Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Today is burnable trash day!

     It was my wife's great scream. It's my role in my house to take out the garbage in the morning on the designated days of garbage collection before I go to work．
     There is a spreading move to charge for plastic shopping bags in Japan. Checkout bags are delivered at supermarkets or convenience stores. It's very convenient but could be the cause of a pile of pollution. This movement is to try to reduce the amount of trash. For example, in 2002, Suginami Ward, Tokyo, set an ordinance to impose a 5 yen tax on each plastic shopping bag.
     I heard that 30 billion sheets of checkout bags are used in a year. The current legislation relating to checkout bags demands the collection of the bags which are thrown away from households as recyclable garbage. Unfortunately,in reality, few municipalities collect them as recyclable trash. Most of the checkout bags are buried in disposal facilities or incinerated.
     In my hometown, Matsuyama city, authorities are also extremely demanding that garbage is separated according to type. Consequently, my wife shouts everyday like at the front.

(Vocabulary)
designated   指定［指名］された
plastic shopping bag  レジ袋
ordinance  〔市町村の〕条例
legislation  立法行為、法律制定
municipality   （地方）自治体、市町村
incinerate  焼いて灰にする、焼却処分する

Eri goes (back) to Tokyo

     My eldest daughter is enrolled at a university in Tokyo. Though she was on her summer vacation during August and September, she didn't come back until September. I'm always thinking of her, wanting to see her. As the proverb says, "No child knows how dear she is to her parents."
     After her return home, she took an offical written test for her driver's license, and she passed it in one try. As soon as she got her driver's license, she wanted to go to Tokyo. (I don't want to say "go back to Tokyo".) I imagine that student life in Tokyo would be happy, but I miss eating dinner with all of my family.

(Vocabulary)
enroll  [自] (学校に) 入学する, (講座に) 登録する, (組織に) 入会する

Typhoon

     I was relieved that the big typhoon has passed away from my hometown. Every summer and autumn, a serious typhoon hits Japan. Generally speaking, typhoons are smaller than hurricanes, but they often damage Japan every year. A big typhoon was on its way to Japan. This typhoon was much bigger than usual and I was worried. It was lucky that the typhoon veered away. Japan is stronger against natural disasters than Specific Asia (means both China and Korea), but a few typhoons level a certain area every year.

     A Korean movie star is coming to Niihama city in Ehime prefecture tomorrow. I'm planning to see him. I'm afraid that his flight from Korea might be cancelled. It was really lucky the typhoon veered off.

(Vocabulary)
veer   (急に) 向きを変える, 曲がる
The road veers to the left just outside of town.
ちょうど町を出た所で道路は左にカーブします．
veer off/away    向きを変える, それる

Korean Teacher

     My Korean teacher Miss Kim came to my house. She is going to be back at the end of this month. I invited her for lunch in my garden. I got to know a little more about her over tea.
     She learned English in London for 6 months. After that she came to Japan to learn economics and Japanese.
     Learning languages makes people more considerate, I think. My wife and youngest daughter could enjoy chatting with her. My wife and I are getting to think our daughters need to stay abroad for some time during their younger days.

Considerable Issue in the Neighborhood Association

     A big problem came up in the block association which my hospital belongs to. City authorities want to set up an off-site betting office for bicycle races in the block. The block that my hospital is located in is convenient for access, near the central station.
     However, this block is surrounded by several one-way streets. If such a pari-muteul ticket booth was established, heavy traffic jams would occur. Besides, most people who enjoy bicycle races are unemployed and unwelcome guests to the block. Those people would be injurious to public morals. They will litter with tobacco and garbage. This block can't be kept clean.
     Nevertheless, City Hall wants to install the ticket booth to earn money. My boss is attending the block meeting now. He is going to run a campaign against the betting ticket booth. I've no idea what's going to happen.

(Vocabulary)
off-site betting office  場外馬券売り場
pari-mutuel〈フランス語〉  場外馬券販売機（パリ・ミュチュエルの）
injurious   有害な
litter  [他] 〈公共の場所〉 にごみを散らかす［捨てる］   [自] ごみを散らかす［捨てる］
[!] 「ごみをポイ捨てする」の意味でlitter trashは不可．drop litterを用いる
People should be fined for dropping litter (×littering trash).
ごみをポイ捨てする人には罰金を科すべきだ

Mercedes Down Again

     My Mercedes went down again. To be exact, the air conditioner doesn't work. The compressor doesn't move. It might be normal life span of them. Anyway, no matter the reason is, all that is certain is that I have to pay much. It's rainy season in Japan. It's getting hot day by day. It's the best season for air-conditioner to break down.

At The Stable

     I wrote that my youngest daughter, A, had an interest in animals. She wanted to see horses up close, so I took her to an equestrian club in my city today. The stable is on the riverside. Though all the horses had gentle faces and looked peaceful, their enormous bodies blew me away. I felt a little scared.
     As for A, she was running her finger across the face of a horse. I was upset to see her. Japanese proverbs which have the word "horse" are almost implying that horses are numb. It's not true, the keeper working at the stable explained to me. Horses know who loves them. It seems that horses knew that A loves animals.

(Vocabulary)
equestrian club  乗馬クラブ
blow away  〈米俗〉感動させる、つくづく感心させる、～に非常に良い印象を与える
run one's finger across   ～の上を指でなでる

Long Tunnel

     My youngest daughter had gone into the long winding dark tunnel. Do you understand what I am talking about? She won't come out for at least 3 years. Yes, she is just about to enter the rebellious phase. She was always with me when she was a little girl. She was happy with me in bed, the dining room, even in the bathroom. Because she wanted to do everything I was doing, her hobbies are almost the same as mine now. She is a good skier, likes climbing and motorcycles.
     However, she rarely talks to me now. I hope she goes through the tunnel as fast as possible. The other day I read a book that a cultural anthropologist wrote about the rebellous period. He said in the book that such a period was required for the development of personal independence and useful for the prevention of incestuous affairs. I only half believe it right now.

(Vocabulary)
incestuous affair  近親相姦的な行為

New Checking System of Parking Violations

     On the first day of this June, there was a big change in society. The new system of inspection of parking violations started. Though the policemen issued parking violation tickets up to now, people will get zapped with a parking ticket by observers in the region who were authorized by the police department from now on. This switch means that human resources for blowing a whistle increases. My hospital is located in the heart of the city and has always had heavy traffic jams. After this regulation was adopted, one of the major streets of my city was cleared up.

(Vocabulary)
get zapped  （～に）してやられる
get zapped with a parking ticket  駐車違反切符をもらう羽目になる
blow a whistle   笛を吹く、警告を発する、取り締まる

"Koromo-gae"

     June is the season for a change of clothing, which is called "koromo-gae" in Japan. I put away my winter clothes and took out my summer clothes. It's not an easy task because I have many hobbies. For example, climbing gear. I keep all the gear for climbing organized in my room. I'm always ready to go out whenever I want to go climbing. It's the same for other hobbies. That is to say, skiing, riding my motorcycle, fishing, swimming and so on. Gear and kit for these hobbies must be exchanged on this "koromo-gae" day. I've done all this work today. So tired!

Aboistop

     My dog, Mocha, is very clever I believe, besides he has excellent hearing ability and patience. He is attached to me, and I feel lovely about him too, except for only one thing. That is, he is too dependent on me. When he feels a sign of my presence in the house, he starts barking even at midnight, until I show up in front of him. It is a nuisance to the neighbors.
     The other day I found a barking stop device on the internet, Aboistop, which makes a dog stop barking. I ordered this as quick as a flash and tried this device. The effect of this device was great. Whenever Mocha barks, this device jets out some chemical substance which smells bad for him and is harmless to any creatures. Mocha doesn't want to smell bad, so he got not to bark when the Aboistop was hung from his neck. I'm grateful to Aboistop. I put this around his neck every evening.

(Vocabulary)
attached to　《be ～》～を慕っている、～になついている

(KW:アボアストップ　無駄吠え) 

Inspection of Water-Purifier Tank

     Today a sceptic tank inspecter came to my house and checked the tank. He took a sample out of the tank, and did some chemical tests on site. It was good to know that the tank was working successfully.
     By the way, I'd never thought about how water-purifier tanks work. On second thoughts, if there weren't any of these devices, this world could really be a disaster.
     I'm afraid of how the toilets must be in the developing countries or quake-devastated region in Indonesia. They must be dirty and in an unsanitary condition.  I thought of all the poor people in the world while looking inside the tank.

(Vocabulary)
s(c)eptic tank  浄化槽
on site　　現場で、現地で、その場で

Mercedes Stalled

     My wife and I were going to enjoy a rare day off with driving the Mercedes today. My hometown is on the Seto Inland Sea coast and we would drive the car along the coast.
     When we got in the car and were about to start however, the engine didn't start. I tried to start the engine again and again in vain. I called a repairman and he detected the cause of the trouble. The fuel pump didn't work. The fee of the repairman and towing was covered but the repair fee of the car was estimated at over 1,000$. Though my Mercedes is not a lemon, I believe, I was sad. The car that hasn't had a breakdown up to now for 15 years would be bound to fail from now on.

Instant Food

     My eldest daughter is 19 and lives away from home because she is attending a university in Tokyo. I have to send money in order to provide her with her university and daily expenses. I heard that average American students are working to get money for their university fees. Is that right?
     My hospital is located in the heart of the city and several banks and a big post office are in the neighborhood. You know, it is a very convenient site. It's the reason why I have to send money instead of my wife. I have a break during lunchtime and go out of the hospital. I usually drop in at a convenient store to get some snacks and cakes on the way. I got a pot noodle (as the photo shows below) today for a midnight snack because I have to stay at my hospital overnight. By the way, what do you call this noodle in English? If you pour the boiling water into the container, you have delicious pan-fried noodles in only 3 minutes. Please teach by e-mail.

(KW: カップラーメン　カップ焼きそば)

Parents' Visiting Day

     This Sunday is parents' visiting day at my youngest daughter's junior high school.  Parents can also observe classroom instruction.  My wife and I visited her school.  I could see how she parks her bicycle at the parking lot, how she puts her shoes on the shoe box, how the school store is,,, and so on.  We had a good day.  Open Day will provide a unique opportunity to meet PTA members.  I met a couple of friends from my boyhood.  They have sons and daughters in the same school.  We will have a longstanding relationship.

(Vocabulary)
longstanding   ずっと昔からの、長続きする

Mocha's Vaccination

     I and my youngest daughter, A, took my dog, Mocha, to the vet. She wants to be a vet, so she was happy to see a vet. As for me, I wasn't so happy because I had to pay a consultation fee. Mocha has no medical insurance and I have to pay a lot. He has been releasing my accumulated stress every day. I cannot but take care of his health. 

His prescription:
distemper vaccine, infectious canine hepatitis vaccine, infectious laryngotracheitis vaccine, parainfluenza virus vaccine, parvovirus vaccine, canine leptospirosis vaccine, vaccine against rabies, labo test for checking filarial infection and antifilarial drugs for 6 month from now.

     It cost 26,000 yen (about 230 US$). This is the fee for medical treatment for a year. Is it high or not?

 

Yuri's Birthday

     Today is the birthday of my second daughter, Yuri. She was born 18 years ago. I remember the moment as if it were yesterday. I paused to realize the proverb that time and tide stay for no man. Though my family is a party animal family, everyone has their schedule today, so we had a small party at my home.

(Vocabulary)
pause to realize  あらためて［ふと立ち止まって］～に気付く［を実感する］



 

To Korean Readers

한글  문자를  표시하기  위해서,  무엇인가  특별한  소프트가  필요하다고  생각했지만,   윈도우즈에  표준으로  부속되어  있었어요.
----------------------------------------
자기소개를  써봐요.
저는  KUMO(닉네임) 라고  합니다.  일본  사람  입니다.
에히메현  마쓰야마시에  살고  있습니다.  직업은  외과의  입니다.  위나 대장 간장 등을 수술 합니다.  가족이  다섯명  입니다.  딸이  세명  있습니다.  각각  대학생  고교생  중학생  입니다.  장녀는  동경의  대학에  다니고  있어서,  지금은  네명이  살고  있습니다.

저의  취미는  많이  있습니다.  먼저  등산  입니다.  삼십년전  부터  산에  오르고  있습니다.  최고도달고도 는 3954 미터 입니다.  산에서  먹는  식사  와  마시는  술은  맛있습니다.  산의  친구둘은  최고  입니다.  언젠가  히말라야에  오르는  것이  저의  꿈  입니다.  꿈은  클수록  좋거든요.

다음은  바이크  입니다.  대학생  시절에  운전면허를  따서,  계속  타고  있습니다.  결혼  하고나서  부터는  삼년에  한번정도  바이크로  여행하고  있습니다.

금년  여름은  아오모리현,  이년후에는  한국를  오토바이로　달립닐게요.

그리고  스키도  합니다.  삼월에는  카나다로  스키를  갔어요.  스키도  학생시절에  시작했어요.   그러니까  이제　20년  이상에  됩니다.

잘  부탁  합니다.

Mercedes-Benz

     I have a 15 year old Mercedes-Benz 420SEL. As you know, this car is made in Germany, and it's the first time I have owned such an imported car. I thought every imported car didn't have enough of a support system in case of a breakdown and cost a lot. It's the reason why I didn't own a foreign automobile. However, lately I often see foreign cars running in the streets of this local city.
     To tell the truth, the former owner of this car is my English teacher who taught me how to pronounce English. He is over 70 and the best English teacher I've ever met. Besides, he is a good skier and showed me how to ski long ago. I went skiing in Canada with him last March.
     In Canada, sad to say, he was not good at skiing, because he had an eye problem. I heard he wanted to give up driving cars because of his eye problem.
     He has been giving good maintenance to this car and this car is well conditioned. I decided to buy this car.
     I am struggling to do the official procedure to change the ownership of the car now. Everytime I bought a car, I always asked someone else to do this procedure. Because I wanted to save money, I'm going to do it this time myself.

Cold

     I make it a rule to speak in English a couple of times a month. I joined the English speaking meeting last night. It was relatively cold. It must be getting warmer this time of the year.
     I go to work by car with my wife every morning. My wife usually goes back home by commuter train because our finish time is uncertain every day. However, because she had to get some necesities and food yesterday, she went back by car to drop in the shopping center on the way home. Consequently I had to use a commuter train. It takes 20 minutes' walk to the station. While I was walking, I felt like drinking some alcohol to warm myself. I have some regular drinking spots near the meeting place. I dropped in at the bar on exposure to the unseasonal cold.
     I got back at midnight, terribly cold with only a thin shirt. It follows that I caught a bad cold.