倣って歩く。カメラも飲食も問題ないようだが、ナイロン袋に入ったジュースを猿に取られた人がいた。猿には注意が必要。デジカメをポケットの中へ隠した。（笑）

降りて近くの喫茶店で休憩中にとんでもない写真を見た。Thaipusamというヒンドゥー教の大祭で、この地で開催されるらしい。興味のある方は"Thaipusam, Malaysia"で画像検索をしてみてください。見たいような、恐ろしいような、、、そんなお祭りのようです。

Masjid Negara (National Mosque)

　　We visited the National Mosque (Masjid Negara in Malay) next. The entrance fee was free. We entered a mosque for the first time and naturally we didn't know the manner of entering. A staff member of the mosque gave us a brief lesson. My wife had to pull cloth over her head with her bag on. The picture shows the main prayer hall, which non-Muslims were prohibited to step in. The 2nd picture is the Malayan Railway Administration Building, which looked as if it had a long history. I wanted to see inside, but I had not enough time to do so. I also wanted to climb up the Petronas twin towers, but didn't for the same reason. We hurried to Batu Caves, a sacred place for Hindus.

(Vocabulary)
Masjid Negara (National Mosque) 国立モスク
Malayan Railway Administration Building  マレーシア鉄道ビル

マレーシア旅行記：　クアラルンプール市内＆郊外観光　国立モスク

次に訪れたのが国立モスク。入場料は無料だった。モスクに入るのは初めてで、イスラム関連のしきたりを十分には知らない。不安を覚えながら受付で作法を学んだ。カミさんはバッグなどを身につけたまま頭からすっぽりと布を被らされていた。写真はムスリム以外立ち入り禁止となっている祈りの場所。入り口に立って内部を覗き込んだ。２枚目は通路から見えたマレーシア鉄道ビル。長い歴史を感じさせる建物だった。内部を見たかったが先を急ぐため概観のみ。ペトロナスツインタワーも概観のみでシバ神に会うために郊外の鍾乳洞へ向かった。

National Monument

　　We moved to the National Monument on foot. It was a few minutes' walk from Istana Negara. This monument was built for paying tribute to the departed who dedicated their lives to Malaysia to grasp the independence of their country. Seven soldiers were depicted on the base. It was a really good opportunity to visit the monument on their Independence Day.
　　This monument reminded me of the Iwoto Memoriall in Arlington National Cemetery, which had been built for the dead in the battle of Iwoto Island in the Great East Asian War. Both monuments were really alike. I elaborately examined its base and found the sculptor's name on the stone, which is shown in the following picture. The National Monument and Iwoto Memorial were produced by the same sculptor.

(Vocabulary)
National Monument　国家記念碑
Istana Negara  王宮

マレーシア旅行記：　クアラルンプール市内＆郊外観光　国家記念碑

王宮（Istana Negara）から歩いて国家記念碑へ移動した。これは、マレーシア独立戦争で命を失った兵士たちの功績をたたえるために作られたもので、国旗を持った７人のマレーシア兵士が描かれている。独立記念日にこの地を訪問できたこと、何かの縁かも知れず、手を合わせた。
 
この像を見て思いだした。硫黄島の戦いで倒れた米兵を追悼するためにアーリントン墓地に建てられている合衆国海兵隊記念碑（Marine Corps War Memoriall （USMC War Memoril）、通称硫黄島記念碑（Iwoto Memorial）。非常によく似ていた。台座に刻まれている説明をじっくりと読んでいて４枚目の写真の文字を見つけた。同じ彫刻家の作だった。Iwoto Memorialは１９５４年に建てられているので、こちらはその後で建てられたものと思われる。

Sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur

　　We were going to visit several famous tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 31st, the Independence Day of Malaysia. The first spot we visited was Thean Hou Temple, though I wasn't so interested in the Chinese culture. I became sick of its flashiness. When I was walking in front of the temple, a dozen choppers passed over me. The temple was located away from the city center and I was able to see the sky widely. Naturally the flight of those choppers was for the celebration of the foundation of their country and their own military force. Additionally a military aircraft with two vertical tails - F/A-18 Hornet or Russian Su-30MKM I think - arrived over Independence Square and soared almost vertically. It was too fast to take pictures. There stood some statues of deer in the corner of the parking lot. I wrote about the relationship between this country and the deer in a previous entry.
　　We came by Istana Negara, the Royal Palace, where the sitting king lived. On the previous day, our guide joked that he had been living in that house, pointing at this Palace. Anyway, we were not permitted to enter through the gate, both sides of which were guarded by two mounted policemen. Malaysia is comprised of 13 provinces and 9 of those have their own Sultan. Nine Sultans are supposed to come to the throne by turn.

(Vocabulary)
Thean Hou Temple  天后宮　
vertical tail  垂直尾翼
Istana Negara 王宮
mounted〈警官・兵士などが〉騎馬の
mounted police/officers/soldiers 騎馬警官隊［騎馬警官，騎兵］
be composed of sth   ＜要素＞から成る, で構成される
be comprised of sth/sb  ＜…＞から成る, で構成されている
consist entirely/solely of sb/sth  完全に［もっぱら］＜…＞から成る
「…で構成されている」の意味で，受け身形be consisted ofは不可．常にconsist ofの形で用いる．

 

マレーシア旅行記：　クアラルンプール市内＆郊外観光

シナ文化にはあまり興味は無かったが、立ち寄ってはみた。やはり、あまりのけばけばしさに気分が悪くなってきたが、ちょうど空の開けた場所にいたため独立記念日祝賀式典に向かうヘリコプター編隊を眺めることができた。その後、垂直尾翼が２枚ある軍用機、F/A-18Dか、Su-30MKMだと思ったが市内中心部の空に飛来した。この駐車場に鹿の像があった。紙幣に描かれていることは以前の記事で書いた。やはり、マレーシアと鹿は繋がりが深いようだ。この意味のわからない方はマラッカでの旅行記を参照ください。

次にIstana Negaraと呼ばれる現国王の住居へ立ち寄った。昨日のガイドが遠くからこの場所を見て、『あれが私の住んでいる家』と説明していた場所。（笑）国王の住居であるとともに、王室行事が行われるという。騎馬兵が警護するこの門から先へは立ち入り禁止となっていた。マレーシアは１３の州から構成されていて、うち９つの州にスルタンがいる。彼らが交代で国王を務めることになっているとのこと。

Independence Day's Eve

　　It was getting dark, but I headed for the city center. As I got close to the city center, the number of police and military vehicles increased and traffic control was also getting tight. I knew that it was the preparation for the  Independence Day ceremony, but the operation was not good for sightseers. I decided to approach the site of the ceremony as close as possible.
　　When I passed an intersection near Independence Square, young soldiers were chatting. They might have just finished their task today. I knew that the next day was their Independence Day, but to be clear I asked them about the strict traffic regulations. Naturally they replied "They are for the Independence Day's Ceremony!". To hear that, I promptly said, "Congratulations!" Then I continued to say "I'm a sightseer from Japan. I'm sorry not to be able to step in the square today." To my surprise, one of the soldiers showed the way to sneak into the square. I was able to walk around the square! I'll show you pictures with few staff members. I was jumpy all the way in the square.
　　By the way, we had dinner at a Japanese style restaurant in our hotel. I wanted to visit Alor Street again, but my wife didn't want to go out. The restaurant was apparently run by Chinese and the dishes were far from Japanese.

マレーシア旅行記：　立ち入り禁止の独立広場へ侵入できた件

徐々に薄暗くなってきたが、更に中心部へ向かうと警察や軍の車両が増え、規制されている箇所が多くなった。独立記念日祝賀式典の準備であることはわかったが、独立広場などを見学できないのは観光客にとっては辛いなあと思いつつ、行けるところまで行ってみようと独立広場へ向かった。

広場横の交差点にさしかかると、若い軍人が数名、仕事を終えたのか、雑談していた。わかってはいたのだが、念のため、交通規制の訳を尋ねてみたらやはり独立記念日祝賀式典の準備だった。『おめでとうございます！！！』と即座に返答した。『ありがとう。』との返事に続けて、『初めてマレーシアに来たが、独立広場を歩けないのが残念だ』と話すと、広場内への狭い通路を教えてくれて、歩くことが出来た。良かったのだろうか？端から端まで足早に通り抜けた。緊張した。

この夜はカミさんが疲れたというのでホテル内の日本料理店で食事。よくあることだが、シナ人経営で、日本料理とは呼べないものだった。アロー街で食事をしたかったのだが、、、。最後の写真はホテル前から撮ったＫＬタワー。

Wandering around the hotel

　　I was dropped off at the hotel about 5 o'clock. I was lucky to be back before the peak of the traffic jam. My wife wanted to take a rest in the hotel, but I was high-spirited thanks to a short doze in the car. I went out for a walk alone in the busiest streets in Kuala Lumpur. It's a great pleasure for me to wander around strange cities. I didn't carry my gps data logger and took lots of snaps for recording my walking route. I would be able to trace the route on the map later with the assistance of those pictures.
　　I moved from the nearest monorail station to Bukit Bintang by monorail and started to walk from there. While I was walking, I found myself at the gate of an Arabian street. As I was always checking my position at every corner on the Google Map, I didn't feel uneasy. I went into the street. Ten minutes later, I got to one of the destinations, Alor Street. The 2nd and 3rd pictures show the street. When I arrived, the local cuisine restaurants and street stalls had just started their business. The Malaysian national flags were raised everywhere. "Merdeka" in Malay in the 4th picture apparently stands for "independence". I saw a few police motorbikes at an intersection and I wanted to look at them closely, but I was afraid to be challenged. They were Honda products.

マレーシア旅行記：　クアラルンプール市内散策

５時頃にホテルに着いた。渋滞の始まる前に帰ることが出来て運が良かった。カミさんは疲れたので少し休むと言うが、僕は車の中で寝ていたので元気いっぱい。一人でホテル周辺を歩いてみることにした。知らない街を、国内でも国外でも同じだが、ぶらぶら歩くことはこの上なく楽しい。ただ、旅行の時にはいつも持ち歩くデータロガーを忘れてきた。日本出発前に十分に準備できていなかったことが悔やまれる。仕方が無いので歩いたルートを後日グーグルマップ上でたどることが出来るように風景写真をたくさん撮りながら歩いた。

ホテルの最寄り駅からモノレールでブキッビンタン駅まで移動、それから歩いて１０ｋｍ以上の散歩となった。グーグルマップを開いて自分の居場所を地図上で確認しながら気の向く方向に移動。アラビア語の表示の多い地域に迷い込んでしまった。やがて目的の場所の一つ、アロー街へ出た。写真の２枚目、３枚目がアロー街で、露店が営業を開始した直後らしい。またマレーシア国旗が至る所に掲げられていた。４枚目の写真の真ん中の単語『Merdeka』は独立という意味だそうだ。白バイが数台交差点に止まっていた。近づいて車種を見たかったのだが、何か疑われても嫌なのでやめた。ホンダのバイクだった。

Lunch and our tour guide

　　We arrived at the restaurant in the Equatorial Hotel in 10 minutes' walk from Porta de Santiago. Meals are always one of the pleasures on trips and our lunch was supposed to be representative local dishes, which was generally called Nyonya cuisine. I'll show you the pictures of the restaurant, the menu and some of the dishes.
　　At the moment when I tasted the first spoonful of soup, I felt something weird, but while eating dishes served one after another, I began to feel good. The mixture of spicy taste, sourness, sweetness, the flavour of various herbs,,,,I hadn't been able to even guess their tastes in advance. Can you imagine the taste of "Udang Lemak Nenas", fresh prawns and pineapple simmered with coconut cream? The dessert was "Cendol", sweet bean jelly and coconut cream with shaved ice. All the dishes were new to me. I understood that they were actually a mixture of various cultures.
　　The required time to Kuala Lumpur was estimated to be about two hours. In case of being involved in a traffic jam into the bargain, we left Malacca just after lunch. The route was the same as the route which we took in the morning. I was a little tired after taking a walk in the streets of Malacca, and I carelessly took a nap though I wanted to very much talk with our tour guide.
　　However, I'm going to make a note of his words and my thoughts, though I won't write about anything too private. The guide, who speaks four languages as I wrote before, was from Ipoh, which is located to the north of Kuala Lumpur and is well-known as the place of production of tin. His father is Chinese and his mother is Malay. He was the youngest but one among a dozen siblings. I asked lots of things mainly about historical matters.
　　One of his stories was; When he was in the third year in his primary school -- approximately 8 to 9 years old -- he apparently taught letters to his mother because she was neither able to read nor write letters then. Judging from his age of the middle forties, it was only about 40 years ago and about 20 years after Malaysia became independent from Britain. I think this stuff eloquently tells us about  Britain's atrocious reign.
　　He answered my questions as if he was carefully choosing his words and probing for my political background until he knew it. After he had understood my fundamental thoughts toward the Great East Asian War, he fluently talked about his way of thinking of their own culture and history.
　　I wondered if the Japanese Imperial Army, which landed at Kota Bharu in the Great East Asian War, might have passed his home town of Ipoh, and people in Malaysia might have welcomed the army as their saviour.
　　His strong affinity toward Japan, his sincere attitude toward Ten-noh, the priest king of Japan and his gratitude for Japan as well as his confident pride as a Malaysian touched me.
　　To my regret, however, I fell asleep unintentionally on the way to Kuala Lumpur, though I was meaning to continue to chat with him. Next time I visit Kuala Lumpur, I'd like to ask him to guide me in his home town of Ipoh. I'd be pleased to pay him a double fee.

(Vocabulary)
tin [U] ([化学記号] Sn) スズ, (金属元素) ブリキ
atrocious  extremely bad
Kota Bharu 日本軍が大東亜戦争で上陸したマレー半島北東部の都市
saviour  (困難・危険などから) 救ってくれる人［もの］, 救世主

マレーシア旅行記：（マラッカはこれでおしまい）
　
サンチャゴ砦から徒歩数分でエクアトリアルホテルに着いた。食事は旅の楽しみの一つ。我々の昼食はツアーにセットされている地元の料理。ニョニャ料理と呼ばれている。ガイドブックに載っている料理が並んだ。最初は妙な味だと思ったが馴れてくると美味しくなってきた。スパイシーさに酸味や甘み、ハーブの香り、、、エビとパイナップルのココナッツミルク煮(Udang Lemak Nenas)なんて想像すら出来ない味だった。デザートは小豆とゼリーのココナッツかき氷(Cendol)。なるほど多文化の融合した味であると実感した。
　
クアラルンプールまで２時間を要する。また渋滞に巻き込まれる恐れもあり、昼食後はすぐに帰路についた。来るときに見た同じ景色だったのと、歩き回って疲れていたためか、寝てしまいガイドと十分に話が出来なかった。残念だった。
　
それでもガイドから聞いたことを、あまりにもプライベートなことは伏せるがメモしておく。先に書いたように４カ国語を話すガイドの出身地はイポー(ipoh)というクアラルンプールの北にある街。スズの産出で栄えた街だ。父親がシナ人、母親がマレー人。大勢の兄弟のしたから２番目。歴史的な質問をたくさんした。その答えの中で、自分が小学３年生の時、母親は文字を書けなかったので自分が教えたという。４０代半ばの彼の歳を考えれば、ほんの４０年ほど前の話だ。イギリスの手を逃れてまだ２０年くらいの話。イギリスの植民地時代の現実がこの一事でも偲ばれる。
　
こちらのバックグラウンドが不明な間は慎重に言葉を選びながら答えてくれた。
　
大東亜戦争でコタバルに上陸した日本軍がシンガポールに向かうとき、イポーを経由したのではないか？人々は日本軍を温かく迎えたのではないか？マレーシア人としての誇りとともに、彼の中に存在する親日感情、天皇陛下を敬う態度、日本に対しての感謝の気持ちは僕の心を揺さぶった。
　
しかし、これらマラッカへ向かうときに交わした会話の続きを帰りにするつもりが、、、、寝てしまった。今度は彼の故郷、イポーの案内を頼むことにしたい。彼のガイドになら普通の倍のガイド料を払ってもいいと思う。素晴らしいガイドだった。

Porta de Santiago

　　I went down the hill toward Porta de Santiago, which was the ruin of the fort. The area around was full of life. It seemed not only that the area was the principal sightseeing spot, but due to the preparation to celebrate the coming Independence Day. The numerous national flags of Malaysia were flying over the area. Additionally several dozens of tents were set up and folding chairs were arranged in them. The Independence Day Ceremony would be held there - just in front of the Proclamation of Independence Memorial - on the next day.
　　The fort was originally built by Portugal in 1511 against the Netherlands, but Portugal lost the conflict with the Netherlands and left Malacca. The Netherlands partially destroyed it, but the next dominant country, Britain, intensified its defences. This fort has its complicated background and historic importance. It used to be enormous and covered Malacca's coastline, but it's only this small block that remains at present. It's very regrettable.
　　While touching the wall which had survived 500 years of warfare and weather, I walked in and around the ruin. What scenes had this wall seen in the past 5 centuries? I was happy to be there. After a short explanation about Porta de Santiago, the tour guide took us to the Equatorial Melaka Hotel, where our lunch was served. We passed the Proclamation of Independence Memorial on the way. I was afraid to bother staff members who were working on setting up the celebration and I refrained from taking pictures of the building. You can see it in the last picture. The building in front of which dozens of flags were flying in the left side of the picture is the Proclamation of Independence Memorial.
　　When I was going down the hill, I viewed the Strait of Malacca again. I thought I'd like to observe the scenery of the coastline of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra from a ship on the Strait. I'm writing this trip memo in November, and now I'm searching for a reasonable cruise tour which navigates the Strait of Malacca. I visited Borneo after Kuala Lumpur and became a Malaysia fan. Naturally my wife, too.

(Vocabulary)
A Famosa ファモサ要塞跡 (別名)Porta de Santiago  サンチャゴ砦
full of life   活気に満ちて, 元気いっぱいで
Proclamation of Independence Memorial　独立宣言記念館
defenses 《複数扱い》 (兵力・兵器としての) 防衛力, 防衛施設［手段］

マレーシア旅行記：　（なかなかボルネオ島に到達できません）

サンチャゴ砦方向へ丘を下った。周辺はとても賑やかだったが、これはマラッカの観光の中心地と言うだけではなく、翌日の独立記念日のためのようだった。マレーシアの国旗がいたるところに翻っていた。いくつものテントが張られ、折り畳み椅子が並んでいた。明日ここで独立記念日のセレモニーが行われるのだろう。
　
この砦はポルトガルが１５１１年オランダとの戦いに備えるため築いたものだが、オランダは占領後、砦の機能を弱体化した。しかし、次にやって来たイギリス軍により強化されたという複雑な歴史を持っている。もともと海岸線を覆う広大なものだったらしいが現在残っているのはこの部分だけ。残念なことだ。
　
５００年間の戦乱や風雨に耐えた壁に触れながら中と外を歩いてみた。この壁はどのような風景を、人を見てきたのだろうか？自分もまた、この土地を訪れた無数の人間の一人になれたのだと感慨にひたった。砦の説明を聞いた後、独立宣言記念館の前を通り、昼食の場所エクアトリアルホテルへ向かった。セレモニー準備の人たちの邪魔になりそうで記念館の写真は撮らなかったが、最後の写真の左にちらりと写る国旗の並ぶ建物がその建物である。マレーシアの独立宣言は確かここで行われたはずだ。
　
丘を下るときにマラッカ海峡をもう一度眺めた。この海峡を通る船からマレーシアやインドネシアを眺めてみたいものだ。１６世紀とは違った風景であることは間違いないのだが。この記事を書いている１１月現在、クルーズ船を探している。マラッカのあとで訪れたボルネオ島などの人々に接してマレーシアのファンになってしまった。今度は西海岸を訪れてみたい。

Headstone of Yajiro?

　　I entered the empty ruin which consisted of only the outer wall and the roof. Immediately I discovered a wire-netting box as you can see in the following picture. Apparently it was for the protection of the place where St. Francisco Xavier's body was laid for nine months in the 16th century. At the same time, it seemed to be used as a donation box. It had six slots for coins. Peeping into the place, lots of coins were scattered.
　　The ships in those days were driven by the wind and they weren't able to navigate to the west without the westward wind. The cargo ship to Goa, in which Xavier had wanted to rest eternally before his death, had to wait for the wind for nine months to take his body to Goa. Consequently, his body was preserved in the church. His body was not embalmed, but didn't go bad. It was a kind of miracle, and it was one of the reasons why he was canonized.
　　I want you to focus on the rectangular stone plates leaning against the wall in the first picture. They were headstones collected around Malacca and used to be placed on the ground. One of them caught my eye on which the Jolly Roger was drawn.
　　I wrote about a Japanese whose name was Yajiro in the previous entries. He had lived his mysterious life in the 16th century and he was able to freely move between Japan and Southeast Asian countries. As far as I had learned, he showed up on the stage of history as a pirate and was influenced by Xavier. On the other hand, Xavier was inspired to visit Japan by his decency. Then Yajiro followed Xavier to Japan as an interpreter and disappeared into history after Xavier's death. Some historians insist that he got back to being a pirate and died as a pirate.
　　The tour guide pointed at the lower part of the headstone, where I found the incomprehensible word of "JAPONENSIS". Was that Latin? Anyway, I didn't understand the word, but I assumed that the word meant "Japanese". Was that the headstone of Yajiro? The tour guide didn't answer clearly. Is this headstone the evidence insisting that Yajiro had lived his pirate life after Xavier's death? When I stood in front of the headstone, I was inclined to believe this common view.
　　After coming back to my hotel, I looked into the history or origin of Jolly Roger on the net. As far as my study went, the Jolly Roger was invented after Yajiro's era. That is to say, this headstone can't get Yajiro's seal of approval. Was that an item for Japanese tourists to have fun? I don't want to assume in that way, and there might have been another Japanese pirate in Malacca after the Jolly Roger was in use.
　　Who was Yajiro, and who drove St. Francisco Xavier to propagate Christianity across Japan? He's really a man of unfailing interest.

(Vocabulary)
Jolly Roger  どくろと長管骨２本で構成された海賊のマーク
be inclined to believe  信じても良いような気がする
That means their produce gets the organic seal of approval.
つまり彼らの農産物はオーガニックであるとのお墨付きを得るということです。
unfailing 〈援助・支持などが〉 変わらぬ
unfailing support  変わらぬ支持
—unfailingly [副]   変わることなく

マレーシア旅行記：　セントポール教会にて
　
屋根と外壁だけが残るがらんとした教会の廃墟の中へ入った。すぐに一枚目の写真に写っている金網の覆いに気がついた。囲われている場所の約１メートルほど下にザビエルの遺体が９ヶ月間安置されていたという。上から覗いてみることが出来た。
　
当時の船は帆船で、西向きの風を待たねばインドへ向かうことが出来ず、９ヶ月の風待ちのためこの場所に安置されていた。この９ヶ月間、そして今も、何の処理もせずに遺体は腐敗しなかったという。これがザビエルが聖人とされた奇跡の一つ。もう一つ、注意して見てほしいものが写真にある。壁に立てかけてある石板は、周辺から集められた墓標である。地面の上に仰向けに寝かせておくものらしい。その中の一枚に目が留まった。海賊のマークだ。
　
少し前の記事でヤジロウについて書いた。１６世紀に日本と東南アジアを自由に行き来できた日本人である。日本で調べた限りでは、海賊として歴史に登場し、ザビエルに感化され、またザビエルはヤジロウの人柄、学識に触れて日本にあこがれた。ヤジロウは通訳としてザビエルに同行し、ザビエル亡き後、歴史から消えた。再び海賊に戻り、海賊として亡くなったと書いている歴史家もいる。
　
この墓標の下の方には日本人と書いてあるようだ。多分ラテン語だと思うが読めないので確実ではないが、多分日本人と書いてある。ではこれはヤジロウか？ガイドはわからないと言っていた。通説となっている海賊として亡くなったという根拠がこの墓石なのだろうか、、、、
　
この夜、ホテルに戻ってJolly Rogerの歴史をネットで検索した。どうもこのマークは１６世紀には存在していなかったと思われた。ということはこの墓石をヤジロウとすることには無理がある。日本人観光客向けの偽の墓標？とは考えたくはないが、Jolly Rogerが使われ初めて以降に日本人の海賊が実際にいたのかも知れない。ザビエルを日本へ誘ったヤジロウはどんな人物だったのか、興味は尽きない。

Ruin of St Paul's Church

　　I climbed up to the hill on which St. Paul's Church stood. As I went up, the church came into my sight. The first thing which caught my eye was the statue of St. Francisco Xavier, whose right hand had been broken by tree branches in stormy weather. Mysteriously, the present mummy of St. Francisco Xavier in Goa in India lacks his right hand. Was the defect of the right hand of the statue done deliberately or accidentally or by God? Anyway, according to the information board, the church began only as a chapel. It was built by a Portuguese sea captain as a way of giving thanks for surviving an enemy attack while sailing the South China Sea. Thanks to St. Francisco Xavier, the church became well-known globally. He was accommodated in it during his stay in Malacca in the middle of the 16th century, and his body was laid to rest here for 9 months waiting for the westward wind to move his body to Goa in India, where he had wanted to stay forever himself.
　　I was able to view the Malacca Strait clearly from the top of the hill. That day's morning heavy rain seemed to sweep the haze away completely and then I fully understood the words which our tour guide told us this morning; "This heavy rain will favor you guys."
　　When I flew into the Kuala Lumpur International Airport a few days ago, I overlooked the strait and found four container ships. The strait looked not so narrow for them as I had heard before, but it would be narrow for enormous and deep-draft ships.
　　This strait is the main artery of the energy bound for Japan. I'm really afraid of the Chinese military presence in the South China Sea. If it would be completed, all the tankers would have to detour through Lombok channel and it would send oil prices soaring in Japan. It would surely cause a recession.
　　Now, we walked toward the ruin of St. Paul's Church. Before entering, I touched the outer wall of the church, which had been exposed to the weather and survived it for more than 500 years. That evoked my feelings of nostalgia. I was at the right place which I had learned about in history class in my high school days. I wasn't able to even imagine at that time that I would be able to visit Malacca. I'll write about the inside in the next entry.

(Vocabulary)
draft 喫水
Selat Lombok (channel) ロンボク海峡

マレーシア旅行記：（まだまだまだ続きます）
　
　セントポール教会へと丘を登った。教会が見えてきた。まず目に飛び込んでくるのがザビエル像。像の右手はある嵐の日に木の枝が当たり折れたらしい。これは現在のザビエルのミイラの状況と奇妙に一致している。自然(神)によるものなのか、人為的なものなのか、、、、さて、設置されている案内板によると、この教会は、敵からの攻撃を生き抜くことが出来たことに感謝してポルトガル人船長により建てられたものとのこと。これほど有名になったのはザビエルが滞在し、死後彼の遺体が９ヶ月間安置されたことによる。
　
　丘の上からはマラッカ海峡が見えた。クアラルンプール到着時、飛行機からマラッカ海峡を通航する４隻のコンテナ船を見た。そのときはマラッカ海峡は意外に広く感じたが、大きなコンテナ船にとっては狭いのだろう。それにしても遠くまでよく見える。朝の雨で煙や靄が消えたためという。この海峡が日本のエネルギーを運ぶ大動脈。南シナ海をシナに押さえられたら、タンカーはずっと東のロンボク海峡あたりを通らなければならなくなる。そうなったら輸送コストが大幅に増大し、生活が厳しくなるだろう。
　
　教会の建物に向かった。入る前に外壁に触れてみた。５００年以上風雨に耐えてきた、ザビエルも触れたかも知れない外壁。突然、高校時代の歴史の授業が脳裏に浮かんだ。当時、まさかここを訪れることが出来るとは夢にも思えなかったが、今自分はその歴史の舞台に立っている、、、、なんという幸せ。

Cheng Ho Gallery

　　When we went up to St. Paul's Church, I unexpectedly discovered the Chinese characters "鄭和" on the wall of the adjacent building of the Stadthuys (link). My travel guidebook didn't refer to this building and I also didn't mind the space on the map in the guidebook, but the characters along with a big human statue in the following picture, which I found on the net, caught my eye. It was Cheng Ho Gallery. I knew about Cheng Ho, who was the famous Chinese admiral in 15th century, but I asked my tour guide about him expecting some other findings. He talked to us about him or her! Her? Almost all of you might well ask "Why her?" He was a eunuch, simply a castrated officer, so the guide used a Japanese word implying a woman. He was really excellent as a tour guide. If the tourists were Chinese, he would take them to the gallery and explain the collections inside.
　　Let me write about Cheng Ho. He was a Naval Admiral in the period of Ming and lead the Ming's fleet all the way to the African Continent by the order of Yongle Emperor in the early 15th century. He dropped in at Malacca on the way, and the gallery evidently seemed to impress people with his achievement.
　　I have a funny story about his achievement. Chinese Communists insist now that the South China Sea and associated islands belong to China. Their evidence is apparently the maiden navigation of the Ming's fleet led by Cheng Ho. If they are right, India and the Indian Ocean should be Portuguese territory and America and the Atlantic Ocean would be Spanish territory. I can say that the Chinese Communist Party doesn't know what is right and what is wrong.
　　Anyway, putting it aside, my question was sure to lend a historical flavour to his guidance. While talking about Cheng Ho, the statue of St. Francisco Xavier on the hill came into our sight. I encountered a headstone of interest to me. I'll write about it in the next entry.

(Vocabulary)
Cheng Ho Gallery　鄭和記念館
鄭和（ていわ、拼音: Zhèng Hé, 1371 - 1434）
Stadthuys　スタダイス
eunuch /júnək/ (昔の) 宦官(かんがん)
Ming （シナの）明, 明朝《1368—1644》.
Yongle Emperor  永楽帝（えいらくてい）は、明の第３代皇帝。

Derivation of "Malacca"

　　Malacca Sultanate was founded by a member of the royal family in Palembang on Sumatra island at the end of the 14th century. He was expelled from his home for some reason and dropped in at Malacca on his escape. When he was taking a rest under a tree, named as Melaka, he saw a deer kick a hunting dog out. He might have projected his condition onto the deer, and established Malacca Sultanate there and its name was derived from the tree. I remembered that a few deer were drawn on the Ringgit bills. However, why is this story on the bill? Malacca is only a part of Malaysia.
　　Independence Day of Malaysia is set on Aug. 31st. Though Britain acknowledged the Federation of Malaya as an independent nation on the day in 1957, actually the declaration of independence was read by the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, in 1956 in Malacca. That is to say, Malacca is the starting point of Malaysia. That's evidently the reason why a few deer of Malacca are on their Ringgit bills. I got it. The building in which the declaration was issued is now used as the Proclamation of Independence Memorial, in front of which we passed by an hour later. I wished I could enter the Memorial. Then we headed for St. Paul's Church on a small hill.

(Vocabulary)
Malacca Sultanate　マラッカ王国
Federation of Malaya　マレー連合州
Tunku Abdul Rahman　トゥンク・アブドゥル・ラーマン（１９０３年２月８日 －１９９０年１２月６日）は、「マレーシア独立の父」であり、１９４７年に結成され１９５７年に独立したマラヤ連邦の初代首相。
Proclamation of Independence Memorial  独立宣言記念館

Dutch Square

　　After seeing the odd - at least for me - flashy temple, we were taken to the symbol of Malacca, the Dutch Square, which is the heart of the sightseeing in Malacca. The first picture shows the art gallery and Christ church, but in fact, I didn't want to shoot them. I wanted to take pictures of the trishaws. Their ornaments were funny and joyful, but some drivers seemed to demand some money for pictures, and I shot them in a casual manner. It looked like it was fantastic to get on a trishaw for some time, but I had not enough time to do so.
　　The Stadthuys is in the second picture, which means the city office or congress hall in Dutch. This building was built in 1650 by Holland which replaced Portugal by force in 1641, and it had been used as the headquarters of Holland until 18th century when they occupied and governed Malacca. It's a precious heritage site which tells us about the high architectural technology of Holland and now is used as museums like the Historic Museum and the Ethnography Museum to show Malaysian history along with lots of things of historical importance.
　　Lots of pictures shot during the time Japan governed Malacca were apparently displayed inside, and I really wanted to see them, but this museum was out of our tour plan due to time restrictions. Regrettable!

(Vocabulary)
Stadthuys　スタダイス
Historic Museum　歴史博物館
Ethnography Museum　民族博物館

マレーシア旅行記：（マラッカ観光の中心地、オランダ広場）
　
訳のわからないケバい寺の観光後、マラッカのシンボル、オランダ広場へ移動。ここはマラッカ観光の中心地。１枚目の写真はアートギャラリーと教会。実は撮りたかったのは下に並んでいるトライショー(trishaw)。写真を撮ると料金を取られるというので、さりげなく撮った。これでのんびり廻るのも楽しそうだが、時間が無い。
　
２枚目の写真はスタダイス。スタダイスとはオランダ語で「議事堂・市役所」を意味する。１６４１年にポルトガルから支配権を奪ったオランダが１６５０年に完成させた建物。マラッカを植民地として占領統括したオランダが行政を指揮する役所、および統括責任者の官邸として１８世紀まで利用されていた。オランダ建築の技術の高さを現在に伝える貴重な建築物。現在はマレーシアの歴史を豊富な展示物で埋め尽くした博物館として一般に公開されている。（歴史博物館、民族博物館）日本統治時代の写真も展示されているらしいのだが、見る時間が無かった。この広場の周辺には博物館がいくつかあるが、立ち寄る時間が無かった。残念でならない。

Yajiro

　　I'm going to write about a Japanese guy called Yajiro who had lived in 16th century in Malacca. To start off, let me explain the historical background of Japan. During the nearly three centuries of the isolation policy, Japan had rejected diplomatic ties with other countries other than the Netherlands. When Japan was forced to open its ports toward the U.S. in 19th Century, how did they go about getting interpreters? Actually, Japan and the U.S. talked through the Dutch, but there were a few Japanese who were able to understand English.
　　Mr. Manjiro Nakahama, a 14-year-old Japanese fisherman, met with a storm in the Pacific Ocean and was rescued by an American whaler. He was taken to the U.S. and was educated there supported by the captain of the whaler. Finally he came back after 10 years. It was 2 years before the arrival of Commodore Perry, who threatened Japan to open the nation. Naturally, Mr. Nakahama worked hard as one of the interpreters. About other interpreters, I wrote in this entry(link).
　　Now, let's date back 300 years to the period of Yajiro.
　　It was St. Francisco Xavier who first spread the doctrine of Christianity to Japan in 16th Century. How was he able to communicate with Japanese people? When I dropped in at Rishiri Island on the way to Karafuto Island and knew about Ronald MacDonald, such a question came up. Additionally, why did he come over to Japan? The key to solving these questions was in Malacca.
　　Yes, it's Yajiro, who is hardly known in Japan and his life is still shrouded in mystery. The historians only know about his action of the 2, 3 years while he attended St. Francisco Xavier. I assume that he should have been a pirate, taking into account that he was able to freely move between Japan and Malacca in those days.
　　After his mission in southeast Asian countries, Xavier came back to Malacca in December 1547, and met Yajiro. It's a mystery why he was in Malacca then and what he was doing there. Anyway, Xavier saw Japan through him, and discovered the conscientiousness of Japanese. It is said that the encounter with Yajiro became his motivation to do his mission in Japan. Yajiro would have possessed excellent scholarship and linguistic ability.
　　I wanted to look for some information on him in Malacca, but I wasn't able to visit any archives. I just took pictures of his statue for my consolation, which stood in the yard of the Church of St. Francisco Xavier. It was actually prohibited to step in the yard, but I was permitted by asking a person through the fence who happened to come out of the church. Look at the picture. The left statue is Yajiro and the right one is Xavier.
　　This church was out of our regulation tour route and I asked my tour guide and other tour members to give me 15 minutes for this church. I had to do a jog between the church and the Dutch Square, and I wasn't able to talk with the priest enough who allowed me in. I just said, "Thank you".
　　When I talked about Yajiro to my guide, he told me that he had once guided a researcher of Yajiro from Japan. I apparently was the second Japanese who asked him about Yajiro. Hearing some comments from him, I was surprised again at his knowledge on Japan's history. To tell the truth, an hour later, something really astonished me. Wait for the following entries.

(Vocabulary)
be shrouded/veiled in mystery　 謎に包まれている

Peranakan Museum (The Baba Nyonya Heritage)

　　Peranakan people are the descendants of Chinese immigrants who moved to Southeast Asia during a few centuries after the latter half of the 15th century, where the European superpowers were dominant. Members of this community in Malaysia address themselves as "Baba Nyonya". Nyonya is the term for the women and Baba for the men. They produced a very unique mixed culture.
　　I was able to see their lives in this private museum, which was run by the descendants of the original owner, who had been prosperous by international trade. It looked like a common folk house from outside, but items of furniture were extravagant and some of them were imported from European countries. I wondered how rich they had been. I saw a cooler box which had been driven by "ice" practically right on the equator. It was beyond my speculation.
　　It was a really great time for me as I'm interested in modern history. The guide made accurate responses even about the custom of foot binding in the Qing dynasty. The value of trips varies depending on the quality of the guidance.
　　Standing in front of the European dinner plates of Medieval ages, he asked us, "How much price does Mr. Nakajima set on these plates and cups?" Who? Mr. Nakajima? All of the tourists including me didn't get him.
　　He continued, "How can you not know Mr. Nakajima showing up in the famous Japanese TV program 'Kanteidan'?" I was dumbfounded. How much did he study about Japan's culture? In the popular TV program 'Kanteidan' ordinary common people offer something to the TV show and the professional connoisseurs or evaluators set its price. Mr. Nakajima is the authority who estimates old pottery and porcelain.
　　An intense curiosity came up. When this guide lead the Chinese or English-speaking group, the guy must explain lots of items here in their languages. If his customer was only me, I would ask him to guide in English.
　　We took a short walk to the next destination, Cheng Hoong Teng Temple. The streets which were full of Oriental and Occidental mixed cultures evoked travel emotions. I came across an interesting museum on the way, which was a bodybuilder's house who had won the title of world champion. I wanted to see it, but didn't due to the shortness of time. There was too much to see in Malacca.

(Vocabulary)
Peranakan  プラナカンとは欧米列強による統治下にあった（現在のマレーシアを中心とする）東南アジアの各地域へ１５世紀後半から数世紀にわたって移住してきたマレーシアに根付いた主に中華系移民の末裔を指す。
address …を呼ぶ
address sb as sth ＜人＞を＜…＞という敬称で呼ぶ
The president should be addressed as "Mr. President."  大統領はMr. Presidentと呼ばなければならない．
foot binding 纏足（てんそく）
Qing dynasty　清朝
connoisseur [knəsr],  (美術品などの) 鑑定家, (その道の) 通, 玄人
a wine connoisseur ワイン通
Cheng Hoong Teng Temple 青雲亭

Overview of Malacca

　　Malacca Sultanate was established in the late 14th century, but was conquered by Portugal in 1511. The fortress, which is today called Porta de Santiago, and St. Paul Church were built under the reign of Portugal. Francisco Xavier from the Jesuit order started his mission over the eastern Asian countries in Malacca. Then Holland came to conquer the land in 1641 expelling the Portuguese. After 1824 it had been controlled by Britons. With the outbreak of the Great East Asian War, the Japanese Imperial Army kicked the Britons out, but unfortunately the Britons came back after the defeat of Japan.
　　While Japan was in the fierce fight with the allied forces, it trained local young people to create the leaders of their country. The young people who got knowledge and abilities in the Japanese military facilities joined the cause of their own independence, and finally achieved independence on Aug. 31st in 1957. That is to say, the next day was their 59th Independence Day.
　　The Singapore Asian Revival School was established in May, 1942 and was moved to Malacca in July, 1943 and had been called the Malay Asian Revival School since then. The Japanese Army trained and encouraged nearly 1000 local leaders to resist their enemies and win their own independence from the European superpowers.
　　What the Allies got in the Great East Asian War was only negative assets like red China, the north-south problem in Vietnam and Korea, the Cold War, and so on. Only Japan, I think, fulfilled its purpose, i.e. the independence of all the Asian countries. The Japanese leaders in the War, such as Hideki Tojo and Mamoru Shigemitsu, would be chuckling in heaven.
　　Some people insist that Japan invaded Southeast Asian countries, but do you have any idea what nation gave education to local people, or what nation gave them weapons and gave them lectures on how to use them, or what nation formed a voluntary army for local people?
　　Portugal, Holland, and Britain exploited numerous people during centuries and never gave them anything but pain. Though the reign of Japan was only 3 years and 7 months, the basis of this country was formed in this term, I believe. I'd like to visit the place where the Asian Revival School used to stand, but in vain due to the shortness of time.
　　Malacca, the oldest city of Malaysia, has made remarkable progress as a harbor city and now receives more than 6 million international and domestic guests a year. Its historic streets were listed on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The picture shows the Strait of Malacca from the hill on which St. Paul Church stands.

(Vocabulary)
Malacca Sultanate　マラッカ王国
A' Famosa ファモサ要塞跡 (別名)Porta de Santiago  サンチャゴ砦
Jesuit order  イエズス会
the Great East Asian War 大東亜戦争
Asian Revival School　（拙訳）興亜訓練所

マレーシア旅行記：(現地で親しく話した人たちが読んでいることをかなり意識して書いています。興亜訓練所は英語表現が見つからず拙訳です。ヨーロッパ列強に支配されていた東南アジア諸国の優秀な人材を教育した施設です。)
　
マラッカ王国は１４世紀末に建国されたが、１５１１年ポルトガルに征服される。ポルトガル時代には要塞（サンチャゴ砦）やキリスト教会（セントポール教会）が建設され、イエズス会のフランシスコ・ザビエルはここから東アジア布教に出発している。その後、１６４１年オランダが占領し、１８２４年からはイギリスに統治され、１９４１年から４年間日本は占領が占領している。大東亜戦争の後、４５年から再びイギリス領となってしまった。
　
日本軍は勝つか負けるかの苦しい戦いの中、１９４２年５月からシンガポールにて学校を開き、現地のエリートを集め、軍事訓練を施しリーダーの育成を図っている。この日本軍施設で学んだ人たちがその後、マレーシアの独立運動に関わり、、１９５７年８月３１日に完全独立を遂げる。つまり翌日が５９回目の独立記念日だ。
　
１９４２年５月に設立された昭南興亜訓練所、４３年７月からはマラッカへ移設され、マラヤ興亜訓練所として４５年８月まで存続。東南アジア各国の１０００名に及ぶリーダー達を育成し、東南アジア諸国の独立に寄与した。
　
あの戦争で戦勝国が得たものは負の遺産ばかり。日本こそがその目的を達成したと思う。東條英機、重光葵など、当時の政治家達はあの世でしてやったりとほくそ笑んでいることだろう。日本が東南アジアを侵略したという輩がいるが、現地の若者を教育し、武器を与え使い方を教え、義勇軍まで作ってやる国がこれまであったか？ポルトガルもオランダもイギリスもこの国から搾取はしたが苦痛以外の何も与えなかった。日本軍の進駐はほんの４年足らずだったがこの国の基礎を作った４年間だったのではないだろうか。ただ、残念ながらこの訓練所の跡地への訪問はかなわなかった。
　
港湾都市として発達を遂げたマレーシア最古の都マラッカは現在、観光都市として年間６００万人（２００７年）を超える国内外からの観光客が訪れている。２００８年には歴史的な街並みがユネスコの世界遺産に登録された。写真はセントポール教会の建つ丘から見たマラッカ海峡である。

Merciful Rain and Malay

　　I had an interest in highways in Malaysia. What were they like in comparison with those of Japan? The surface of the road was alike, but accompanying facilities were considerable poorer. As we went out of the downtown of Kuala Lumpur, the cars on the opposite line, which were heading for the city center, were heavily stuck. Traffic seemed to begin to build around eight. They would be late for their work, but it looked like they didn't care. If in Japan, people would leave for work earlier enough to arrive at their workplaces in time. It might be the Malaysian way of life.
　　The next day was the Independence Day of Malaysia. Lots of national flags were raised everywhere on the way. All the city was decorated by their flags. The guide told us that we were lucky to see the ceremony, but it was not by chance, but intentionally.
　　About 30 minutes after we started, the rain stopped and the sky got light. People in Malaysia seemed to welcome such rain. Do you know why? I wrote about the slash and burn agriculture having been adopted in Indonesia in the past entry. This type of cultivation generates smoke pollution in the areas of the leeward direction, such as Malaysia. That was what blurred the scene from our room. The short-time heavy rain washes the haze away and makes the air clear. The guide told us that we were lucky to see the beautiful scenery of the Strait of Malacca. I'm going to show you some pictures taken in Malacca later.
　　A break for using the rest room. When I saw our van in front of our hotel, I found the letters "BAS PERSIARAN" on its body. I assumed that it was the name of the tour company, but I was wrong. Lots of vans and big buses, which I had seen in the streets, had the same phrases on their side wall. It appeared to mean "sightseeing vehicle". The tourism trade would be now prosperous in this country.
　　When I saw some Malayan expressions on the signboard, I found that Malay might be comparatively easy to learn. It seemed to resemble English and also German, in which the spelling and the pronunciation of words coincide. The pronunciation of vowels in Malay was just like that of Japanese. However, that doesn't mean I'll start learning Malay now, but I learned two expressions from the guide, "Thank you" and "See you again" in Malay.
　　Our first destination in Malacca was a short cruise on the river run through the city, but it was closed for some reason. Regrettable! The next spot was a museum showing what the Peranakan culture was like. Do you know the word "Peranakan"? It was not so long ago when I had come across it. Anyway, the museum didn't fall short of my expectations, nay it surpassed it, but photography was not permitted inside except in the entrance. I'll write about it again in the next entry.

(Vocabulary)
leeward :
1: the leeward side of something is the side that is sheltered from the wind; [≠]windward:
We camped on the leeward side of the mountain.
2: technical a leeward direction is the same direction as the wind is blowing; [≠]windward:
to leeward(= in a leeward direction) The ship cruised slowly to leeward.
Malayan マレー語の
Peranakan  プラナカンとは欧米列強による統治下にあった（現在のマレーシアを中心とする）東南アジアの各地域に、１５世紀後半から数世紀にわたって移住してきたマレーシアに根付いた主に中華系移民の末裔を指す。

Squall?

　　When I was working in front of my mobile PC such as copying  pictures which I had taken on the previous day from my digital camera or smartphone to my PC, sending e-mails and taking notes on my trip bright and early, it burst out into terrible torrential rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. The TV screen went black and showed messages like the following picture. The internet connection was also severed. I've never gone through what you call a squall, but was that it?
　　Do you know the historic town of Malacca, which is located  about 1.5 hours' distance by car from Kuala Lumpur. I had been eager to visit the town since 40 years ago, when I was in a history class. The best way for us to see the town is to act by ourselves in an unrestrained manner, but I thought we might as well hire a tour guide to look around the town effectively and time-savingly. I had reserved a guided tour from Japan.
　　We were supposed to meet the guide in our hotel lobby at 8:30, but he was 10 minutes late due to a traffic jam caused by flooding. He made an excuse in Japanese, meaning "I'm sorry, the traffic got stuck by flooding". There are two similar but different words for flooding in Japanese. He mistook one for another. I wondered then if his Japanese skills were ok or not. However, soon later, I knew this guy was in a class of his own when it comes to his job. I'd never meet any guide who surpasses him. I learned a lot from him and I'll write about him later again.
　　I learned the condition of Malaysia from him. The guide gave us really good lessons about Sultans, the automobile industries, Japan's regular car inspections, their domestic industries, natural disasters, their neighbor countries like Thailand, Singapore, and so on and their politics, their economics, their history, multiple tribes, military affairs,,, all of them included lots of humor. His story, viewing outside and picking up topics from the scene, segued from one theme into another and never stopped for about one and a half hours. He seemed to guide tourists in FOUR languages, Malay, English, Cantonese, and Japanese. I admired him.
　　There was a big supermarket, AEON, in the entrance of Malacca, which is widely known in Japan. He told us full of wit and humor like this: He frequently visited AEON and bought daily necessities against his better judgement and he could never beat the point system. AEON has a really good head for business.
　　He naturally knows that AEON is derived from Japan and utilized the fact to relax several Japanese tourists who happened to get in the same van and didn't know each other. He handles four languages. That is to say, he would have four kinds of ways of talking. I'm writing about him again and again in the following entries.

Short Walk

　　The Malaysian Airlines plane, flight MH089, arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on time. The procedure for our entry was smooth. After collecting our baggage, we followed the signboard and got on the KLIA Ekspres train, which took us to the Kuala Lumpur Central Station (KL sentral) for about 30 minutes. The designer of KLIA, KL sentral and NU sentral, which is the huge shopping mall next to KL sentral, is Mr. Kisho Kurokawa, who is a noted Japanese architect and passed away in 2007, and I didn't know the fact. I felt that his three works were highly sophisticated and state-of-the-art. We took the KL Monorail at NU sentral station and reached Bukit Nanas Station near our hotel, the Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
　　We checked in at the hotel at about 6:30 pm, but the sun was still high. We went out and walked around the hotel. My first impression on the streets was "noisy" or "prosperous" and I didn't feel uneasy with the scene. It might be due to the left-hand traffic like in Japan. I had usually suffered from jet lag for a few days on overseas trips, but I had none this time. The time difference between Malaysia and Japan is only an hour.
　　I came across a bus which you can see in the following picture. It has no roof partially and should be for sightseeing. I tried to ask someone around us how to utilize it, but my wife rejected. It must be hot on the 2nd floor of the bus without its roof and air-conditioning. I abandoned my suddenly coming-up plan.
　　One more thing. The streets looked harsh for the physically challenged. Wheelchair users would have lots of difficulties in the streets.
　　Our room was set at the side of the Petronas Twin Towers as I asked from Japan. We could see the KL Tower at the opposite side, but it was faced with the busy street and we avoided the noise. The room was calm and clean. The building looked old, but the cost performance was really good. If I have another opportunity to stay in Kuala Lumpur, I'd like to choose this hotel again.
　　Take a look at the last picture, which shows the scene from the window. Don't you feel the picture is blurred? I assumed that it's due to the mist at that time, but the answer was given from the tour guide of the Malacca Tour the next day. That was smoke pollution caused by the slash and burn agriculture in Indonesia.

(Vocabulary)
KLIA Ekspres  マレー語で　空港急行列車
slash and burn agriculture 焼畑農業