Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

HIWASA CHELONIAN MUSEUM CARETTA

　　A beach which is well-known for the deposit of carettas has been attracting my interest for a long time. I dropped in at the beach and Hiwasa Chelonian Museum Caretta along the beach. The museum also serves as a facility for carettas' preservation and animal specialists are tackling various environmental issues.
　　Coming down to the carettas, I remember HAWAII! All Nippon Airways connects Narita and Honolulu with three A380s. The body of the A380s are painted with adorable carettas and those A380s are dubbed Honu, which means caretta in Hawaiian. Carettas are venerated in Hawaii. Recalling wonderful memories in Hawaii, I took a walk along the beach. I haven't visited Hawaii for almost three years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I'm going to visit it next year and join the Honolulu Marathon.

(Vocabulary)
deposit of carettas　ウミガメが卵を産み付けること
chelonian 亀、亀の
caretta アカウミガメ=loggerhead turtle
deposit (安全な場所に)〈貴重品など〉を預ける;〈鳥･魚･昆虫などが〉〈卵など〉を産み付ける.

DRAWBRIDGE

　　I happened to be nearby for work, and I hit a famous drawbridge in Kochi Prefecture. I knew it from a TV program the other day and I had wanted to visit it. As the number of cars in the area was increasing, traffic jams came to happen often. The authorities wanted to widen the road or construct a new bypass or something, but the area was a well-known historic site which was keeping the nostalgic atmosphere of 100 years ago.
　　For the conservation of the old fishery port, the drawbridge was designed to cancel the traffic congestion. Seeing the upright bridge from the distance, anyone would be surprised at its quirky scene.

(Vocabulary)
drawbridge (城などに架かった) つり上げ橋; (船を通せる) 跳ね橋
low-water crossing 沈下橋

NANRAKUEN PARK AND KOMOBUCHI

　　We are about to enter the rainy season in southern Japan. Hydrangeas and irises are in glory this season. My wife and I visited a botanical garden whose irises are widely known for their beauty. Then we headed for a seaside restaurant for lunch, but it was closed down due to the pandemic. We like the restaurant and we were disappointed to know its closing down. The aftereffects of the pandemic seem to be far-reaching.

(Vocabulary)
hydrangea /haɪdréɪndʒə/ [名] [C] アジサイ
iris 菖蒲

DOLLS AS A TOKEN OF WISH FOR A HEALTHY GROWTH

　　I'll write about an old practice of Japan. I don't know when this custom started, but the maternal grandparents give a newly-born girl a set of dolls on the first March 3rd after her birth as a token of wish for a baby girl's healthy growth. This practice is called the Girls' Festival or the Doll's Festival in English. My first granddaughter was born on March 5th last year and March 3rd this year falls on the first Doll's Festival Day for her.
　　In most cases, baby's parents and maternal grandparents choose one at the doll's shop, but several restrictions due to the pandemic prevented us from going out for shopping. We could just send some money for it.
　　The following picture is the one which was given to my first daughter from my parents-in-law, that is, maternal grandparents for my daughters. The set of dolls is supposedly carried with the daughter to her new home when she gets married, but my daughter lives in a small apartment in the metropolitan area and hasn't enough room for strage for the dolls and she asked us to temporarily keep it in my house.
　　We displayed it today for airing. It reminded us of the old days when my daughters were small and our four parents were vigorous about 30 years ago. I wondered what life should I spend from now.

(Vocabulary)
the Girls' Festival, the Doll's Festival 桃の節句
maternal 《[名]の前でのみ》 母方の
his maternal grandmother 彼の母方の祖母

PULLING DOWN MY HIGH SCHOOL

　　My high school is under demolition now. This building was newly built 49 years ago when I was 14 years old. I learned lots of things in this school and I'm here now. Asbestos was used here and there and its demolition should be done extremely carefully. It seems to take a month. My house is located in the same neighborhood as my high school and I often take a walk in front of the school recalling about the passed 49 years. Many things happened, good things and bad things in a span of this period. The way I see it though, I've spent a good life. I'm looking to do anything I can do from now on.

(Vocabulary)
dismantle 〈機械など〉を分解する, 解体する;〈組織など〉を解体する;〈制度など〉を徐々に撤廃［廃止］する
pull down （家などを）取り壊す
demolition [C,U] (建物などの) 取り壊し, 解体
here and there あちこちに

JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY

　　The coming Feb.11th is Japan's Foundation Day, which is defined in Japan's mythology. Japan's mythology had been taught in the regular class of elementary school until the end of the Great East Asian War, but the U.S. prohibited to teach it during their occupation. They had difficulty with Japanese toughness in the war and plotted to take the backbone out of Japanese.
　　One of my grandfathers was a Buddhist priest. Another was a locally noted educator, who gave his grandchildren nicknames after the name of a god from Japanese mythology. I wasn't able to understand my nickname at that time, but the incomprehensible word was deeply carved in my mind. I unexpectedly remembered my nickname when I was 10 years old or so, and studied the meaning of my nickname. From then on, I learned about mythology, but it was scrappy.
　　I recently got an introductory book about Japan's mythology and I started learning it. I just wonder why my grandfather nicknamed us with a god's name. As mythology education was formally prohibited, he might want us to learn the mythology some day in the future by ourselves. He might get away with it for us, grandchildren.
　　The recent archeological research revealed that a considerable part of the mythology is based on fact. Researchers are struggling to draw a line between the fantasy and historical facts.
　　Do you know that the present Ten-noh is the 126th and if you date back his ancestors, it reaches to a god. It's a great mystery till when it's imaginary and after when it's actual.

(Vocabulary)
toughness (肉体的・精神的な) たくましさ,粘り強さ
scrappy (英) まとまりのない, 乱雑な

Baby Seat

　　I have a 10-month-old granddaughter. I have been eager to see her, but the pandemic has deterred me from visiting her. The other day, her parents told me that they would bring her to my house and they received PCR tests and the results were respectively negative.
　　I was so happy and bought a baby seat for her. Car owners are required to install a baby seat by law when they travel with under-6-year-old kids.

Earthquake Alert

　　Last night, precisely today, a big earthquake broke out and its epicenter was roughly 200 km from my hometown. It was about 1:08 am and I was sleeping then.
　　A loud alarming sound from my smartphone suddenly started just after I felt asleep. I noticed it, but I was so sleepy and stayed still in bed. 20 seconds later, my bed began rocking and I think it lasted 20 seconds or so. I understood that a huge earthquake happened at a not-so-distant place. As there was nothing happening in my room like something dropping, the bookshelf falling, and so on, I fell asleep deeply. I knew about the magnitude of the earthquake in the morning from a news program. It said the quake was considerably big, but luckily human injuries were few.
　　To my further surprise, the earthquake advisory worked perfectly. I had about 20 seconds to brace for the upcoming earthquake and this short time would be useful to reduce the disaster, though I didn't prepare anything. The warning system built in the smartphone forcibly booted my smartphone on the condition of its sleep mode and alarmed me. It's a great and essential system in the frequently earthquake-happening countries like Japan.

 

New Year's Eve

　　Today is the eve of the New Year Day. My family used to get together in the living room and spend time over unusual and special dishes. The TV broadcasts special programs and we have an option on Netflix, but I feel a little lonely this year. Two daughters of three left home and they have their family respectively now. The youngest one is in Oxford and I expected that she would come back to Japan temporarily, but COVID-19 became an obstacle.
　　The Japanese Government requested us, citizens to stay home during the vacation and refrain from attending meeting people whom you don't see on a daily basis. I hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will end soon in the coming year.

BREAKFAST IN A BAKERY SHOP

　　Today is a weekday and my day-off, but I have chores. I'd like to spend relaxing morning hours before chores and hit a nearby bakery. My home town is a highly competitive area for bakeries. They are always producing new works brimming with originality. I understand that they are struggling, but it is good for customers. I can enjoy various kinds of bread every day. There were a few customers on the weekday morning, and I spent a relaxing and comfortable time there. I have to deal with some chores at the city office today. I could charge myself for tiresome red-tape work.

(Vocabulary)
be brimming (over) with sth ＜液体など＞であふれている; ＜自信など＞で満ちあふれている

Wine Delivered

　　I received some boxes of wine from an importer today and I'll show you their picture below. Some of them are my friends'. A marketer visited my house the other day and my friends and I ordered them after tasting. I always try to think outside the box and I don't want to do what everyone else does. It's not easy to find wines to my tastes and I sought the way to choose wines after tasting. Currently, almost all of the wines I drink are from his company.
　　My family is a party animal and they used to get together at my parents' house for New Year Celebrations, but my parents live in a care home now. In addition, due to the concern about the recurrence of the new strain appearance, certain restrictions might be imposed in December also in Japan. Regrettably, my family and relatives wouldn't be able to have a party though enough wines are waiting.

Jubilant !!!

　　My youngest daughter is a postgraduate student at Oxford University, but she has been working as a trainee physician in Hokkaido, departed from the U.K. just a year ago avoiding the harsh pandemic and the lockdown of the city. She has been making money for her study for a year and decided to visit the U.K. again as it lifted all the restrictions against COVID-19. Her research didn't seem to make rapid progress through the remote lectures.
　　She stayed at home for a few days before leaving for the U.K.. Her stay was like a storm and people around her are always wrapped around her finger. She exchanged greetings with her brother-in-law and his relatives for the first time, and then visited nursery facilities in which her grandparents live. Then she set out for the U.K..
　　Some wonderful news came in today. Her paper which she wrote at Oxford University will be published in an international technical magazine. My wife and I are jubilant now.

 

My Wife Injured

　　My wife got heavily injured early this morning falling down the stairs. I was awakened by her weak cry and rushed to her and found her collapsed at the foot of the stairs, bleeding from her head. She has a chronic high blood pressure and dyslipidemia, so I assumed that she suffered a brain infarction and fell down before she got hurt in her head.
　　I spoke to her and got a normal response from her. Then I found out that the laceration was due to a simple bruise. Her respiration was normal and she was able to walk. I decided not to call an ambulance. After astriction, I took her to the emergency hospital. She got a small laceration also on her left lower leg and got surgery. If I am active (I mean not-retired) and am working in a hospital, I'd like to treat her. Anyway, she had bruises at several parts and the X-ray test found out that the first rib was broken at the point close to the backbone. If she got injured at the cervical spine, she might have suffered paralysis from the neck down. It will take time to become recovered perfectly, but her recovery is sure and this is one consolation.

 

A Scene In My Car

　　I'm in Kochi Prefecture. I took on a task from a hospital and came here. I arrived fairly early and I parked my car at the multi-story parking lot of a nearby shopping center to avoid the sunshine. Watching a YouTube program, I'm checking my e-mail and writing this entry in the car. It's comfortable to stay in the electric vehicle. Even if you are using an air-conditioner, there's no noise and no uncomfortable vibration. That's not the case in cars with combustion engines. I became less hesitant to eat something in my car, even if it is greasy, so wet tissues and plastic gloves are always ready in the car not to get my hands dirty or greasy.
　　I felt the change of my life after getting my car. It sounds funny, but I felt the same feeling when a dog came into my family. The speed of life seems to become slow around me.

Replacement of School Building

　　My house is located near my alma mater, to which I had gone for 6 years from 12 years old. Young students of my alma mater pass by in front of my house every morning and afternoon. The new building of this school has been under construction since two years ago and it's finally completed. After the move, its old building started to be pulled down. This building was built 49 years ago, and I remember how things were at that time. I was in the second year at that time and spent it in the first generation of building until July in 1972 and moved to the second one, which is now being pulled down. It's been 49 years since then, and the building in which I learned a lot handed over the baton to the newest one. I viewed the whole picture of the school from a hill nearby. There were lots of things that happened over the 49 years. Some of my friends are already in Heaven. Time flies, I felt deeply what this phrase meant.
　　A huge effort was required to enter the school and it might not be that different today from back then. Before entering this school, I was in a deserted rural district. When I visited the school for the first time to take the entrance exam, I felt like I was in another country. I seldom saw people from other countries in my district, but I found several Spanish people in the school grounds. The first principal always had his heart in the right place. His bronze is smiling now from the pedestal.

 

Chanthu Passed

　　The 14th typhoon of this year, called Chanthu internationally, passed over my prefecture last night. I was afraid that it would bring a heavy disaster to my hometown, but it didn't. I heard that some houses had their roofs peeled off, but no one was killed by the typhoon. Anyway, I was relieved.
　　Then, it's very hot today. The sky is completely clear. My smartphone indicates the temperature in my car to be 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). My car's internal temperature is set to be controlled under 100 Fahrenheit by using the air-conditioner, but if not,,, I don't want to think about it.
　　My hometown has got enough water to survive until the next rainy season, so I don't want another typhoon to come, but about 20 typhoons come or pass close to Japan every year. I still have to reckon with them for some time from now on.

 

Low-water Crossing

　　I felt a sense of confinement and drove my car nearby. The following picture shows a distinctive bridge connecting small clusters across the river. As you can imagine from its design, when the water level of the river becomes extremely high, this bridge can avoid the strong pressure from the flow. By sinking into the water, the bridge can avoid the collision with driftwood. It's the wisdom of people who had lived along the river. FYI, this river is well-known as the clearest river in Japan.
　　This bridge is called "Sinking Bridge" literally in Japanese. I googled the name of this type of bridge to write this entry, and I knew the word, "low-water crossing". The internet is really handy, and a new online trip will start often when I find something interesting.

(Vocabulary)
cluster 集落
driftwood [U] 流木

The 5th Wave

　　The population of my prefecture is 1.3 million and the number of infected people topped 5000 the other day. The number was under 3000 until the 4th wave, so 2000 people got newly infected during the 5th wave of the pandemic. How long will this condition last? I wonder if the 6th wave will come up next winter or not.
　　The restaurants and bars in downtown have to stop serving alcoholic drinks by 20:00 hours. Many municipal facilities are closed and to my perplexity, the nearest branch of the public library is also closed. I keep two books from the library and they are already overdue, but I'm not urged to return them. It's ok, but I can't borrow books newly.
　　It's getting cooler day by day and various events are on schedule in autumn. I've enjoyed some of them every year, but all of them would be suspended or cancelled. I would just have to wait for the end of the pandemic.

(Vocabulary)
perplexity (特に書き言葉) [U] 困惑, 当惑;《[C]通例複数形で》難題, 難局

Japanese Alcohol, Sake

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

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

My Granddaughter

　　My first grandchild turned 6 months. Her pictures have been sent to me almost every day. I want to see her, but can't due to the pandemic. The Government requests us to refrain from moving at present. The picture shows her picture with which the following caption was added. "She is dreaming of traveling by air."
　　I wondered if a baby who has never seen a plane would dream so. Placing it aside, anyway, I love the expression of her face, which looks proudly with a little shyness.