Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Sightseeing on the Boat

　　We got on a sightseeing boat which I had found yesterday. The guide provided us the detailed information on the city and it was very instructive. Many cherry trees were lined along the river and I recalled its beautiful scene in spring. I noticed there were no high buildings. Even the principal hospital was three-story. The hospital was located at the opposite side of the World Heritage Site across the river, but the local rule prohibited building four or more story buildings to keep its historical scenery. After World War 2, railway construction was planned in the city, but people didn't permit the line cross the old streets and the train had to detour for several kilometers. It is thought to be a judicious decision currently.
　　The story from the guide has changed from history to a geological one when we were going out to the sea. As you see in the following pictures, the shape of the islands off the coast was characteristic. This is due to the loose - less viscous - lava, and the lava erupted from the nearby volcano couldn't form hills and it flew to the sea. That's why such flat islands were formed. While I was listening to his story, I became eager to see the volcano.
　　Getting off the boat, we headed for the mausoleum of the 1st lord of the Hagi clan. Several samurais from this clan were protagonists of the Meiji Restoration. I bowed with respect to him and his wife.

Hokumon Yashiki (Ryokan)

　　Hagi City is listed on the World Heritage Sites. It has several historic assets and one of them is the old streets in the Samurai era. The streets are well preserved and one of the tourist spots in the city. Our hotel was located in the midst of those streets. There are so many Ryokans, the traditional style of Japanese hotel, across Japan, but it's rare in the midst of a World Heritage Site. After check-in, we went out for a walk around the Ryokan. The first picture shows the main gate of the Ryokan, and I came across the sightseeing boat's boarding site. I decided to get on it the next day.

Hagioukan

　　Hagi City is located on the Sea of Japan coast in Yamaguchi Prefecture. There has been a narrow and winding path from the side of the Seto Inland Sea to Hagi City across the mountainous area since long ago. The current road is built roughly along that old path.
　　We dropped in at a rest area called "Hagioukan". Several heros of the Meiji Restoration welcomed us as you see in the following pictures. An exhibition was showing that many young promising samurais were studying and discussing about Japan's future. Then we had lunch, "Kawara-soba", which was a regional specialty. Soba noodles were stir-fried on a roof tile called "Kawara". People apparently used Kawara as a frying pan in the times that frying pans weren't widespread. It's definitely a token showing how poor lives people spent, but this simple stir-fried Soba has become a famous specialty now.

UberEats

　　I utilized UberEats for the first time. It was really handy and it serves as an aid for students in need due to the coronavirus pandemic. There's no custom of tipping in Japan, but the UberEats application has the function of receiving tips. I tipped 10% of dishes to the delivery boy. The UberEats delivery boys get a message from UberEats whenever they do their businesses. If they can have time for delivery at that time, they take on the task and they can change their free time into real money.
　　Dish delivery service is valuable also in terms of the protection from infection. People can avoid the crowd in restaurants and save their time for movement to the restaurant and waiting for dishes. I would utilize the UberEats often from now on. I admire the person who designed such a wonderful system.

 

Green Book (Netflix)

　　I watched a movie, Green Book, on Netflix and I came to know about the Green Book through this movie. I'd like to actually hold it to see inside and looked for it on Amazon. I found many of them. They were cheap on the American Amazon site, but expensive on the Japanese site for getting them only out of curiosity. I gave up feeling the real history of persecuted black people.
　　My generation in Japan learned that democracy was brought by the U.S. for the first time after the defeat in the Pacific War, but it was a terrible lie. As this movie tells, real democracy didn't exist in the U.S. even after the Pacific War. In addition, the war in which Japan fought the U.S. and its allies was called the Great East Asian War in Japan. Japan had to fight them to expel the superpowers from their colonies in Asian countries. The U.S. changed the war's name itself into the Pacific War to conceal Japan's justice.
　　Anyway, I was surprised by the fact that this movie was based on a real heart-warming story. I love these kinds of movies which leave lingering happy emotions.
　　As for not only Netflix but other movie distribution systems, I'd like to send the developers applause. Thanks to them, I can watch movies anytime and anywhere.

 

Paralympic's Over

　　I seldom watch the paralympic games. I'm not interested in their sports, but this is not the single reason. The long and short of it is that I have become too sorrowful to bear seeing the games. Even if someone set a record high in some games - of course, it's surely joyous - his/her record is, in many cases, created by setting categories. Their record might be changed by their tools or categories. I'm totally indifferent to their records, but I admire their tremendous effort. I'm not confident to continue to exercise like them with physical handicaps.
　　On the other hand, I have another paradoxical viewpoint. I cannot help comparing handicapped athletes with other people with disabilities. People with disabilities will have hardships for living itself. They must have been struggling to make a living. Once a handicapped athlete rises to fame, he/she would get some financial support and also get exempted to work, then he/she would be able to concentrate on his/her sports. I had been seeing ordinary handicapped people in my daily life as a health care worker, who couldn't afford to start with their favorite sports. How do gold medals glitter among such a few number of players.

 

Japanese Alcohol, Sake

　　My son in law sent me a nice sake. He seems to have a somewhat special route to the manufacturers and often gets me nice difficult to obtain sake. I've enjoyed many kinds of excellent alcohol drinks from the world and sake is equal to them. This sake is preserved a degree below zero for five years waiting for the sake to get mellow. This sake seems to have been produced by the frantic efforts of manufacturers. I'll drink it with respect to the manufacturers.

(Vocabulary)
be equal to sth
1 ＜…＞に対応できる [同意] be up to sth
I'm sure he's equal to the task. 彼はその仕事に対応できると確信している．
2 ＜…＞に比肩する
The museum's collection is equal to any in Europe. その美術館の収蔵品はヨーロッパのどの美術館にもひけを取らない．

September 1st

　　September 1st is the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake which occurred on Sept. 1st in 1923. Tokyo was devastated by the quake at that time, and the day of Sept. 1st was designated as the disaster drill day in the wake of the quake. Japan has been hit by many kinds of disasters so far and it recovered each time. Japan is on the volcanic belt and also on the usual route of typhoons. Japanese people are fated to make efforts to build a disaster-resistant land.
　　I reckon with those disasters and the necessities of life for the period of three days are stored in my house. Even if the lifeline was destroyed, relief supplies would be delivered within two days anywhere in present Japan. Drinking water can be preserved for 10 years at room temperature. Several kinds of canned food, rice and a gas cartridge stove are also stored. Two flushing toilets in my house would be unusable, but I can dig a hole in my garden.
　　Anyway, September in Japan will see some typhoons. I hope that Japan doesn't meet strong ones.

(Vocabulary)
relief goods/supplies 　救援物資

 

Anniversary of The End of The War

　　August 15th rolled around again. Showa Ten-noh declared the defeat of the Great East Asian War on this day in 1945. This day is deeply engraved in the mind of most Japanese, though the official signing day was Sept. 2nd. Since then, the Japanese have been brainwashed by biased historical education, but now lots of Japanese people came to learn the real history and became proud of being a Japanese.
　　There is a shrine called "Gokoku" in every prefecture. "Gokoku" means the protection of the country and numerous people who lost their lives for the sake of Japan are honored in the shrine. I was going to visit Gokoku shrine in my hometown, but I was afraid to be close to other people in the grounds. Then, I visited the Army's graveyard in my neighborhood to avoid crowded circumstances. I expressed my sincere gratitude for the present peaceful environment in my hometown.

Tokyo Olympics Over

　　The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are over. I think that this Olympics finished in success. Because of the pandemic, various limitations were imposed on this Olympics, but people who were involved in the Games have done a good job. I'd like to extend my congratulations to them and thank the Government for its decision. Seeing the happy faces of the participants and ordinary people, some groups who were against the Olympics sank in silence. Their gloomy appearance made me feel refreshed. In addition, I hope for the vigorous fights and cultural exchange in the coming 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

(Vocabulary)
gloomy 鬱(ゆううつ)な, 重苦しい; 悲観的な[同意] depressing ; 薄暗い, 陰気な
cultural exchange 文化交流

At A Parking Lot

　　When I parked my car at a parking lot along the highway and dropped in at the toilet, a strident song of birds surprised me. The song was of three birds in their nest which is set inside the men's toilet. They seemed immature and looked unable to fly. Their parents were absent. They might be hunting for their children's food. It might be from the security issue that the nest was built in the toilet, not outside.
　　I noticed that a guard against a fall was set under the nest. It is considered to be auspicious in Japan that birds build their nest at the house, so the highway company might have set it. Or, just for the protection from droppings? Anyway, it seemed that I had to put up with the boisterous songs until they leave the nest.

(Vocabulary)
strident〈音・声が〉耳障りな, やかましい
a strident voice/tone 耳障りな声［音］
droppings (鳥獣の) 糞(ふん)

Bed, Toilet, Comparison

　　Three weeks have passed since I began using my bed. I should have used it much earlier. My bed made by Nihon Bed is very comfortable and contributes to my health.
　　Japan's bedding is not bad, but the western bed is much better especially for older people. Comparing both, the bed will be declared the winner. By the way, how about toilets?
　　When I saw the western style toilet for the first time more than 50 years ago at my uncle's house, I was surprised at its curious shape, but now I prefer the western one. I can't detect any merit for the Japanese style toilet now. The western style can be the winner in terms of the toilet.
　　However, once the Japanese accepted the western style toilet, its progress has been remarkable. When you open the door of the compartment, the toilet senses your presence and opens its cover for you. After the business, it cleans around the anus and dries up. Any bad smell is automatically eliminated from the compartment. You might say that I'm lying, but it's true. If you come to Japan, I advise you to use the toilet just after arriving at the airport, I assure you that you'll be astonished by its function.

(Vocabulary)
be declared the winner 軍配が上がる

YouTube

　　I often watch YouTube recently. It's very handy to watch it even in my car. People of ability or of information sources post various motion pictures on the net. In terms of the location of the responsibility, these videos are more reliable than the information from the mainstream media.
　　It's also fun to watch videos about ordinary peoples' private lives or daily occurrences. One of my favorites is

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV_e5CE026DKpkXEeXvo3cQ 

　　A middle aged person who operates a tanker in a Missouri-based transport company posts videos regularly. I wanted to live in the U.S. in my younger days, so his way of life is very attractive for me.

 

Weaning Ceremony

　　My wife flew into Tokyo this morning leaving me at home. If I can, I'd like to follow her, but I wasn't able to make my work schedule adjustments. Our first granddaughter was born in March, and she turned 100 days. There's a tradition to hold a weaning ceremony called "Okuizome" in Japanese at about 100 days after her birth. It celebrates the end of feeding milk and the start of eating the same food as adults, though actually milk feeding continues along with mushy pulpy food.
　　Sea bream, prawns, rice boiled with red beans, ,,,those are foods which are believed to be auspicious. They are laid out just before the baby, and each of them are touched to her lips. It's just a ritual, but our granddaughter is stepping one after another on the way of growth. This is our sheer joy.

(Vocabulary)
wean〈赤ん坊・動物の子〉 を離乳させる
wean sb off/from sth ＜人＞に＜…＞を徐々にやめさせる
She wanted to wean him off junk food. 彼女は彼がジャンクフードを食べるのを徐々にやめさせたかった．
be weaned on sth 幼いころから＜…＞に慣れ親しむ
the generation that was weaned on TV 幼いころからテレビに慣れ親しんだ世代
mushy どろどろした, (粥(かゆ)のように) 柔らかい
pulpy 〈食べ物などが〉 軟らかな, どろどろの

Morning Meeting at a Manufacturing Scene

　　One of my tasks as an occupational doctor is the patrol of workplaces. Some of them are offices for paperwork, others are for manual labors. I usually patrol workplaces between 10 to 15:00 hours, but I did it early morning today, as I'd like to see how the morning meeting is in the manual labor workplaces. Their work hours are from 8 to 16:45 including 45 minutes' lunch break. Just at 8:00 o'clock, the radio gymnastics started. I'm not sure, but this gymnastics would be Japan's distinctive custom. The scene where I was was a crane manufacturing workshop and the leader gave a short briefing about the task of the day, then the attendees started brainstorming about possible accidents. I admired their efforts to avoid industrial injuries.
　　I don't remember when exactly, but 5 or 6 years ago, when I got on board the Diamond Princess, there was a gymnastics option in the tourist attraction early in the morning. During the exercises, the radio gymnastics abruptly started. Some Americans were surprised to see the Japanese do gymnastics in the same way, saying "Are all of you the same tour group?" No, Japanese people learn radio gymnastics during compulsory education. This might become a mark indicating that he/she has grown up in Japan.

 

Navy Day

　　Today is Japan's Navy Day, which was abolished in 1945 by the order from GHQ, the Occupation Force to Japan. However, this memorial day should be celebrated even now along with the Army Day of March 10th. These two memorial days are deeply inscribed in Japanese of integrity and became an occasion that those people get together and have a feast in my hometown.
　　To my regret, the meeting was cancelled this year just like last year due to the Wuhan virus pandemic. It seems that the pandemic is being stamped out in my hometown, but some variants are still sometimes reported across Japan. The situation is still open to conjecture.

(Vocabulary)
feast [C] 祝宴, 宴会
stamp sth out ＜社会の害悪など＞を撲滅［根絶］する
conjecture [U] 推測, 憶測
be open to doubt 議論の余地がある
The fate of the bill is still open to conjecture.　この法案の運命はまだ予断を許さない

Excavation

　　I have my hair cut once a month at a specific barber's. I was surprised to see around the barber's today. The scene around was unbelievably changed. Lots of houses were removed as part of the redevelopment of the JR Matsuyama Station. I found some people there who didn't look ordinary construction workers doing something. Their work looked very delicate. Looking closely, they were excavating the soil. They were too focused to speak to. I'm looking forward to seeing the archaeological findings.

 

Newborn Baby's First Visit to a Shrine

　　I'm writing about a long-lasting tradition of Japan, "First Visit To a Shrine".
　　"Newborn Baby's First Visit To a Shrine" is celebrated by his/her parents and grandparents on about the 30th day after birth. As you may know, sunlight is harmful for newborn babies, so about 30 days after their birth, babies can go out for the first time while avoiding the direct sunlight. The parents of the newborn baby take their baby to the shrine to wish his/her happiness on this day.
　　My wife and I accompanied the visit. The baby's paternal grandparents were already in heaven, and five of us including the baby sat down on the tatami mat in front of the Shinto priests to receive purification from them. After the memorable visit, we got seated to a special dinner.
　　We flew to Tokyo, where my daughter's family live, with intensive care against the coronavirus pandemic. Our granddaughter can't do anything now, but I'd like to keep an eye on her growth.

What becomes of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

　　The recent poll says that more than a half of Japanese people want to re-postpone the Tokyo Olympics one more year. Japan's government is going to shut out international spectators and tourists during the Olympics. Without international guests, can the Olympics be livened up? To tell the truth, the increasing number of would-be volunteers appear to back out of their tasks. I'm for the postponement though it might be a considerable hardship for athletes and people who are concerned to wait for the Olympics one more year.
　　By the way, do you know where the 2022 Winter Olympics is to be held? It's in Beijing. The U.S., Canada, and EU acknowledge China's policy for Uighur people as GENOCIDE. Naturally their policy doesn't go well with the Olympic Charter. What becomes of this Winter Olympics? Even if China pushed to hold the Games, would the Olympics, in which lots of countries from the northern hemisphere don't join, be completed? Does such Olympic Games make sense?
　　Japan has the experience of holding two Winter Olympics in Sapporo and Nagano. How about Japan's taking on the substitute of China and holding two Olympics of Winter and Summer in the same year, 2022?

 

2020 Tokyo Olympics

　　What will become of the one year late Olympic games in Tokyo? Representative players from all over the world are surely expecting it to be held, but about 70% of Japanese people around me seem to be reluctant to have it. As for me, I'm on the reluctant side. I'm sorry to say this for the authorities concerned, Japan should be cautious to the utmost about receiving visitors. The influence of the Wuhan virus is now decreasing in Japan. I hope that this tendency would go on and on to put an end to the outbreak.

今年、1年遅れの東京オリンピックが開催されるのだろうか？ すでに代表に決まっている選手たちは是非とも開催して欲しいだろうが、日本の国民感情はどうだろうか？僕の周りでは７割くらいは消極的な考えのようだ。僕自身ももう開催しないほうが良いのではないかと考えている。
準備に投資した関係者には申し訳ないが、海外からウイルスが持ち込まれる可能性がある。大量に外国人がやってくることには慎重になるべきではないか。