Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

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.

 

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。

Tyburn Tree

　　A new bill concerning LGBT was voted for the other day in Japan. It is said to have followed the policy of the U.S. and the prime minister had ignored the public opinion of Japan. I was so angry at his act. Japan has originally been generous to LGBT people and this law is unnecessary or harmful in Japan. So, I investigated its background to know why the U.S. was so positive for this legislation.
　　In the U.K. a law was enacted in 1533 which was directed at homosexuals. The law dictated that homosexuals were subject to capital punishment. The execution of three homosexuals in 1726 is recorded. Public execution seems to have been an entertainment for commoners in those days. You can see what was going on at venues for public executions in some pictures.
　　In fact, homosexuals in the U.K. had been suppressed and ill-treated and they have been killed in front of audiences for amusement. There is such a long-term horror story and the Anglo-Saxon would have feelings of redemption for their negative history. I imagine on my own that those feelings would be streaming under radical advocacy for LGBT.
　　I therefore visited the site of a venue for the execution of three homosexuals. An epitaph, which at least seemed to me so, or a panel which read "The Site of Tyburn Tree" was embedded on the ground as shown below. Additionally three trees stood in the busy street. Three trees apparently represent the shape of the execution stage. It was located on the north-east corner of Hyde Park and near Marble Arch. The site was desolate despite being adjacent to one of the tourist attractions. I supposed that even the Briton might not know this site. Marble Arch was under renovation and regrettably I wasn't able to view it.

(Vocabulary)
venue for public executions 公開処刑場
redemption 罪のあがない

　日本で先般、ＬＧＢＴに関する法案が成立した。米国の方針に従うもので国民を無視したものだったので随分腹が立った。日本は法律など無くてもＬＧＢＴの人たちに対して寛容な国だ。少し背景を調べてみた。すると、イギリスでは同性愛者を死刑とする法律が１５３３年に発布されていて、１７２６年に３人のオカマが見せしめのため公開で処刑された記録が残っていた。当時は処刑がエンタテインメントでもあったらしい。当時の絵が残っており処刑台が描かれている。
　要するに見せしめで殺されるほど、イギリスの同性愛者は抑圧され虐待されていたわけで、こうした長年にわたる惨劇があり、自国の負の歴史に対する贖罪の気持ちが、英米の過激なLGBT擁護運動の根底にあるのだろう。と、勝手に思っている。
　で、この処刑場の跡へ行ってみた。『タイバーンの木の場所』と書かれた墓碑銘（と僕には思えた）が設置されていた。３本の木は処刑台を模したものだそうだ。ハイドパークの北東角にこのような場所があるなんて、ロンドン在住でも知らない人の方が多いのではないかと思う。近くの観光名所マーブルアーチは写真の通り工事中。残念。

The Comfort Women HOAX

　　Japan had annexed Korea for 35 years from 1910 to 1945 by request from international society. Japan spent lots of capital to modernize Korea in those days. It was not what you call a colonial rule. However, Japan has been accused of its policy over Korea to this day.
　　One of their side of stories is that; Japan abducted lots of Korean women to let them work as sex slaves. Some Koreans insist that the Japanese army abducted Korean women and sent them to the war front for Japanese soldiers. It was backed by the Japanese government.
　　Several old ladies came forward as victims recently, but there is no documented evidence for them, and they request Japan compensation. Some poor parents reluctantly sold their daughters into prostitution to survive hardships in those days not only in Korea but Japan. The above ladies would be victims of the era. It was a sad fact of history.
　　On these conditions, a book which tears their arguments completely to shreds was published in the U.S. last year and I got the Japanese translation of "The Comfort Women HOAX" by J. Mark Ramseyer today.
　　The professor doesn't stand on either side of Korea and Japan. Simply from the standpoint as the bystander, his book was compiled. I hoped that Japan would be able to get rid of the pointless conflict, but a monument to accuse Japan of this issue was built on a public space of Stintino city on the island of Sardinia in Italy. There's no remedy for idiots.

(Vocabulary)
annexation (領土などの) 併合
tear one's argument completely to shreds ～の議論をズタズタに論破する
Sardinia イタリア西部サルデーニャ島
Stintino スティンティーノ市

Overtourism

　　Overtourism is a big issue now. Due to the weak yen, the number of tourists is soaring. You might think that it's good for Japan's tourism industry. This trend was good for a while for sure. The tourism sectors would be profitable, but now some well-known tourists destinations like Kyoto, Nara, and even small cities are in difficulties.
　　Some tourists from specific countries don't follow Japan's public policy and make streets or toilets dirty. Souvenir shops usually prepare the samples for tasting at the front of their shops. They are for customers' decision whether to buy or not, but some people claw hold of them, not pinching a bit. Some people are so noisy and behave badly on mass transit.
　　Japanese tourists have a tendency to avoid those famous sightseeing spots due to the lack of taxis, parking lots, and accommodations.
　　A picture of Mt.Fuji on the roof of a convenience store became a hot topic. Lots of tourists swarm around the store to take pictures and their acts cause traffic jams and disturb public peace. Recently the local government set a black screen to prevent them from taking pictures, but several holes were made through the screen in a few days. If you are interested in the picture, google it with the keyword of "lawson" and "fuji".
　　I don't want people without common sense to come to Japan. They should know the proverb; When in Rome, do as Romans do!

 

Weakened Yen and Next Trip

　　I'll write about the recent weak yen today. When I visited Oahu last December, I felt overwhelmed with the prices of commodities coming from the weak yen and the inflation of the U.S.. I had to cut down the use of restaurants and cooked most meals with food that I got in a supermarket for locals.
　　The weak yen developed more intensely this spring. The exporting companies like carmakers sound like they made unprecedented profits, but travel persons like me have difficulties to plan overseas travels. The prices in Hawaii are unbelievably high now, and I have to bring some meals from Japan next time.
　　In the meantime, I have a plan to visit the U.K. in June. I'm going to stay in Bath and I'm thinking of visiting one of its constituent countries of Wales. I'm learning its culture and history now. I paid the flight fee by mileage. The mileage payment is free of influence from exchange instability. It's very helpful in this weak-yen trend.
　　Bath has the ruin of a Roman public bath. Its name, "Bath", might be derived from the ruin. My hometown has the oldest hot spa of Japan. It's written even in Japan's mythology. The travel from the oldest hot spa town of Japan to that of the U.K. would be fantastic.

(Vocabulary)
currency gain 為替差益
exchange 為替

Yellow Sand and China

　　The cherry blossom front reached my hometown and they are just about to bloom. People are prepared to go out for boisterous parties under the cherry trees, whereas some yellow sand is coming to Japan from China. The mountains in the distance look blurred. Some people with respiratory problems have to wear a facemask and glasses. Those people had better avoid parties outside exposed to the yellow sand. Almost all of the things coming from China are a nuisance.
　　China has been prohibiting the import of marine products from Japan on the grounds of the high tritium of the treated water from Fukushima, but according to the data issued the other day, the amount of tritium from normally operating atomic power plants in China far outstrips that of the after-disaster Fukushima plant. China's nothing but a nuisance.

 

Celebratory Meal

　　The following picture is the first meal of the year 2024 in my hospital. A sudden deterioration of a patient was detected yesterday and I was called. I spent a whole night in my hospital and the breakfast in the picture was delivered on the 1st with a kitchen staff's buoyant speech "Happy New Year". This breakfast is a kind of celebratory meal and was offered to patients who are allowed to eat an ordinary diet. What would become of this year? I'd have time to spare in the evening and shall I plan the trips this year?
　　When I wrote this entry up here, I heard of the earthquake in Noto District, north of Kyoto. The year 2024 got off to a rocky start.

(Vocabulary)
rocky start 前途多難なスタート［出発］
be off to a rocky start 困難な［波乱の］スタートを切る

Wrongful Imprisonment

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

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

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

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

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

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

YouTube & X

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

 

Pearl Harbor

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Hiroshima

　　I took my car to the repair shop in Hiroshima city on Aug. 4th. Hiroshima city isn't far away from my hometown, but I knew only the principal sightseeing sites. I was going to wander in the city and carried my electricity-assisted bicycle with me. During the repair, I rode my bicycle around the downtown.
　　Lots of people were preparing the ceremony being held two days later in Peace Memorial Park. I was able to drop in at the Atomic Bomb Museum, but didn't. When I visited the museum for the first time long ago, I was so upset and shocked that I wasn't able to stifle tears. I just didn't want to ride my bicycle with tears. The Government didn't show those pictures and various ruins to all the national leaders at the G7 in May. I partly understand the Government either for the good or for the bad, however I'd like them to take a close look at every exhibit.
　　I heard that Aug. 6th of 78 years ago was considerably hot. Civilians whose skin was burned off dove into the river for water and coolness, and got drowned.
　　August is the month when every Japanese laments the victims of the last war.

(Vocabulary)
either for the good or for the bad 事の是非はさておき

Black Sea

　　I woke up when my lunch was delivered and immediately I made sure where I was. Surprisingly, my plane was flying over the Black Sea. On the screen, "Odesa", "Sevastopol" and other familiar cities in recent news items were shown. There was nothing to keep me busy and I was wandering on the map, zooming it in and out. I found Sinop on the ground and recalled the well-known naval battle in 19th century. By the way, the incident during which the Russian missile cruiser Moscow was sunk by Ukraine in the Black Sea was still fresh in my mind. I uttered "Were the pilots insane?" I recalled the Malaysian passenger plane which had been shot down over the disputed area in Ukraine, which happened to be on the same day in 2014.
　　Looking down over lunch, two distinctive summits of Greater and Little Ararat came in my sight. They were solemnly beautiful. I promptly took my binoculars out and searched Mt. Ararat for the ruin of Noah's ark(grin). I had mistakenly put these binoculars into my suitcase on the way to the U.K., but I carried them into the cabin on the way back to Japan in an attempt to observe the land of Scotland and Iceland. However, I wasn't able to view them, as the plane took the eastbound route, but luckily the clear sky gave me a wonderful splendor of the Eastern district of Turkey.
　　Before long, the street of Yerevan came into my sight. The weather was perfect and Mt. Ararat would be clearly seen from the Armenian Capital city. Recalling the history of Armenia, I felt a feeling of sympathy for the people of Armenia. Mt. Ararat, which is now located in the territory of Turkey, originally belonged to Armenia. Japan is lucky to be an island country.
　　My plane veered to the right then to the left in the meantime. I assumed that the move was to avoid North Korea. The last meal was offered around the time when the plane passed out into the East China Sea. The 13 hours' flight was really a challenging task.
　　This is the last entry on my trip to the U.K. this year. My next trip plan to the U.K. is up in the air at present, but I'd like to visit the U.K. next year too. The most possible destination and time of the year is the western area of London in June. Bath, Bristol, and Wales if I can. I have to learn the area's history and culture from now.

(Vocabulary)
missile cruiser ミサイル巡洋艦
be still fresh in our minds　記憶に新しい
massif 〘地〙中央山塊, 大山塊; 連峰.
binoculars 双眼鏡
Noah's ark ノアの箱舟
Yerevan エレバン（アルメニアの首都）
in the meantime そうこうしているうちに

食事が来たため目が覚め、反射的に現在の飛行位置を確認した。なんと黒海の上を飛んでいる。オデッサ、セバストポリなどニュースで聞き慣れた街が表示されている。しばらく地図を拡大したり縮小したりして周辺を地図状で散策。シノープを見つけた。有名な海戦のあった場所だな～　などとのんびりは出来ず、ただただ早く通り過ぎてくれと祈った。ここはロシアの誇るミサイル巡洋艦モスクワが撃沈された場所ではないか。パイロットは正気なのか？２０１４年の奇しくも同じ日、７月１７日にウクライナ東部の戦場の上空で撃墜されたマレーシア航空機を思い出した。

写真に示した食事を食べながらふと地上を見ると特徴的な山塊が！大小アララト山だ。ノアの箱舟の残骸が見えはしないか（笑）と双眼鏡を取り出した。往路ではうっかり預け荷物の中へ入れてしまったが、復路ではスコットランドやアイスランドを眺めるために手元に置いていた。

しばらくすると、アルメニア、エレバンの街が見えてきた。エレバンの街からアララト山は間違いなく今日も見えているだろう。アルメニアの人々の近代史を思い、同情した。日本人にとって、歴史的、文化的に切り離せない富士山を中国に奪われてしまったような状況だろう。日本は島国で良かった。多分北を避けるためだろう。飛行機は大きく右回旋し、中国大陸を抜ける頃、最後の食事が出た。１３時間のフライトはさすがに長く感じた。

Tottenham Court Road Station

　　As we got out from the museum, the rain was falling more gently. We took a walk to nearby Tottenham Court Road Station with help from the Google map on my smartphone. We'd like to have wandered around the station for some time, but took a rain check due to the rain. It was the last opportunity to look around the London city center on this trip, we were reluctant to leave London.
　　We took the tube from here to Paddington for the second time. We were able to pass the ticket gate in a regal way. We didn't have any chance to get on a double-decker bus, and we'll wait for our next chance. We were at a loss to find the platform for Oxford in Paddington, but a person at the information counter helped us.
　　One day trip to London by the public transportation system was successful, but the devil was waiting for us at the last stage. We took a taxi from Oxford station to our hotel. At payment, the driver didn't take my credit card and asked for cash. We were quite at our wit's end as we didn't have any cash. At that time, my wife remembered that our daughter gave us some ￡20 for a rainy day. It was in my daypack. During a week's stay in the U.K. this was the only case that we weren't able to use our credit card. Does this episode mean that Oxford is rural?
　　The dinner was at an Italian restaurant with my wife. My daughter was on strike for higher wages. All young doctors seemed to be out of their work for ONE week. It was hard to imagine in Japan. I was afraid that the medical system in the U.K. was on the brink of disaster.

(Vocabulary)
reluctant 気が進まない, しぶしぶの
regal 威厳のある, 堂々とした, 壮麗な
be at sb's wit's end 途方に暮れて
for a rainy day まさかの時に備えて
be on the brink of disaster 破綻(はたん)寸前である





　大英博物館を出ると、雨が小降りになっており、Googleマップを頼りに最寄り駅のTottenham Court Road Stationまで歩いた。駅周辺を散策したかったがあいにくの雨。また次の機会に。ロンドン市内を見るのは今回の旅ではこれが最後の機会なので、小雨の中、しばらく駅からの眺めを楽しんだ。
　さてここからは、パディントン駅まで地下鉄。もう２回目なので自信を持って利用できた。写真にある２階建てバスには乗る機会は無かったが、これもまた次の機会に。パディントン駅ではオックスフォード行きの列車がどこから出るのかわかりづらかったが、周辺の人に尋ねながらオックスフォードまで帰着。
　公共交通機関を利用してのロンドンへの日帰り旅行。首尾良く行っていたが、最後に落とし穴。オックスフォード駅からホテルまで乗ったタクシーでは現金のみ利用可だった。クレジットカードは使えないという。焦った～～。娘から必要ないだろうけど、念のためと渡されていた現金２０ポンドが役に立った。１週間のイギリス滞在中、カードが利用できず現金を使ったのはこのタクシーだけだった。オックスフォードはそれだけ田舎と言うことか？
　今夜はホテル近くのパブで夫婦二人で夕食。今日は娘は仕事は休みなのだが、研修医の賃上げデモに参加しているとのこと。イギリスの医療の状況を聞いて、イギリスの医療制度はかなり危ないのではないかと心配になった。

Merton College

　　Leaving my wife who wanted to browse around souvenir shops downtown, my daughter and I dropped in at Merton College which I had visited five years ago. Common tourists had to pay the admission fee at the gate, but we were allowed free admittance thanks to her ID. Then she went to a dress hire shop to receive a Degree Day Ceremony outfit, leaving me in Merton College. I felt she really fitted in with Oxford. Born in a small town in Japan and now graduating from the world's most prestigious university, I admired my young hopeful.
　　Ten-noh spent two years in this college in his 20's. I knew from his memoir that Andrew Irvine was a student of Oxford University, who got lost along with George Mallory on Mount Everest. I found his monument and paid a ten-second silence to him. Then I found a memorial tablet of previous wardens. The name of the warden who had taken care of young Ten-noh was on the tablet. Forty years have passed since Ten-noh had belonged to this college, and they became a page of history.
　　On the way to Merton College, my daughter asked me about Cecil Rhodes whose statue was set in Oriel College. I was surprised at its existence in this glorious university. According to my daughter, the pros and cons of the dismantlement of the statue became a controversial social problem. I explained his wrongdoings as follows:
　　Africans faced a huge calamity especially after the exploration by Livingstone in the time of Queen Victoria in the latter half of 19th century. Cecil Rhodes was the main player along with the father of Winston Churchill to hit the devastating blow to Africans. He arrogantly founded a country whose name was from him, Rhodesia. This country is now called Zimbabwe. Its political turmoil is continuing even now. He collected lots of money and resources from Africa at the cost of local people's lives. His act might have been beneficial for the U.K., but putting him in perspective, he was simply the villain of today's instability of African nations. Oxford University should sever the relationship with him. She was listening to me with no defiance.
　　After I left Merton College, I found myself in front of Oriel College on the High Street, the busiest street being packed with tourists in Oxford City. Looking up, I found the statue of Cecil Rhodes. Here of all places! My camera wouldn't identify the letters on the statue and I didn't take pictures. In return, I'll show you two pictures from the net. His statue at the most conspicuous place of the college,,,how stupid! I was lost for words.

(Vocabulary)
browse [自] (店内を) ぶらぶら見て歩く, ひやかす
fit in with 溶け込んでいる
my young hopeful 前途有望な娘
villain 悪党、悪人；＜問題などの＞元凶
with no defiance 神妙に
Here of all places! よりによってこんな場所で(他にもあるだろうに)


　土産物店をぶらぶらするというカミさんを残して、５年前にも立ち寄ったマートンカレッジを訪問した。ここでも通常なら料金を払う必要があるのだが、娘がＩＤを提示してフリーパス。僕を中へ入れてくれた後、娘は貸衣装屋へ行った。学位授与式に使う衣装を予約しているのだとか。当たり前だが、オックスフォードの街に溶け込んでいる。頼もしくなったものだ。

　ここは陛下が二年間過ごされたコレッジ。陛下の本で知ったある登山家の慰霊碑を見たかった。慰霊碑に１０秒ほどの黙祷をして、教会に入ると陛下が何度も世話になったと書かれている学長が銘板に乗っていて、歴史になっていた。陛下の留学から４０年近くになるのだから当たり前かもしれないが、自分も歴史の流れの中に居ることを改めて痛感した。

　マートンカレッジへ向かう途中で、娘がセシル・ローズについて尋ねてきた。Oriel Collegeに銅像があって撤去するかどうかもめているとか。セシル・ローズについて最近調べたばかりだったからかなり詳しく説明した。１９世紀後半、ビクトリア女王の時代、David Livingstoneの探検以降、アフリカは悲惨な目に合ってきたこと、セシル・ローズは傲慢にも自分の名を冠した国を造り、その国は今はジンバブエとなったが、いまだに政治的混乱の中にある。ウインストン・チャーチルの親父と結託しての悪行は枚挙に暇がない。日本も被害者だった。イギリスに富をもたらしたという点でイギリスにとっては功労者かもしれないが、一般的には極悪人である。オックスフォード大学に資金面で貢献したのだろうが、こんな奴とは手を切るべき、、、娘は珍しく神妙に僕の話を聞いていた。少しは尊敬してくれたろうか？（笑）

　マートンカレッジを出てからorioleへ行ってみた。オックスフォード市内で最も賑やかな通りに面した場所に彼の銅像があった。驚いた。下の写真はネット上で探したもの。

Bando POW Camp Ruins

　　The Bando POW Camp Ruins isn't so far from my hometown, but I've never been there. I dropped in at the ruins on the way home from my business trip. The about 1000 of POWs who were accommodated in this camp were German who had been captured in the battle in Qing dynasty in China during World War I. The camp was run from April in 1917 to March in 1920.
　　What images do you have for the PWO camp? I read several experience documents written by Japanese people who had been confined into POW camps after the Great Eastern Asian War. I often wanted to avert my eyes from their description, but the Bando POW Camp was utterly different.
　　The POWs fought Japan on the behalf of Germany, not from their personal hostility against Japan. The authorities felt sorry for the POWs and allowed them to spend leisurely and free hours without any labor. Some of the POWs started to bake bread for their fellow POWs who wanted to eat German fresh bread. Some played Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for fellow POWs and Japanese camp officers. This fact made the site the birthplace of the Ninth Symphony in Japan. They were allowed to go in for sporting and artistic activities. At present, a nearby museum with regard to the camp collects a steady stream of visitors. I've visited the museum before, but dropped in at the real ruin for the first time. Climbing up the backside hill, I found two monuments along the path, honoring German who passed away during detention. I felt sorry and paid a short silence. One of the monuments was built by the German Government.
　　I had been reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Emil Frankl (Holocaust survivor, Austrian psychiatrist) by chance. According to Frankl, the way a prisoner imagined the future affected his longevity. The book intends to answer the question "How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?" It's not easy to express my opinion precisely in English, but anyway, we've had enough of war.

(Vocabulary)
Bando POW Camp 坂東俘虜収容所
Man's Search for Meaning（邦訳：夜と霧）

Continued from the previous entry:

　　I recalled the times of timber shortage after World War II. The indiscriminate carpet bombing of the U.S. deprived commoners of their houses, which ended up being a shortage of timber for the construction of houses. People who had a trying time at that time thankfully planted lots of Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress for their descendants.
　　However, since a few decades ago, cheap timber from Canada or the U.S.A. has been overshadowing the Japanese forestry industry and consequently the considerably vast forest in Japan is left maintenance-free. As a matter of fact, the pollen from those trees is now a social issue. Too much cedar and cypress forest became a root of modern illness.
　　Lots of people in Japan wear a mask to prevent pollen from invading from February to May. When an accident occurred in Fukushima Daiichi Atomic Power Plant in March 2011, I laughed at German journalists, who were reporting that most Japanese wore a mask to avoid nuclear effects. Some people might do as they said, but most people did it due to pollen allergy. The reporting was totally inaccurate, but this sort of thing often happens. I learnt the risk of swallowing stories without questioning.

(Vocabulary)
forestry 林学, 営林, 林業
As a matter of fact 実を言うと
swallow ; to accept without questioning 鵜呑みにする

Yellow Sand

　　A yellow sand advisory was issued today. I got gloomy to hear that. I saw the disastrous scene of streets in Beijing and a highway of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In Beijing, the sky was cloudy with yellowish particles. I'm afraid that lots of people would have respiratory problems. On the Mongolian highway, some people were removing sand on the road using a shovel. The visibility on the highway seemed to be only 20 meters. I don't mind where they want to go, but I'd like them to stop troubling other countries. I understand that they don't have the tradition to plant trees for the coming generations. It's a really pitiful thing.

(Vocabulary)
advisory （主に米）〚[名]の後で〛（危険に関する）勧告, 警告, （気象の）注意報; 状況報告.
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (China) 内モンゴル自治区
visibility 視界

What I Think About Middle East

　　I don't like the name of "Middle East" and "Far East" alike. This naming would be evidently from the U.K.'s standpoint, which had the mighty power in the 19th century. Anyway, Japan depends on the Middle East for its great part of crude oil imports, but the majority of Japanese wouldn't know about the Middle East so much. I assume that it's due to the inferiority of the media.
　　Some specialists disseminate information on the platform of YouTube, but their information seems to be censored. I read a book about the Middle East today, which was very enlightening. This book blew the mist in my brain away.

Global Turmoil

　　Just in my opinion, the order of society has been gradually becoming insane globally after the 2020 election of the U.S. president. In the times of Pr. Trump, the world was securer than today. Evil countries like North Korea, the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and so on were narrowly controlled under the law.
　　It's also my private idea that the U.S. government ruled by the Democratic Party often caused global issues. Carter tolerated Russia invading Afghanistan. Reagan recovered peace, but Clinton gave rise to various issues in eastern Europe centered on the Yugoslav Wars, whose aftermath is still continuing. Obama brought chaos to Mideast countries, and Biden started the Ukraine War. Putin is absolutely responsible for this invasion, but the masterminds of the Ukraine War are the U.S..
　　FYI, it's the U.S. President FDR of the Democratic Party that wanted the war against Japan.
　　The result of the U.S. presidential race has worldwide effects. I'd like the electorate to ponder who is the best for the U.S. and the world, though I know that the last election was done unfairly.
　　I'm afraid that the dictatorship by the Democratic Party will be looming in the U.S.. Hearing the arrest of former president Trump through Tucker Carlson on FOX news or his tweets, I take a gloomy view of the present regime of the U.S..

(Vocabulary)
the Yugoslav Wars ユーゴ紛争
dictatorship [C,U] 独裁政治［政権］
a military dictatorship 軍事独裁政権