Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

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

(Nov. 15th)

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.

 

Trip to Okinawa 4

　　I got back home on the 15th. The direct flight between Okinawa and my hometown was really convenient. On my next visit to Okinawa, I'd like to fly to the westernmost point of Japan.

Trip to Okinawa 3

　　A tiny, croissant-shaped island was featured in a TV news item last night. I checked it on the net and I learned that the island was located just in front of us, so I decided to visit it today. Its name was Min'na-jima, nicknamed Croissant Island. It was 10 minutes drive from our condominium to Toguchi Port, from which the small boats start for the island, and 15 minutes from the port to the island. It was a tiny island, but its beach was crowded with boisterous kids and tourists. I preferred to see its natural circumstances or the lives of islanders than the beach and enjoyed wandering on the strange island. Then I headed for the northern end of Okinawa, called Hedo Cape. I happened to drop in at a roadside soba shop on the way, and the taste was great. I made a note of the shop’s name to revisit it on the next trip. It was worth the bother of stopping by. I had been to Hedo Cape before. Under the control of the U.S., people in Okinawa apparently prayed for the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese administration. I could see Yoron Island in the distance.

Trip to Okinawa 2

　　I got up at about 5 o'clock this morning and went out for a jog after breakfast, but the subtropical sunlight was harsh and I was only able to run for 20 minutes. Eventually, I walked around almost the entire island. Some beaches were preparing to open. Many gravel carriers were peacefully lying at anchor at Motobu Gulf. They were for the construction of the new Marine Base, which was welcomed by most Japanese, but pro-China activists are getting in the way. I happened to see a ferry boat, which I had wanted to get on, and I took a snapshot. Today's dinner was at a gorgeous Italian restaurant in the resort, and we enjoyed the famous Hilton fireworks.

 

Trip to Okinawa 1

　　My wife and I visited Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort in Okinawa, part of which was under development. There's a direct flight from my place to Naha (Okinawa), and we were able to reach Naha in two hours. After renting a car, we headed for Sesokojima Island via the American Village. We happened to pass by the scene of the conflict between the government and the leftist group. A security guard was killed there a few months ago. It was a disgusting accident. Just after our arrival at the resort, I enjoyed wandering around alone, leaving my wife, who was tired, in the condominium. Wandering aimlessly in a strange area was very joyful to me. We had Okinawa's local specialty, soba noodles, for dinner in our hotel. It was great. After dinner, we enjoyed a special concert by the local band "Inagun-gwa". Tonight's nibbles were pig ear jerky as you can see in the following pictures. It was not bad, but I prefer beef jerky.

Ten-noh's State Visit to the U.K.

　　Japan's Imperial couple made a state visit to the U.K. for one week. Both of them have the experience of studying in Oxford University in their 20s. This visit would have been a great time for them. I heard of their visit in May and wondered whether we should reschedule our visit to fit with their state visit or not. However, we were afraid to get involved in traffic jams or something like that, and visited the U.K. during the early part of June as originally scheduled.
　　Countries like Japan and the U.K., which have kings, seem to be lucky for me. No matter what political misunderstandings or disputes there are, the friendship between the countries can be maintained at the level of the royal family. Getting a quick overview of Japan's history, people were totally free from the threat from overseas in the Edo era and in the times of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. I really hope that the new Anglo-Japanese Alliance would be tied.

 

Back Home

　　We wiled away four hours with some drinks in a lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport and then headed to Kansai Airport on Thai International Airways. I slept all the way on the flight, and the landing announcement awoke me. There was no Japanese-speaking cabin attendant and no Japanese version of an immigration card. I felt that the airline company didn't take proper care of Japanese customers despite the direct flight between Thailand and Japan. We got home utilizing the super-express Haruka, the Shinkansen bullet train, and the super-express Shiokaze for one stretch from Kansai International Airport. The destination of next year's trip to the U.K. will be London and Brighton.

At Munich Airport

　　We utilized award tickets of All Nippon Airways on this trip, but we weren't able to get direct flights. We had to stop over at Munich and Bangkok on the way to Japan. We stayed one night at Flightgate Hotel near Munich Airport. Our room was clean and cozy. The hotel staff were kind. Additionally, the breakfast included in the hotel charges was great. If we will have another opportunity to stop over in Munich, I'd like to book this hotel again. At Munich Airport the next day, I had to pass the passport control twice! I didn't know why. It didn't take so much time. One more thing, my daypack was opened at the inspection and my pack of wet tissues were tested using a thin film. The inspector might have doubted if I had some illegal substances. Anyway strict inspections are also for myself and are welcome. However, I wanted to know the reason why they suspected me of carrying something illegal. We flew Thai Airways International from Munich to Bangkok.

Lufthansa Lounge

　　There were seven to eight different airline lounges that we could use at Terminal 2, and we chose the Lufthansa lounge. We spent some time before boarding with complimentary dishes and alcoholic beverages. The following picture shows a book that I bought at a bookstore. It features reviews of traveling Japan made by foreign tourists. I was interested in how international tourists see Japan. The reason why we chose the Lufthansa lounge was that I wanted to accustom myself to German. I had learned German long ago, but my German speaking skills were rusted now. However, to my disappointment, the language used in the lounge was all English. I understood that we were in the U.K. and it was natural. We arrived at Munich Airport in less than two hours. I was afraid that the immigration process would be more complex due to Brexit, but it proved unfounded. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. The atmosphere of the taxi stand was terrible. All the drivers were of Middle Eastern origin. It was midnight and we had no option but to use them. We were cheated out of the taxi fare. It was three times higher than the taxi the hotel called for us the next morning.

(Vocabulary)
complimentary 無料の, 贈呈の, 〈チケットが〉招待の; 称賛の, 敬意を表する

　入ることの出来るラウンジが７～８種類もあって悩んだが、搭乗するルフトハンザのラウンジで出発するまで本を読みながら過ごした。これは、空港で見つけた本、外国人から見た日本観光の評論で、日本の観光地が外国人にどのように映っているのか興味があった。
　ＬＨラウンジを選んだのは耳をドイツ語に少しで慣らしておこうと思ったからだが、なんのことはない、聞こえてくるのは全て英語、スタッフも英語を喋っている。ここはイギリス。そりゃそうだろうな。日本から持参していたドイツ語会話のテキストは結局一度も目を通すことは無かった。行けなかったラウンジの案内板を記念に撮影しておいた。
　２時間足らずでミュンヘンに着いた。ブレグジット後、イギリスからドイツ（ＥＵ）に入国するには何か面倒くさいかと思ったがなにもなし。空港からは深夜だったのでタクシーを利用したが空港のタクシー乗り場の雰囲気が悪い。全員が中東系。仕方なく利用したがぼられた。翌日、ホテルが呼んでくれたタクシーの３倍取られた。

At Heathrow

　　We bought a stuffed bear, "Paddington" for our granddaughter at London Paddington. Then, we moved to Heathrow Airport by the Elizabeth Line. It was a direct service and very handy. We had to stop over at Munich. We used award tickets this time and stopping over at Munich was a trade-off for getting cheaper flights. We decided to enjoy the airport itself in Heathrow. After wandering around bookstores and several souvenir shops, we entered a conveyor-belt sushi bar which seemed to be run by Indians. Not only this sushi bar, but in many places, I often came across Indians or people of Indian origin. Anyway, the taste was not bad, but their prices were incredible expensive. We ate only two kinds respectively. Their tastes and cleanliness were acceptable. I recalled that my daughter, who was now in Bath working as a physician, and I felt nauseous in a sushi restaurant run by Koreans in Prince Edward Island in 2012. I'll add the link to the article. 

 

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/07/japanese-cuisine-.html 

 

(Vocabulary)     

conveyor-belt [conveyer-belt] sushi bar [restaurant] 回転寿司     

 

 

 

　パディントン駅で孫にお土産の熊のぬいぐるみを買った後、エリザベスラインでヒースロー国際空港へ。直通なのでかなり便利。ヒースローからはルフトハンザでまずミュンヘンへ飛ぶ。特典航空券なので直行便で無いのは仕方ない。その代わりにラウンジや空港そのものを楽しむことにする。回転寿司屋があったので寄ってみた。味はまずまずだったが信じられないほど高い。それぞれ２品ほど食べて失礼した。味と清潔さは合格点。 カナダ東部のプリンスエドワード島で、コリアンが経営する寿司屋「竹鮨」でうんざりしたことを思い出した。その時の記事を添付する 

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/07/japanese-cuisine-.html 

Good-bye Bath

　　I left Bath by the great western railroad (gWr). I took some pictures of the small street leading to my daughter's apartment. I'd never visit here again. I engraved the scene, atmosphere and cool weather on my memory. My daughter lived here and commuted for a year. I wanted to say loudly "Thank you" to all the people who helped her. 

　　I got a cup of coffee on the train and enjoyed the scenery through the window, always checking where I was on the screen of the iPad. I happened to find Windsor Castle on the screen. I looked in the direction of the castle, but I couldn't see it. However, I understood the rough position of the castle. I'd like to visit the castle on the next trip to the U.K. My daughter will move to Brighton this summer following the governmental(NHS) decision. I'll visit Brighton and around London next year. 

 

 

Cardiff

　　It rained on the last day in Bath. I visited Cardiff, which is the capital city of Wales. It has some medieval castles and a coal mine museum called "Big Pit National Coal Museum". This coal mine used to be a major driving factor of the development of the U.K. after the industrial revolution. When I was checking the location of the museum, I happened to find the town of Aberfan. I recalled a miserable coal mine accident. No, not the coal mine accident. It was the worst-ever industrial accident, which killed a hundred school kids. The small town was said to have lost one generation. Anyway, the weather was bad, and the driving seemed to be hard and we stayed at Cardiff and enjoyed wandering the streets and department stores. I wasn't interested in shopping and visited Cardiff Castle alone. In the outer wall of the castle, the preparation of events or something was under way. It robbed the castle of the medieval atmosphere and it was regrettable. The outer wall was a hollow structure and I could walk inside the wall without being caught in the rain. Was this space used to repel enemies? 

　　The streets of Cardiff were generally clean. There were few litters. One thing, most signboards were written in English and Welsh. I tried to pronounce some Welsh words, but their spelling was very unusual and I couldn't even imagine the sound of the words. I'll show you an example later. 

 

(Vocabulary)   

medieval 中世の   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　旅行中、初めての雨。カーディフは言うまでもなくウェールズの首都。いくつかの中世の城が残っており、また産業革命以後、イギリスの発展を支えた炭鉱が博物館になっていると聞き行くつもりだった。Big Pit National Coal Museumだ。場所は南ウェールズ、悲惨な炭鉱事故というより、イギリス史上最悪の産業事故で、ウェールズ南部の小さな、ほぼ一世代を失ったという村、aberfanの近く。しかし、天気が悪く、運転が大変そうだったのでやめて、カーディフ市内のぶらぶら歩きに変更した。カーディフ城では何かイベントの準備で中世の風情は無くなっていて残念だったが、内部は雨も掛からず快適だった。   

　街は総じてきれい。余りゴミはない。が、いろいろな表示が２カ国語表示、ウェルシュ語と英語。発音を真似ようとしてもできない綴り。消えゆく言葉なのかもしれないと感じた。