Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Aloha!

　　Pay attention to the right hand of the statue in the first picture! That's the "SHAKA SIGN". This statue stood in front of the gate of the center. I read only the conclusion part of the description of the statue; DESCENDANT OF HAWAIIAN CHIEFS, A FAMOUS FISHERMAN, A BELOVED COMMUNITY LEADER, AND "FATHER" OF THE SHAKA. After this statue and the advice of our attendant, we are showing the Shaka sign in the picture, but.... Anyway I was excited to think what tour would start from then.
　　To tell the truth, I was astonished to read the full description of the statue after coming back to Japan. How and when was the Shaka sign born? The description is written monotonously, but its contents were sad. The person of the statue was born in 1882 at Laie, where we were. That means, when he was 16 years old, Oahu island was swallowed up by the U.S.. He must have been worse off than before. He seemingly lost his first three fingers of the right hand in a nearby sugar mill accident. Then he was transferred to the railroad company. He had given signals with his two-fingered right hand on his duty. That's the origin of the Shaka sign. For detailed information, please read the description below. Focusing on the right hand in the picture, his three fingers are surely cut down.

(Vocabulary)
He is worse off than before.　前より暮らし向きが悪くなった.

ポリネシア文化センターの入り口の前にあった像の右手に注目。あのシャカサインだ！銘板の最後のまとめの部分だけを読んで、（ハワイの酋長の末裔、有名な漁師、愛された地域の代表、そしてシャカサインの父とある）、、、、アテンダントの指示に従い、銅像の真似をしてシャカサインをしてみたのだが。
　
実は帰国後、この銘板を読んで驚いている。シャカサインがどのようにして生まれたのか、、、が書かれている。文章は淡々と書かれているが、内容は悲しい。銅像の男性は１８８２年ライエに生まれたとある。ということはアメリカに飲み込まれたのが彼が１６歳の時。アメリカ統治下のサトウキビ工場の事故で右手の「最初の３本の指」をなくしたとある。仕事が出来なくなったのか、サトウキビ鉄道へ移り、右手を振って合図をしていた。つまりそれがシャカサイン。後は碑文をお読みください。写真を良く見ると確かに指が切れている、、、
　
（注：英語では親指はthumbでfingerに含まれず、人差指が第１指で小指方向へ順に第２指、第３指、、と呼びます。なので最初の３本の指とは人差指から薬指を指します。フィンガー５というグループがありましたが、英語的には誤りです。指は５本ありますが、フィンガーは４本しかありませんから。）

Dole Plantation

　　The pineapple field along the Kamehameha Hwy around the Dole Plantation was much smaller than I imagined before my visit. As I had precisely learned about the history of Hawaii I thought that the Dole Company must have been huge and dominant on Oahu island. I was surprised to see the unused field and looked into some information on the revenue from farming, and found that revenue from nuts and coffee stand high, but that from pineapples was really small. The management of the company seemed to be hard. I had nothing to feel in the Dole Plantation, but "Dole" reminded me of a historical fact like the following.
　　In the first picture you see "SINCE 1900". It's 2 years after the annexation of Hawaii. Do you know how the Hawaii islands were annexed into the U.S.? The U.S. sent lots of friendly Americans to the Hawaii islands and when the population of the U.S. citizens reached an absolute majority, the U.S. forced the Kingdom of Hawaii to hold what you call a democratic election to establish a U.S.-friendly government. Dole, the founder of the Dole Company, was the ringleader of that plan. His unfair way was just the same as the way that the U.S. adopted half a century ago in the battle with Mexico. They robbed Mexico of Texas, saying "Remember Alamo". What's more, when the U.S. engaged in the Great East Asian War, they fought in the same way as they did against Mexico, saying "Remember Pearl Harbor". I'm going to write about this theme later in detail.
　　You know, the Americans tell us that they developed wild land with pioneer spirit in heart, but it's totally and absolutely wrong. They slaughtered numerous native people and deprived them of their land. They proceeded to the west and reached Hawaii and then Japan. One of the history textbooks, published by McGraw-Hill, contains unbelievably malicious stories. I'm going to specify the real story about Hawaii for the young and promising American people.
　　When the U.S. citizens were inhabiting the Hawaii islands, the Royal House of Hawaii asked Japan for help, feeling that the U.S. was trying to occupy Hawaii. Unfortunately, however, Japan didn't have enough power to save the Hawaiian Royal Family. Then the king of Hawaii, Kalakaua, was the first overseas chief of state, who visited Japan. His name remains in Kalakaua Avenue, which goes through Waikiki, and I ran on the avenue, thinking of him.
　　The Queen Lili'uokalani was enthroned in 1891. You might know, but she's known as the writer of "Aloha Oe". Cowardly Dole plotted to run the government in the U.S.'s favor and gave the voting rights to only the white and very few islanders. On the other hand, the queen announced that she'd bestow the rights to vote on all the islanders. Lots of native islanders took to the street to support the queen, but the movement finally triggered the destruction of the Kingdom of Hawaii by the U.S. side. The native islanders' demonstration was held in front of Iolani Palace, and this palace is the singular palace in the U.S. which remains today. I ran the half-marathon on the street in front of the palace, recalling the historical incident which had broken out 127 years ago. The U.S. minister to Hawaii, Stevens, commanded the U.S. marines on the battleship Boston dispatched to Honolulu military port to take the queen in custody on the excuse that he would save the lives and properties of the U.S. citizens. At that time, the Kingdom of Hawaii disappeared from the world, and the Republic of Hawaii was established. Stevens was going to annex the Hawaii islands into the U.S. in good time.
　　What, do you think, did Japan do concerning the incident? Japan dispatched two warships, "Naniwa" and "Kongoh" to Hawaii and both anchored on both sides of battleship Boston just like they would do in a pincer attack. Their behaviour was nothing but overpowering. You'd be surprised to know this act of Japan, which hasn't been able to rescue abducted people from North Korea.
　　The captain of "Naniwa" was Heihachirou Togo, who had suddenly become famous as a great admiral later during the Russo-Japanese War. Togo declared that a reckless attempt to destroy the Kingdom of Hawaii by violence was going on, and they would keep security and protect the lives of innocent citizens. The two warships stayed in Honolulu Harbor for three months. They went back to Japan once, but "Naniwa" was sent to Hawaii again the next year.
　　Togo was asked to fire a gun salute to mark the first anniversary of the Republic of Hawaii by the president, but he firmly refused his proposal, saying that he didn't think that the gun salute was necessary. Consequently, other military vessels on Honolulu bay followed Togo. The news media from all over the world reported that the day of celebration had silently passed just like mourning the Kingdom of Hawaii. That's Japan's conscience, which the U.S. hasn't had even until now.
　　Japan showed its Navy's power off and lots of Japanese historians explain that the U.S. started to think of Japan as its enemy at that time, but I don't think so. I suspect that the refusal of the gun salute might have triggered the disgust against Japan among the U.S. citizens.

訪問前、一面に拡がるパイナップル畑を想像していたが、カメハメハ・ハイウェイの両側のパイナップル畑は荒廃していて驚いた。調べてみるとハワイ州の農産物収入はコーヒー、ナッツ類が上位を占めパイナップルは微々たるものだ。経営は楽ではなさそうだ。この場所には特に感慨は無い。ただ、ドールと聞いて思い出すことがある。
　
最初の写真にドール・プランテーションは１９００年創業とある。ハワイ併合の２年後だ。ハワイがどのような経緯でアメリカ領となったのか。アメリカは友好的な顔でアメリカ人の入植を進め、ある程度の人口に達した時点で民主主義に則り公平に選挙をするという口実で親米政権を打ち立てた。このときの中心人物がドール、この会社の創立者だった。彼の卑怯なやり方はその半世紀前にメキシコからテキサスを奪ったときと同様の手口だった。このとき、アラモ砦に籠城する仲間をまず殺させておいてから『アラモ砦を忘れるな』という掛け声でメキシコからテキサスを奪った。後に書くが、真珠湾を攻撃させておいてから『パールハーバーを忘れるな』といいながら日本と戦ったように。
　
未開の地を開拓してきたとアメリカ人は言う。それは違う。先住民族を虐殺し、彼らの土地を奪ってきたのが彼らの歴史、西へ西へと進み、行き着いた先にハワイがあり、日本があった。アメリカの歴史教科書、例えばマグロウヒル社のものを読むと嘘ばかり。ここでハワイの本当の歴史をアメリカの若者のために書いておく。
　
アメリカ人が続々と入植していた頃、ハワイ王室は日本に助けを求めたが日本にはハワイ王国を救うだけの国力は無かった。救いを求めてやって来たカラカウア王は日本へやってきた初めての外国の元首だった。今ではワイキキを貫く大通りの名前になっていて、そんなことを思い出しながらマラソンを走った。
　
１８９１年リリウオカラニ女王が即位。あの『アロハ・オエ』の作者と書けば知らない人はいないだろう。卑怯なドールが白人の意見が通るように、白人とごく一部の島民にしか与えなかった選挙権を女王は貧しい島民にも与える憲法改正を発表したところ、イオラニ宮殿前に数千人のハワイ人が集まって女王支持のデモを行った。しかしこれはアメリカにとっては都合が悪い。白人側はこれを機に一気に王制打倒に動き出した。（イオラニ宮殿は現存しており、マラソンコースから広場を眺めた。１２７年前にここで起きたことを想像しながら。）米国公使スティーブンスは「米国人市民の生命と財産を守るために」と言ってホノルル港に停泊中の米軍艦「ボストン」の海兵隊を上陸させて女王を退位させ、ここにハワイ王国は消滅し、ハワイ共和国が樹立され、頃あいを見て米国は併合しようという計画だった。
　
しかし、当時の我が国がこの状況を放置するはずがない。北朝鮮に拉致された人たちを救えない日本にもこんな時代があったのだと驚くが、巡洋艦「浪速」、コルベット級「金剛」がホノルル港に入り、ハワイ王国乗っ取り中の戦艦「ボストン」をはさむように投錨した。威圧である。
　
「浪速」の艦長は東郷平八郎。後に日本海海戦を指揮して世界に勇名を馳せた名提督だ。東郷平八郎は、「武力でハワイ王制を倒す暴挙が進行している。我々は危険にさらされた無辜の市民の安全と保護に当たる」と宣言した。「浪速」は３ヶ月ハワイに留まった後、いったん帰国するも、一年後に再びホノルル湾に派遣された。
　
ハワイ共和国大統領から「建国一周年」を祝う礼砲を要請されたが、東郷艦長は「その理由を認めず」と拒絶。するとホノルル軍港の各国軍艦も東郷にならい、世界の新聞は「ハワイ王朝の喪に服するような静寂の一日に終わった」と伝えた。これがアメリカにはない日本の良心である。
　
日露戦争で日本はその海軍力を世界に見せつけた。この時点でアメリカが日本を敵国と見なすようになったという意見があるが、僕はこの礼砲拒否あたりからではないかと考えている。

 

Birth Stones

　　Our next destination was also located in a deserted wasteland and I thought that it might be rejected by the driver, but he took us there. If you don't have the background knowledge, "Birth Stones" are a simple abandoned place, but this site was the first place to be formally acknowledged as the precious ruin of Oahu island in 1925. An ancient Hawaiian chief and his wife in the area set several stones around and built their house for delivery and gave birth to a baby boy, who grew up to become a great chief. After that, women in the royal family came to deliver their babies there. This place, I felt, had a sort of mythic allure.
　　FYI, I found a signboard which reads "Wheeler Air Force Base" just before the arrival at Birth Stones. I remembered that I knew the base from the documentary film of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I thought of fighters and bombers having passed over us 77 years ago from the north to Pearl Harbor.
　　I learned from the driver where there were homes which were rough or poor in public security on Oahu island. At one of which, Nanakuli, a celebrity of K, whom most Japanese knew, had his luxurious house.
　　One evening, he took a guest to K's house from Honolulu airport. On arrival at K's house, he was asked to come back to his house a few hours later in order to take K's guests to their hotels, but he rejected K's request, because the area was really dangerous at night. After the exchange of mutual opinions, he proposed that he would wait for K's guests until the end of the party, if K allowed him to stay and wait "inside his house" to avoid burglars. K said "OK" to him, and while he was waiting, K often kindly came to him with food. Our driver was so grateful for K's thoughtfulness. I asked the driver why K had his house built in such an unsafe place. The answer was really simple and like this: It was his birth place. The majority of the population had Polynesian roots. There seemed to be various conditions also on Oahu island which looked happy to tourists like me.

次に立ち寄ったところもへんぴな場所にあり、ドライバーから拒否されるかと思ったが連れて行ってくれた。予備知識がなければ、ただ石が転がっているだけの場所だが、１９２５年オアフ島で最初に公式の史跡として認められ保存されてきた場所。この地区の酋長とその妻が岩石群を置き、産屋を建て、息子を産んだ場所と言われている。その息子が後に大酋長になったことから、それ以降、王族の女性たちがここで子供を産むようになったそうだ。この場所に、僕は、ある種の伝説的な魅力があるように感じた。
　
到着直前にウィーラー空軍基地の看板を見つけ、パールハーバー攻撃の記録映画でこの基地を見たことを思いだした。我らが日本海軍航空隊はこの上空を通過して真珠湾に向かったのだと７７年前に思いを馳せた。
　
ここまでの移動の途中、ドライバーからオアフ島の立ち寄っては行けない場所についてもいろいろと教えてもらった。その一つ、ナナクリ地区に自宅を持つ、日本人なら誰もが知る有名人Ｋについての話が面白かったので紹介する。夕刻、ホノルル空港から彼の自宅までパーティーに出席する客を送ったところ、数時間後に迎えに来るよう頼まれた。が、断ったとのこと。夜遅く、ナナクリへ行くのは怖いと。それほど犯罪が多い地区だと言うことだ。結局、彼は客が帰るまでＫの『邸内で』待つことになったという。待つこと数時間、Ｋが時折やって来て気を遣ってくれたという。彼はそんなＫのことを『良い奴だ』と言っていた。尋ねてみた。なぜそんな場所に豪邸を建てたのか？そんな地区だが、そこが彼の出身地だからと言う答えだった。ポリネシア系の人たちが多く住む地区、観光客には優しいオアフ島にもいろいろな事情がありそうだ。

Barack Obama

　　I quoted the first name of "Barack" in the previous entry. It was naturally deliberate. The former U.S. President, Barack Obama was from Hawaii. I saw his high school from the car. The school was private and its tuition seemed to be considerably high, but he was awarded a scholarship and was able to graduate from the school in spite of his household's poverty. Then, he moved to the U.S. mainland. Talented students seemingly tend to leave Hawaii.

 

前のエントリーでバラクという名前を出したがもちろんこれは意図的。バラク・オバマ前アメリカ大統領はハワイ出身。彼の卒業した高校を見てきた。授業料が高く、優秀な生徒が集まる高校だという。彼の家は裕福ではなかったが成績優秀のため奨学金で卒業できたという。ハワイの優秀な人材は本土へ渡り、帰ってこなくなることが多いという。

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

　　Punchbowl Crater, which is said to have been formed some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago, is the location of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
　　I had examined the literature on the cemetery, and I knew that two Americans, whom I had already known, were buried there, though one of them might be just a token of his life. One is a heroic journalist in the times of the Great East Asian War, Ernest Taylor "Ernie" Pyle, who had lost his life in 1945 on Iejima island near Okinawa. When I visited Okinawa, I learned about him. Another one is Ellison Shoji Onizuka from Hawaii island, who was a Japanese American and was killed by the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and so I'm afraid that his body wouldn't be recovered. I heard that Kona Airport was renamed to Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Ke?hole on January, 2017. It's a great honor for him.
　　When he was chosen as one of the crew of Space Shuttle Challenger, I was so happy. I admired him, wondering how huge the struggle with a society of fierce racial discrimination he had gone through. However, he passed away before piling up his achievement. I wanted to visit his tomb and asked our driver, but I couldn't.
　　Due to the growth of the tourists, commercial vehicles like buses and taxis seemed to be prohibited to pull over in the grounds. We were just able to see the cemetery from inside the taxi.

パンチボウルは国立太平洋記念墓地となっている。調べてみると僕が知っている二人の墓があるという。一人は大東亜戦争の頃の英雄的なジャーナリストでErnest Taylor "Ernie" Pyle、１９４５年伊江島で落命している。数年前に沖縄の戦跡を訪ねたときにこの名前を知った。もう一人は８６年チャレンジャーで殉職した、あのハワイ島出身の宇宙飛行士Ellison Shoji Onizuka（日本名：鬼塚承次）。昨年１月ハワイ島のコナ国際空港がエリソン・オニヅカ・コナ国際空港とされたのは記憶に新しい。

彼がスペースシャトルの乗員に選ばれたとき、本当に嬉しかった。人種差別の激しい米国に於いてどれほどの努力をされたのだろうかと尊敬していた。それなのに殉職。これは墓参に参らねばなるまい。ということで、立ち寄ることをドライバーにお願いした。

しかし、、、、カルデラ地形に興味があるのか、墓地に興味があるのか、観光客が押し寄せたため今は、バスやタクシーなど商業車は停車してはいけないという厳格なルールが出来ていて、墓地内を歩けるのは遺族だけと厳格に決められ、タクシーはゆっくりと停止せずに墓地内を廻るだけだった。日本人でパンチボウルに興味を持つ人は滅多にいない、、、と言われてしまった。(^_^;)

Necktie

　　I don't usually wear neckties even in my office. While commuting, I wear everyday clothes. As soon as I arrive at my office, I change my clothes to my white coat or surgical gown, so I don't need so many neckties.
　　Today, I had to attend an important meeting and looked for a suitable one in my closet. The one I found and will show you below was new to me. I didn't remember where or when I got it. Anyway, someone might have presented it to me on some special occasion. I tried to put it on. When I asked my wife for her advice, she found a weird word on it. Takeshima island, which has been illegally occupied by South Korea, was described by its Korean name. I immediately pulled this necktie off and threw it away. I got angry at South Korea.
　　Most Japanese media don't want to report the inconvenient truth of both Koreas and China, but now even ordinary people can get the truth online. Lots of Japanese people know the fact that Korean people distort their history. They damage lots of books and maps in public libraries worldwide. They insist that the Sea of Japan should be called "East Sea", though they don't appeal to China for the modification from Yellow Sea to "West Sea". I can read Korean a little, and the more I know about Koreas, the more I hate them.

ネクタイ

日頃ネクタイをしない。通勤はほぼ普段着で、職場に入るとすぐに白衣に着替える。ところが今日はライオンズクラブの会合があり、久しぶりにネクタイを着けることになった。誰かにもらったものだと思うが着けたことのないネクタイをクローゼットの中に見つけて着けてみた。家内がじっと書かれている地図を見て大変な事実を発見した。南朝鮮が不法占拠している島の名前が朝鮮読みになっていたのだ。すぐにこのネクタイを外し、捨てた。いったい朝鮮人ども、どこまで腐っているんだ。
　
日本のメディアの多くはシナ、朝鮮の不都合な真実を報道したがらないが、今では普通の日本人がネットで正しい情報を得ている。朝鮮人たちが世界中で公立の図書館などで本や地図を毀損していることを知っている。彼らは日本海を「東海」と呼べと言うが、ならばシナ様に黄海を「西海」と呼べとなぜ言わない？日本を馬鹿にしているのか？少しだけ朝鮮語を読めるのだが、知れば知るほど嫌になる国だ。＞朝鮮
　
黄海北道・黄海南道という北朝鮮の地名から黄海と名付けられたのでは？と思われる方へ：
　
ＷＩＫＩからの引用ですが、黄海道（ファンヘド、こうかいどう）は、李氏朝鮮の行政区分朝鮮八道の一つ。主要都市である黄州と海州から頭文字を取って命名された。黄海に面していた故の名称ではない。高麗時代は「西海道」と呼ばれていた。現在の北朝鮮の行政区分、黄海北道・黄海南道に相当する。なので、日本海を東海と呼べと主張する奴らが筋の通った連中なら、黄海を西海と呼ぶよう主張するはずなのです。

Installation of Sprinkler

　　Today is Sunday. In the OPD, an installation work is underway while the department is vacant. What will be installed is a sprinkler system, which is obliged to set in all the hospitals including even small clinics by the Japanese government. It will be a strong measure against a fire. A part of costs is a state-sponsored subsidy. It's really welcome.

(Vocabulary)
a state-sponsored subsidy 国からの補助金

スプリンクラー設置工事

今日は日曜日、この日を選んで外来の工事をしている。この数ヶ月、病院のスプリンクラー設置工事が進んでいる。国の方針で2020年までに設置が義務づけられたものだ。火事に対して十分な防護が出来ることになる。費用の一部は国が負担してくれるという。有り難い。

Light Fixtures

　　An elementary school is adjacent to my office. The kids' cheerful voices are always energetic and nice to me, other staff members, and inpatients. Today is Saturday and the school is closed, but it was noisy. Looking down from the ward, a large-scale construction was underway. It looked like they were building several light fixtures for night school activities. In my neighborhood, an elementary school will close at the end of March due to the decrease of pupils. Kids in that school will be schooled at this elementary school adjacent to my office. This school will be more lively, but the decrease of population will lead to the decline of Japan. Is there anything that can be done about it?

(Vocabulary)
fixture 《[C]通例複数形で》(室内などの) 据え付け品, 建具

照明設備設置工事

土曜日はとなりの小学校は休みのはずだが騒がしい。病棟の窓から見下ろすと大がかりな工事が始まっていた。どうやら夜間、運動場を照らすための照明装置が設置されるようだ。このあたり、子供の減少によりこの春にまた一つ小学校が閉校となり隣の学校へ統合された。隣の学校は賑やかになるが、人口の減少は国力の衰退に繋がる。なんとかならないものかと思う。

Memorial Day

　　December 8th came around. This is the day when Japan launched what you call a surprise attack against the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor in 1941. It's actually, however, the day when Japan was trapped to be forced to start the war by the U.S. If you want to know about the details, I recommend you read "Freedom Betrayed": Herbert Hoover's Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath. Anyway, the war between Japan and the U.S. had already started in Mainland China at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The then U.S. President, FDR, had sent up-to-date fighter planes and excellent American pilots to assist the Chinese People's Party though it was obviously a breach of international laws. The troops which he had sent were called the "Flying Tigers".
　　Leaving the evil of FDR aside, the air attack is prominent in Pearl Harbor, but there were several young soldiers who performed suicide attacks in the ocean against vessels trying to get away from the harbor. They were praised after death and their monument was built at their training site, Mitsukue in Ehime, which is an hour away from my office. Today, their memorial service was held in front of their monument. I attended it in the freezing wind. The meeting was really solemn.

１２月８日　慰霊の日

今年も１２月８日がやって来た。これは日本が真珠湾へ奇襲攻撃を掛けたとされる日である。実際はルーズベルトの仕掛けた罠にはまってしまった日である。日本とアメリカの間の戦争は既に始まっていた。アメリカは自国の飛行機とパイロットをシナへ送り、日本と戦争をしていたのである。その部隊の名前はフライングタイガーと呼ばれる。

その話は置く。話を真珠湾攻撃へ戻す。真珠湾攻撃の際に航空攻撃ばかりが目立つが実は、真珠湾から逃げ出してきた艦船を攻撃するために湾口で待っていた部隊がある。彼らは自らの命と引き替えに攻撃を仕掛け、そして散った。彼らはその後軍神として祀られた。彼らが攻撃の練習をした場所で今日、彼らの慰霊祭があり出席した。寒風吹きすさぶ中、神職の祝詞（のりと）が唱えられ、出席者が玉串を供えた。

Wat Phra Kaeo and Grand Palace

　　The former king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed away on Oct. 13th in 2016 and was cremated on Oct. 26th in 2017. He was so popular among his people and they had been mourning for him over a year. Then the Thai government declared on Oct. 29th that the mourning period ended.
　　My friend, who lived in Thailand, told us about the king's cremation and its related ceremonies, which was a big surprise to me. That was; The Thai government built the cremation facility only for the king during the mourning period at the cost of 16,000,000 USD and the total expense of the funeral ceremony of the king was 96,000,000 USD. Additionally, the high-profile facility would be pulled down after the ceremony. I wondered why the government didn't preserve that as one of the tourist spots. Anyway the facility would be open to the public before its demolition from Nov. 2nd to 30th., and lots of people, not only Thai, but also international tourists, were eager to see the cremation facility during this period of time. That is to say, we chanced to be in Bangkok at the perfect timing. Plus the Loy Krathong the previous night. I recognized the reason why there were so many people around.
　　People around us were willing to visit the cremation facility, which was to disappear soon. My friend, who was able to speak Thai, got to the entrance to check the waiting time and it was about 6 hours. Immediately we gave up the sightseeing of this area. We asked a Tuktuk driver to run his three-wheeler around the Wat Phra Kaeo and Grand Palace, and it was our sightseeing. Seeing our disappointment, my friend took us to a nearby famous brand shop of NARAYA, a chain of bag shops. My wife got a casual bag at a reasonable price. It's used in her everyday life.

ワット・プラケオと王宮

日本ではプミポン国王と通称されるBhumibol Adulyadej国王が２０１６年１０月１３日に崩御され、２０１７年１０月２６日に荼毘に付された。国民に大変な人気のあった国王でタイ国民は１年間の喪に服していたが、タイ政府は１０月２９日を以て服喪期間が終了したことを宣言。

友人から説明を受けて驚いたのだが、この間にタイ政府は王宮前広場に約１０ヶ月の期間と１７億円を掛けて火葬のためだけの施設を建設。１０２億円をかけた仮葬の儀が終わるとこの仮葬施設は解体するのだそうだ。そして解体前に１１月２日から３０日まで火葬施設を一般公開するとのこと。我々は実に絶妙なタイミングでバンコクに来たことになる。さらに昨夜はロイクラトン（Loy Krathong）祭りが重なった。人が多いはずだ。

もう２度と見る機会のないこの施設を見るために人々が集まっていたのだった。友人が王宮の入り口まで確認に行ってくれたのだが、中へ入って施設を見るとなると６時間くらいは待たねばならないとのこと。即、諦めた。トゥクトゥクで王宮と火葬施設の周りを回ってもらい、外からその風景をちらっと見て観光を終えた。バンコクはまた訪問せねばならない。しょんぼりしていると友人がNaRaYaという店に連れて行ってくれた。お手軽な価格でカミさんは手提げバッグを購入。帰国後、大切に使っている。

 

Rama IX

　　The Thai king of Rama IX is known as King Bhumibol the Great in Japan. I knew that he had passed away in October 2016 and I was wondering before the trip if I should wear conservative clothes during the trip in Thailand, or how long people in Thailand go into mourning. Just at that time, the Thai government issued a comment on Oct 29th, 4 days before my departure, that their period of mourning expired. That was good news for us, as we didn't want to see sad faces in Thailand and hadn't to care about our own clothes. However, I wasn't able to even imagine that the happening I'm going to write in the next blog entry would occur.

 cited from http://buzz-plus.com/article/2016/10/13/bhumibol-adulyadej-thailand/

タイ国王ラーマ９世は日本ではプミポン国王と称される。２０１６年１０月に崩御された。この時点ではタイ旅行は全く考えていなかったが、２０１７年秋にバンコクへ旅行することになり、出発が近づくにつれて服喪期間中なのか違うのか、気になっていた。着ていく服に気を遣わねばならないからだ。出発の４日前に喪が明けたと公式通知があったので、この件については思案無用と思ってほっとしたのだが、、、続く
写真は　http://buzz-plus.com/article/2016/10/13/bhumibol-adulyadej-thailand/　より引用

National Athletic Meet in Ehime

　　The National Athletic Meet, which had started in 1946 to encourage people living on the heavily devastated land and has been held across Japan every year since then, is now being held in my home, Ehime prefecture.
　　Prefectures take their turn to be in charge of hosting. Ehime prefecture hosts the event for the first time in 64 years. The last National Athletic Meet in Ehime was hosted by four prefectures including Ehime. In the wake of the war, even in the shortage of principal necessities like food, clothes and houses, it would have been difficult for my prefecture to shoulder all the costs alone.
　　Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress visited Ehime two days ago to attend the ceremony and were supposed to be back in today's afternoon, so I was on standby on the roadside to send them off since two hours before the estimated time of their passing to get a position in the front line of the crowd. Directly looking at them, I waved my national flag. I set my camera at the height of my chest and shot pictures without aiming. That's why some pictures were oblique. They were so refined. His Majesty the Emperor was seated to the back of the driver and was half-rising from his seat and gently waving his hand at us. I wasn't able to help praying for the happiness of the Imperial Household, which is linked to Japanese mythology, and the 125th His Majesty the Emperor.

(Vocabulary)
the National Athletic Meet　国体（国民体育大会）
Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress　天皇皇后両陛下

愛媛国体

１９４６年から開催されている国民体育大会が今年は我がふるさと愛媛県で開催されている。戦後の荒廃した国土で国民を元気づけるために始まった大会だが、現在では各県単位で持ち回りで開催されている。愛媛県で開催されるのはなんと６４年ぶり。前回は四国の４県合同で行われた。戦後間もない頃で食糧難の時代、一県だけで開催するのは困難だったのだろう。

またこの国体は天皇皇后両陛下が出席される３つのイベントの一つで、今回の大会に合わせて愛媛県を行幸された。一目、そのお姿を見たく思い、通行される道路脇に２時間前から待機した。写真は胸の高さにカメラを構えて、ファインダーを覗かずに取ったもの。そのため少し傾いている。

上品なお姿だった。運転席の後ろに座られている天皇陛下は中腰になられてこちらに手を振ってくださった。神話に連なる皇室、第１２５代天皇陛下、そのご健康を祈らずにはいられなかった。

Okuooikojo-eki

　　It's kind of sudden, but do you know an American actor, Tommy Lee Jones? He is also popular in Japan. He has shown up in a series of CMs of canned coffees, in which he has been acting in a very serious way, but it's been somehow humorous. I think that lots of Japanese knew about him through these CMs. One of his CMs put a rural railroad station on the map. Its name is Okuooikojo-eki, and it was the next destination. Its general appearance is shown in the first picture. There were neither folk houses nor villages around the station. Why is the station here then?
　　I reached the platform via the left-side bridge coming down from the place where I took this picture. That was hard work in the muggy air, though the route to the bridge was well-maintained. I climbed down the stairs in the second picture and stood on the bridge in front of the tunnel in the third picture. As soon as I finished walking on the bridge, a train came in.
　　Actually, what looks like a river is a lake formed by a dam, i.e. a reservoir. A small village used to exist here, now beneath the water. You can see the ruin of the train tracks on the riverbank in the 6th and 7th pictures. In the 7th, a path leading underwater is also shown. There's only a rest place at the station now, but it's located on the hiking route and lots of people visit the station in the high season.

奥大井湖上駅
　
突然ですが、トミー・リー・ジョーンズを知ってますか？彼は日本でも人気があり、缶コーヒーのＣＭで彼を知った人も多いと思う。出演するＣＭは多分１０作以上になると思うが、そのひとつで有名になった駅がある。奥大井湖上駅といい、静岡市から１時間半ほどの場所にある。以前から一度は立ち寄りたい駅だった。写真を見てもらうとその雰囲気がわかるだろう。周囲に民家はない。なぜここに駅があるのか。橋の全景を撮影した場所から駅まで、向かって左側の橋を渡って駅に到達したのだが、遊歩道が整備されているとは言え暑い中、きついウォーキングとなった。
　
この池はダム湖である。その昔、ここには集落が有り、谷沿いに鉄道が通っていた。３枚目と６枚目にその痕跡が写っている。また６枚目には水面下へ続く道路の跡も見える。ここが水に沈むと決まってから写真の橋は出来た。この駅で下車しても遊歩道と小さなロッジがあるだけなのだがＣＭにより人気が出てこのあたりを散歩する人が絶えない。

Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace

　　About 260 years of the period from the start of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century is called the "Edo era" in Japan. During the era apart from the last several years, Japan had never been invaded or attacked by foreign forces and had seen a rapid and remarkable progress in cultural, artistic and some other aspects. Consequently, the art of battle wasn't necessary and the products of arms were only small weapons like swords or matchlock guns. In other words, Japan was sleeping in this period without knowing of the religious wars like the Thirty Years' War and the French Wars of Religion nor superpowers' battles seeking for colonies. In the middle of the 19th century, however, several foreign military ships came to show up around Japan, typified by Commodore Perry's fleet from the U.S.. Their ships were armed with cannons.
　　The officials of "Bakufu", the then Japanese government, were surprised being confronted with the cannons on Perry's fleet, because they were up-to-date at that time. As for me, I was surprised at the fact that the officials did know about that kind of cannon even in the less informative era. Anyway, what if Japan was attacked with those cannons? Japan started to build forts on the coastlines. Daiba, which is now one of the tourist spots in Tokyo, used to be a fort for the protecton of Edo, which we now call Tokyo.
　　By the way, where did the cannons come from? The next destination, Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace, is just the place where Japan's first-ever cannons were made. The range of those cannons was reportedly only 3km, while that of the foreign ones was 11km. If a military conflict had happened, the result would have spoken for itself, but the presence of those even inferior cannons would work for avoiding military confrontation. To my and maybe your surprise, this furnace was built not by the government but personally. A local official and his son, who were worried about the circumstances, did the research on the foreign furnaces and built their original furnace in Nirayama. Their work must have been a daunting task and was narrowly in time for the arrival of foreign powers.
　　As I often wrote in this blog, when Japan was in distress, someone surely and timely showed up in its history. These Mr. Egawa and his son, who completed Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace, would be one example. A volunteer guide perfectly fulfilled her task. Her answers to my several detailed questions were totally informative. Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace was listed on the World Cultural Heritage Site in July in 2015.

(Vocabulary)
Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace　韮山反射炉：　静岡県伊豆の国市にある反射炉跡。日本で唯一現存する実用反射炉であり、国の史跡に指定されている。平成27年7月、韮山反射炉を含む「明治日本の産業革命遺産」が世界文化遺産に登録された。
matchlock 火縄銃
French Wars of Religion　ユグノー戦争
Commodore Perry ペリー  Matthew Calbraith Perry 1794-1858　１８５３年黒船で浦賀に来航し, 日本に開国を求めた米国の提督； 通称 Commodore Perry》.
be confronted with　～をつきつけられる、を見せられる
a daunting task/prospect/challenge　気の遠くなるような作業／見通し／試練

１７世紀の初めから１９世紀半ばまで約２６０年間は江戸時代と呼ばれる。この時代、外からの侵略はなく、文化、芸術などの著しい発展があった。当然ながら戦うための技術は必要無く、武器の生産は小規模な物に限られていた。ところが、である。１９世紀になると、１８５３年のアメリカ海軍軍人ペリーの来航に代表される海外からの船が続々とやってきて交易を求めてきた。彼らの船には戦うための大砲が装備されていた。

幕府の役人たちはペリーの乗る軍艦を見て驚いた。当時の最先端の大砲が備え付けられていたからである。その大砲が世界最先端のものだと知っていたことにも驚くが、これを使って攻撃されたら日本はどうしただろうか？急ぎ日本は防御陣地を建設した。現在、東京の観光地の一つになっている台場は砲台を設置するために埋め立てられた場所である。

ではその大砲はどうしたか？その大砲が鋳造された融解炉、韮山反射炉が次の目的地である。ここで鋳造された日本初の大砲の射程距離は３ｋｍほど。対するペリーの軍艦の大砲は１１ｋｍ。戦えば勝敗は目に見えていたのだが、見かけだけでも日本に大砲があったことは戦争回避のために役立ったのではないだろうか。そしてこの反射炉は驚いたことに個人が作り上げたもので、日本を取り巻く状況を憂えた幕末期の代官とその子２代で完成させたものである。

このブログ内で度々書いてきたことだが、日本が危機にあるとき、かならずそれを救う人物が実にタイムリーに歴史上に登場する。この韮山反射炉を完成させた江川某親子もまたその一例だと思う。ボランティアの女性の案内で、その構造、歴史をしっかりと勉強させていただいた。韮山反射炉は２０１５年７月世界文化遺産に登録された。

Drill Site

　　I collected information on the Drill in advance. The visitors would be shuttled to the Drill Site by bus from the nearest JR station of Gotenba station. I was going to move to the station at first and then get on a shuttle bus, but I thought I might have to wait for the bus for a considerable time, because of the huge number of people. So, I decided to use a taxi directly from our hotel to the Drill Site. The start of the exhibition drill was 10 a.m., and the site would be open at 6:30 a.m. I arrived at the site at about 7:00 a.m. I assumed that starting the day at 6:00 a.m. would be early enough to get a good position for watching, but there were already so many people waiting for their admission at the gate.
　　I wanted to get the front row, but as you see in the following pictures, our sitting position was about 5 meters from the front. Looking back, lots of people followed us and the space behind us of up to more than 30 meters was soon occupied. Our position wasn't the best but was acceptable. Some people brought their floor cushions, drinks, and some snacks. Looking at that, I rushed to a makeshift food court to get some drinks for protection against heat stroke.

(Vocabulary)
shuttle 頻繁に行き来する;《[他]通例受け身形で》 (短距離区間で) 〈利用客など〉を送迎する, ピストン輸送する

 

会場入り
　
事前の情報ではかなり大勢の観客が来るとのこと。そして交通機関は御殿場駅からのシャトルバスが中心で混雑するとのこと。出来るだけ早く到着するために５時３０分起床。ホテル横のコンビニで食事をしてタクシーで演習場へ向かった。演習開始は１０時で開場は６時３０分。我々が着いたのが７時過ぎ。タクシー降り場からまっすぐに指定された場所に向かった。十分に早く着いたはずだったが、入場ゲートにはすでに長い列ができていた。
　
最前列に座りたかったのだが、すでに写真のような状態で、最前列からは５メートルほど後ろの位置となってしまった。ただ我々の後ろのスペースにはその後続々と埋まり、後方は３０メートル以上、ぎっしりと人であふれた。最善ではないにしても、まずまず良い位置に座ることが出来た。天気は朝の内は快晴。暑くなりそうな予感がした。準備の良い人はクーラーボックスに水分、おしぼり、座布団に食べ物などを準備していた。それをみて慌てて水や敷物を買いに走った。さて開始まで２時間あまり。カミさんに場所取りをさせておいて会場を見て回った。

Fuji Live Firing Exercises

　　The annual event of the Fuji Live Firing Exercise is performed by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) at the foot of Mt. Fuji. It is open to the public, but it's very difficult to gain admission. The admission fee is free, but there are so many people who want to see the exercise and the competition rate for the tickets is about 30 times this year. I 've applied for tickets these last four years, but wasn't able to get them.
　　Most Japanese people have been indifferent to national security until recent years, but seeing what neighbor nations are doing, they've considerably changed their mind. Lots of people began to bear respect for the Japan Self-Defense Force, and the race for the tickets to observe the exercise is getting fierce these days.
　　I heard about the rehearsal of the exercise, which is scheduled on the previous day and is open to newcomers to the force or families of the military personnel. I asked my acquaintance who was a veteran to get some tickets for the rehearsal and he successfully got two.
　　During my summer vacation, I've mostly gone out of the country lately, but I decided to visit Shizuoka prefecture this year, in which the Fuji Drill Site is located, to see the exercise and then drive my car around Mt. Fuji and Izu Peninsula, which pokes down to the Pacific Ocean at the south of Mt. Fuji. Enjoy my following trip memos.

富士総合火力演習 Fuji Live Firing Exercises

陸上自衛隊が実弾を使った演習を年に一度、一般に公開する。安全保障に無関心だった日本人だが、シナ朝鮮のお陰で国防に対する意識が高まり、昨今ではこの演習を見学するためのチケットは無料だが抽選となっており、その競争率は数十倍に達する。毎年申し込んできたが、当たらず、今年は策を弄した。つまり、演習の予行があると聞き、このチケットを自衛隊の関係者にお願いした。入隊したばかりの若い自衛官に見学させたり、自衛官の家族などが見学できるチケットだ。チケット２枚入手できた。

毎年の夏休みは、どこか海外へ行くことが多かったが今年は演習の行われる富士演習場とその周辺をドライブすることにした。これからのいくつかの記事は富士山周辺、伊豆半島の各地を巡った旅行記をＵＰする。伊豆半島は富士山のあたりから南へ延びている半島で、日本地図を見ればすぐに確認できると思う。ここをほぼ一周した。８月２５日は演習場のある御殿場市内に宿泊。

Kure Military Port Festa

　　You might not believe my words, but ordinary Japanese people were educated to hate military forces and military personnel. It seemed like the ghost of Douglas MacArthur, who wanted Japan to be unarmed forever, had possessed Japan. At present, however, people know that China has already stolen several Vietnamese and Philippine islands and is trying to snatch islands from even Japan. South Korea continues to stay illegally on the Japanese island of Takeshima as well as Russia on the northern territory of Japan.
　　Ordinary people in Japan have been indifferent to national security, but thanks to rogue states around Japan, they became open-eyed to national security. I think it's desirable.
　　I am one of those Japanese. Today I visited Kure Military Port Festa. The air-raid shelter of the headquarters, which was built in the port in the last stage of the Great East Asian War, became open to the public for the first time in 72 years and I was interested in that. Seeing the shelter, I couldn't help appreciate those who worked there during the war.
　　Eventually, I joined the Military Port Tour held by the veterans association. A maritime veteran gave the visitors a detailed description about its history, naval vessels and submarines moored there. I felt pride as a veteran in his guidance and thought that Japan's Navy, what you call the Japanese Maritime Self-defense Force, was trustworthy at the same time. The biggest-ever battleship, Yamato, was built there and the dock of Yamato is still preserved and even works even now.

信じてもらえないだろうが、日本人は軍隊や軍人を忌み嫌うように教育されてきた。日本を再軍備させないとした連合軍の亡霊が今でも日本に取り憑いているようだ。しかし、シナが武力でフィリピンやベトナムの島を奪い、次に尖閣諸島を狙っている。南朝鮮は竹島を占拠しており、ロシアは北方領土を侵略中だ。

多くの日本人はこれまでアメリカの庇護の下、安保についてほとんど考えることがなかったように思うが、今は違う。シナの行動を見て、また北朝鮮の日本人拉致や核開発、、、これらのことが原因だと思われるが日本を守るための軍事に興味を持つ日本人が増えてきた。良いことだと思う。

僕もまさにそのような日本人の一人。今日は、呉軍港へ行ってきた。大東亜戦争末期に作られた防空壕が初めて一般公開されることになり見学した。当時の軍人たちが日本の滅亡を必死で防いでくれたことに感謝しないわけにはいかなかった。

その後、軍港ツアーがあったので参加した。退役軍人が案内をしてくれたのだが、彼の言葉の中に日本の軍人としての誇りを感じることが出来、海軍を頼もしく思った。史上最大の戦艦大和はこの軍港で建造され、そのドックが今でも残っていた。

 

Huge Disaster in Kyushu

　　A huge disaster broke out in Kyushu, which is one of the main islands in Japan. It was due to a heavy torrential rain for the record books. 34 people were killed and 7 missing at present. As you know, Japan is a small country, but different places only 100km away from each other sometimes have different climates. The devastated area is only 200km from my hometown, but my hometown is suffering from a water shortage. Judging from the broadcasted pictures, it will take such a long period for damaged areas to recover. I sent a small amount of donation and am going to divert part of my residential tax to the areas worst affected using the new tax-paying system, about which I wrote here(link).

Destroyer Inazuma

　　The destroyer Inazuma was open to the public today. I visited the container yard of my hometown where it was moored to see its inside. Naturally, though, the area I was able to enter was limited. There were lots of kids on the deck. I don't remember that such events were held when I was a little kid, but the kids born in the 50s, 60s, and 70s like me would have less opportunities than today's kids have.
　　Japan's Self Defense Force(JSDF) formerly seemed to be disliked from people's war-weariness. It's ideal, for sure, for all the weapons to disappear on the globe, but it would be impossible at present. So, the JSDF is the Guardian God of Japan and should be looked up to. They are devoting their life to the protection of our country. The navy servicemen and servicewomen were shining on the elaborately polished military vessel.

護衛艦いなづまの一般公開を見てきた。小さな子供もたくさんいたが、僕が小さい頃、このようなイベントは数多くやっていたのだろうか。自衛隊はどちらかというと好かれていない存在だったような気がする。世界中から武器が一斉に消えてしまうのが理想だがそのようなことはあり得ない以上、自衛隊は日本の守り神であり、頼もしい存在だ。自分の生命を賭けて国を守る軍人という仕事、もっと尊敬されて良い。きれいに磨かれた船の上で軍人たちの笑顔が光っていた。

Dolphins

　　After climbing down from the summit of Diamond Head, we went downtown and wandered around. There were so many cheerful people and being there made us happy. It was understandable that lots of Japanese celebrities gather in Hawaii in the Christmas and New Year Holiday season. We talked about what to do on the next day after dinner. I'd like to visit some historic places associated with the Greater East Asian War like the Battleship Missouri Memorial or the USS Arizona Memorial, but my daughter insisted on watching wild dolphins. Finally, I gave in.
　　Waiting at the designated site and time, a bus of the tour company "Dolphins and You" came. Driving through the city center, picking up other guests on the way, and proceeding along the coastline for about an hour, we arrived at a small fishing port which the company was based at. We rented wet suits and boarded a fishing motorboat. Until the boat arrived at the dolphins' gathering spot in about 30 minutes, the passengers chanted a local traditional sutra after a staff member, or learned a local dance, or some sweets were delivered. I was thankful for them to care about us not to get bored.
　　While I was floating on the surface, swarms of dolphins and a sea turtle abruptly appeared beneath me. A female photographer was shooting our pictures putting dolphins in from the bottom. As I didn't wear my glasses I was surprised to take her as an unknown creature at a glance. It would be wonderful if I could do some diving.
　　Hot hamburgers were served on the way back. It must have been for warming our bodies. I wanted to join the tour again. When I was swimming, a radar facility on the cliff in front of us caught my eye. The land I saw from the sea had no road on the coastline and looked isolated. A staff member told me that it was the Army base. His words reminded me of the war. Lots of Japanese military planes might have flown in the air I was viewing on Dec. 7th in 1941.

(Vocabulary)
Battleship Missouri Memorial　戦艦ミズーリ記念館
USS Arizona Memorial　アリゾナ記念館

Dolphins and You (in Japanese)
https://www.dolphinsandyou.com/ja/schedule/

昨日は、ダイヤモンドヘッドで拾ったタクシーでダウンタウンへ行き、ぶらぶら。年末年始に芸能人が集まる理由が少し理解できた。治安が良いし、楽しい。また何度も来そうな気がする。帰宅後、5月5日の予定を相談した。僕は大東亜戦争の戦跡（戦艦ミズーリ記念館、アリゾナ記念館）を訪問したいと主張したが、娘が野生のイルカを見に行きたいと主張。結局負けてイルカを見に行くことにした。
　
指定された時刻に指定されたバス停で待っていると、ツアー会社"Dolphins and You"のバスがやって来た。市街地を抜けゴルフ場で客を拾い、海岸を走ること約１時間。車窓からハワイの風景を楽しむうちに港に着いた。港ではウェットスーツなどをレンタルし、船に乗り込む。この港からイルカの集まる場所まで約３０分。安全を祈る地元の祈りをしたり、ダンスを習ったり、お菓子が配られたり、飽きないようにする心配りが有り難かった。
　
ガイドについてシュノーケリングをしながらぷかぷか浮かんでいると、イルカの大群、ウミガメがやってきた。女性カメラマンが海底からイルカと一緒に我々の写真を撮ってくれていたが、眼鏡をかけていなかったので、海底にいる彼女が得体の知れない生き物に見えてぎょっとした。あんなに自由に潜れたら楽しいだろうな～。
　
帰りの船では船上で焼いたソーセージを挟んだハンバーガー。少しでも身体を温める工夫だろう。また参加したいなと思う。泳いでいるときに目の前の崖の上にレーダーサイトが見えた。このあたり、海岸には道路がなく、隔離された場所だと思っていたが、どうやら陸軍基地だったようだ。１９４１年１２月７日午後１時、日本の多数の軍用機がこの今見ている空を飛んだのかも知れないなあと空を眺めた。