Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Box Lunch for Cherry Blossom Viewing

　　Cherry blossoms become a popular topic of conversation in spring. Have you ever heard of “cherry blossom front?” Humans cultivated the well-known cherry tree strain of “Somei-yoshino”, which is sterile. Its reproduction, which needs help from humans, has no mutations. All Somei-yoshino trees have the same DNA and bloom with one accord according to climatic conditions, like temperature. As the temperature goes up, the Somei-yoshino starts blooming in Okinawa, the south of Japan. The area in which Somei-yoshino blooms has to align horizontally. In Japan, this line, called the "cherry blossom front," extends up to Hokkaido. The movement of the cherry front is often a news item. The cherry blossoms are at their best now at my place. The picture shows today's lunch offered to the patients in my hospital. Holding the party under the cherry trees in full blossom is a feature of spring. Inpatients, however, are not allowed to go out. The staff members hope that inpatients can enjoy the cherry blossoms through the window. It is the very least we can do.

(Apr. 3rd)

F35!

　　We were supposed to change flights at Haneda International Airport and get to our hometown, Matsuyama City, on the same day of our arrival at Haneda. When we arrive at Haneda, we don't need to move between airports, as we get on the domestic flight at the same airport; but in Honolulu Airport, it is the contrary. We are frequent fliers of ANA, and we usually spend some time until our departure in the airline lounge. If we fly on an A380 to Narita International Airport, we can spend time until the last minute in the lounge. On the flight to Haneda, though, we had to go to the boarding gate and wait for boarding. We felt a little inconvenienced to arrive at Haneda, but thinking of the swift connection to the domestic flight, we had to put up with the hassle at Honolulu Airport. Viewing the scene from the lounge, I spotted an F-35 fighter jet behind the A380.
　　As I recalled, Honolulu Airport shared the runway with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

(Vocabulary)
As I recall そう言えば

The Last Day

　　From my very first visit to Oahu Island, I became intrigued by the Honolulu Museum of Art, and finally, I got the chance to go there today. It was full of things that attracted me. When I visited the British Museum in London last year, and was taken aback by its chaotic atmosphere; however, the Honolulu Museum of Art was well organized. The difference between the two museums would come from the admission fee. There was no charge for visiting the British Museum. As it was raining, there were lots of people hiding from the rain in the lobby and its souvenir shop. Also, some were eating something at the entrance. Specifically around the Rosetta Stone, the space was packed full. The thought that crossed my mind then was," Who was funding the expenses of the British Museum?"
　　Anyhow, we dined in a gorgeous steakhouse, where the chef came to our table and showed us some of his cooking tricks. We got a kick out of it.

Smoke-free

　　Today, I took my daughter and son-in-law to the summit of Diamond Head. I had climbed it several times, and I found that I didn't take pictures for myself, though I took many pictures of the young couple. By the way, I came across an interesting expression on a sign and took its picture, which you can see below. For a native English speaker, it does not feel special, but I'm Japanese. I got confused seeing it. Something rings odd with the use of the word 'free.' for me. I can understand what the sign asks us based on common sense, or with an understandable illustration, but some Japanese might take it as you can freely throw away garbage from the words only. Thus, I chose "smoke-free“ as the title of this entry. When I saw this expression for the first time, I understood that you could freely smoke there. Luckily, it was on the test paper in my high school days, and I got off with a minimum deduction of points. From now on, I must watch out when the word 'free' appears.

(Vocabulary)
based on a common sense 常識で考えて
get off with （軽い罰など）だけで済む
deduction of points 減点

Round Tour of Oahu Island

　　We hired a tour guide to explore Oahu Island. She picked us up at the entrance of our condominium and took us to the places that we wanted to visit. Our first destination was something every Japanese would know: the Hitachi Tree. The two of us were new to the Tree and looked so happy to know the location of the Hitachi Tree! Then, we headed for the north shore and came by the Soap Factory, which has been gaining popularity in Japan, the Balance Rock (Pohaku Lanai in Hawaiian), and the famous shaved ice shop. Then, we drove down the east coast of Oahu Island. We dropped in at several places. While my wife and I had been to most of them, NU'UANU PALI LOOKOUT was new to us. It was the old battlefield during the establishment of the Kingdom of Hawaii (1795-1893). The battle occurred here in 1795, and consequently, the Hawaiian islands were unified, and the Kingdom of Hawaii was founded. Looking at the imaginary pictures of the battle that were raised at the lookout, I played the scene over and over again in my mind. The guide, Rie Tamura, was from Kochi Prefecture and lived on Oahu Island. She kindly accepted our various requests and entertained us with stories of her Hawaiian life. We got back to our condominium, and then we went out to Whole Foods Market and Foodland Supermarket to get food. Even a simple purchase like that was fun in this unusual setting. We bought some ingredients and made several pizzas for dinner.

(Vocabulary)
location 所在地

She patiently acquiesced to our various requests and also kept us amused with anecdotes of her life in Hawaii.

Relaxing Day

　　My daughter, son-in-law, and my wife went out shopping after breakfast, but I didn't. I decided not to do anything special today. After scanning some Hawaiian news websites over a beer, I had a siesta; upon awakening, I headed to the third floor of my condominium to take a swim in the pool. Unbelievably for me, I stayed there for more than two hours. My Kindle, a bottle of mineral water, a comfortable breeze, and the ripple of laughter of kids...they all seemed to make me travel to another world. After I had something that was in the refrigerator for lunch, I took a walk in the Waikiki area aimlessly.

(Vocabulary)
siesta (スペイン，イタリアなどの) 昼寝, 午睡, シエスタ

Cirque Du Soleil

　　For the sake of the two members of our group who were visiting Hawaii for the first time, we got on a trolley that was going to run the longest route along the east coast of Oahu Island. The trolley traveled along the route of the Honolulu Marathon that I had joined a few years ago. I remembered several interactions with spectators who were cheering on the roadside. The trolley took a short break at Hanauma Bay, which is allegedly the most beautiful beach in Hawaii. The passengers got out and admired its spectacular scenery.
　　It was not my first visit there, and I could look around at leisure. When I found some people walking on the top of the hill behind us, I was very surprised. I didn't even know the existence of the trekking route there. What did they look out to perched on such high points? The trekking route was put on my destinations list. We got back to Waikiki during early afternoon and dropped in at Wolfgang's Steakhouse. The prices seemed to soar due to the weak yen and the inflation in the U.S. I had decided to retrench our expenses during the trip. We had booked the show of Cirque Du Soleil for that night in advance from Japan. The show seemed to me so-so, but the other three were quite satisfied with it. On the way back, I got my routine meal in Hawaii, “Spam Musubi“ in the following picture, at a convenience store. It's the one I like the best.

(Vocabulary)
with leisure〔急ぐことなく、余裕を持って行動することを意味する。〕
at leisure 用事がなくて, 暇で, 自由に; 急がずに, ゆっくりと, 手間をかけて.
during early afternoon 昼過ぎに

Hawaii Tour

　　How many times have we been to Oahu Island? This time, it was four of us: our second daughter, her husband, my wife, and I. Since it was their first time in Oahu, I explained to them how to get the best of their visit to the island, and how to use our time-share condominium. It would have been more convenient to leave from Haneda Airport from our hometown; yet, we left from Narita Airport. My son-in-law wanted to fly the A380, which connects Narita and Honolulu. Yet, since Haneda has a direct flight to our hometown, we opted to return to Haneda. We stopped by both lounges of ANA and United. The United lounge was larger and less crowded. Also, the dishes were better in United. We got to Honolulu at 8:30 AM on the same day. I had known two taxi drivers in Oahu Island since my first visit, and I sent e-mails to them, but got no reply. I reckoned they'd gone out of business during the pandemic. As a result, I booked a taxi from Charley's Taxi. The driver, who was Japanese, updated us on the recent topics and told us how to stay safe. For example, he advised us not to get into some areas after dark.

　　My wife wanted to stay in the Hilton Village to take a rest at noon, but the three of us started for Ala Moana Center to see how it was, Kaka'ako area to see the area's famous wall arts, and then to the Ehime Maru Memorial to offer a prayer for the lives lost there. Our dinner was box lunches from the Blue Water in the Hilton Village, like our usual first day in Honolulu. In the following photo, our daughter and her husband are standing in front of the Ehime Maru Memorial.

A Box of Ramune candies

　　When I cleaned up my room today, I found a small box on which the face of Donald Trump had been printed in the cupboard. I bought it in Hawaii several years ago because I loved its design. There were ramune candies in it, but they had already been consumed. I moved the candy from a can that I bought during my last Hawaii trip to this Trump can and I carry it now. Every time I take it out, it attracts the eyes of the people around me. To tell the truth, I'm a big fan of President Donald Trump.

My Model 3

　　I have owned a Tesla Model 3 since the fall of 2019. It was one of the first batch delivered to Japan. When it reached 200,000 km, I happened to stop at a signal. I took a picture of the odometer, which appeared below. Thankfully, it has worked perfectly without any breakdowns. As you may know, Model 3 is an EV. The degradation of the battery has only been 10% in 5 years, which doesn't matter in practical use. I don't know when its life will end, but I'd like to drive it for 5 more years. I'm digging this car to the fullest degree.

Hillbilly Elegy

　　I read the memoirs of the Vice President of the United States. I opened Google Maps and verified the places mentioned in the book. Hearing about the U.S. typically reminds me of prosperous cities like New York or Los Angeles; thus, the living standards in Appalachia were surprising to me. To my amazement, the vice president had grown up very well despite the adversity he faced. There is a YouTube video depicting the scenery of the area, with numerous derelict houses, allowing viewers to realize the difficult lives that exist in the nation.

(Vocabulary)
memoirs 《複数扱い》 回想録, 自叙伝
Hillbilly [C](米)(侮辱的) 田舎っぺ [同意] hick
living standards 生活レベル
derelict 《通例[名]の前で》 (建物・土地などが) 放置［放棄］された

Back to Japan

　　On the way back to Japan, I lost one day as I had to cross the dateline. Despite having gained one day on the way to Honolulu and coming out even, I still felt as though I'd lost. Anyway, I departed at noon on the 15th and arrived in Narita on the 16th. My plane was an Airbus A380, which was a full-length, double-decker passenger airplane and the world's largest. I didn't get sleepy, so I watched two movies. I could travel directly to my hometown from Tokyo; however, being worried about a delay in my international flight, I booked a hotel near Haneda Airport in advance. I dined at a quaint but run-down tavern near Haneda Airport. My wife and I liked the yakitori or grilled chicken on a stick, over some drinks. On the shelf, I found a rare distilled spirit native to Aogashima Island in Tokyo, whose terrain surely amazes everyone who visits it. The island is on my list of places to visit. I hope I will drink this spirit on the Aogashima Island!

(Vocabulary)
dateline 日付変更線
cross the (international) dateline
come out even 差し引きゼロになる
distilled spirit 焼酎

Wandering around Waikiki

　　I visited the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii, which I had been eager to see. It is located near Hilton Village, and when I got to the center of Waikiki, I passed the museum. I thought that I could stop by it whenever I wanted, but it was not a top priority for me. There was no admission fee. The government probably wants to make the museum accessible to as many people as possible. I spent a couple of hours pondering the history and achievements of the U.S. army. The activities of the army, from its foundation to the time of the Second World War, were vividly depicted. ot only was that true of the military operations, but of the real lives of servicemen and women. For me, the dropping of the two atomic bombs was the devil's work, carried out by the army. I expected a self-serving description about it, but I wasn't able to find anything relevant to the atomic bombs. I am sure those responsible for it would have felt remorse. The exhibit included old weapons such as tanks, a helicopter, and an aircraft, along with a monument to the fallen heroes. After I exited the museum, I went by the Tesla dealership along Kalakaua Street. They had the Cybertruck there. Although I knew about it, I'd never seen one up close. I sat in its driving seat and felt its real size. It would be too big to drive in Japan; however, I wish I could have one.

(Vocabulary)
ponder 〈問題など〉 を思案［熟考］する, じっくり考える
self-serving （けなして） 利己的な, 身がってな
remorse 深い後悔, 悔恨

 

Lavish Dinner

　　I had been to Honolulu multiple times and was familiar with the streets of its busiest area, Waikiki. I enjoyed strolling in the Waikiki area aimlessly, puttering at the poolside. The lavish dinner in the following pictures was compliments of the Hilton Hotel for its loyal customers. The full-course dinner was prepared with Hawaiian ingredients, with a live show of a local singer, who played songs on request.

(Vocabulary)
lavish 豪華な, 盛大な, 贅沢(ぜいたく)な
putter (米)(インフォーマル) ぶらぶらする, のんびり過ごす;〈人が〉 ぶらぶら歩く, 〈車などが〉 ゆっくり［のろのろ］進む
putter around ぶらぶらする

Coffee Roasting

　　While I am a coffee enthusiast, I had never seen coffee beans up close on a tree. Also, Kona coffee, prized by coffee aficionados all over the world, is grown on Hawaii Island. I really wanted to see the coffee beans (seeds) with my own eyes. In Japan, the top coffee brand is UCC, and as luck would have it, its plantation was a mere 20-minute drive from Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport. Since we were going to fly to Oahu Island from this airport today, we dropped in at the UCC plantation before our departure. Upon arrival at the plantation, they welcomed us with their specialty, and a staff member gave us a tour. I inspected the raw coffee beans on the tree and even tried to eat one, which was a first for me. I just couldn't imagine that those beans later became a cup of coffee. I guessed that the first-ever coffee was found after the wildfire by coincidence. Anyway, as shown below, the raw beans will turn white after drying. We were able to roast dried coffee beans as we liked. There was a sample of how the beans would change according to the roasting time. I tried "Full City Roast", and my wife opted for "City Roast". Both are on the dining table of my house now and we are enjoying them every day. The only thing we are sorry about is not being able to enjoy them in Japan. We flew from Kona International Airport, whose peaceful atmosphere resembled a farmer's market, and arrived at Honolulu Airport. Then, we checked in at our familiar Hilton Hawaiian Village. We bought takeout box dinners at our familiar shop. The dinner over wine and a beautiful night view of Waikiki was great. Hawaii is always marvelous.

 

 

 

Just Relaxing

　　I was not in the mood for doing something special today. Since I am very busy every day in Japan, I wanted to have some free time for myself. I strolled around my condominium and enjoyed the soothing Hawaiian breeze on the hammock that was set up on the beach. I visited a shop nearby and had a poke for lunch. My wife made rice, and we had it with the poke bowl, which is a traditional Hawaiian dish. We had takeout pizzas from an Italian restaurant near our home. We feasted on pizza and admired the view of the setting sun.

King's Land Waikoloa

　　Compared to Oahu Island, Hawaii Island's sparse population leaves me with a nostalgic and languid impression. Our condominium was at Waikoloa Village on the west coast of Hawaii Island. It was a vast village with quite a few condominium complexes. While I enjoyed myself a great deal in the village, my wife and I went to another condominium, King's Land Waikoloa. After hopping on a shuttle bus, we arrived at the mall in the King's Land area. There were only a few shoppers there. We only saw a few Japanese groups. Contrary to what I'd expected, the area was not bustling with people. It appeared that economically the area was only halfway towards full recovery. We enjoyed a simple lunch at the food court of the mall.

　　I went for a stroll around the Ocean Tower in the afternoon. Tranquility reigned in our area; they suspended the shuttle boat service—one of two ways to travel between condominiums—leaving only the tram running with a few passengers.

Mt. Kilauea

　　Our major reason for visiting Hawaii Island was to get a close look at the active volcano, Kilauea. I was also looking forward to climbing Mt.Maunakea, the highest mountain in the State of Hawaii; yet, I decided against it after we took into consideration that there wasn't enough time for us to get into top shape. We were still suffering from jet lag. Mt.Maunakea is higher than our own famous Mt.Fuji. I wanted us to be fully prepared to stand on its summit.
　　Shortly before noon, we left our condominium on the West Coast of Hawaii Island for Hilo. We enjoyed a lecture from our tour guide about the formation and the history of Hawaii Island. It was a very informative lecture. On the way there, we saw a vast maneuver area of the U.S. Army. Apparently, Japan's military personnel exercise there.
　　We took a short stroll around the city. The route of our tour began on the West Coast of Hawaii Island, moved on to Hilo on the East Coast, and then we climbed Mt.Kilauea. Despite our tight schedule, which didn't give us too much time to explore Hilo's city center, I managed to get a cool aloha shirt at a famous aloha shirt shop.
　　Viewing Mt. Kilauea and its crater had been a longtime dream of mine. While viewing the Halemaumau Crater directly, I imagined the grandeur of its actual eruption. I wished I had been there when it happened. We walked through the volcano-made tunnel called the lava tube and watched some fumaroles.
　　On our way back, I did some stargazing from a mountain pass located around the center of Hawaii Island. There was no light around us, so we were able to admire the brilliant starry sky.

 

Trip to Hawaii

　　On November 8, my wife and I left for Tokyo before noon. After we whiled away some time at the ANA lounge, we headed for our gate, No. 45. Shortly before embarkation, an announcement informed us of some discovered mechanical problems, resulting in a flight delay. They repeated the announcement several times, and finally, the the flight was delayed for three hours. I felt a bit hungry so staff members of Air Nippon Airways set a few tables in front of us and started delivering snacks and water bottles. I wished for more filling food, like sandwiches, but they would do for the time being. It would have been impossible to prepare them so late in the evening. Anyhow, after our three-hour delay, our plane took off. We were changing planes in Honolulu on Oahu Island, where there was going to be a four-hour layover. I thought that four hours would be more than enough in a not-so-huge Honolulu Airport, yet, catching our reserved flight bound for Hawaii Island proved an exercise in futility. At Honolulu Airport, an assistant was ready to help us with immigration control and to take us directly to the gate of Hawaiian Airlines. Moreover, another arrival delay delayed our flight to Kona. We finally boarded our scheduled flight and arrived on Hawaii Island on the 8th, as scheduled. The laid back atmosphere at the airport felt like we were at a farmer's market. We called for a taxi to take us to our condominium.

Former Teacher's 80th Birthday

　　I got together with around thirty classmates to celebrate our former mathematics teacher's 80th birthday, who had taught us for four consecutive years in junior high and high school. Thirty members actually got together at a hotel and 20 more were eager to join us, but couldn't. We were sent some money to buy the birthday gift. Even though we were retired, we were still busy with our second careers. As it would have been hard to schedule the party within a short time frame, we planned it eight months prior. After we enjoyed some great food and entertainment, a message was uncovered, which was the teacher's parting message, handed to us 48 years ago. The message took us down memory lane to 48 years ago. Also, our graduation writings were revealed. Through our joyful messages, we were brought back to the day of our graduation. Our teacher's expression of pure contentment made me very happy. We promised each other to get together again.