Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Recalling The Kobe Earthquake in 1995

     Serious chaos seems to be still continuing in Haiti, according to the Japanese medical aid team. A group who had plotted to take a few dozen kids out of Haiti, were reportedly arrested at the border. They were alleged to be trafficers of kids. The situation is out of my imagination. Why can't the authorities give enough food to people who are starving, and accommodation to people who lost their houses?

     This catastrophe reminded me of the quake that hit Kobe City 15 years ago. Due to the poor control of the then authorities, the casualties rose up to 50,000. The toll topped 6,000. I belonged to the surgical department of the university hospital at that time and the rescue team was organized in a day in the university, and I was one of the rescue staff. I got into the devastated area on the second day, and saw people behave bravely, concealing their real feelings. They were totally staying organized while waiting for food, necessities and medical consultations. No assaults, no looting, co-operation and mutual assistance; these were the principles of the afflicted people.

     Some Japanese critics insist that this difference must come from racial characteristics, but I don't agree with their opinion. Look at Barbados. The people of this country are descendants of black people who were unreasonably captured and taken there from African countries just like the Haitians. What's the difference between Haiti and Barbados?

(Vocabulary)

traffic  密売買

trafficker  （悪徳）商人、〔麻薬などの〕密売人、人身売買業者

traffic  trafficked, trafficking

[他] 〈麻薬・兵器など〉 を密売買する

[自] 密売買する traffic in sth  ＜…＞を密売買する

He was arrested for trafficking in drugs.  彼は麻薬の密売で逮捕された．

stay organized  秩序が保たれている

bravely  気丈に

afflicted people  被災者

Barbados  バルバドス

Sea Bream

     The Japanese word for sea bream, tai, sounds similar to the Japanese adjective "mede-tai", which means "felicity", and what is more it is auspiciously red in color. This fish is often used in celebrations. This dish is slowly-boild sea bream with Japanese sake and soy sauce. This was very good, but I thought, while writing this entry, that people who can't use chopsticks would hardly taste it. It must be very difficult to eat with knives and forks. Anyway, it was nice to eat it slowly over Japanese sake, while picking through it.

(Vocabulary)

sea bream 鯛

felicity  = happiness

auspicious   幸先(さいさき)のよい, 吉兆の

(Jan. 10th 2010)

 

A Portion

     Do you see the three small bowls just in front of you? The left one was made from seaweed and the right one was made from boiled sweet vegetables. The center was a cooked rice cake, which is the symbol of happiness in Japan. In other words, these dishes meant a gift from sea and land.

     The symbolic Japanese cuisine is called "Kaiseki", which is artistic because each dish is served individually with a small amout of carefully prepared and beautifully arranged food. Kaiseki requires many attendants. As soon as each dish is prepared, it must be served to everyone, keeping hot dishes hot, cold ones cold. So that the attendants always have to observe the guests and inform the kitchen staff when every guest finishes the dish. The dishes are served at everyone's pace.

     By the way, our party was planned with low cost and lots of dishes were put on the individual table at once. You'll see the thin transparent sheet on the raw food dish for protection from the dust and keeping it cool with refrigerant.

     If served traditionally, the three dishes that I mentioned in the opening paragraph would be served individually at first with a small glass of plum wine as the appetizer.

(Vocabulary)

bowl   深鉢, わん, どんぶり, (料理用の) ボウル

plum wine  梅酒

refrigerant  保冷剤

(Jan. 10th 2010)

 

Joint Party of Motor Sports-related Groups

     As I wrote several times before, I belong to an auto racing team. I'll report on the year-end party of my team this time because it was unusual.

     After the relatively big motor sports event was held in autumn by the concerted effort of several teams, these teams got together and had a year-end party. The picture was shot just before the party. Some attendants are preparing and checking all the dishes. They would serve some more dishes later. My hometown is noted for the oldest hot spring, Dogo Onsen. Most guests were in the hot spring at that time, and I got out of it a little earlier to take this picture.

     While I took pictures, I hit on a nice and informative idea that I would take every dish and add an explanation to it. It would be interesting to foreigners.

(Vocabulary)

concerted／combined effort  協力

informative  役立つ情報［知識］を与える, 有益な

(Jan. 9th 2010)

 

 

End of the Year Party

     The end of the year party might be called the winter feature in Japan. In other words, it is a seasonal tradition. Lots of people go downtown or have a party in their homes in December. Though people can hold a party whenever they like, the party dominates in December. My hometown is amid an economic downturn, but the weekends in December are exceptional.

(Vocabulary)

seasonal tradition  風物詩

summer feature  夏の風物詩

dominate  集中する

(Jan. 8th 2010)

Conscience Stall

     If you wander around the countryside of Japan, you'll find tiny huts or small tables with shelves along the roadside, where fresh vegetables, fruits and folk arts are placed with a small can. Anyone who wants them can take them after paying. You might think that it's common everywhere, but there isn't any salesperson there. Can you believe it? The shoppers voluntarily throw the money into the can and get the stuff. It's the easiest way for people to get fresh crops from farmers. I'll show you some pictures of those no-manned stalls which my friend sent to me. When I was a little child, everyone followed the rule and there was no theft of merchandise, but now some people's conscience got rotten and some took vegetables without paying. The signs in the pictures are saying, "Be honest!", "No theft!" or something similar. I got sad to see these pictures. The conscience of Japanese people is disappearing.

     For a few decades after World War Two,  moral education has been made light of by the authorities. I suspect that the above is the result of this wrong policy. I think that the government has to improve moral teaching. The number of cruel crimes in Japan is getting high these days. I think that this is also the effect of poor ethical education.

(Vocabulary)
conscience 　良心, 道義心
on your conscience   気に病んで, 気がとがめて
Could you live with that on your conscience?  そのことを気に病んだままでいられるんですか．
a guilty conscience  やましく思うこと, 良心の呵責(かしゃく)
a clear conscience  やましさがないこと, 良心のとがめのないこと
a matter of conscience  良心の問題
a social conscience  社会的道徳心
by/on/along the roadside  道路わきに, 道端に
folk art  民芸品
bill  ちらし, びら, 張り紙
ethical education / moral instruction / moral teaching  道徳教育
make light of  （物・人を）軽視する

    

The Book of Virtues

     Japan was beaten by the U.S. in World War Two. Then, the U.S. feared that Japan would get strong again, and took various measures to keep Japan feeble. One of their measures was to imprint the masochistic view of history on the Japanese mind. It was a kind of brainwashing. However, luckily, lots of Japanese are recovering from this awful way of thinking. Another way was to make a bonfire of huge amounts of books that were inconvenient to them. The Allies did the same thing as the Nazi that they intensely accused of the same thing. Moreover, they distorted the history of Japan, and deprived the Japanese people of "Kyouiku Chokugo", the Imperial message on Education. The Allies insisted that this message would foment militarism and banned the learning it. Most Japanese have been told that the Imperial message on Education was evil. Actually, I had believed it.

     The other day, I attended the lecture of Mr. Tamogami, the former chief of staff. In the lecture, he said that the Imperial message on Education was translated into many languages except Korean and Chinese, and now it is used for the education of virtue in many countries including the U.S. It was amazing. I got it today, and read only a little bit. I'll report on the book later in this blog. The picture is of the book.

(Vocabulary)
feeble  (高齢・病気などで) 体の弱った, ひ弱な
a feeble old man  体の弱った老人
imprint sth on sb's mind/memory/brain   ＜…＞を＜人＞の心［記憶，脳裏］に刻み込む
masochistic view of history  自虐史観
make a bonfire of  ～を焼き捨てる
bonfire  (祝賀の) 大かがり火, (ごみを焼く) たき火
Allies  (特に第二次世界大戦での) 連合国
the Imperial message on Education  教育勅語
勅語とは天皇のことば。みことのり。明治憲法下で、天皇が大権に基づき、国務大臣の副署を要さず、親しく臣民に対して発表した意思表示。
militarism　軍国主義
foment (けなして・フォーマル)  〈戦争・暴動など〉 をあおる, 扇動する = stir up
chief of staff  幕僚長

 

kangaroos in Australia

     I found some sweet news about Australia through CNN. Australia sounds anguished over the growing kangaroos. kangaroos look winsome, but they seem to be fierce and dangerous to humans. According to the CNN, they got to show up around people in the street, and devastated crops and often injured people. Now, what would the Australians do to solve this problem. I'm very interested.

     You know, Australia gives assistance to the Greenpeace boat, which interferes with the Japanese investigation ship which collects data on the number of whales. The number of whales is getting large over several decades after the ban against commercial whaling.

     Greenpeace don't want to take in the data and accuse Japan because they feel sorry for the whales. I think Greenpeace is sort of a gangster in the Antarctic Ocean. The country that helps them interfere with Japanese research violently, is Australia.

     Now, the Australian Government has to take some measures against the growing number of kangaroos. Australia looks like a country of mercy. Mercy surpasses justice. They wouldn't slaughter the kangaroos by any possible contingency.

(Vocabulary)
sweet revenge  胸のすく復讐劇
winsome  愛嬌(あいきょう)のある, 魅力のある
fierce / vicious  どう猛な
commercial whale hunting / commercial whaling  商業捕鯨
feel sorry for  ～がかわいそう
the Antarctic Ocean  南氷洋
Mercy surpasses justice.  慈悲の心は裁きに勝る。
not ~ by any possible contingency  よもや～まい
contingency  [C] (将来起こりうる) 緊急事態, 不測の事態
contingency plan   緊急対策
contingency fund   緊急予備金

"I Don't Like Whale Meat"

     Japan has a big problem now. The present ruling party adopts the lefty policies. People who were angry with the economic policies of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP, the former dominant party) had voted for the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) with intense disciplinary feeling in August. Consequently, the DPJ got the power. Moreover, the DPJ had taken other lefty parties into its regime. Now, the Prime Minister, Hatoyama, is repeating nonsense and anti-Japanese comments one after another.

     By the way, both Koreas and China has the tradition of eating dogs. They say that dogs are nutritious and nice to keep fit on a sweltering hot day. I imagine that dogs for them are just like eels for Japanese. I have a dog and I'm sorry to hear that, but it is their tradition. I have nothing to tell them.

     The title of this entry is Mr. Hatoyama's official words to foreign countries which accuse Japan of whale hunting. Japan has had the culture of utilizing whales not only as food but also daily necessities. Japanese people have never wasted them. The price of the meat had been lower than cows and pigs, and whale meat had been the food of ordinary people. Mr. Hatoyama was born into a very rich family that has produced famous politicians. I think he might not need to eat the whale meat. However, he is now the Prime Minister of Japan. He should not say so. I'm suspicious of his qualifications as The Prime Minister.

(Vocabulary)

disciplinary  懲罰の

qualification  資質

on a sweltering hot day  うだるような暑い日

Mottainai

     The question, 'what is it' in English, often springs to my mind in daily life and I have a long lasting quesition. How can I express the meaning of the Japanese adjective "mottainai". I sometimes ask native speakers who live in Japan this question. Every answer was correct, but wasn't enough. There might not exist the exact word in English. I looked for the opinion of the professional translators but couldn't come across what I wanted.
     In general, "mottainai" means the waste of something; waste of time, waste of money, waste of effort,,,. If you brush your teeth in running tap water in an ordinary Japanese  family, you'd surely be told that it's a waste of water. Water is "mottainai". On this occasion, it doesn't simply imply that you are wasting or throwing away the water. That is, clean water was made and transferred to you by numerous people and GOD. You should use it meaningfully. You never use it unwittingly. You should always use it with gratitude. "Mottainai" contains such a significant meaning. An American showed me "shameful waste", but it isn't enough either.
     In decent families in Japan, children will be scolded like this when they leave just a grain of rice in their rice bowl. "Oh, I can't believe that you would do something "mottainai" like that. You must learn how hard the farmer's work is. Your eyes will be damaged by God." It is a typical phrase in this case.

(Vocabulary)
spring to someone's mind（思いや考えなど）ふっと思い付く
spring to (somebody's) mind (＜人＞に)ひらめく, ふと思い浮かぶ
scold  'skould'  〈特に子供〉 をしかる

Japan and Other Asian Countries, Sep. 11th (2)

     Historically speaking, what's the distinct difference between Japan and other Asian countries? There might be many ways of thinking, but I think of whether the nation had been ruled by superpowers or not. Thailand is also a country that has no history of being governed by another country, but this nation was just allowed to exist as a buffer between the British and French colonies.
     Japan had enjoyed a striking level of prosperity in the Edo era (1603-1867). Japan developed its own culture. People lived in an unbelievably safe society. The development of modern society had never been obstructed in spite of repeated disasters like famines, earthquakes, plagues and volcanic eruptions. In this era, people acquired high level of morality and literacy.
     In 1868 the tycoon, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, peacefully returned his political power to the Emperor. Do you know any other peaceful revolution in the world? The capital city, Edo, remained intact during this revolution, which was the restoration of Imperial power. It was really lucky for the development of Japan. Japan started building their national military system at that time against overwhelming superpowers, which were filled with ambition to occupy and rule Japan. Finally, Japan got to beat Qing (China) 30 years later and defeated Russia 10 years after the victory against Qing.
     Eventually, Japan acquired two colonies, Taiwan and Korea. Japan committed a huge amount of capital to the project that would make them develop to the same level as Japan. Japan's policy on the colonies was to raise the level of their civilizations while that of the superpowers was just to exploit them. In 1945, the school enrollment rate of Taiwan was 95%. They had been ruled by Japan for 50 years, whereas in Indonesia, which had been dominated for 300 years by Holland, the literacy rate was only 2%. Japan had encouraged the people in Taiwan and Korea to learn. The highest level of education was equally given to anyone, no matter where he or she came from.
     Japan was forced to wage wars against the U.S. and started the Greater East Asian War to eliminate the superpowers from Asian countries. Japan lost the war, but the initial purpose was fulfiled.
     Getting back to the last entry, a few days after the 9.11 terror attack, the then U.S. President Bush declared war against the terrorist groups and its sponsors, implying that the mastermind was the al-Qaeda network. He compared the terror attack to Japan's raid on Pearl Harbour. He continued, "We can give freedom to Islamic nations. We did it to Japan half a century ago." He thought that the Japanese people were the same as the people who had been educated only to read and memorize the Koran. This eposode tells us that his mentality is terrible and horrible. He should have learnt world history more seriously.

(Vocabulary)
enjoy a striking level of prosperity  特筆すべき繁栄を謳歌する
literacy 読み書き(能力), 識字
literacy rate  識字率
be filled with ambition 野望に燃えている
Qing  清
exploit (けなして) (人・労働力など)を私的目的に利用する, 食いものにする, 搾取する
(school) enrollment ratio [rate] / percentage of school attendance  就学率
fulfill (夢・目的など) を実現する, 果たす
mastermind  首謀者
al-Qaeda network  アルカイーダ
Koran  コーラン

German and English

     I'm learning German now. Honestly I'd learned it during my college days. It was just for graduation. German and English were essential subjects for the medical course. In other words, learning those languages was not from my desire but just obligation. However, the present condition isn't like that. I really want to acquire German skills for fun. I will be putting my stuff into a suitcase in the next month. I'll leave for Kansai International Airport by ferryboat on Sep. 25th. What is Germany like? I chose Lufthansa Airlines, so at the instant I get into the plane it will be in German.
     Today I found an interesting expression. "Ich bin hundemüde." "Hund" is "dog" in English and "müde" means "tired" in English. This short sentence says, "I'm dog tired." I was interested in the fact that "dog" is used as an emphasis of fatigue in both nations. Such an expression doesn't exist in Japanese.
     After starting writing this blog four years ago, I have often felt how hard it is to express the cultural aspect of Japan. Mutual comprehension is essential for peace, though. I think you know of the Japanese Emperor, but I don't believe this expression is suitable. "Emperor" implies "King" or "Czar" along with an autocracy. Japanese Emperor or "Ten-noh" is completely opposite from those. I'd like to compare the "Japanese Emperor" to a "Priest King."

(Vocabulary)
czar, tsar   (革命前の) ロシア皇帝, ツァーリ
autocracy  独裁［専制］政治  独裁［専制］主義国家
compare   …をなぞらえる, 例える
compare sth/sb to/with sth/sb　＜…＞を＜…＞になぞらえる［例える］
Priest King　祭祀王

Haiku Competition (俳句甲子園)

     Haiku is a Japanese traditional literature. It is often called the world of 17 letters. An infinite of universes can be described in only 17 letters. My hometown, Matsuyama City, has produced lots of haiku writers, like Siki Masaoka and Kyoshi Takahama. Therefore, most haiku freaks want to come to Matsuyama and Matsuyama is likened to Mecca for Muslims.
     The pictures show the high school students' haiku competition that was held on Aug. 8th. The busiest car-free mall was used as the competition site. Five representatives of each high school were at the red and white table, and announced their reviews and rebuttals about the opponents' haiku.
     The five judges decided which team had the better knowledge and skills and raised a red or white flag and the team which won more than three flags sealed the victory. The high school that was the No.1 of each pool play could go on to the tournament. I'm sorry, my alma mater couldn't get to the tournament.

(Vocabulary)
produce a lot of famous politicians 多くの有名な政治家を輩出する
haiku poet [writer]  俳人
liken somebody/something to somebody /something
(フォーマル) ＜…＞を＜…＞に例える, なぞらえる
Mecca サウジアラビア西部の都市
mecca : a place that many people want to visit for a particular reason
car-free mall 歩行者天国
pool play  予選リーグ
alma mater  母校

(KW: 正岡子規　高浜虚子　松山市　俳句　甲子園)

Bridge of Mikasa and Russian POW

     The first picture shows the bridge of the Mikasa. I climbed up there. There was a copper plate that is in the second picture. This plate was made from a famous painting and it was exhibited inside. I'd like to have taken a picture of it, but it was prohibited. I found an illustration of the painting on the internet and am showing you it here. You can see some people in the illustration. The top four officials of the Mikasa are drawn in the center of the illustration. Their position on the deck was pointed out with four plates. The nxt three pictures are the instruction board and the plates. Picture no.4 is of Saneyuki Akiyama, who was from my hometown and was a hero on the sea. Picture no.1 is of Admiral Heihachirou Togo, who is one of the three greatest admirals in the world along with Admiral Nelson and John Paul Jones. The last picture is mine. I'm standing in the spot of Saneyuki Akiyama.
     The title of the drama that I related in the last entry is "Saka no Ue no Kumo". My office is located in the center of the city. Nearby is the modernistic Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum, designed by Ando Tadao and dedicated to the novel "Clouds Over The Hill" by Shiba Ryotaro, which tells the story of the local Akiyama brothers and their roles in defeating the Russians in the Japanese-Russo War (1904-1905). A footnote to this conflict is the Russian Cemetery near Raigoji Temple with the graves of 98 Russian soldiers, of the around 6,000 Russian prisoners, who were held with a fair amount of freedom in Matsuyama. They could enjoy walking just about freely in the city and bathing at Dogo Onsen Spa, which was noted for the oldest hot spa in Japan. Some got married and started businesses. Russia was informed about this treatment and finally Russian soldiers got to shout "Matsuyama" when they waved the white flag. Though Russia took a few hundred thousand Japanese POWs into custody and they were treated inhumanely in Siberian labor camps, the Russian soldiers' cemetery has been kept clean and tidy for a hundred years by people from the neighborhood and the junior high school students nearby. I'd like the present Russian people to know this fact. The last five pictures are of the Russian cemetery.

(Vocabulary)
copper plate  銅板
wave the white flag  降伏する
Siberian labor camp  シベリア抑留
inhumane
extremely cruel and causing unacceptable suffering:
the inhumane treatment of political prisoners
I was shocked by the inhumane conditions.
―inhumanely adv

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (KW:日露戦争　戦艦三笠　秋山兄弟　好古　真之　眞之　松山　ロシア人墓地　坂の上の雲)

Flag Z

     The title, "Flag Z", is my translation of a Japanese phrase, "Z旗". I don't know whether this translation is good, but I'll go on with the story, supposing that it's correct.
     The flag consists of four colors and stands for extreme resolutions. Battleship Mikasa, that I wrote about in the last entry, fought the Russian Baltic Fleet with this flag raised and claimed a perfect victory.
     This triumph led to the Russians' turning back and made their subject colored people awake to the fact that they're never inferior to white people. It literally changed the white-dominated world that had continued for 500 years. In this way, flag Z became the sign to show strong will in Japan.

(Vocabulary)
go on with the story  話を続ける
supposing that  （that以下）と仮定して
resolution  [C] 決意, 決心, 誓い
a resolution to do something ＜…＞しようという決意
raised 　掲げて
subject 《[名]の前でのみ》(フォーマル) (他の国・階級などの) 支配下にある, 被支配の
subject peoples  被支配民族
be awake to sth  ＜…＞に気づいている, を悟っている
white-dominated  白人支配の

(KW:日露戦争　戦艦三笠)

Pendulum Clock

     I put a wonderful wall clock in my living room, which is controlled by radio and driven by light. It means that this watch never shows a bad time and never stops due to the outage of juice. It has worked impeccably these last two years. Besides, it's not expensive. However, I found that it's not always true that the more advanced, the better.
     I saw a nostalgic pendulum clock today. It reminded me of my maternal grandparent's house, which I frequently visited in my childhood. Both of my maternal grandparents have already passed away but their shadows are still in my mind. This pendulum clock made the shadows of their former selves vivid.
     I've not seen this type of clock for a long time and I looked at it for a while and found that it said on the face "QUARTZ". What? The pendulum was a mere ornament and this clock wasn't driven by a spiral spring but controlled by quartz and AA batteries. It was just a fly in the ointment.
     All the same, something nostalgic wasn't bad.

(Vocabulary)
pendulum clock　振り子時計
be out of charge（電化製品などが）バッテリーが切れている
be out of juice（電池式の器具などが）〈俗〉 バッテリーが切れている
impeccable  申し分のない, 非の打ちどころのない, 完璧(かんぺき)な= perfect
paternal / maternal  父方／母方の
a shadow of one's former self　昔の面影
clock face / face of a watch / dial / dial plate　時計の文字盤
main spring / power spring / spiral spring　ぜんまい
a fly in the ointment  興ざめ

 

Nobel award in Literature

     I read through the Japanese translation of "Die Blechtrommel" and "Beim Haeuten Der Zwiebel", which were authored by Günter Grass, who is a Nobel laureate in literature. I know that he has been under fire due to his career. He revealed recently that he used to be a member of Schutzstaffel (Nazi's SS) in his autobiography of "Beim Haeuten Der Zwiebel". I didn't enjoy either.
     I wonder how the Nobel laureate in literature is decided. It feels like the decision is lacking in objectivity. In the  case of the Peace Prize, people can judge the achievement of the laureate and express their opinions like it's ok or not. It's rare that somebody plots to put a con on people and win the Nobel Peace Prize, committing big money to something just like former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung (金大中).
     I think that people can't know the reason why he or she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Every language has its own beautiful expressions and verses. The referees would never be able to handle many languages at the same time. Consequently, the standard of judgement would be the story or the context of the work.
     I wondered why he received the Prize. The story of "Die Blechtrommel" was weird and unbelievable. According to his profession, some people accused him and insisted that he should pass up the Nobel Prize. I believe that the Nobel Prize in Literature makes no sense.

(Vocabulary)
Die Blechtrommel  ブリキの太鼓
Beim Haeuten Der Zwiebel  玉ねぎの皮をむきながら
receive/win the Nobel in Literature  ノーベル文学賞を受賞する
Nobel laureate in literature  ノーベル文学賞受賞者
Nobel Peace Prize / Nobel Prize for Peace　ノーベル平和賞
Nobel laureate for peace prize　ノーベル平和賞の受賞者
Schutzstaffel　ナチス親衛隊
autobiography  自叙伝
objectivity  客観性
put a con on （人を）欺く
commit [他] 〈資金・兵力など〉 を投入する
commit something to something
＜…＞を＜…＞に投入する
profession  (信念・意見などの) 表明, 告白
pass sth up  ＜昇進・招待など＞を断る, 辞退する
pass up a chance/an opportunity  チャンスを見送る
pass up an offer   申し出を断る

(KW: ギュンター・グラス) 

Immigration Issue

     Today's entry is about the immigration issue in Japan. It's a serious problem and topic. Reference to the following movie may be of use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
     Many politicians insist that Japan has to admit immigrants and give them suffrage. I think it is a stupid idea. I'm showing my opinion this time both in English and Japanese. I'd be happy if you send me your comments.
     A birth rate of at least 2.11 seems to be essential in order for the culture of a country to be preserved. Let's check the rates of 2007 in European countries.

France          1.8
Great Britain   1.6
Greece          1.3
Germany         1.3
Italy           1.2
Spain           1.1
EU              1.38

     Don't you think it is critical? However, the population of EU hasn't been decreasing. Why? It's because those countries admit lots of immigrants.
     Ninety percent of the increase of European population since 1990 is due to the immigration of Muslims.

In case of France:
Birth rate is 1.8 and that of Muslim is 8.1 !  If simply calculated, one of every five French will be a Muslim in 2027. After 39 years (in 2048), more than 50% of people will be Muslim and France will be Muslim country.

In case of Great Britain:
The number of Muslims will increase from 82000 to 2.5 million in 30 years.

In case of Holland:
At present, 50 % of newly born babies are already Muslim. 15 years later, Holland will be a Muslim country.

In case of Russia:
The number of Muslim is 23 million right now. That is one fifth of its population.

In case of Belgium:
Twenty five percent of the population is already Muslim and 50 % of newborns are Muslim.

In case of Germany:
It will be Muslim country in 2050. According to the German Government, there are 52 million Muslims in Europe and it will increase to 140 million in 20 years.

In case of Canada:
Birth rate is 1.6 and the population has increased by 1.6 million from 2001 to 2006, but 1.2 million is the increase of immigrants.

In case of the U.S:
The number of Muslim in the U.S. in 1970 was only 100,000 but increased to 9 million in 2008. It is supposed to go up to 50 million after 30 years.

     What do you think about this status? You figure out how critical the situation of the Europe is. You might suspect if the Muslim religion is bad or not. I'd like to express my opinion about that below.
     To quickly describe what I wrote above, the Muslim culture is gradually and legally encroaching on the Christian culture sphere and the situation is supposed to be irreversible at present. It's because of the difference in the birth rate between Muslim people and people in western developed countries. Several decades from now, Muslim people will dominate the world and other people will have to get along as minorities. I came up with a fearful idea. When the population of Muslims becomes more than a half the world' population and Muslim people obey a certain spiritual leader, can we not say that Muslim people will become the supranational group? Their own rules will rank over the constitution of the countries that they actually belong to. They might ruin the concept of the nation. They might break down other peoples' culture.
     Is there any means to prevent Europe from muslimizing? It's a very easy task. You should not allow Muslims to immigrate into Europe. The rate of unemployment in EU is 9%! Why do they accept immigrants? I can think of two reasons.
    At first, it's because European rich people hate hard and dirty work. Those hated jobs are given to poor immigrants. Maybe European political leaders have a sense of discrimination against poor Islamic people. (Naturally they'd deny such motive.)
     Secondly, EU are planning to increase their population and their influence, and eventually deprive the U.S. of hegemony.
     The other day, moral-lacking Sarközy was talking in front of a camera that EU should build up a single economic sphere with Turkey and Russia. I was surprised to hear that. Turkey shares the issue of "Lie of Armenia" with France and "Cyprus Issue" with Greece. Turkey will never be a member of EU, at least in near future. Russia is strongly putting up a fight against Georgia and Ukraine about their joining NATO. His idea makes no sense at present. Besides, if this single economic sphere brought on the free immigration of labor, western Europe would be inundated with numerous Islamic immigrants. People living in southern Russia are mostly Muslim. They will move to Europe via Turkey, because their income will become ten or twenty times much more just only to move. Eventually free immigration will result in the disappearance of the original civilization.
     If you have a chance to see Mr. Sarközy, tell him something like this:
"President! Aegean civilization was destroyed by the great migration of Dorians."
"The Roman Empire disappeared due to the great movement of Germanic peoples."
"Do you know that European civilization will be wiped out by the influx of Islamic people?"
     By the way, is Japan OK? I think Japan can be free from this, if people are sober. Do I hate Muslim? No, absolutely no. I never look down on Muslim people.
     Actially, is this sharp rise of the Islamic population a threat to Japan? Though some Asian countries are Muslim; Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Central Asian countries, fortunately they aren't hostile. These countries would never be hostile to Japan. Japan has the advantage in the sense of geography. Immigrants flow from poor countries to rich ones all the time and they prefer land borders rather than ocean borders. Poor Islamic people would rush to rich western Europe at first. Then they will destroy the European Christian Civilization. Naturally, it is this story that will foillow after more than fifty years.
     What's the choice of Japan? Japan must not accept poor immigrants from Islamic countries. Why do immigrants provoke riots in France? It's because the French have the sense of discrimination that make Islamic people do the work that the original French hate. It's the best way not to accept those people in order to foster enemies inside. For the record, equal footing is OK; athletes, actors, university professors, engineers, business persons, doctors,,, and so on are no problem. Once specific poor classes are formed, it leads to an unstable society. Security will be compromised.
     It should be emphasized that the real enemy is not the poor immigrants but the politicians who push forth the discriminatory policy that failed in Europe. I'd like you not to vote for such politicians in the coming election.

(Vocabulary)
immigration issue   移民問題
suffrage   参政権
to quickly describe  手短に言えば
encroach  [自](けなして) 押し寄せる, 侵害する
encroach on/upon something  ～を侵害する　侵食する
supernational / supranational　超国家的な（二カ国以上が関与して一国を超える権威・権力を有する）
put up a fight　抵抗する、戦う、争う、抵抗を示す、反対する
bring on  （病気・発作・惨事・危機などを）引き起こす
be inundated with 殺到する
Aegean civilization  エーゲ文明
Dorians  ドーリア人
great migration / great movement　大移動
Rome / the Roman Empire  ローマ帝国
Great Barbarian Invasion  ゲルマン民族大移動
Germanic peoples  ゲルマン民族
barbarian  教養のない人, 野卑な人  (古代ギリシャ人やローマ人から見た) 異邦人
hostile  敵意のある　敵対する
geographically  地理的に
provoke a riot / set off a riot　暴動を引き起こす
acquire an enemy / foster enemies　敵を作る
foster　（技術・精神など）をはぐくむ, 育成［促進］する
for the record　念のために記しておくと
fifty-fifty partnership　対等なパートナーシップ
equal footing　対等な立場
discriminatory  差別的な
discriminatory practice  差別的な慣行

積極的に移民を受け入れ、参政権を与えようという主張する政治家が日本には多くいる。全く呆れた話だと思う。日本語と英語の両方で意見を書いてみたい。意見をお待ちする。 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU ある文化が保たれるためには、出生率が2.11人以上必要だそうだ。欧州の現状はどうなのか？ 2007年のデータ・フランス　1.8人・イギリス　1.6人・ギリシャ　1.3人・ドイツ　1.3人・イタリア　1.2人・スペイン　1.1人・ＥＵ　1.38人 危機的状態ではないか？ところが、欧州の人口は減っていない。それは移民を大量に受け入れているから。1990年から現在にいたるまで、欧州の人口増加の90%はイスラム移民によるものだ。たとえば。 1、フランスの場合フランスの出生率は1.8人。イスラム教徒の出生率は、8.1人。2027年、フランス人の5人に一人はイスラム教徒になる。39年後（2048年）、フランスはイスラム国家になる。 2、イギリスの場合イスラム教徒の数はここ30年で、8万2000人から250万人まで増加。 3、オランダの場合すでに新生児の50%（！）はイスラム教徒。15年後、オランダはイスラム国家になる。 4、ロシアの場合イスラム教徒の数は2300万人。これは人口の5分の1である。 5、ベルギーの場合人口の25%はイスラム教徒。新生児の50%はイスラム教徒。 6、ドイツの場合 2050年にイスラム国家になる。ドイツ政府によると、現在欧州には5200万人のイスラム教徒がいるが、20年後には、1億400万人まで増加するとのこと。 7、カナダの場合カナダの出生率は1.6人。2001～06年に、同国の人口は160万人増えたが、そのうち120万人は移民による増加。 8、アメリカの場合 1970年、アメリカのイスラム教徒はわずか10万人。それが2008年には900万人（！）まで増加。30年後、イスラム教徒の数は5000万人まで増える。 欧州は相当深刻な状態であることが理解いただけただろうか。 要約すれば、イスラム圏と欧米先進国の出生率の違いにより、キリスト教文化圏はじわじわと静かに、移民という合法的手段で侵略されつつあり、その趨勢は既に挽回不可能なところまで来ているというわけである。すなわち、数十年後には世界はイスラム教信者で席巻され、イスラム以外はマイナリティとして生活していかざるを得なくなる、ということだ。数十年後、イスラム人口が世界人口の半数を超えたとき、そしてその集団がある特定のリーダーに従うとすれば、それは超国家的な集団と言うことになる。 彼らのルールは自分たちの属する国の憲法よりも上位になるであろう。この集団がいつか国家の概念を壊してしまうようなことには成らぬか。他民族の文化を壊してしまわぬか。 ではどうすればよいのか。移民を受け入れなければよいのである。EUの失業率は９％もあるのだ。なぜイスラム移民を受け入れるのか。理由は二つあると思う。 まず、３Ｋ労働をさせるためだ。リッチなヨーロッパ人はきつい仕事を嫌う。貧しいイスラム移民にそういった仕事をさせるのである。 次に人口を増やし、欧州を拡大し、ドル体制を崩壊させ、ユーロを世界共通通貨にして、米国から覇権を取り戻すためである。 先日テレビを見てたら、モラル破綻男、サルコジが「欧州は、トルコやロシアと単一経済圏を形成するべきだ！」なんていっていた。驚いた。「アルメニアの嘘」法案でフランスとトルコは犬猿の仲となっているし、ギリシャとの間ではキプロス問題を抱えている。ロシアにしてもグルジアやウクライナのＮＡＴＯ加盟問題でＥＵとはぎくしゃくしている。現時点では全くばかな話である。万一この経済圏が自由な労働力の移動を引き起こしたとすると、トルコ経由でイスラム移民が西欧に殺到する。ロシアの南部はほとんどイスラム圏。彼らも喜んで西欧に殺到するだろう。なんといっても移動するだけで、所得が１０倍～２０倍になるのだから。結局欧州の白人指導者は、文明自体を消滅させることになる。 サルコジさんと会う機会があれば、「大統領、エーゲ文明はドーリア人の大移動で滅びた。ローマ帝国は、ゲルマン民族の大移動で滅びた。ヨーロッパ文明は、イスラム教徒の大移動で滅びることをご存じですか？」と言ってやってください。 では、日本は大丈夫なのか？大丈夫だと思います。国民が賢くなれば。 お前はイスラムが嫌いなのか？いいえ、イスラムを蔑視しているのではありません。次に述べます。 さて、このイスラム人口大爆発は日本の脅威となるのだろうか？アジアの国々のうち、インドネシア・マレーシア・パキスタン・中央アジア諸国などはイスラム教国である。しかし、幸いなことにこれらの国々は日本に敵対するものではない。これらの国が日本の脅威になる可能性はほとんどないだろう。日本は地理的に幸いしている。移民はいつでも「貧しい地域から豊かな地域」に流れていく。そして、できれば「陸続き」の方がいい。貧しいイスラム教徒は、まず豊かな西欧に大挙していくだろう。そして、欧州キリスト教文明を崩壊させる。もちろん、５０～１００年単位の話だ。 日本はどうすればよいか。これは簡単だ。イスラム教国から「３Ｋ移民」をいれなければいい。どうしてフランスで移民が大暴動を起こすのか？それは「オリジナルフランス人が嫌がる仕事は、貧乏なイスラム移民にさせよう！」という極めて差別的な動機があるから。差別的３Ｋ移民を入れないことが「内なる敵」をつくらない最善策だ。 同じ移民でも、歌手・俳優・スポーツ選手・大学教授・学者・教師・プログラマー・ビジネスマン等々、『対等移民』は問題ない。特定の貧しい階級ができると社会不安に繋がる。治安が悪くなるのだ。 ここで特記しておきたいことがある。真の敵は、入ってくる貧しい３Ｋ移民の人たちではない。「日本人が嫌がる仕事は、移民にさせよう！」という差別的動機で、欧州で大失敗した政策をすすめようとする連中だ。読者の皆さまには、「３Ｋ移民受け入れ支持派の政治家」は選挙で落としてくださるよう、ご協力をお願いしたい。

Mitarai Area

     We got to Oosaki-shimojima island, passing over three bridges from Okamurajima island, just like a grasshopper jumps between islands. The direction for Kure City was right, but we turned left and dropped in at the Mitarai Area. It's because this district was a historic place. I was ashamed for not knowing this place. This site was very small and tiny on a trivial island, but the location had been ideal for mariners for a long time. When a fierce storm passes, the inside of this area was secure. I think you can imagine that from the first picture. So, Korean envoies had used this place as a stopping point on the way to Edo (former Tokyo in 1600-1868). There remains some Korea-related stuff here. The second picture is of the light house that was built in the 17th century. The monument in the third picture says that the whole area is a national preserved area. Naturally, there was a licensed quarter and more than 100 prostitutes for mariners or travelers. The fourth picture is of the biggest house of profession, which was closed from the damage. The posts and beams seemed to be distorted and need to be repaired. Besides, there were so many nostalgic artifacts for Japanese, and that stuff would be fun for foreigners.

For reference: http://kumo.typepad.jp/wadachi/tobishima.html

(Vocabulary)
envoy  使節　公使
stopping point  中継地
licensed quarter  遊郭
prostitute  遊女
house of profession [delight, enjoyment]  house of prostitutionの婉曲表現
post-and-beam construction  柱と梁の構造
artifact  (人工）遺物

(KW: とびしま海道　大崎下島　平羅島　中の島　岡村島　御手洗　朝鮮通信使) 

Mari Tanigawa Marathon Relay Race (Ekiden)

     Do you know Ekiden? It's one of the sports that originated from Japan. At first let me explain the word "Ekiden". "Eki" means "station" in English and "den" is "inform". Long ago, when you had to send some information to places far away, the letters and parcels were sent to the next stopping point one after another by horses. That is to say, a long distance was divided into small parts and stuff was transported section by section. The name of "Ekiden" was born from this system of transportation.
     Now, today, my daughter sent me a picture with a certificate that showed the record of her group. I'll show you below. It seemed like she joined the ekiden with her friends. It looked like a charity race. One of the famous marathon runners, Mari Tanigawa ran 20km by herself and other people competed with her by making up a team that consisted of four people. My daughter sounded like she enjoyed the race. The number of the participants seemed to be more than 1000 teams, I mean, more than 4000 people. Wonderful!