Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Currency Exchange Rate

　　I did research about the currency exchange between the Japanese yen and the Malaysian ringgit in advance. It seemed that the exchange rate varied widely with different places. I found a very helpful website which showed the rate of money exchange at a variety of places. The exchange counters in the airports and banks are disadvantageous and I made up my mind to go straight to a money exchange counter in the shopping mall called NU sentral, which offered the best rate for tourists.
　　However, it concerned me that we would arrive in Kuala Lumpur at about 1700 hours and then have to move to the city center by train or taxi. Because I didn't know their open hours and I wondered if we could get to the counter in time, I asked the Q and A section of the shopping mall and they replied promptly, "until 2200 hours!"
　　I thought I would surely reach the exchange counter in the mall, but in case of emergency, I exchanged a small amount in Tokyo. I compared the receipts of both exchange counters, and I'll show you below. I was surprised to know the unexpectedly big difference.

The 1st picture is the receipt of Keisei Ueno Station.
The 2nd one is from NU sentral shopping mall.
The 3rd one is the signboard of the counter in NU sentral.

  5,146   yen/   170 RM    30.27  yen/RM (Keisei Ueno Station)
50,000   yen/ 1975 RM    25.31  yen/RM (NUsentral)

マレーシア旅行記：
　
両替について、事前に調べてみた。どうも両替所によりかなりレートが違うらしい。クアラルンプール市内の観光地にある両替所のデータの一覧が載っているサイトを参考にし、銀行や空港はレートが悪いということで一番有利な場所で交換することにした。
　
１７時頃にクアラルンプール国際空港(KLIA)に着き市内中心部まで列車で移動した。スムーズに移動できるとは限らないし、何かで遅れるかも知れない。遅い時刻まで両替所が開いているのかどうか、両替所のあるショッピングモールに事前にメールして確かめた。時差を考えることもなく、手軽に使えるメールは本当にありがたい。間に合うとは思えたが、間に合わなかったときのために、食事代くらいを京成上野駅で両替したが、こことＮＵセントラルの両替所のレートを比べてみる。

１枚目の写真が京成上野駅でのレシート
２枚目がクアラルンプール中心部にあるNUセントラルというショッピングモールでのレシート
３枚目はその両替所の看板
換算すると、、、

 

In The Cabin

　　When we left Narita, a typhoon was coming around the airport, but it didn't have any effect on our flight. We spent a very comfortable time on the flight, watching movies, but the thick clouds gathered underneath and hampered our sight through the window.
　　I had three things that I wanted to see on the way to Kuala Lumpur. At first, I was eager to see the Senkaku Islands with the naked eye, of which China's going to deprive Japan without any single clear evidence. When our plane was located at the point which the first picture shows, the clouds spread like a carpet underneath the plane.
　　Secondly, I wanted to see Mt. Gyokuzan, the highest mountain in Taiwan. I confirmed the present position and took the second picture. When I shot it, I thought I was able to shoot the picture of Mt. Gyokuzan, but it might be, nay, should be just clefts of clouds. Mt. Gyokuzan used to be the highest mountain in Japan while Taiwan had been a part of Japan.
　　Lastly, the third thing which I wanted to see was the Spratly Islands, which several countries claim control of, and arrogant China is constructing their island, ignoring the verdict of the International Court of Justice.
　　After a time, an announcement told us to prepare for landing and the plane gradually went down. When the plane dove into the sea of clouds and went out of them, I saw the land of Malaysia.

(Vocabulary)
have an effect on sb/sth ～に影響を与える
feel the effect (of sth) ～の影響を受ける
Spratly Islands スプラトリー諸島

Malaysian Airlines

　　It was raining on the starting day, again. When my vacation starts, the weather is always like that. After breakfast, we headed for Terminal 2 by the free shuttle service. The sky we saw from the bus was dark and cloudy. I wished that our plane wouldn't jolt during the 7 hours of flight to Kuala Lumpur. I wanted to see some places from the sky on the way and I really prayed for the clearance of clouds, but in vain. I'll write about that in the following entry.
　　It's my first time to utilize Malaysian Airlines. We checked our baggage in after queuing for 30 minutes. Then a problem came up. Our reservation number was registered on their network system, but our names and ids like the passport numbers had disappeared. How could it be? The person at the counter called her boss and they issued new tickets for us. We were relieved. Then I asked the travel agency which had prepared our trip this time to confirm the reservations of our following flights before departure, and received the reply in Kuala Lumpur. According to their reply, I applied for the upgrade to the business section weeks ago using their bidding system, and the application was accepted two days before departure. However, when their system moved our data from the passengers' list of the economy seats to one of the business seats, something unexpected seemed to happen. Anyway, it's ok. We were able to fly into Kuala Lumpur as scheduled.
　　My first impression of the cabin is its cleanliness. No unpleasant smell, No litter. I'd be able to comfortably enjoy movies. One of the amusements in the cabin is the meal. We ordered different meals and compared them. They were ok, better than we expected, though the ticket fare was considerably low.

Narita

　　We took a stroll around the Ueno area for the first time in 10 years from the morning on Aug. 28th. I visit Tokyo roughly twice a year, but I've rarely had any business in this area. This area includes old towns derived from the Edo period, prestige universities like Tokyo University as well as several modern museums. We enjoyed street performances in Ueno Park and sushi in a traditional sushi bar. We parted from our daughter who had an appointment, and headed for our reserved hotel near Narita International Airport.
　　In the afternoon, we did the last-gasp preparation at the airport; Conversion plugs for Malaysian plugs, sunscreen, insect repellents, masks against hazes from Indonesia, and souvenirs for people in Malaysia.
　　The picture was shot from my room and shows terminal 3 for LCC.

Rib Eye Steak Debut

　　After lunch we visited the National Art Center, Tokyo and appreciated Venetian Renaissance Paintings from the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. This museum is located in Roppongi, one of the busiest districts in Tokyo. My daughter had reserved a table at Wolfgang's steak house near here, which was now rising in popularity, so we visited the museum to kill time. To tell the truth, I wasn't interested in those pictures and I've never been to Venice and I didn't expect much about pictures. However, the pictures there evoked my feelings of eagerness to visit Venice.
　　My daughter treated us to a gorgeous dinner. It was my rib eye steak debut. Furthermore, she prepared a surprise birthday cake for her mother. Several staff members of the restaurant got together around our table and sang that famous birthday song for her with other customers' clapping. It was an unforgettable night.

(Vocabulary)
Venice; Venizia （地名）ベニス、ヴェネツィア adj. Venetian
the national art center, Tokyo 国立新美術館　http://www.nact.jp/english/

Wandering in Tokyo

　　My wife and I made a trip to Malaysia from the end of August to Sept. 5th. I'm writing this article after coming back to Japan. I will compose various writings on the journey just as they occur to me without any organization. Later I'm arranging them in chronological order.
　　Our eldest daughter lives in Tokyo. We saw her for the first time in 8 months, who looked as if she was living her fulfilling life. We took a walk around the Monzennakacho area, which is one of old streets in Tokyo.
　　Several houseboats were moored. They were not for private-use. People enjoy the night view of Tokyo from them on the surface of the river, of course with a delicious dinner and some beverages. I'd like to get on board some day. The next picture shows Tsukishima street, which is well-known as the home of monjayaki, about which I can't explain in English so google that, please. It looks like a okonomiyaki, but they are totally different from each other. My wife and I ate some kinds of monjayaki for the first time, and I found that they went well with beers!
　　By the way, as I walked around after lunch, I came across a considerably old-fashioned police box, Koban, about which I wrote here(link). The signboard on the desk read "This is the oldest active Koban in the Metropolitan Police Department". I wondered at the fact and peered into the room. Just at that moment, someone spoke to me behind. Turning back, he was a real policeman with a big smile. I was afraid of being suspected of a wrongdoer, but it seemed that lots of sightseers did the same thing. The policeman told me to be seated for taking a picture and to observe inside. Anyway, I believe that keeping the neighborhood secure is a fundamental condition for our peaceful life.

(Vocabulary)
writings written just as they occur to one, without any organization
思いつくままにとりとめもなく書きつづった文章
suspect 〈人〉に嫌疑をかける
suspect sb of (doing) sth  ＜人＞に＜…＞（したこと）の嫌疑をかける
The police suspect him of murder. 警察は彼に殺人の嫌疑をかけている．

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/07/koban.html

　８月末から９月５日までマレーシア旅行をした。この記事は帰国後に書いている。いつものように思いつくままに旅行記を書いて、後で時間の順に並べる。
　出発前に東京に住む長女と門前仲町、深川辺りを散策。屋形船の桟橋があった。水面の高さから東京の夜景を眺めながら料理と酒を楽しむ。一度やってみたい。そして通りかかった月島商店街。まだ昼過ぎで人通りは少ないが、名物のもんじゃ焼きの店は混んでいた。今日のお昼はもんじゃ焼きを食べたいと思いここへやってきた。
　ここで古びた交番を見つけた。以前、交番についてこのブログに書いたことがある(リンク)。中には誰もおらず、机の上にあった説明を読んで警視庁管内で一番古い交番だと知った。中を覗いていたら後ろから声を掛けられた。本物の警官だった。交番を覗き込むという不審な行為をとがめられたのかとぎょっとしたが、ニコニコしている。どうやら観光地化しているようで、中に入って座って写真を撮るよう勧められた。言われるままに、、、(^o^)　安全な国はいいなあとつくづく思った。

Lucky Charm

　　The picture shows my hat which I've usually carried on overseas trips for the past 10 years. I bought it about 30 years ago, but I don't remember where I bought it. Somewhere in Canada, maybe. The other day, I found that I had encountered difficulties on the trips when I didn't bring my hat. When I was almost injured heavily in my leg in Whistler due to the breakage of my ski boots (link), I didn't have this hat. I'll leave for Malaysia tomorrow which will celebrate its 59th Independence Day on Aug. 31st. during the increasing concern over terrorism. I made up my mind to carry this hat so that my luck wouldn't change.
　　I attached three pin badges on the left side of my hat as you see in the picture. The left one is the crest of the German City of Freiburg, and the middle one shows that the bearer is one of the supporters of the cause of retrieving abductees from North Korea. The right one was put on today for extending dearness to people in Malaysia.
　　A program of the International Lions Club did me a favor and sent a Malaysian schoolgirl to my house. My family heard about her country and became interested in her country. My wife and I were going to visit Palau or Switzerland in this summer vacation, but changed the destination to Malaysia. I'm going to write about my trip here after coming back to Japan. Look forward to my travelogue.

(Vocabulary)
crest 《通例単数形で》(波の) 波頭, (丘・山の) 頂上, 山頂; 紋章
the royal crest 王家の紋章の図柄
travelogue ((米)travelog とも)  旅行談, 紀行映画, 旅行番組

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/03/miserable-boots.html

マレーシア旅行記：

テロの蔓延しているときに海外旅行に出るなんてと、家族から非難されつつマレーシアを旅行してきました。旅行中に書きためたメモを起こしつつ、英文で感想を書いていきます。出発前にお守りの帽子にマレーシア国旗を貼り付けました。この帽子を持って出かけたときには悪いことが起こらないという験担ぎです。
　
ピンバッジ：左からドイツ南西部フライブルク市の市章、北朝鮮による拉致被害者救出活動のシンボルマーク、ブルーリボン、そしてマレーシアと日本の友好を示したライオンズバッジ。

Malaysia

　　I haven't had such a friendly feeling towards Malaysia, but it became a trigger for me to learn about Malaysia after a Malaysian school girl stayed at my house for a week last year. I make a trip every summer and I decided to visit Malaysia this year to see her and her family.
　　For all that, the recent wave of terrorist bombings scares me. She was from Borneo island, and the east coast of the island is now designated as one of the dangerous regions by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. It issues the recommendation not to go to the eastern coast of Borneo. I had some time to determine the destination, but my wife and I wanted to see her, so we decided to visit Malaysia for the first time.
　　I've worked out the schedule and where to visit in Malaysia in these past weeks. My destination is Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Kota Kinabalu. We'll leave here next weekend and will fly into Kuala Lumpur after staying in Tokyo for a couple of days. I'll show you lots of pictures of Malaysia in September!

(Vocabulary)
for all that とはいうものの
work out 予定を立てる
the latest crime wave to hit NewYork ～を襲う最近の犯罪の急増
the recent wave of terrorist bombings 最近の一連の爆弾テロ