Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Canopy Walkway and Jungle

　　I wanted to see or step into the jungle in Borneo. My father-in-law was working on the maintenance of military planes during the Great East Asian War on Shortland Island near Bougainville Island. His unit faced a serious shortage of food after the military logistics was broken and its supply route was severed. After the loss of all the planes he worked searching for food in the jungle with the help of local people. Wild oxen were evidently delicious. Anyway, the United Nations headed for the Philippines directly after the seizure of Guadalcanal Island, passing Bougainville Island, but the unit didn't know about this. My father-in-law was preparing for the UN's attack on Bougainville Island and he was going to kill a multitude of soldiers in exchange for his own life.
　　I had heard about the real life and the hunting in the jungle from him before his death. I wanted to feel the atmosphere of the jungle, and I walked on the canopy walkway built in the trees in the Poring Hot Spring Area. The ground was beneath me, but I wasn't able to see it hindered by bushes, leaves, and due to the lack of sunlight. Moving and living in such a severe condition, my father-in-law and his fellows survived. I recalled their unimaginable difficulties.

(Vocabulary)
Bougainville Island ブーゲンビル島　南太平洋西部、ソロモン諸島北端の火山島。
Shortland Island ブーゲンビル島の南にある小さな島
military logistics  兵站
Guadalcanal Island　ガダルカナル島《南太平洋 Solomon 群島中の島》　大東亜戦争の激戦地の一つ

マレーシア旅行記：　ジャングル、キャノピーウォーク、そして大東亜戦争へ思いを馳せる
　
ボルネオ島ではジャングルそのものを見たかった。義父が大東亜戦争中、ブーゲンビル島とそのそばにあるショートランド島で軍用機のメンテナンスをしていた。飛ばせる戦闘機が無くなった後はジャングルで食べられるものを探して歩き、部隊を支えたという。地元の人たちの助けを借りて捕獲した野生の牛はごちそうだったという。アメリカ軍はガダルカナル島を攻略した後、ブーゲンビル島をパスしてフィリピンへ向かったが、そのことを知らない義父たちはアメリカ軍が上陸してきたら少なくとも一人当たり二人のアメリカ兵と差し違えようとジャングルで準備をしていたらしい。
　
生前、義父からジャングルでの暮らしをよく聞いた。どのようなところなのか自分の目で見てみたいと思い、ポーリン温泉の奧にあるCanopy Walkwayを歩いてみた。地面は遙か下にあるのだが、見えない。こんなところを移動しながら食料を確保し、生き延びた義父たちの苦労が偲ばれた。

Mt. Kinabalu Area

　　The road to the Mt. Kinabalu area went up along the gorge. I found the signboard saying "Nabalu" on the way. I understood that it was the name of the place or village. I'm not sure, but it might be from the name of the indigenous people. After about 30 minutes' additional drive, I found a statue of a Chinese cabbage at an intersection. This area would be a prominent product site of highland vegetables. My map showed that I was in the village of Kundasang. Kundasang is the base for climbing Mt. Kinabalu, but the mountain was behind the thick cloud.
　　We arrived at the busy town of Ranau and enjoyed a short sightseeing trip. I happened to see "Sandakan" on a sighboard at an intersection, which would be the most well-known town to Japanese on Borneo island. To tell the truth, I'd like to have visited Sandakan too, but Japan's Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory about Sandakan and around the city several years ago and even now the warning is valid. I heard that the cemetery for Japanese people had been ruined, so I wanted to offer even a single flower to people lying buried there.
　　Then we reached the Poring Hot Spring Area, which was located deep in the rain forest and was found by the Japanese Army in the Great East Asian War. The soldiers would have healed their wounds whether physically or mentally. Looking up into the forest, lots of durians were growing.

(Vocabulary)
Nabalu　ナバル(地名)
indigenous　〈人・慣習・文化などが〉（土地）固有の, 土着の;〈動植物などが〉 自生の
Kundasang  クンダサン(地名）
advisory  警報, 注意報
travel advisory  渡航自粛勧告
Sandakan　サンダカン(地名)

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバル～ポーリン温泉へ

ガソリンスタンドを出て谷沿いに走り道はすぐに登りになった。地図を見るとナバル村とある。ナバルとは先住民族の一つの名前ではなかったか？帰国後調べてみよう。さらにしばらく走ると開けた土地に出た。白菜のオブジェを見つけた。おそらくは高原野菜の産地なのだろう。地図にはクンダサンと書いてある。ここはキナバル山の登山基地となっている町だ。キナバル山を左手に眺めるはずが雲に隠れていた。

更に走って少し大きな街に着いた。Ranauである。車窓から街の中を観光した。道案内看板にはSandakanの文字が。日本人にはボルネオ島の中で一番知られている街だろう。今回の旅で立ち寄りたいと思ったが、治安の悪化のため外務省から渡航自粛の勧告が出ており立ち寄りをやめた。日本人墓地が荒れていると聞くのでせめて花の一輪でも手向けて冥福を祈りたかった。

そして今日の最初の目的地ポーリン温泉に到着。戦時中、日本軍が見つけたもので、ジャングルの中に位置している。兵隊たちは疲れた身体を故国を思い出しながら癒したことだろう。周辺はジャングルで、さすがに熱帯雨林、見たことも無い植物ばかりだ。見上げるとドリアンもたわわに実っていた。

Toilet For Muslims

　　Mt. Kinabalu, the southeastern Asian highest mountain, 4,095 meters high, is one of the symbols of Malaysia. I knew it when the strong quake jolted the northern area of Borneo Island in June of 2016. More than a dozen climbers, including guides and Japanese, were killed at that time. The distinctive shape of Donkey Ears Peak was really attractive for me. I asked N chan to take us to the base of Mt. Kinabalu.
　　By the way, I saw a toilet for Muslims for the first time on the way to Malacca, but I didn't take a picture because I didn't carry my digital camera at that time. I wanted to shoot one, so that I can say that I've seen it. I happened to find it luckily at the gas station on the way to Mt. Kinabalu Park. The toilet was equipped with a hose to wash your anus. I thought that Japanese toilet seats with the washing nozzle are ideal for Muslims, but the voltage of electricity in Malaysia is 200 volts and they are apparently afraid of electric shock accidents. Anyway, don't they wet their clothes? Oh, it was none of my business!

(Vocabulary)
Donkey Ears Peak 　ロバの耳　キナバル山の特徴的な岩

マレーシア旅行記：　いよいよキナバル山麓へ　その前にトイレ休憩
　
２０１６年６月の地震がきっかけでその存在を知ったキナバル山。東南アジア最高峰と聞く。せっかくボルネオ島へ行くのだから間近で見てみたいとお願いして、この日はキナバル山麓へ連れて行っていただいた。
　
ところで、マラッカへ向かうときに初めてムスリム用のトイレを見たのだが、そのときにはカメラを持っていなかったので撮影できず、話のネタにするためにどこかで写真を撮っておこうと思っていたらキナバル公園に向かう途中で寄ったガソリンスタンドにあったので撮影。日本のようにトイレに洗浄機を付ければ良いのにと思うが、電源が２００ボルトなので感電が心配なのだとか。肛門を洗うときに下着を濡らしたりはしないのだろうか、、、、あ、余計なお世話だな。

Real Rain Forest and N chan's Papa's Sauce

　　Borneo would make most Japanese people evoke the rain forest. I am one of them. N chan's family took us to Marimari Cultural Village which was established to show tourists their original culture and was located deep in the rain forest 20km away from KK. When we visited the village, however, all the performances had unfortunately finished. The second picture was shot in front of the ticket booth of the village. Though I didn't see inside of the village, I was able to see the deep rain forest of Borneo on the way to the village. It was darker and greener than the Japanese forest. Seeing the rain forest and local people's life along the way really drove my curiosity.
　　Going back to our hotel, we took a rest for about an hour. Then, N chan's family guided us to a seafood restaurant, which is shown below. The restaurant was so noisy, and we were overwhelmed by its heated atmosphere. We would hesitate about entering the restaurant without N chan's family. They were really helpful. We might have made do with box lunches from the shelves of a convenience store if they hadn't helped us. At this restaurant, the customers chose their food from the lots of kinds of displayed live materials at first, then order its cooking method, such as simmering, grilling, and so on. We just obeyed their suggestion. My Mandarin, which didn't help in Taiwan, was useless also this time. I wasn't able to understand what people around were talking about. Their language wouldn't be Mandarin, but I didn't even know that the language was Chinese or Malay or another.
　　The last picture shows a plate of soy sauce, roughly mashed garlic, and some spicy seasonings like red peppers. How do you think you eat it? It's N chan's father's favorite. I followed his way of eating. He mixed these materials into soy sauce and put them on the rice. It was an unpredictable taste, and I tried it. Now this became my favorite. His recipe is called N chan's papa's soy sauce in my house. It's served only on the previous night of holidays, ,,you know, due to foul breath. However, the taste of this special sauce is different between KK and Japan, though I tried various seasonings with soy sauce. I'm not sure, but soy sauce in KK might not be made from soy beans, but from fish. Fish sauce, which is made from fermented salted fish, isn't popular other than a certain restricted area in Japan. I'll resolve this question on my next visit to KK.

(Vocabulary)
red pepper  [C] 赤ピーマン; [U] (粉末の) トウガラシ
foul　〈におい・味などが〉むかつくような, ひどくいやな, 悪臭のある
fish sauce 魚醤

マレーシア旅行記：　超ローカルなレストランで
　
ボルネオと聞いて多くの日本人が想起するのは熱帯雨林だろう。熱帯雨林やボルネオの文化を知るために彼らが連れて行ってくれたのがマリマリ文化村。ただ、この日は主なショーが終わっていて文化村の中を見ることはできなかった。しかし、そこまでの往復は圧感。車窓に映る熱帯雨林、日本の森林とは別物だった。熱帯雨林とそこで暮らす人々の暮らしを眺めながらのドライブに好奇心をかき立てられた。２枚目の写真は営業を終えて閑散としていたチケット売り場の前で全員で撮ったもの。
　
ホテルへ戻り、１時間ほど休憩して夕食に出かけた。で、写真のようなレストランに入ったのだが、我々二人だと注文することさえ怖じ気づいてしまうような熱気だった。Ｎちゃん家族がいてくれて本当に助かった。二人だとコンビニ弁当で済ませていたかもしれない。レストランは食材を選び、調理法を伝えるようだった。どのような調理法が適しているのかもわからない。Ｎちゃんご家族にお任せするしか手は無かった。料理はどれも美味しく、大満足。台湾でも通じなかった付け刃的僕の北京語。今回も全く聞き取れず、多分北京語ではないと思うがマレー語なのかシナ語なのか？それさえもわからず(^_^;)
　
最後の写真は醤油とニンニク、唐辛子などの香辛料。これをどうするのか、Ｎちゃんパパを見て真似てみた。なんとこれを醤油に混ぜてご飯に掛けて食べる、、、あり得ない食べ方だったが、試してみると結構いける！我が家では今、『ニンちゃんパパの醤油』と名を付け、休日前の食卓に並んでいる。なぜ休日前か？わかりますよね。その強烈なニンニク臭が、、、ただ、この写真をヒントにいろいろ薬味を混ぜてみてもＫＫで食べたこの味にはならない。ひょっとしてこの醤油は魚醤だったのか？これも次回のＫＫ旅行で確認しなければならない。

Fruits? Vegetables?

　　I'll provisionally call the Malaysian schoolgirl, whom I wrote about in the last entry, N chan and "KK" stands for Kota Kinabalu in the following entries.
　　Our plane landed softly on the soil of Borneo Island. N chan and her mother were waiting for us at KK International Airport. They took us to our hotel, the Jesselton Hotel. The driver was her father. His car was a luxury four-wheel-drive Japanese made car. I didn't see any other similar car in the streets, so it would be rare there.
　　We checked in the Jesselton Hotel, and then went out for a walk with N chan. Her parents went to pick N chan's grandparents up and would get together later.
　　While walking around the hotel, we found an interesting stall, which sold fruits or vegetables. I didn't know even their names. Carrot? Cucumber? Anyway, everything is full of wonder in foreign countries. We tried some. They were half snacks and half quenchers of your throat on the tropical island. Then N chan's grandparents got together and we had a late lunch.
　　By the way, I'd like to write the general story about imported cars in Malaysia. The Malacca tour guide told us about his company's car, which was a product of Japan. It had a heating system, despite the car being used in tropical Malaysia. I asked him why the car had it. When he answered, he didn't use the word, "import", but used "bring as is" to explain the car. There might be two different ways to use foreign countries' cars in Malaysia, and it might be considerably cheaper to bring the cars as is from Japan than to import them through the official dealers.
　　The N chan's family car was equipped with an external navigation system, though their luxurious car surely has a built-in navigation system in Japan. I assumed that it might have been brought as is and hadn't the map data of Malaysia. Anyway, I'll ask them about the above idea next time.

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバル(ボルネオ島最大の街）

先の記事で書いた高校生の名前を仮にNちゃんとしておく。空港の到着ゲートにはNちゃんとお母さんが待っていてくれた。お父さんの運転する車でホテルに送ってくれた。車は日本製の高級四駆。他に走っているのを見かけなかったから当地ではかなり珍しい車ではないだろうか？
　
ザ・ジェッセルトン・ホテルに旅装を解いてホテル周辺をNちゃんと散策。途中の店で野菜なのか果物なのか、食べてみた。食べてもよくわからなかった。(^_^;)　ご両親は他のご家族を迎えに一時別行動。その後母方のおじいちゃん、おばあちゃんも合流して遅めの昼食
　
ここから先は勝手な思い込みかもしれないが、車の輸入には二通りある？マラッカを案内してくれたガイドが、ツアー会社の車の説明をしてくれたのだが、車に暖房もできるエアコンが設置されていて、マレーシアに暖房は要らないのについているのは、日本から直接持って来た車だからとのこと。彼は輸入とは言わなかった。直接？関税が安いのかな？この高級四駆も暖房できそうだし、ナビは内蔵とは別に外付けになっている、、、次のＫＫ訪問時に詳しく聞いてみよう。

 

Viva! Kota Kinabalu!

　　Our flight to Kota Kinabalu(KK) was short, about a few hours, and the departure time was scheduled at 9.05 hours. We didn't expect a lot from our in-flight meal, but it was really filling. I shouldn't have had breakfast in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. By the way, the second pleasure next to the meal in flight was the scenery from the window. The sky was clear and we were able to see downward to the South China Sea. The flight route from Kuala Lumpur was roughly straight to KK. The Borneo Island was approaching us from the front right side. My heart began pounding with expectation and pleasure to see her again! ....HER?
　　Until last December, Malaysia was a far away country whether in distance or sensation to me and my family. I didn't even want to visit it. However, the circumstances had dramatically changed. A Malaysian schoolgirl stayed in my house for about a week last December. She was a what-you-call trigger for us to know about Malaysia and was just like a diplomat from Malaysia for my family. No Malaysian ambassador who ever came to Japan stirred us to visit Malaysia, but she did. That schoolgirl lives in Miri which is located on the north shore of Borneo Island and is adjacent to Brunei. One of the purposes of this trip was to see her again. She was supposed to wait for us in KK International Airport. We looked for Miri from the plane when it came close to Brunei, but it was too far for taking pictures.
　　Borneo Island came close. The picture was shot about 10 minutes before landing. Judging from my map, it shows the area of Kuala Penyu. We would visit Papar near the area by train. The second picture looked like an oil camp and I photographed it. Looking up the map, it was Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal, which reminded me of the Great East Asian War. Japan, which was imposed with a total ban on US crude oil imports, expelled Britain from Borneo Island to get oil and established its military administration on the island. They say that the condition of the island was peaceful while Japan was dominant in the war. The island has its several tribes like Taiwan. What history does it have? I wanted to visit some museums.

(Vocabulary)
establish a military administration  軍政を敷く

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルへ向かう

９時５分発の数時間の短いフライト。食事は期待しておらず、空港で朝食を取ったが失敗だった。飛行機の中で朝食が出た。結構食べ応えのあるサンドイッチだった。晴れていて眼下にきれいな海が見える。飛行ルートはクアラルンプールからほぼまっすぐにコタキナバルへ向かっている。右手遙か前方に見えたボルネオ島が近づいてくる。『彼女』に再会すると思うと胸がどきどきしてきた。
　
昨年の１２月までマレーシアは全く知らない、縁の無い国だった。行きたいと思うこともなかった。しかし、昨年１２月、我が家にマレーシアから女子高生が１週間滞在し、そのことでマレーシアに興味を持つようになった。我が家にとってはマレーシアから派遣された外交官に等しい高校生だった。その高校生が住む街がボルネオ島北岸の中央部に位置するミリ。今回の旅の目的の一つは彼女と再会すること。その彼女は今、コタキナバルで我々を待っていくれているはずだが、彼女の住むミリはどの辺りかなと目を凝らす。モニターに映る現在位置から判断して、ブルネイのすぐ隣だからこのあたりかと飛行機から島を見下ろした。
　
コンパクトカメラでも撮れるくらいに陸地に近づいてきた。写真は到着１０分くらい前に取ったもの。手元の地図から判断するとKuala Penyuという街らしい。この近くまで実は鉄道を使って行ってみるつもりでいる。石油基地らしいものがあったので撮っておいた。地図を見るとSabah Oil and Gas Terminalとある。そういえば先の大戦時、アメリカからの原油輸入を止められた日本はボルネオからイギリスを追い出しこの地に軍政を敷いた。戦争前半の日本が優勢な時期には平和な時代だったと聞いている。ボルネオも台湾などと同様限られた面積に多くの民族が住んでいた。どのような歴史を持つのだろうか。歴史博物館も楽しみだ。

Borneo!

　　At 5 o'clock in the morning on September 1st, I left our hotel for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport(KLIA), giving up a delicious breakfast in the hotel, which was included in the hotel charges. The taxi driver was good and spoke to us in a friendly way. His knowledge of Japan was great. While chatting with him, I had several surprises about the Malaysian way of thinking. Let me raise an example. He said, "When Japanese people take their shoes off, they surely place them properly. Its tidiness is great." The manner was too common to me, and his opinion was new to me.
　　He continued, he sometimes guided a few people all day. When his passengers were in a certain facility in which it was required to take off their shoes, such as Buddhist temples, and he didn't see if they were still in or already out of the facility, he would check their shoes if they were Japanese. If he found shoes of the number of people arranged, he was able to decide that they were still in the facility. I got it, and I'll arrange my shoes politely at least overseas.
　　The pictures were shot at KLIA. I found a signboard written in Japanese! We are going to visit Borneo!

マレーシア旅行記：　いざボルネオへ

９月１日の朝５時、ホテルの美味しい朝食(宿泊費に含まれている)を我慢してクアラルンプール国際空港へ向かった。感じの良い運転手は自分の持てる日本に関する全ての知識をもって話しかけてくる。そんな風に思うのかという新鮮な驚きがいくつもあった。一つ例を挙げるなら、日本人は靴を脱いだとき、必ず揃えるという。見ていて気持ちが良いという。

時折数名の客を一日掛けて観光ガイドをするらしいのだが、靴を脱がなければならない、例えば仏教寺院など、で自分の乗客が出てきて外にいるのか、それともまだ中にいるのかわからないとき、日本人グループなら人数分の靴が揃えてあるのでまだ中にいると判断できるのだという。（笑）なるほど。これから海外では特に靴を揃えよう！

写真はクアラルンプール国際空港。国内線への途中で見つけた看板。日本語が書いてありました！これからボルネオ島へ向かいます。