Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Miscellaneous Thoughts over Trump's Defeat

　　Getting the cobwebs out of my eyes, I watched the U.S. Presidential Inaugural Ceremony live last night. I wonder how many U.S. citizens are celebrating Biden's presidency. The U.S. public opinion survey shows that only 20 % of U.S. citizens think of them as the legal president and vice-president.
　　I was watching the progress of the Presidential Election for a couple of months. Mr. Trump is said to have gained record-high votes as the president in office, but surprisingly those of Biden surpassed Trump's votes. Is this true? Biden has no significant achievement that he can be proud of as a politician not only in these last four years, but in his vice-president term during the Obama presidency.
　　I knew lots of testimonies to accuse election fraud. I watched a video of the monitor camera set in a vote-counting room possibly in Michigan. After the closing of the room several people took a few suitcases out from under the table and started adding the ballots from the suitcases into a notorious Dominion's counting machine. I saw several people cover the windows of the room to hide their work from observers. Most mainstream media read the same manuscript at the same time one day. I thought that they were controlled under the totalitarianism.
　　The media told that the Trump side lost all the cases in every court, but to be accurate, their appeals were just rejected. The courts avoided a judgement. The Department of Justice didn't investigate the election frauds and Biden's alleged corruption, nor does the FBI. I feel that the U.S. is controlled by something enormous.
　　Trump built a big wall on the border to Mexico to prevent illegal people and drugs from coming into the U.S. He urged overseas U.S. companies to come back and offered jobs to jobless people especially in what you call the rust belt areas. Additionally he brought peace to the mid-east area. No war started newly in his presidency. He suppressed North Korea's naughtiness without military power. Just leave it alone, the rogue country will perish. As for the current most crafty and cruel nation of China, he rejected the normal relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. The stock prices, directly connected to the U.S. citizen's pension, continuously increased, except during the Wuhan virus outbreak times. He looked arrogant sometimes, but his achievement is great. He delivered on his public promise.
　　The U.S. lost its greatest president and its democracy was over at the same time.

(Vocabulary)
cobweb クモの巣
crafty 〈人が〉 悪賢い, 奸知(かんち)にたけた; (行為・言葉などが) 巧妙な, 悪賢い

 

トランプの負けに思う

　眠い目を擦りながらバイデンの異様な就任式を見た。アメリカの世論調査を見ると、バイデンが正当な大統領だと考えるのは２０％に過ぎない。いったいどれだけの人間がバイデンの就任を祝っているのだろうか。
　この選挙の成り行きを注視していた。トランプ大統領は過去最高の得票数だったという。しかし、バイデンはそれよりも多かった。バイデンはこれといった業績はない。こんなことが起こりえるだろうか？
　選挙不正を訴える大勢の証言を知った。ミシガン州だったと思うが、衆目の監視がなくなったあと、机の下から不法な票を取りだして集計する監視カメラの映像もあった。監視員が集計を監視できないよう、窓を覆うシーンも見た。大手メディアが揃ってトランプ米大統領を批判するまったく同じ原稿を読む日もあった。
　メディアの報道ではトランプ米大統領は各地の裁判で負けたというのだが、詳しく見ると、その前の段階で、つまり裁判所はトランプ米大統領の訴えそのものを門前払いしていて、裁判をするという自らの責務を放棄。司法省もＦＢＩも不正選挙の調査をしない、、、アメリカ全体がなにか大きな組織に支配されている。
　トランプは密入国や麻薬の密輸を防ぐために壁を作った。アメリカ企業の国内への還流を加速させ、ラストベルトと呼ばれた地域に雇用をもたらし、また中東を安定させた。彼の大統領時代に新たな戦争は起こしていない。軍事力を用いることなくアジアの厄介者、北朝鮮を黙らせた。何もせず放置するだけで北は崩壊に向かうだろう。そして、今なお周辺民族を虐待している諸悪の根源中国共産党を押さえつけた。アメリカ国民の年金に直結する株価は彼の時代にコロナの時期を除いて上がり続けている。彼には、時に横柄な発言があるが、公約を守った実績は見事というしかない。
　アメリカは偉大な大統領を失い、同時にアメリカの民主主義は終わった。

After COVID-19

　　After the present virus crisis, I have lots of plans. Being trapped in Japan and under strict movement restriction, I'm slightly irritated. One of my plans is a cruising tour by the Diamond Princess in July. I'd like to visit Aomori prefecture, the northernmost prefecture in Honshu, to watch the "Nebuta-matsuri" festival, which is listed as one of the biggest summer festivals in Japan. Then the ship will head for Vladivostok, which used to be an important military port and other than Russians were prohibited from visiting there before.
　　I checked the cruising route of the Diamond Princess and immediately applied for the tour with my wife. We picked the lowest priced room. Those rooms are reserved fairly early. That's why we reserved the room early. The cruise will start in the end of July. I can't wait to walk on the streets of Vladivostok.
　　By the way, Vladivostok used to be included in Chinese territory until 1860. It is acceptable if the Chinese Communist Party insist on their control over Vladivostok now, but they don't whereas they insist on groundless territorial sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. Is it because they are scared of Russia? Anyway, are there remains in Vladivostok showing Chinese sovereignty over the city until 1860.

 

ウイルスが消えたら

武漢ウイルス禍が終われば、、、と計画していることは多々有る。個人的には夏には終わるだろうと、そしてクルーズは比較的気楽に参加できるのではないかと期待している。実はもう７月のクルーズに申し込み済み。前々からみたかった青森県のねぶた祭、そしてロシアのウラジオストクまで回るクルーズ。ウラジオストクは少し前まで外国人は立ち入れなかった軍港の町。ルートを確認してすぐに一番安い部屋を申し込んだ。安い部屋から埋まっていくので。

ウラジオストクは本来なら支那が我が領土であると主張しても理解できる土地だが、ロシアが怖いのだろう、何も言わない。何の根拠もないのに我が国の尖閣諸島を自国の領土と言い張るのに。ウラジオストクにかつて支那の領土だったという痕跡はあるのだろうか。これからガイドブックを購入し勉強したいと思っている。

Whale Museum

　　After shopping at the morning market, we dropped in at an old folk house which had made a fortune by whaling. It's embarrassing to admit, I thought that Japan's whaling had been performed only on the Pacific coast like in Wakayama prefecture, which is still annoyed with the leftists from all over the world or activists of the Sea Shepherd. The Pacific side of Kochi prefecture is also well-known for its traditional whaling, but Yobuko is on the coast facing the Tsushima Channel, the opposite of the Pacific coast. Considering the occasional collision of whales against high-speed boats around Kyushu, the whale resources would have been abundant since long ago.
　　This old house was partially renovated to a museum of their family business of whaling. There was a variety of exhibits such as old whaling gears, documented records, lots of pictures, and whales' real bones. I learned that there had been surely a big whaling industry in Yobuko. Do you know about the International Whaling Commission - IWC? I wonder what on earth IWC has been for. After the withdrawal of Japan, which had conducted research whaling every year, the commission lost evidences or data on which they discuss about the whale resources. They don't investigate them by themselves. I believe that the purpose of the commission was to harass the nations which had the culture of whale eating. The IWC must be kind of a Whale Fan Club. They might think that banning Japan from eating whales leads to the promotion of their beef sales. The egoistic idea of non-whale-eating nations severed the line of passing down the culture and technique of whaling which was inherited in Japan for centuries long. While looking at the exhibits, I became angry at the continuing racial discrimination.

https://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/history_and_culture/detail/224/HistoryAndCulture

朝市観光の後で捕鯨で財をなした旧家跡に立ち寄った。恥ずかしながら、捕鯨は太平洋側でのみ行われていた漁業だと思っていた。和歌山は今でも続いているし、そのため、世界中からやってくるシーシェパードなど、左翼の活動家に悩まされている。そして、高知県も有名。だが、佐賀県で捕鯨が行われていたとは知らなかった。考えて見れば九州周辺では今でもジェットフォイルと鯨の衝突が時に起こるのだから、鯨資源は豊富だったのだろう。

この古い家は一部改装され博物館となっていた。内部には古い漁具や捕鯨の歴史が紹介されていた。国際捕鯨委員会という組織があるが、一体何のための組織だったのだろうか。日本が脱退した後、資源調査さえ行われていないと聞く。単に自分たちは食べない鯨を食べる国々に対する嫌がらせだったのではないかと思う。まるで鯨ファンクラブだ。鯨食を禁止すれば日本へその代替として牛肉をたくさん売れるとでも思ったのか。欧米に文化の継承をたたれば捕鯨技術。展示物を見ながら未だに続く人種差別に腹が立ってきた。

Hado Cape and the Japan-Korea Tunnel

　　I was able to view the small islands and the Genkai-nada Sea in the distance from the Nagoya Castle Remains, but I went to the seacoast, Hado Cape additionally. Did Hideyoshi come there, the very end of Kyushu, and look toward the continent? It was only an undersea observatory that was man made in the scene from the tip of the cape. I was happy to know that I saw the same scene as in the era of Hideyoshi. How did Hideyoshi imagine the world over the sea?
　　The next visiting site was the controversial exploratory drilling spot for the Japan-Korea Tunnel. When I heard of the plan of tunnel-drilling between Japan and Korea for the first time, maybe 4-5 years ago, I assumed it to be fake news, but it actually existed near the Nagoya Castle Remains. Moreover the drilling site was in the midst of the positions of military commanders serving under Hideyoshi. I wonder who of the commanders imagined that the tunnel from there to the Korean Peninsula would be planned 400 years after their fight? Roughly overlooking the history of Japan, it was the times of restricted trade with China and Korea when Japan had spent really happy times. And so, I think that this tunnel is unnecessary and even inauspicious. To my delight, simply, this project seemed to be stranded.

波戸岬と日韓トンネル

名護屋城跡から遠くの島々を見渡せたのだが、地域の最北端に寄ってみた。波戸岬だ。秀吉もここから大陸の方角を眺めただろうか。周りに人工物は一つだけ。海中の様子を眺めることのできる海中塔だけだ。秀吉の時代と同じ景色を見ているのだと思うと嬉しくなった。海の向こうの様子を秀吉はどのように想像しただろうか。

次に訪れたのが日韓トンネルの調査が行われている場所。初めて聞いたときフェイクニュースだと思ったが、実際に存在していた。この場所は名護屋城跡のすぐそば、周りは秀吉配下の武将たちの陣地が密集していた場所。この武将たちの中で誰が、４００年後にこの地から朝鮮半島へ向けてトンネルが掘られるような計画が持ち上がるなどと想像したろうか。歴史を見れば、日本が平和だった時代は例外なく、大陸との交易に制限を掛けていた時代。なので、このようなトンネルは無用だと思う。ただ、嬉しいことにこの調査、活発に進んでいるような様子はなかった。

Nagoya Castle Remains

　　I visited Nagoya Castle Remains without due preliminary knowledge on it and its magnitude amazed me. You might wonder, but this huge castle's remains aren't so well-known even among Japanese.
　　Most modern history textbook are edited by the anti-Japan schools and they tell us that the 16th century's leader of Japan, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, was an evil and ugly man. However, as far as I had learned by myself, he was a great man. I was taught that he planned to invade Korea and Nagoya Castle was the advanced base for it, but his action was natural if you see from the point of Japan's national security. More than 100 positions were built around the castle and you can still see some of their ruins. Seeing how enormous this ruin was, I assumed that Hidehoshi might have a plan to newly build a big city at this northernmost area of Kyushu.
　　I dropped in at a museum established as an annex and was surprised again at its exhibition including false information distorted by the anti-Japan perspective of history. I'd like to know who supervised this exhibition and asked about that at the front desk, but no one knew. I can point out more than 10 false items. For example, they say, rice cultivation was brought to Japan "from Korea". To tell the truth, this has been completely denied by recent archaeology. The panel on the wall read Kaboto(河姆渡) ruin near Shanghai and Itazuke ruin in Kyushu, which had perfectly destroyed old theories. Didn't the supervisor know about these important ruins? I'll show you some pictures shot at the Nagoya Castle Remains.

(Vocabulary)
position [C] (軍隊の) 陣地

名護屋城

ほとんど予備知識を持たず訪れた。そしてその規模に驚いた。これほどの城跡、もっと世に知らしめねばならないだろう。

１６世紀末の日本の指導者、秀吉を悪と教える現在の教科書。自分で調べて勉強した結果、よくぞこの時代にいてくれたものだと感謝しかない。偉人である。この城は朝鮮半島経由で明と戦うための前線基地。秀吉の邪心からの朝鮮侵略だと教えられるが、あれは日本の安全保障を考えれば当然の対応である。城跡の周囲には各地の大名の陣地が作られていた。その数、ざっと１００以上。大変な規模である。そのうち、大きな陣地の跡は今でも残っている。秀吉はここに巨大な都市を造ろうとしたのではないか。そんな気さえしてくるほどの規模の城跡だった。

併設されている歴史ミュージアムへ入ってみた。なんと、反日史観のオンパレードだった。半島系の学者が作ったのだろう。誰が監修しているのか知りたかったが、スタッフに尋ねてもわからなかった。例えば稲作は朝鮮半島から日本に伝わったなどと寝言が書かれていた。壁に掛かるパネルには河姆渡遺跡や板付遺跡が記入されているのにである。名護屋城跡周辺で撮った写真を何枚かＵＰする。

Trip to Saga

　　As I've been feeling confined these days due to the outbreak of the Wuhan virus, I decided to make a trip to Saga prefecture, whose level of the virus's prevalence was about the same as my prefecture. The local government issues an alarm to avoid moving into pandemic areas like Tokyo, Hokkaido, and so on. Saga was out of the alarm areas. My purpose was to visit the Nagoya Castle Remains. FYI, this castle is located in Kyushu and is different from the famous Nagoya Castle in Aichi prefecture in central Japan. The place of the remains is called Yobuko, which is well-known for its famous specialty of squid, which is my wife's favorite.
　　There was some routes for Saga prefecture and I chose the ferry boat between Misaki, the westernmost town of Shikoku and Saganoseki, the almost easternmost town of Kyushu. I spent the last two years of elementary school days at Misaki town, so I felt nostalgic to see and find the change of the streets and other scenes. The picture of the chimney below was shot just before the arrival in Saganoseki. Its of a very famous copper refinery and you can see it from Misaki town. The chimney was towering just the same as 50 years ago. Another picture shows the site of evacuation. I learned that such places were called muster stations during my cruise trip. Is this expression "Emergency assembly point" right?

佐賀旅行

武漢ウイルスによる生活の制限のためなんとも息苦しい。気分転換に感染者数が愛媛県と同レベルの佐賀県へ観光に行くことにした。行き先は名護屋城跡。すぐそばの呼子はカミさんの好物のイカで有名な町。

ルートは愛媛県の西の端から九州に渡るフェリーを利用。この土地は小学校時代に２年間過ごした土地。実に懐かしい。下の煙突の写真は目的地の佐賀関港に到着直前に撮影した。天気が良いと四国側からも見える煙突だ。そして最後の写真は緊急時の集合場所を示した看板。英語の表現に引っかかった。マスターステーションという単語は知っているが、この表現も正しいのかな？

What I Think About the U.S. Presidential Election

　　The U.S.A. Should it have been the leader of democratic nations? The dignity as the leader has fallen down. I'm so sorry. Most of the media are rotten. Lots of evidence for election fraud has been exposed on the net. Nevertheless, the media keep silent. Why? The pursuit of the truth should be the mission of the media, shouldn't it? I no longer trust the mainstream media and if I want to know something, I seek for the information on the net. I hope that President Trump will win the election, but now, it's not the main issue. I hope that justice will beat the evil.

 

アメリカ大統領選挙に想う

アメリカと言えば民主主義国家群のリーダーとも言える存在。それが今、地に墜ちている。選挙不正は一体どうしたことか。今、大手メディアは報道しないがネット上では確実な証拠がどんどん挙がっている。僕はもう既存メディアを信用していない。必要な情報はネット上で探し、既存メディアから流れてくる情報は必ず、ネット上でも確認することにしている。トランプ米大統領に勝って欲しいが、もうそんな話ではなく、真実を突き止め、この混乱を起こした組織を潰して欲しい。

35 Years After The Crash Of A Jumbo Jet In Japan

　　35 years have passed since the last passenger plane crash in Japan. I was living in Osaka as a first-year resident at that time. I started my career in April and knocked myself out. My colleges and I were allowed to go downtown for a party on the day for the first time. Just before the opening, a message from the office was passed down by one of my colleges who arrived a little late. (Smartphones didn't even exist yet on the globe in those days.)
　　We were told not to drink alcoholic beverages. A fully-occupied jumbo jet bound for Osaka from Tokyo had gone missing several dozen minutes before, and if the plane was found near Osaka, we would be some help for its passengers, even though we were green. I remember what happened on the day just like yesterday. 35 years as a general surgeon looks a long time, but it passed in a flash. As far as my physical strength lasts, I'll persist with health care for the public.

(Vocabulary)
persist with sth ＜…＞をあくまでもやり続ける
Anna persisted with her studies in spite of financial problems. アンナは経済的な問題にもかかわらず，くじけずに学問を続けた．

8/12 ジャンボジェット機墜落から35年
　日本で起こった最後の旅客機事故から今日で３５年になる。当時、僕は大阪で一年目の研修医生活を送っていた。４月から勤務し、毎日毎日仕事に追われ、８月１２日、職場の仲間で初めて飲みに出た日、乾杯の直前、遅れてやって来た仲間から病院からの指示が伝えられた。(当時は携帯電話という便利なものは無かった。）
　アルコールを控えるようにと言う指示だった。東京から大阪に向かっていたジャンボジェットの消息が途絶えた。救援依頼がいつ来るかもわからない。その日のことを昨日のことのように覚えている。あれから３５年。長いようであっという間の医師人生だった。これからも体力の続く限り、社会に貢献していきたいと思っている。

Space Park, Rocket Square, Cape Kadokura again, then Airport

　　We visited Space Park and Rocket Square where there stood a monument to commemorate the Tennoh's visit to the island. Then, we headed for Cape Kadokura again. I wanted to view the ocean from the hill.
　　We flew to Kagoshima City. We were supposed to fly to our hometown, Matsuyama City, from Kagoshima on the same day, but the flight was cancelled. We had to stay in Kagoshima for a night and get on a bullet train, Kyushu Shinkansen, to Fukuoka City on the next day. We'd never gotten on that and it was fun. Moreover, the train fare and the hotel fee were paid by JAL. It was also a kind of trip, but there were little other tourists in the train and Fukuoka airport, so the trip was a little lonely.

宇宙が丘公園、ロケット広場、そしてもう一度門倉岬、空港

鹿児島から松山への直行便があるのだが、キャンセルとなり、一泊して新幹線で福岡へ行き、そこから飛行機で帰った。宿泊代も、新幹線料金もＪＡＬがみてくれたのでちょっとした旅行であったが、乗客はまばら、福岡空港も閑散としており、寂しい旅だった。

Former Japanese Navy Air Station and Masuda Tracking and Communication Station

　　We drove our car under the guide of the car navigation to Masuda Tracking and Communication Station and found a monument showing us that we were already in the area of the former air station. Viewing around, I knew the terrain was almost flat. The construction of the air station was apparently stopped by the defeat of the war, but the creation of land seemed to be completed. The area was covered with a vast grassy plain and if we didn't read the description, we'd not notice that we were in the area of the former air station. I wanted to visit some other places on the map, but we had other plans and went back to the town. The calligraphy on the monument was produced by Mr. Minoru Genda, who was a famous fighter pilot and also a member of the House of Representatives after the war.
　　The Masuda Tracking and Communication Station has an exhibition space for visitors, but it was closed to avoid three conditions that facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases; closed spaces, crowds, and close contact. We were really infuriated against the Wuhan virus.

(Vocabulary)
creation of land 　造成工事

九州海軍航空隊種子島基地史跡と増田宇宙通信所

ナビに従い増田宇宙通信所を目指して進むと基地跡を示す碑があった。なんのことはない、通信所自体が旧種子島基地にあった。周りを見た渡すと確かに平らになっている。滑走路建設は敗戦により中断したとのことだが、平らな土地の造成までは出来ていたようだ。一面草原になっており、説明がなければ滑走路だったとは気がつきにくい。看板にある説明を読んで、他の基地跡にもあちこち巡ってみたかったが、後の予定があるためここから引き返した。碑文の揮毫はあの源田實氏だった。

通信所は本来はその機能を説明した展示室があるのだが、武漢ウイルスのため休館中。本当に忌々しいウイルスだ。

An Old Folk House

　　I came across a signboard of an old historic folk house on the way to our hotel. It was getting dark, but I traced the signboards on the narrow path and got to the house. There was no one, even a caretaker. He/she might not think that someone would come in such a time slot. The house was open to the public. Looking at various folk arts that were actually used for living, I recalled the lives of those days. Their lives would have been inconvenient, though inconvenient lives are not always unhappy.
　　I read a few records about the relationship and communication between the locals and those who were saved from wrecked ships in 16th and 18th centuries. I can perfectly declare that the locals were absolutely kind and I thought that such a characteristic of the locals would never be produced by unhappy lives.
　　We were going to visit some other places tomorrow which we didn't visit yet. Then we were supposed to return our car at the airport and leave the island. The hotel served us local dishes on the last night on the island. Everything was new to us.
　　To tell the truth, I thought that we had already visited all the popular spots at that time, but I happened to find very important sites on the next day. This trip memo will still continue for some time.

(Vocabulary)
caretaker (家・土地などの) 管理人

古市家住宅という看板を見つけたので立ち寄った。種子島の伝統的な家屋できれいに保存されていた。夕方だったためか、観光客など来ないと思ったか、管理人はいなかった。今から100年も前のこの島での生活を想った。さぞかし不便だったろうなあと。宿では最後の夕食。島の名物をいろいろと出してもらった。

Tanegashima Space Center

　　The Tanegashima Space Center is the largest rocket-launching complex in Japan with a total area of about 10,000,000 square meters. I wanted to join the free guide tour offered from the facility, but I had to give it up due to the effect of the coronavirus. The center had decided to suspend the guided tour for a while to avoid the concentration of visitors. I slowly drove my car on the premise.
　　I saw the launching site at a distance of 2km. That is to say, the Space Center wasn't the place at which rockets are launched, but it was the facility for monitoring and controlling the liftoff. I imagined the scene just before the liftoff. Lots of people get together on the grass and enjoy the moment of the launch. The schedules of rocket-launching are supposed to be announced in advance. I want to visit the island at the launching schedule, but the launch is often postponed due to some reasons like weather conditions. If I book the flight to the island, the air ticket can be wasted. What shall I do to watch the launch live.

種子島宇宙センター

無料のガイドツアーに参加するつもりだったが、コロナウイルスのせいで中止。なんとも残念でならない。芝を管理する業者以外、人影のない構内をゆっくりと車を走らせた。

２キロほど先にロケット発射場が見える。つまり、宇宙センターはロケットを発射する場所ではなくて、管制をする場所だった。広い芝生の上で、また専用の展望台で、ロケット発射を見物できるのだろう。発射の際には賑わうのだろうな、そしてそのときにこの場にいたいなと思うが、天候不順などでロケット発射が延期されることはよくある。特定の日をターゲットにして来島するのはやはりリスクを伴う。しかし、なんとか現場で発射を観てみたい。どうしたものか。

Tanegashima Island, Suitable for Launching?

　　I've known the fact that the nearer to the equator the site is, the better placed for launching. It's because they can use the earth's centrifugal force effectively. Therefore, every country has its launching site in its southernmost area. Additionally, several factors are required. There are no or few folks' houses around and the weather is stable.
　　You might wonder why not Okinawa. Okinawa is nearer to the equator than Tanegashima Island. The reason is simple. When the construction of the rocket launching facilities came on the table, Okinawa was still under the US's administration. Okinawa didn't even come into the options of the construction sites. Thanks to such history, Tanegashima Island is now called the closest island to space.

(Vocabulary)
centrifuge (専門) 遠心分離機
centrifugal force (専門) 遠心分離機




なぜ宇宙センターが種子島に？
安定した気候で、広い土地、周辺に民家の無い場所、赤道に近い方が打ち上げに優位なので日本最南端が選ばれた。沖縄があるじゃないかと思われた方もいるかもしれないが、種子島宇宙センターが作られたとき沖縄はアメリカの支配下にあったから候補地にはなり得なかった。お陰で種子島は宇宙に一番近い島と呼ばれている。

Economy Stimulating Campaign

　　The world over has been thrown into emotional, political and economic turmoil by the Wuhan virus. Its terrible influence is spreading not only among patients and hospital personnel but people engaged in restaurant business and tour business. Under the serious condition of virus origin, my hometown of Matsuyama city launched its original travel campaign for those people who are in trouble.
　　As Japanese people are told to refrain from nonessential move across the prefectural border, the city encouraged "their" citizens to use hotels in Dogo Onsen Spa by offering hotel coupons. Dogo Onsen Spa is one of the popular tourist destinations in Matsuyama and also the oldest hot spring in Japan. I had bathed in Dogo Onsen Spa several times, but I've never stayed at any hotel in Dogo district which is 20 minutes' drive from my house. Using municipal coupons, my wife and I stayed at a gorgeous Japanese-style hotel.

世界中、武漢ウイルスの蔓延で大変なことになっている。患者と医療関係者以外にも影響は拡がっており、飲食業や旅行産業は廃業の危機にある。そんな中、松山市は地元の住人に道後温泉に泊まろうというキャンペーンを開始した。費用の一部を松山市が補助してくれるという。ならばと言うことで道後温泉に宿泊した。道後温泉に入ったことはあるが、宿に泊まるのは初めて。観光客気分で楽しんだ。

The Second Wave

　　The number of people newly infected with Wuhan virus is being reported every day and its number is decreasing in Japan, but the second wave of prevalence is said to be coming soon. The second wave is actually a fear, but Japan started to cautiously proceed to the way of revival. Authorities issue various political measures to stimulate the economy.
　　As one of the revival policies, my prefecture is issuing discount coupons for accommodations to welcome tourists from across Japan. My wife and I decided to stay at a gorgeous traditional Japanese-style inn, "Ryokan" in Japanese, using the prefecture-issue coupons. The inn is located at the hot spring area in my hometown. Though it is in my hometown, we've never stayed at it. I'd like to enjoy Japan's oldest hot spa, Dogo Onsen, in the beginning of July. If I'm allowed to take pictures inside, I'll upload here. If you don't experience Japan's "Ryokan", I'll advise you to stay at them by any means.

 

Catastrophic Flood in Southern China

　　Sometimes I think the world is going to the dogs. I think so also when the information is concealed. I knew about the catastrophic flood in China through YouTube, and to top it off, the Three Gorges Dam is reportedly on the brink of collapse. Japan's media haven't reported the torrential rain in China until today.
　　Japanese media have a tendency to conceal the bad news about China and Korea. Lots of people in Japan came to know that fact and to keep them away. Japanese media will end up bringing ruin on themselves.

 

Lifting of Restrictions

　　People living in Japan have had various restrictions imposed on them concerning their daily lives as one of the measures to brace for the prevalence of the Wuhan virus infection. For instance, they were asked to refrain moving to other prefectures and going out to downtown. The owners and managers of restaurants or bars were softly ordered to shrink their business. In general, restrictions were not so strict as those of other countries, but the turnout to tourist spots and downtown plunged to almost zero. These restrictions have had an evil influence on almost all industries, but today, the restrictions were eventually lifted and all businesses started their jobs today.

(Vocabulary)
turnout　 (パーティー，イベントなどの) 出席［参加］者数, 観客数, 人出
a big/good turnout 　多くの人出

Heartful Supply

　　Today, we, health care personnel received an unexpected supply of refreshments from a local dairy company. While cows produce milk, all the schools are closed due to the Wuhan virus and their products lost most part of the demand. The company leaders seemingly wanted to show thanks to medical personnel occupied with the extra task to prevent patients from the Wuhan virus infection. In this rainy season of two years ago, this company transported fresh water to my office by their milk truck, when the region suffered from a big flood damage. My office wasn't damaged on the basis of hardware, but the water supply was cut. The milk truck transported water for the bath. Not only the inpatient but also the neighborhood were able to be refreshed through the bath.

(Vocabulary)
provision [C,U] (必要品・サービスなどの) 供給, 支給
a supply of refreshments to a person occupied with some task　差し入れ

My Opinion about the Ongoing Riots in the U.S.

　　A black man was killed through the crackdown in Minneapolis. Sorry to hear that. By the way, what do they want to do who join the riots across the U.S.? They threaten the country's security, destroy private or public estate and commit robberies. Does their conduct commemorate the victim? According to the follow-up reports, the deceased man with a background of robbery and drug abuse seemingly had just got out of prison and was carrying a counterfeit $20 bill when he was detected by police. He was ordered to get out of the car, but he resisted arrest. That's why he was forcibly taken out. The act of policemen, which led to his death, was surely overdoing it, but they were also human beings. They might have had a kind of fear that they wouldn't put anything past him if they relaxed their attention. The victim was reported to be Wohan virus positive. He might have been under the influence of the Wohan virus infection. I wonder if the policemen aren't allowed to speak in vindication of their conduct. Their act was just law enforcement. I'm worrying about the decrease of applicants for the police and other security personnel due to over-accusation against police.

 

警察官の行為により一人の黒人が亡くなった。残念なことだ。ところで、暴動に加わっている人たちは一体何をしたいのだろうか？治安を乱し、商店を壊し、品物を略奪、、、これが亡くなった人を追悼する行為だろうか。

いろいろと調べてみると、どうやら亡くなった黒人は２０ドルの偽札を持ち、窃盗や薬物使用の前歴があって、警察官の取り調べに応じず、車の外へ自ら出てこなかったというではないか。無理矢理３人の警察官に車から引きずり出されたのはそういう訳だ。警察官の行為が度を過ぎていたことは間違いないが、彼らも人の子。油断をすると何をされるかわからないという恐怖はあったのでは無いか。武漢ウイルス陽性だったとも報じられており、息が出来ないという訴えにはその影響もあったかも知れないと思う。そして、警察官にはなんら弁明は許されないのだろうか？取り調べ自体は正当な職務の遂行で、こんなことで警察官を批判するなら警察官のなり手がいなくなるのではないかと心配している。

N95 Mask

　　Vicious Wuhan virus prevails around the world. I'm angry that China and WHO didn't take stern measures to confine it and stop spreading it. Lots of people, including my favorite comedian, who didn't need to die passed away. However, it's no use crying over that now.
　　The prevalence of Wohan virus is not so heavy in my hometown compared with Tokyo, but health care facilities are likewise fewer. Even a small localized epidemic would lead to a serious situation. Health care personnel are required to expect the worst-case scenario.
　　When I tidied up my room, a box of N95 masks came out. A few dozen masks were left in the box. I recalled that the local government or my office had offered it to medical personnel during the SARS pandemic back in 2003. Its expiration date for use is in 2013, but it would be no problem in daily life not for medical use even now. I'm using this in my daily commute.

武漢ウイルスが世界的に蔓延している。早期に手を打たなかった支那やＷＨＯに怒りを覚えるが、今それを言ったところで仕方がない。このあたりでは武漢ウイルスの広がりは東京ほどではない、しかし、東京に比べ医療機関が少ないから、一度感染が拡がったら医療崩壊を起こすだろう。考えられる限りの対策を講じておこう。部屋の片付けをしていたらＳＡＲＳパンデミックの時に用意していたＮ９５マスクが大量に出てきた。使用期限は切れているが、通勤時にはこれを使うことにしよう。