Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Wrongful Imprisonment

　　I read a Japanese businessman's memoir about his 2279 days' wrongful imprisonment in China. According to his memoir, he was captured by the security police in a taxi which he got on in front of his hotel. He was going to head for the airport to go back to Japan, but he was taken to a secret facility for custody with his eyes masked. Then he spent a few months there without seeing sunlight. What surprised me most was that they didn't explain the reason of his custody or show any evidence. It might be the usual way of Chinese Communist Party. In this book, there was a clear and detailed description about the inhumane treatment he had received from the Chinese police. How was the grueling questioning? How was the toilet? He was released after 6 years. China arrests people without showing any reason. I can't understand why lots of people willingly go sightseeing in China. I'm sorry for people who have to go or stay in China for business. I hear that several Japanese are in custody now.
　　I checked the website of the US Department of State, and found the following description.
"Mainland China, Hong Kong & Macau 　 Level 3: Reconsider Travel"

　　As opposed to that, China was categorized into secure countries on the website of Japan's Foreign Ministry. Irresponsibleness of the Japanese government is too much to tolerate.

中国で２２７９日間拘束された日本人の記録を読んだ。日本に帰国すべく空港に向かうタクシーに乗ったらそのタクシーが当局から派遣されたものでそのまま目隠しをされ拘束施設へ連れ込まれた。その後、太陽の光を見ない生活が続く。驚くのは拘束理由がはっきりしないこと。もちろん、なんの証拠もない。

この本には、拘束されてどれほどの非人道的な扱いを受けたのか、赤裸々に書かれている。どんな取り調べだったのか。同様な環境にある他の外国人との意見交換なども興味深い。なぜ拘束されているのか、本人が理解できないまま２２７９日後に解放された。

中国は何の法的根拠も示さず、自由に人を拘束できる。このような国に進んで入国する人たちの気が知れない。仕事で行かなければならない人は本当に気の毒である。今も１０名くらいの日本人が拘束されていると聞く。

アメリカ国務省のサイトを覗くと、中国への旅行は考え直せ、とある。日本の外務省は問題なしという。外務省の無責任さが現れている。因みにこの著者、外務省に対してあまり良い印象は持っていない。当然だろうと思う。

Hawaii Again

　　I stayed on Oahu island from Dec. 8th to 15th and I'm going to write about this trip for a couple of weeks from now. Every time I visit Hawaii, I find something new and I can't get bored of visiting Hawaii. On this trip, I revisited some places and got new impressions and visited some new places which I've long been eager to visit.
　　Meanwhile, I have to tell you about the catalyst for starting jogging as one of my hobbies in my 50's. I hadn't experienced any running exercises without obligatory work in my high school days. To such a middle aged man, one of my friends advised me of the marathon on my behalf. Then, I had come to enjoy several marathons as I had written in this blog many times. He sometimes told me that he would like to try to join the Honolulu Marathon at the age of 60. For Japanese people, the age of 60 is a milestone of his/her lives. This practice comes from the Oriental Zodiac. He turned 60 this year and he and some of his friends including me joined the Honolulu Marathon as one of its celebratory events.
　　I own a timeshare condominium in Waikiki, Honolulu. I invited them to my condominium and we stayed there for a week and enjoyed staying on Oahu island to our heart's content.

(Vocabulary)
catalyst «…の»変化を促すもの[人], 要因, きっかけ«for»; 〘化〙触媒.
Oriental Zodiac 干支
celebratory event 祝賀行事

１２月８日から１週間、ホノルルに滞在していました。滞在中のいろいろな出来事をこれからしばらく書いていきます。今回はマラソンを勧めてくれた友人たちと一緒です。写真は滞在したコンドミニアムのリビングダイニングです。

 

YouTube & X

　　I feel that lots of people began to have doubts about the mainstream media recently. I often find opinions to the effect on the net and around me. The information on the net has a mixture of wheat and chaff, but it's even useful for people who can access the net. I often wonder who writes the drafts of news items of the news shows and the impression which the viewers receive from the news shows varies by the way the anchorpersons state the issues. Anchorpersons aren't always professionals of the field and just read the drafts which someone prepared. I often get information from YouTube videos which is published from trustworthy professionals, the videos of anonymous origins are doubtful, though. One thing, I signed up to X, former Twitter, to read the opinions of various people directly, I mean, without the bias of the media. The exchange of opinions without censorship is very fundamental for our happiness.
　　I found some exciting information which would collect people who want to visit Imphal for the commemoration of victims of Operation Imphal in the Greater East Asian War. This plan seems to be still under contemplation, but if this plan is open to the public, I'd like to apply for it.

 

The Departure Day

　　Main flights for Japan would leave Honolulu before noon and we had a hasty breakfast. When we were about to go out of our room, someone found a rainbow over the rainbow tower as shown below. I felt like the Hawaiian god was telling us to come back soon. The ANA lounge in Honolulu airport was designed to afford the passengers of its A380 special benefit. The passengers can get on board directly from the lounge to the cabin. I spent some time viewing the A380 which we would get on, recalling the marathon and our stay, having Hawaiian light meals. It was a really good travel.
　　The return flight departed about noon and arrived in Japan at night in Hawaiian time i.e. in the afternoon on the next day in Japanese standard time. I didn't need to sleep on the way and watched three movies. One of them was "MULE". I knew "mule" was the name of an animal, but didn't know its drug-related meaning. It was a good name and I liked its theme song.

　日本行きの飛行機は午前中に出るので朝は割と忙しい。朝食を慌ただしく済ませて部屋を出る直前、外を見るとレインボータワーにレインボーがかかっていた。ハワイの神様がまたおいでと言ってくれているような気がした。ホノルル空港のANAラウンジは二階建てＡ３８０のために設計されたようで、ラウンジから直接飛行機に乗り込める。目の前に駐機しているＡ３８０を眺めながらマラソンや一週間の滞在を振り返り、ハワイ料理をつまんだ。良い旅になった。

　帰りは午前の出発で夜遅くに日本到着。機内で眠る必要は無く、機内サービスを受けながら、ほしい飲み物とつまみはいくらでも届けられる。映画を３本も観てしまった。クリント・イーストウッドのミュール。『ロバ』という意味だが麻薬の運び屋という意味もあるようだ。また一つ単語を覚えた。良い映画だった。

The Last Night in Honolulu

　　We spent the last night in Honolulu on the 14th. After dinner three of the four participants of the Honoulu Marathon got together and took some pictures with the finisher's medal raised. Sadly to say, one of the participants had to come back to Japan a day earlier due to her business. Anyway, this medal would become a great memento for us.

(Vocabulary)
memento 思い出の品, 記念品; 形見; 記憶.

　１４日はホノルルで過ごす最後の夜になった。写真はホノルルの最後の夜にホノルルマラソンの完走メダルを掲げている３人。マラソンには４人が参加したが、一人は仕事の都合で１日早く帰国してしまったので３人だけの写真になっている。この旅は本当に良い想い出になった。

Bishop Museum

　　Bishop Museum is the largest museum in Hawaii, which aims to research and record the history and culture of the Hawaii islands. Since I had visited Hawaii for the first time, I have been eager to visit the museum. However, as the museum wasn't so accessible for visitors who didn't have a car, being away from the heart of the Waikiki area, I wound up visiting the museum for the first time today. The founder seemed to be a descendant of the royal family of Hawaii.
　　I was surprised to see its vast premise. According to the attendant, the Kamehameha Schools used to be there, which now stands on top of a hill. The museum has been extended to the vacant places to develop into the magnificent museum.
　　Incidentally, if you don't have even the slightest natural connection by blood to the Hawaiian royal family, you aren't admitted to the school. Through the generations after the Hawaiian annexation by the U.S., the school has a diverse array of students from diverse backgrounds across racial lines. It apparently is administered by the Royal Hawaiian Center on Kalakaua street in Waikiki and the tuition is free! The Hawaiian Royal Family would have been still keeping their pride and authority.
　　The collections cover a broad range of topics on Hawaii, islands of the Pacific Ocean and Polynesia. They are very valuable.
　　I'll show you some pictures below. The 1st one was shot from on the trolley on the way to the museum. It is the statue of Father Damien in front of the city hall, who devoted himself to caring for leprosy patients in Molokai. He eventually died from leprosy. He has been honored as a holy person in Hawaii, though he was born in Belgium. I'm thinking of visiting the island some day. The terrain of the island is very unique and you'll easily realize why the island was chosen as an isolation place for the leprosy patients.
　　The next picture shows inside the museum. I was interested in the fine arts and crafts of the Polynesian islands, but I didn't have time to spare for those. I went straight to the Hawaiian history's booth. The 3rd picture is the description of the anti-annexation movement by Hawaiian natives. The newspapers around the annexation day were laid out. The evil deeds by people who were moved from the European continent to the American continent, then expanded to the west, were recorded clearly and unequivocally. The next picture is King Kalakaua, whose name remains as the name of the busiest street of Waikiki. Three great figures who shaped up the tradition of Hawaii were elaborated on. One of them was Duke Kahanamoku. The beach in front of my condominium was dubbed after his name and is called Kahanamoku beach. His statue would be the most popular one in Hawaii. It stands at Waikiki beach with his arm open as if welcoming visitors.

(Vocabulary)
across racial lines 人種の境界線［違い］を越えて
leprosy ライ病、ハンセン氏病
fine arts and crafts 美術工芸品

 

　ビショップミュージアムは、ハワイ史の研究と文化の保存を目的とするハワイ最大の博物館です。初めてホノルルへ来たときから訪問したかったのですが、ワイキキから見ると離れているので簡単に立ち寄ることが出来ず、今日の訪問となりました。創立者はハワイ王家に繋がる人です。

　敷地が広いので驚きました。案内人によると、かつてはここにカメハメハ・スクールがあったそうで、その学校は今は丘の上に移転しています。空いた土地に博物館を増築し壮大なスケールの博物館へと発展しています。

　因みにカメハメハ・スクールはハワイネイティブの血が混ざっている人でなければ入学できないそうですが、アメリカに併合されてから数世代を経て今や、白人から有色人種まで多様な学生が通っているそうです。カラカウア通りにあるロイヤルハワイアンセンターが管理しているそうで、授業料は無料とのこと。ハワイ王家は今でもハワイアンとしてのプライドを持ち続け、影響力を維持しているのでしょう。

　収蔵品は、ハワイと太平洋諸島ポリネシア全域の文化に関する美術工芸品、文献、写真などで、２５００万点を超える世界的にも価値の高い貴重なコレクションとなっています。

　以下にＵＰする写真は、１枚目はトロリーバスから撮影したダミアン神父の銅像です。ハワイ州庁舎にあります。１９世紀のモロカイ島にあったハンセン病患者隔離地区で患者の救済に尽くし、自らもハンセン病で命を落とした尊い人として、ベルギー出身ではありますがハワイを代表する聖者とみなされ、尊敬されています。跡地をいつか訪問したいと思っていますが、なかなかたどり着きにくい場所にあります。

　次はビショップ博物館の内部の様子です。ポリネシアの美術工芸品に興味はあったのですが、時間の制約があり、ハワイの歴史を物語るブースへ直行。３枚目の写真がハワイ併合時の島民の反対運動についてのブースの看板です。当時の新聞もありました。ヨーロッパからアメリカ大陸へ移住し、どんどん西へ進み、自国の領土としてきたアメリカの横暴がここにも記録されていました。ワイキキビーチの通りの名前として名を残しているカラカウア王が次の写真。今に繋がる伝統を作り上げた３名の偉人の生涯が記されていて、その中の一人は宿泊しているコンドミニアムの前のビーチの名前となって残っているデューク・カハナモクだった。彼の銅像は両腕を拡げ観光客を招くかのようにワイキキビーチに建っている。

Hanauma Bay

　　We visited Hanauma Bay in the early morning for the first time. I had been in the mood to swim in the bay someday since my first visit to Honolulu because I heard that the famous movie, "Blue Hawaii" starring Elvis Presley, was shot in this bay. However, the bay is far from the city center of Honolulu and it's not easily accessible. My friends were also eager to visit the bay and I was able to hire a guide and transportation.
　　The bay was originally beautiful, but additionally it had been closed for three years due to the pandemic and subsequently the bay apparently became more beautiful. The bay is still closed from Saturday to Tuesday for environmental conservation even now, so we visited the bay on Wednesday. We rented all the gears for snorkeling and followed the guide on the surface of the sea. The depth was only 0.5 to 1.5 meters, but we were prohibited to stand on the coral reef. That meant that we didn't take a rest on the way. Floating on the wave which was calmly and slightly moving up and down, I got wave-sick or sea-sick. The guide grabbed my left arm and took me with her to the last destination point. I should have taken some medicine for sea-sickness. Anyway, I was able to shoot pictures with my right hand. I'll show you some of them. The scenery in the water was really wonderful. I saw lots of kinds of fish that I'd never seen before.
　　I have a three-year-old granddaughter. She wouldn't have seen a fish swimming in the wild. I hoped I'd take her to the bay.

ハナウマ湾

　早朝から皆でハナウマ湾を訪れた。ハナウマ湾は初めてハワイに来たときから気になっていた。エルビス・プレスリー主演の映画、ブルーハワイのロケ地でとても美しいビーチと聞いていたから。しかし、ビーチはワイキキの街から遠く、入場手続きが煩雑でなかなか機会が無かった。

　もともと美しいビーチなのだが、３年に及ぶコロナ禍のために観光客が激減し、海が更にきれいになったと言う。現在、環境を守るために土曜から火曜日まではビーチへの立ち入りは禁止されている。ビーチが開かれる水曜日を待ってガイドツアーに申し込んだ。案内、移動、シュノーケリングの道具レンタルなど全て任せられるので楽だった。

　波に浮かんでシュノーケリングしながら移動するのであるが、船酔いならぬ波酔いをしてしまい、残念ながら十分には楽しめなかったが、沢山の魚が泳ぐ姿を見ることが出来た。人を恐れることを知らない魚ばかりで、目の前を横切っていく。貴重な経験だった。もうすぐ３歳になる孫娘を連れてきて遊ばせてやりたいと思った。自分で撮った水中の写真をＵＰするのでご覧下さい。

Liliuokalani Protestant Church

　　We passed the Liliuokalani Protestant Church in Haleiwa. The picture shot from the car reads that it was founded in 1832. Liliuokalani was the 8th (last) queen of the Hawaiian Dynasty and she apparently often visited this church. I've learned about the tumultuous end of the dynasty through several books. The Hawaiian Dynasty asked for help from Japan, but Japan was all tied up on Russia which took aim at Japan at that time. The Dynasty eventually became entrapped into the territory of the U.S. I wondered what wishes she had prayed in the church.
　　We left the town of Haleiwa and visited the Dole plantation whose name was after the culprit of the illegal annexation of Hawaii islands. Was the annexation good or bad for native Hawaiians? I'd like to consider about it in the Bishop Museum which I would visit on 14th. The museum seemed to have lots of collections in a various array of the fields like the folklore, history, culture, politics, and so on.

(Vocabulary)
folklore 民間伝承（伝説･伝統･民族衣装など）; 言い伝え, 民俗学.

　ハレイワでリリウオカラニ教会を通り過ぎた。そのときに撮った写真に写る看板には１８３２年創立とある。リリウオカラニはハワイ王国第8代（最後）の国王。女王はこの教会へ礼拝によく訪れたという。ハワイ王朝の最期はいろいろな本で勉強した。ハワイ王朝は近代国家を作り上げる途上でアメリカの策略に引っかかってしまった。日本に助けを求めたが、当時日本は南下するロシアの脅威に立ち向かうことで精一杯でハワイ救済までは手が回らなかった。リリウオカラニはどんな気持ちで晩年を過ごしただろうか。

　ハレイワをあとにして、ハワイ乗っ取りの首謀者とも言えるドールの名を冠した農園を訪れた。ハワイはアメリカの一部になって良かったのか、悪かったのか。ビショップ博物館で、じっくりと考えて見たい。明後日には、ハワイの歴史を記したビショップ博物館を訪問する予定にしている。全て見るには何日もかかるほど沢山の展示物があるらしいので今から楽しみだ。

Spiritual Site Pohaku Lana'i

　　Our guide told us about a spiritual site, which Mr. Ohtani, a famous baseball player, had visited. Subsequently, he earned the award, "Rookie of the Year". We hoped that we would have the same good luck as him. Its name is Pohaku Lana'i. Pohaku is "Rock" and Lana'i is "balcony" in Hawaiian. Totally, it means balcony-like rock. The rock has been a spiritual site for prayer for victory.
　　We heard that this place was also a sea turtles hot zone, and going to the shore, we found three sea turtles just in front of us. Hawaiians have believed since the ancient past that turtles will bring happiness to them. We were very lucky to see turtles 10 meters before us.

(Vocabulary)
I hope I will 「have the same good luck as he [share his good luck].
私も彼の幸運にあやかりたい
prayer for victory　戦勝祈願

パワースポット

ガイドが近くにパワースポットがあるという。大谷翔平さんはここに立ち寄ってから成績が上がったという。ならば我々もそれにあやかるべきということで立ち寄った。パワースポットの名前はポハク・ラナイといい、ハワイ語でポハクは「岩」、ラナイは「バルコニー」ということで、バルコニーみたいな岩というわけ。古代より戦勝祈願のパワースポットだったそうです。大谷さんにはぴったりですね。

また、ここはウミガメが良くやってくる場所だというので２０メートルほど先の海岸に出てみると、、、ウミガメが３匹。なんとラッキーな。写真では見にくいのですが、ハワイへ幸運を運ぶというウミガメに出会うことが出来ました。

Haleiwa

　　Our minivan entered into the town of Haleiwa, which is located at the north of Oahu island and is the center of the North Shore. Some restaurants, souvenir shops, and a famous shaved ice shop were lined up along the road. I took a plate lunch from a food truck and the Hawaiian garlic shrimps were really delicious.
　　After lunch, my wife and I strolled along the main street of Haleiwa, which was a small village where you can walk from one end to the other end in 30 minutes or so. When I visited the North Shore for the first time, I took a rest at an old warehouse-like shop on the outskirts of the town. I'd like to buy matching aloha shirts for me and my granddaughter this time, but the famous aloha shop didn't have one for female infants, so I bought a gorgeous aloha shirt for me only. My wife enjoyed a colorful shaved ice from its original shop in Hawaii that a Japanese had opened more than 50 years ago. He was the one who made shaved ice take root in Hawaii.

(Vocabulary)
matching outfits（二人以上の人たちの）

ハレイワの街へ入った。オアフ島の北側、ノースショアの中心地でレストランや土産物店、有名なかき氷屋などがある。我々はここで昼食をとった。我々の昼食は小型の廃バスを利用した店のプレートランチだった。名物のガーリックシュリンプはとてもうまかった。

その後、街を散策。といっても小さな町なので３０分もあれば端から端まで歩けてしまう。前回は町外れの古い倉庫を利用した１００年前のたたずまいの店でのんびりしたが、今回はここにある専門店でアロハシャツを買いたかった。出来れば孫娘とお揃いのもの。しかし、子供用は男の子用が数店あるだけで女の子用はなかった。しかたなく、自分用のだけを買ったが最高に良いものを買うことが出来た。カミさんは念願のかき氷。かき氷は日本人が開業しこの地の名物となったらしい。

Pipe Masters

　　Pipe Masters, the word which I had never heard of before. Judging from the sign whose pictures are shown below, however, I understood that the event has a long history. Our driver urged us to go to the beach and I was surprised to see the big waves. It was rare or no chance to see such big waves in Japan. Four participants of the competition were floating and waiting for the best wave. Compared to the height of surfers, the height of the waves would have been more than 3 times their height. We were very lucky to happen to watch the competition. On the last visit to Hawaii, a taxi driver advised me and my wife to visit the North Shore in winter to see the big waves. I understood his words today. When we came back to our condominium, the taped competition was on air. Two Japanese surfers were on the participants list. After coming back to Japan, they were respectively the 23rd and 37th place out of 40 participants. I hope that they would win their spurs in the future.

https://pipemasters.vans.com/2023/leaderboard

パイプマスターズ、初めて聞く言葉だった。しかし、立て看板から察するに伝統ある大会のようで、ガイドに促されてビーチに出てびっくり。日本ではあまり見ることの無い大きな波が打ち寄せていた。人の身長は優に超える高さだった。この日はたまたま大会が開かれていた。大会を観戦することができてラッキーだった。前回の旅で冬のノースショアの波を見るといいとタクシードライバーから聞いていた。これだったのかと理解した。コンドミニアムに戻ってテレビを付けるとまさに我々の見ていた大会が録画放送されていた。日本人も二人参加しているようだった。帰国後、結果をネットで確認すると、２３位と３７位。来年は是非とも優勝してほしい。

Chinaman's Hat

　　We drove out to the east side of the island from Moanalua gardens through the mountainous region on the H3. The mountain chain became rugged, far from the gentle slope of the areas of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. We saw the other aspect of Oafu island. The numerous waterfalls will apparently emerge on rainy days in every valley. I'd like to see them someday.
　　We dropped in at Tropical Farms Macadamia Nuts, which was a specialized store for macadamia nuts and there were lots of customers inside. I tasted several kinds of nuts and coffee from the shop originally grown on their farm. All of them were very delicious. I was at a loss as to what to buy for my friends. I picked some kinds of nuts for souvenirs, though I finally consumed all of them myself. I hope I can get them from Japan.
　　We stopped by to see China Man Hat Island, which actually looked like a Chinaman's hat. I'm not familiar with the earth science. I wondered how the hat had been generated. Did the lava spew out from underground? Was a body of lava blown out from a volcano? Then we saw the entrance of Kualoa Ranch, but we didn't have enough time to visit it.

モアナルア公園を出て３号線を走り、島の東側に出た。山が荒々しくなり、ホノルルやパールハーバー辺りの緩やかな斜面とは全く異なり、オアフ島の別の一面を見た。雨が降ると谷の部分全てに滝が生まれ幻想的な景色になるという。一度見てみたいものだ。

まずはマカデミアナッツ専門店Tropical Farms Macadamia Nutsに立ち寄った。中はごった返していた。サンプルを何種類も食べてみたがどれも美味しい。選ぶのに迷いながらお土産にといくつか買ったが、すぐに自分が消費してしまった。日本で手に入らないだろうか？

すぐそばにChina Man Hat Islandと呼ばれるその名の通りの島があり、立ち寄った。写真を見るとわかるように、まさに中国人の帽子のようだった。クアロア牧場の入口だけをみた。中を見たかったが時間が無い。次回は牧場の中へ入ってみたい。

クアロア牧場　 https://www.kualoa.jp/

Moanalua Gardens Supported by the Hitachi Group (日立の樹)

　　We stopped by the Moanalua gardens to see what is called the Hitachi Tree which is all too famous among Japanese. The tree is known as the Hitachi Tree for Japanese, but is commonly called the monkey pod. This monkey pod has been featured in the commercial film of the Hitachi Group and its catchy tune is imbued in my mind. I was wondering where and what it was for a long time. When I visited Honolulu for the first time and saw it up close, I was happy. For my friends, it was the first time to visit the gardens and they looked very happy as I once did.
　　The Moanalua gardens used to be owned by the Hawaiian Royal Family. On my first visit, I missed a cottage which had been built in the time of King Kamehameha 5th in the late 19th century and I walked around the cottage this time apart from my friends. The cottage was well preserved. As we asked the driver to take us to too many places, we had only 20 minutes here. I'd like to have stayed a little longer.

(Vocabulary)
garden 〚通例～s〛公園, 遊園地; 屋外の軽飲食店
botanical [zoological] gardens 植物[動物]園
a beer garden ビアガーデン

日本人にはあまりにも有名な『日立の樹』を見るためにモアナルアガーデンに立ち寄った。日本人には『日立の樹』で通る木だが、英語ではモンキーポッドと呼ばれる。この木は古くから　ー少なくとも僕の子供時代からー　日立がテレビコマーシャルで使っており、そのテンポの良いコマーシャルソングは頭に深く刻み込まれている。一体どこにあるのだろうと思っていたが、数年前に初めてオアフ島を訪れたときに、『ここにあったのか』と知って嬉しかった。同行の友人たちにとっては初めて実物を見るわけでもちろん楽しそうだった。

僕はといえば、初めて来たときに見落とした１９世紀に立てられたカメハメハ五世のコテージを見学した。戦禍に遭わず、ラッキーだったなと思った。受付でもらったパンフレットをスキャンして下に貼り付けておく。ドライバーに立ち寄りたい場所をいくつも注文したためにここでの滞在は２０分ほど。もう少しゆっくりしても良かったが仕方なし。

Ehime Maru Memorial

　　The Oahu island tour started. We had a place which we should drop in at. Do you remember the collision of the fisheries training vessel Ehime Maru and the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Greeneville in 2001? We actually live in Ehime prefecture in Japan. The high school students who were to enter into the fisheries industry and their instructors left Uwajima City located at the southern part of Ehime prefecture. Out of them, 5 crews and instructors, and 4 students, a total of 9 capable and promising people didn't come back to Japan. We had put the Ehime Maru Memorial on the top of the queue to visit. The Memorial is located at a park near the coast and we were able to see the direction of its sinking point from the memorial. All of us put our hands together and paid a tribune for a short time toward off the coast.

　オアフ島半周ツアーが始まった。まず立ち寄りたい場所があった。我々の住んでいる愛媛県の水産実習船が２００１年２月にハワイ沖でアメリカの原潜と衝突して沈没し、９名が亡くなった。その慰霊碑が沈没地点を望む公園に設置されていて、まずその慰霊碑に立ち寄った。亡くなった教員・乗組員５名＋高校生４名と聞いている。慰霊碑から見渡した先の海域に向かって皆で手を合わせ冥福を祈った。

Drive Day

　　On the 12th, we chartered a minivan and went sightseeing around the island. The pick-up point was the entrance of our condominium at 9 a.m. I was going to have a late breakfast in the lounge, but to my surprise, my friends left for Diamond Head at about 5 a.m. to view the sunrise on its summit. Three of them ran the marathon 2 days before and I admired their physical strength. My wife and I saw the sunrise from my room over a cup of Kona coffee, though the Diamond Head and the Trump Tower got in the way. They got back with time to spare before the departure time of the tour. The following pictures were taken by them from the summit. They are really beautiful. The last two pictures were shot from my room.

(Vocabulary)
a late breakfast （いつもより）遅めの朝食

１２日にはガイド付きのミニバンを予約してオアフ島を半周した。ラウンジで朝食をゆっくりと済ませ、コンドミニアムでピックアップしてもらう予定だったが、同行の友人たちはそれまでには帰ってくると言ってダイヤモンドヘッドへ日の出を見ると言って出かけていった。１０日にはホノルルマラソンを走った３人が含まれている。なんという体力か。僕と家内は部屋から一杯のコナコーヒーを片手に朝日を眺めた。日の出はダイヤモンドヘッドの向こう側になるし、トランプタワーも邪魔だったが。下の写真は友人からもらったものでダイヤモンドヘッドの山頂から撮影したもの。実に美しい。最後の２枚が僕の部屋から撮影した写真。ダイヤモンドヘッドの頂上からの写真には比ぶべくもない。

Dinner

　　Unfamiliar countries will have unfamiliar food. We dropped in at the Ala Moana Center to get some food for dinner on the way back. A big-size beef as we expected in the U.S., Hawaiian traditional food of poke and turkey sandwiches - turkey is rare to see in Japan - and something unfamiliar. We got a variety of food and cooked as we liked. We enjoyed the merit of staying at the condominium. The last picture was shot at the adjacent yacht harbor from the wonderful walking route.

慣れない土地には珍しい料理がいろいろある。パールハーバーからの帰りにはアラモアナセンターへ寄って、食料品の買い出しをした。アメリカらしいビッグサイズの肉に、ハワイ名物のポキ、アメリカのサンドイッチによくわからないもの（笑）、いろいろ買って思うがままに調理。コンドミニアムへ滞在しているメリットを十分に享受している。最後の写真はコンドミニアムのあるヒルトンハワイアンビレッジの隣のヨットハーバーの夕景です。素晴らしい散歩コースです。

Lounge

　　We took a short rest at the lounge which visitors of the penthouse were allowed to use. We could drink beer, wine, and some soft drinks for free. Light snacks were also ready. This lounge was 20 meters from our room, so it was very convenient. The pictures are an example of what we ate after coming back from Pearl Harbor.

　夕食前にラウンジで休憩。ラウンジでは無料でビール、ワイン、ソフトドリンクを楽しめる。軽食が用意されており、とても便利でした。我々の部屋と同じ階にあり、２０メートルほど歩けば到着する。滞在中、たびたびお世話になった。下の写真は、パールハーバーから帰って軽く食べたもの。

Pearl Harbor

　　We visited Pearl Harbor on the 11th. I have a personal view about Pearl Harbor, but aside from it, we paid a short silent tribute to the war dead at the USS Arizona Memorial, which had been built over the sunken battleship Arizona in the harbor. After viewing the short video on the attack by the Japanese Navy, we got on a boat which connected the port to the Memorial. Bodies were apparently left in the sunken battleship and we refrained from taking snaps in a buoyant mood in the Memorial and bent down our heads.
　　We got into the submarine, USS Bowfin next. I could imagine the hardships of the crew's work judging from its narrowness. This submarine attacked and sank the passenger ship at the point of a few hours to its destination which was carrying close to 1000 primary school kids from Okinawa to Nagasaki to avoid the war. It was one of the vessels which most Japanese people had hated, but the crew would have been also struggling to beat Japan. Why did Japan have to fight the war? Where is the true reason? Though we have lots of evidence, this issue isn't closed yet.
　　Then, we got on a bus to the USS battleship Missouri Memorial, on which the surrender document of the war was signed. They call the deck on which it was signed "Surrender Deck." I didn't feel comfortable. If you wage a war, you surely win the war at any cost. This ship retired once, but it was called up for the Gulf War. This battleship participated actively in World War II, but it has the launch devices for Tomahawks. It tells its participation in the Gulf War after the magnitude of remodeling. The yellow circle in the following picture shows the site of the signature.
　　The battleship Missouri had a scar from a Kamikaze attack. A detailed description was set at the site. The body of the pilot seemed to have been taken apart into two pieces. He was respectfully buried at sea by the crew of USS Missouri. The identity of the pilot is known and he was only 20 or so. Why did he have to do the suicide attack called the Kamikaze attack. Thinking like those, I put my hands together.

(Vocabulary)
in a buoyant mood 浮かれた気分で
sign a surrender document 降伏文書に署名する
at any cost 何が何でも

 

１１日はパールハーバーを訪問しました。パールハーバーにはいろいろな想いがありますが、それは置いておき、まずはアリゾナ記念館を訪問。日本軍の真珠湾攻撃で沈没した戦艦アリゾナの直上に慰霊施設が作られており、事前に説明ビデオを見た後に船で渡ることが出来ます。兵士の遺体がいまだ船内に残されており、静かに頭を垂れました。記念館の中では写真は控えました。

次に潜水艦ボーフィン号の艦内に入り、その狭さから過酷な勤務環境を容易に想像できました。この船は小学生１０００名近くが沖縄から九州へ逃れるために乗っていた対馬丸を沈めた船です。憎い潜水艦ですが、乗組員も必死だったのでしょう。なぜこんな戦いをしなければならなかったのか、どこに責任があるのか、、、十分な証拠があるにもかかわらずまだ検証されていません。

次に戦艦ミズーリを見学。大東亜戦争の降伏文書が交わされた船です。この船はいったん退役したのですが、復帰して湾岸戦争にも参加した息の長い戦艦です。トマホークを発射できるように改造され、ミズーリから発射されるトマホークをテレビで見たことを思い出しました。同時にあの戦艦ミズーリ？と驚いたことも思い出します。下の写真の黄色い丸は降伏文書を交わした場所を示しています。そしてそのデッキの名前は『降伏デッキ』、アメリカ人らしい嫌らしさを感じます。次に戦争をするなら、絶対に勝たねばなりません。どんな犠牲を払ってでも。

この船には神風特別攻撃隊の零戦が体当たりした場所が残されています。その場所には詳しい説明も書かれていました。身体が半分にちぎれたパイロットは丁重に水葬に付されたといいます。そのパイロットはほぼ特定されており、まだ大学生程度の年齢でした。なぜこんな戦争をしなければならなかったのか、、、。そんなことを考えながら、『次は絶対に勝つ』と誓いつつ、彼の亡くなった場所で手を合わせました。

Condominium

　　We stayed at a penthouse of the Hilton Grand Islander, which was a condominium-style accommodation. Condominiums aren't well known in Japan and I'd like to write about them.
　　Condominiums are usually equipped with kitchens, plates and utensils, silverware, appliances like home electric washing machines with a built-in dryer, microwave ovens, fridges, dishwashers, and visitors can stay at them just like living in their houses. Visitors can shop for food and necessities at a supermarket and cook them like in their daily life. The following picture was shot in the kitchen. You'll know that everyone was enjoying staying in the condominium from it. The oven was from the U.S. and its setting was designed to be done by Fahrenheit. On the other hand, Celsius is principally used in Japan. As a result, every time we used the oven, we had to convert Celsius into Fahrenheit. My friend who doesn't cook in everyday life, took a role in conversion work sitting at the counter. To be more precise, his smartphone did the work. The use of unfamiliar appliances or cooking ingredients were also a lot of fun in condominiums.

(Vocabulary)
conversion（計量単位や通貨などの）返還

コンドミニアムについて：

今回の旅ではヒルトンのペントハウスを利用しました。コンドミニアムは日本ではまだあまり認知されていません。この記事ではどのような宿泊施設なのか、説明したいと思います。

キッチン、オーブンや電子レンジなどの家電品、食器類、調理道具、フルサイズの冷蔵庫や洗濯機などが備わっていて住むように滞在できます。写真は料理風景です。オーブンはアメリカ製なので温度設定が華氏で設定するようになっています。オーブンを使うたびに使い慣れている摂氏から華氏に変換してオーブンをセットするのですが、日頃料理をしない友人はカウンターに腰掛け、その摂氏から華氏への変換作業をしています。実際にはスマホがやっているのですが。使い慣れないアメリカ製の調理器具を使うのも、『これ何だろう』と思いながら珍しい食材を買って食べてみる、というのもコンドミニアム滞在の楽しみの一つです。

Honolulu Marathon

　　Before the entrance of my condominium, lots of runners were moving from the direction of Waikiki beach to the starting point. The start line was set in front of the Ala Moana Center, about 1km from my condominium. We got to the starting place 30 minutes before the starting time. The gathering spot was filled with excitement. The Honolulu marathon is one of the sports events, but I didn't feel any sense of tension from runners around me. The organizer of the marathon didn't set a time limit for finishing the marathon, so I enjoyed the marathon without being concerned about "time-out".
　　The marathon was begun not with a shot from a starting gun but the sounds of fireworks. It was 5 o'clock in the morning, but the sky was still dark before the break of day and the fireworks were really beautiful. The number of runners was about 30,000 and it was 15 minutes later for runners around me to move forward. I saw some on-screen talents running with lighting and shooting assistants. I was captured in a video of one of those talents, "Egashira 2:50", and I'll show you below.
　　I saw various runners, one of them was running with a horn. An old lady was running in memory of her doctor in charge. I was able to run in high gear until the 20km post, but as the sun started burning and it got sweltering, I got exhausted. I couldn't cover up the lack of practice.
　　One thing, the scenery of the seaside of Oahu island was wonderful and I often stopped running and took snapshots or chatted or danced with supporters along the route. After all, my finish time was 9 and a half hours, which was unbelievably bad. However, I enjoyed the marathon. I'd like to join the marathon again some day.
　　In the last picture, the marathon runners were having a party with American beef and wine. I look exhausted and the young lady seems to be perfectly normal. Age tells.

(Vocabulary)
be filled with excitement（催し物・試合などの場所が）熱気に包まれている
the break of day 夜明け

外へ出るとコンドミニアムの前にはすでにスタート地点に向けて大勢の人が歩いていました。アラモアナセンター前からの出発で、我々も１ｋｍほど歩いて３０分くらい前にスタート地点に到着。集合場所はすごい熱気で溢れかえりランナー達はみな楽しそう。スポーツイベントなのですが、あまり緊張感は感じられません。リゾート地のマラソンならではでしょう。制限時間がないので、いつも制限時間を気にしながら走る僕でも気楽に走れます。

スタートの合図はなんと、花火！朝とは言えまだ５時。真っ暗な空に打ち上がる花火の轟音とともにスタートするわけですが、僕の周りのランナーたちが動き始めるまで１０分くらいかかりました。参加者は３万人近くだったそうです。芸能人たちが照明係のスタッフとともに走っていて、そのうちの一人、コメディアンの江頭さんの動画に映り込んでいました。キャプチャー画像を下に載せます。さて、マラソンですが、２０ｋｍまでは快調でしたが、日差しが強すぎて後半はバテてしまいました。練習不足はごまかせません。

快晴の中、景色が素晴らしく、観光スポットで写真を撮りながら走るとついついペースが落ちて９時間３０分でゴール。タイム的には呆れたタイムでしたが、マラソン自体は楽しめました。沿道の応援に応えたり、所々で写真を撮ったり、一緒に踊ったり、，，，ホルンを演奏しながら走っている人や、主治医の追悼のために走っていると思われる高齢女性もいました。しんどかったですが、また走りたいと思っています。

最後の写真は夜、それまで我慢していたワインを飲みながら一緒に走った仲間で宴会をしています。僕のやつれた顔と若い女性の顔が対照的。いやはや歳には勝てませんな。