Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Rainy Season

　　Japan's Meteorological Agency announced that the west part of Japan, in which I live, entered the rainy season. My town will have many rainy days for about a month from today. A dry summer will increase the strain on water resources. I hope that it rains enough in this time of the year for saving water in reservoirs as well as growing rice plants. Looking out of my room in my office, a cherry tree stands. It is indescribably picturesque in its heyday of one week in spring, but I like the tree also in this season. The color of its leaves are brightly green whether in the sunlight or on rainy days.

梅雨入り

僕の住む日本西部が今日、梅雨に入ったと気象庁が発表した。これから約１ヶ月、雨の頻度が高くなる。夏になると雨が少なくなり、水不足になりがちなのでこの時期には十分に降ってもらい、ダムに水を貯め、また稲の順調な成長を望みたい。職場の自室から見下ろすと一本の立派な桜があるが、この時期の桜は、青々とした葉に包まれ、春の桜に劣らずまた美しい。

The Last Day

　　The taxi driver which I took at the condominium was a Japanese. I got various information on local lives from him and it was so good and useful. I'm going to ask him to be our transport on the next visit. I got his business card. On the next visit, I'd like to visit some memorials concerning the war, to circle Oahu island, and to join the Honolulu Half Marathon held in April.
　　Hawaii was new to me and my family members. This trip was really great. Hawaii became one of my favorite places. The pictures show my condominium, though it's a bit out of focus due to the darkness.

最後の日の朝、コンドミニアムから空港までのタクシーの運転手は日本人。ハワイでの生活をいろいろと尋ねることが出来た。ハワイは好きな土地の一つになった。次回は今回いけなかった戦跡めぐり、オアフ島一周、ホノルルハーフマラソンなどを考えている。そのときはまたこのドライバーに頼もう。写真は最終日前日の夕方に撮ったコンドミニアムとそこから２００メートルほどにあるビーチ。

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。

Mar. 4th

　　I awoke to a beautiful sunny day before the alarm rang. My wife and daughter were still asleep. It seemed that they hadn't been able to sleep enough on the previous night after their long sleep in the daytime. I had a simple breakfast alone and went out for swimming and walking along the beach. When I got back, both had just finished breakfast.
　　We dropped in at the Hilton's office, situated in another building in the village around 10 o'clock, because they would give us points for staying at Hilton Hotels, if we only listened to their commercial talk. Lots of the Hilton related facilities were shown to us and some of them looked very attractive to us. The pictures shown below are taken from their office viewing westward, the city center of Honolulu.
　　Then, we enjoyed walking in downtown, and took lunch at Sydney Bills Waikiki, following my daughter's suggestion. The restaurant's name was new to me, but it sounded famous. The dishes on the menu were also almost new to me. The dish I ordered is shown in the 4th picture, and I didn't like it. I had to leave a third of it. I ordered what I didn't know and hadn't even heard about out of curiosity. I just got what I asked for.

早朝に目が覚め、まずはプールへ。そしてビーチを散歩。実に快適な朝を迎えたのだが、二人は起きない。完全に時差ぼけになっている。それでも、10時くらいからまだ眠そうな二人を連れて、ビレッジ内の別のビルにあるヒルトンの事務所へ。話を聞いてくれたらヒルトンの宿泊に使えるポイントをくれるというので寄ってみた。他の国にあるヒルトン系列のコンドミニアムをいろいろと紹介され、あちこち行ってみたくなった。写真はそのビルからの写真。ホノルルの中心部方面がよく見える。

それからダウンタウン観光。昼食は娘の提案でシドニービルズ。初めて聞いた名前で、味わった料理も見たことのないものばかり。僕は４枚目の写真の料理を食べたがこれは不味かった。物珍しさから知らないものを頼んだわけで、結局は自業自得と言うことか。(^_^;)

Dinner

　　While I was drifting around the downtown and shopping for food in Walmart, it got dark. When I got back, my wife and daughter were sleeping. I gave up going out for dinner with them and bought some meal boxes in the Hilton Village. They were unexpectedly delicious. After dinner, my daughter and I took a walk in the village. There were lots of cheerful people even around 9 o'clock. I thought that the village was perfectly one of the best resorts in the world. Then, we dropped in at the information center for visitors, and talked about the sightseeing plan on the next day. As soon as I got back, I fell deeply asleep, though my wife and daughter seemed to watch TV till late at night.

 

公園や港をうろうろしていたのち、ウォルマートで買い物をしていたらすっかり遅くなってしまった。帰宅したが、カミさんも娘も寝ている。どこかへ食事に出かけることは諦めてヒルトンビレッジ内の店でテイクアウト。これがなかなかいけるので驚いた。食べた後、娘とビレッジ内を散策。賑やかなところだ。

Offering

　　Did you notice a small item like a stone on the monument in the first picture in the previous article? It was "Oban", one of the principal cakes in the victims' hometown, Uwajima City. They must have eaten it at least several times. I bought a box with 10 or 12 pieces at Matsuyama Airport just before departure from my hometown. I placed one in front of their monument and offered a short silence to them, recalling their grudge.
　　Now, I walked to the coast through the perfectly manicured lawns for about 100 meters and found a public toilet. Though I got a negative vibe from a rusty bicycle on its wall, I entered and passed it. You might think that "pass" isn't proper here, but the toilet had no doors and I walked through the toilet at a quick pace straight from one entrace to another. Even every private cell didn't have its door. It might be due to security. A person lived inside and another person was on the throne.
　　A few minutes later, I noticed that I had a box of "Oban", about which I wrote in the previous entry, in the daypack on my back, and went back to the toilet and placed it on the floor in front of them, saying that this is a box of cakes from the home port of the Ehime Maru. Then, I don't know what would become of that. The envelopes of some of the Obans were cut for offering, and I know it's very impolite to give those items, but they wouldn't mind that.
　　When you offer something to eat or drink to the dead in front of their tombs or monuments, you have to cut the envelopes or open the bottles. It is said that the dead enjoy the smell of their offerings in Japan. These offerings will become trash if you left them, so you have to bring them back. I was going to eat Oban myself later, but if the homeless people enjoyed it, I'm happy.

(Vocabulary)
vibe [C] (人・場所から受ける) 雰囲気, 感じ
The place has a good vibe. いい雰囲気の場所だ．

５月のハワイ旅行記：　えひめ丸の慰霊碑に供えた大番の行方

前の記事の写真で、慰霊碑の前に置かれている小さな石のようなものに気がついただろうか？慰霊碑の前に置いているのは宇和島市の銘菓『大番』で、松山空港で１０個か１２個入りを買ってきた。犠牲者の全員が一度は食べたことのあるはずのお菓子だ。これを供えて犠牲者の無念を想い、手を合わせた。

さて、見渡すとあたりは芝の植えられた美しい風景なので、海岸へ行ってみようかと、小さな丘を越えて百メートルほど先に公衆トイレを見つけた。横に置かれている錆びた自転車の残骸を見て良からぬ雰囲気を感じてはいたのだが、トイレに入ってみると、治安のためかドアはない。中には浮浪者が住んでいた。一人はドアのない個室で排便中。危険を感じて急いで立ち去ったのだが、背中のデイパックに入っている『大番』を思い出し、とって返して彼らに見えるようにそっと床へ大番の箱を置いて立ち去った。いくつかは封を切ってあるのだが、問題は無いだろう。残した言葉は『えひめ丸の母港、宇和島市からのプレゼントです。』その後、どうなったのかは知らない。後で良く見れば、慰霊碑の写真の向こうにいくつもテントが写っている。彼らが住んでいるのだろう。

ここで話変わって日本の仏教におけるお供えのルールを説明する。墓前に食べ物を置くとき、死者はその香りを楽しむという。なので、酒の類いは栓を開け、袋に入っているものはその袋を開ける。そのまま放置して帰ると鳥などが散らかすために必ず持って帰ることになっている。なので供えた大番は取りあえず包んでデイパックにしまったが、これも彼らに差し上げた。封を切っているものを渡すのは失礼だとは思ったが、彼らなら許してくれるだろう。

Ehime Maru, the fishery training boat

　　My daughter reached her limit of putting up with keeping her eyes open due to jet lag. After our village tour, she fell asleep and I went out for a walk alone. I had a place which I was eager to visit since a long time ago. I got on the bus for 5 minutes and out in front of a big park. Then a 15 minute walk took me to the spot, the Ehime Maru Memorial.
　　The home port of the Ehime Maru is Uwajima City, in which I lived in my childhood. Especially on Hiburijima island off the coast of Uwajima City, I spent numerous unforgettable days, and I wrote about the island several times in this blog. (Link 1, 2, 3, 4)
　　The Ehime Maru was the fishery training boat for high school students and collided with a surfacing U.S. submarine off the coast of Honolulu in 2001. There was no fault at all on the Ehime Maru's side. Omitting details, reaching out for the victims and their bereaved families and building their monument by the U.S. government deepened the connection between Ehime Prefecture, in which Uwajima City belongs, and the State of Hawaii. Consequently, both government tied a friendship relation in 2003, followed by between Uwajima City and Honolulu City in 2004. I hoped that the spirits of the nine departed by the accident will be consoled a little with this.

(FYI)
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/07/hiburijima-island-my-spiritual-home.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/07/hiburijima-island.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/07/ehime-maru.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/03/on-the-way-to-okinawa-1.html

 娘の眠気がここでついに限界らしく、僕は一人で散歩に出た。行きたかった場所がある。えひめ丸乗組員の慰霊である。ダウンタウンへ向かうトロリーバスに乗って５分、広い公園の前で降りた。そこから歩くこと１５分、慰霊碑の前に着いた。

えひめ丸の母港は宇和島市。僕は子供の頃住んでいたことがある。宇和島市沖に浮かぶ日振島は忘れられない想い出がたくさんある心のふるさとだ。このブログでもこの小さな島について何度か書いた。（LINK 1,2,3,4)

えひめ丸は２００１年浮上してきたアメリカ海軍潜水艦と衝突し沈没した。えひめ丸側に過失は全くなかった。詳しい経過は省くが、事故後の被害者支援や慰霊碑建立などで関係が深まった愛媛県とハワイ州は２００３年、ホノルル市と宇和島市は２００４年にそれぞれ姉妹提携。犠牲者はこれにより少しは浮かばれるのではなかろうか。

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/07/hiburijima-island-my-spiritual-home.html
楽しい懐かしい想い出の詰まった精神的故郷、日振島の風景

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/07/hiburijima-island.html
写真は日振島とは関係ありません。当時如何に不便な島だったかということを実例を挙げて説明。

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/07/ehime-maru.html
えひめ丸の現在の姿

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/03/on-the-way-to-okinawa-1.html
沖縄へ向かったときに撮影した日振島全景

Short Bus Tour and Hilton Hawaiian Village

　　The tropical scenery of Honolulu was great fun. The trolleybus was proceeding to Diamond Head through downtown and then along Waikiki Beach. When the bus started to climb the slope up, the conversation among passengers behind us came to our ears. Some of them seemed to have jogged up that slope a month before. They said, "the slope looks not so steep, but it was really hard work to run up this slope."
　　My daughter had an interest in the story and asked them about what they were talking. They were from Canada and were staying in Honolulu since a month before and joined the Honolulu Half Marathon in early April. They seemed to enjoy not only the race itself but the communication with local people. My daughter suggested to me next year's visit to Honolulu timed to the half marathon.
　　We got out of the bus at the busy street to get some food for my wife, who was sleeping in the condo, then took about 20 minutes' walk to the condo. After handing the food to my wife, we walked around the Hilton Hawaiian Village, in which my condo is located, for some time. There are lots of shops, restaurants, small pools, a lagoon, a beach, a food court,,,we didn't need to buy anything outside of the village. It was a really gorgeous place. We didn't know our way in the strange places.

 

ちょこっとだけダイヤモンドヘッドへ：
　
ダウンタウンを抜けてワイキキビーチに沿って走るトロリーバスの中から南国らしい風景を楽しんだ。バスはダイヤモンドヘッドを反時計回りに周り登っていく。ここで隣の席の人が話している言葉が耳に入った。先月から滞在しているカナダ人でどうやらこの坂を最近走ったらしい。健康のためのジョギングかと思って聞いていたのだが、ハーフマラソンがあったとのこと。娘が詳しく話を聞いていた。娘から来年参加しようよと誘われる、、、
　
部屋で寝ているカミさんに食べ物を買って一旦帰宅。コンドミニアムのあるヒルトンハワイアンビレッジ内をしばらく娘と散歩。レストランがいくつもあるし、ショッピングストリートも、フードコートも、プールも、ラグーンもビーチも、、、外で何か買ってくることはなかった。何せ初めてなので勝手がわからない、、、

Golden Week

　　From the end of April to the start of May is called "Golden Week" in Japan. At this time of the year, the four national holidays are scheduled, such as Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day. Additionally, Saturdays and Sundays are added to these holidays. That is "Golden Week," a collection of public holidays on the Japanese calendar.
　　I planned to visit Oahu island this year. At first I got air tickets for the two of us, but my eldest daughter was able to take days off from her work one week before and joined us. However, our flight was United, and her flight was JAL. Both flights left Japan and arrived in Honolulu about the same time. We killed time in the Star Alliance Lounge in Tokyo International Airport until departure, but my daughter seemed to enjoy window-shopping in the duty-free shops.
　　I was attracted by one of the on-board services. I'll show you in the second picture. The passengers seemed to be able to listen to the conversation between the cockpit and the control room on the ground. I kept this channel on all the way, but I didn't listen to any words. I was disappointed.
　　We took a taxi from the airport to our condominium, but I forgot to give the driver a tip. When I noticed that, he was gone. So sorry!

 
４月の終わりから５月上旬は昭和の日、憲法記念日、みどりの日、こどもの日と祝日が続き、これに土日が加わり毎年長さは違うものの連続した休日となる。それを日本ではゴールデンウィークと呼んでいる。今年はオアフ島へ行ってみることにした。夫婦二人の予定であったが、長女も休みが取れることになり、別の飛行機で合流することになった。初めてのハワイ、どのようなところだろうか？
　
機内サービスの一つとして、コックピットと地上の管制センターとの会話を聞けるとのことだったので、ずっとチャンネルを開けていたが、聞けず。機長の裁量によると書いてあるので、会話を聞かれたくない機長だったのだろう。
　
空港からコンドミニアムまではタクシーで移動。チップを渡す習慣を忘れていた。運転手をがっかりさせてしまったに違いない。悪いことをしてしまった。

Hawaii

　　Japan is now in the midst of the holiday season called "Golden Week". I got 5 days off from May 3rd to 7th and am going to Hawaii with my wife and my eldest daughter. I'm thinking to spend a relaxing vacation in Honolulu, like jogging along the route of the Honolulu Marathon, which I'd like to join in the not so distant future, or wandering along the coastline and in downtown, or cooking something with local ingredients, because we'll stay at a condominium equipped with kitchen utensils.
　　In 2001, the fisheries training vessel Ehime Maru, whose home port is Uwajima City, where I had spent time in my little kid days, collided with a careless U.S. submarine off the coast of Honolulu. Several high school students and teachers were killed at that time. The bodies of some of them haven't yet been recovered. I'd like to offer flowers or something from their home town to mourn their death in front of their monument. I'm going to also visit the USS Arizona Memorial for the same purpose. I had been eager to see Pearl Harbor since long ago, but I was afraid that some Americans would look triumphant against Japanese tourists at such memorial places. However, the situation around the evaluation of the war has drastically changed. If someone criticizes Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, I can easily rebut them.
　　Top secret items or the truth about what had happened during and around the Great East Asian War have been uncovered one after another. "Mirror for Americans: JAPAN", which was prohibited to publish for several years after the war by Douglas MacArthur, is already known after the publication of its Japanese translation. "Freedom Betrayed", the book written by the former US President Hoover Herbert is the same. Lots of people now know who wanted to wage the war and who tried to avoid the war. Carrying "Freedom Betrayed", I'm visiting the Memorial and paying tribute to the victims trapped in the battleship.

日本はゴールデンウィークと呼ばれる休暇シーズンに入る。５月３日から７日まで休暇が取れたのでハワイへ行くことにした。ホノルルでのんびり過ごすつもり。いつか参加したいホノルルマラソンのコースをジョグしたり、海岸をブラブラしたり、コンドミニアムに滞在するのでハワイの食材で何か料理をしてみたい。

２００１年、愛媛丸という漁業実習船がハワイ沖で潜水艦と衝突して沈んだ。教師や生徒が亡くなっている。母港は宇和島市。僕が子供時代を過ごした街だ。その愛媛丸犠牲者慰霊碑にも花を手向けたいと思っている。また、戦艦アリゾナ記念館にも訪れるつもり。ここへ行くと、アメリカ人がしたり顔で日本人に厳しい態度を取るのではないかとこれまで訪問する気にはなれなかったのだが、今は違う。何か言ってきたら１０倍にして反論してやる。

大東亜戦争に関する新事実がどんどん出てきている。今や、あの戦争を望んだのは誰なのか、誰が始めたのか、こういった問題には答えが出ている。Mirror for Americans: JAPANだけではない。元アメリカ大統領が書いたFreedom Betrayedもある。堂々と訪問し、今も戦艦内部に残されている亡くなった方々に手を合わせるつもりだ。今書いているマラッカ海峡クルージング記の後で、ハワイ旅行記も書く。

New System on Tax

　　Like other developed countries, the population of Japan is unevenly distributed and centralizes into big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Some people living in those cities away from their original places want to pay their tax to their hometown, so a new taxpaying system was designed. As part of the local tax, a new tax scheme had started a few years ago, in which taxpayers can choose to divert part of their residential tax to a specified local government.
　　Consequently, most municipalities prepared lots of kinds of gifts for their taxpayers to get more income. They return their products of about 20~30% value of received tax. That led taxpayers to pay tax to them.
　　Dairy farming municipalities offer their products like meat, and dairy products. Fishery ones offer seafood. Lots of cities manufacturing watches, PCs, and home electrical appliances offer their products as gifts in return. This stimulates their industries and the scramble for taxpayers is getting fierce, though it's good for taxpayers.
　　The following picture shows a robot cleaner Roomba, which I got for free by diverting a part of my residential tax to another city.

(Vocabulary)
scramble 《常に単数形で》 (欲しい物・必要な物などをめぐる) 奪い合い, 争奪戦 [＋scramble for]
the usual scramble for the bathroom in the morning 毎朝繰り返されるトイレの奪い合い

Tasting of Wines

　　The other day a wine importer called and asked me if I would taste their imported wines in my house. I love wines and said "OK" without a second thought. A professional taster from the company, Gerhardt, came to my house and laid several wines out on the table. He started explaining one by one about its product site, kind of grapes it was made from, foods going well with it, and so on. I ordered some bottles from the tasting list. I thought I'd like to invite a couple of friends to my house and enjoy tasting together with some nibbles.

 

ワイン輸入業者からワインの試飲をしてみないかと案内が有り、自宅に来てもらうことにした。約１時間３０分、ワインのレクチャーを受けながら１０種類程度を試飲した。プロの話を聞きながら飲むのはまた格別で、気に入った物を少し注文した。

Big Cherry Tree

　　Today was a long-waited perfect day off without restraint. Even if I got days off, I have to carry my smartphone for communication with the ward of my office, but today was fully free from work. My wife and I went for a drive to see a big cherry tree which belongs to the kind, "Edo-higan". Its age is said to be more than 300 years. The worldwide well-known cherry trees are the variety called "Somei Yoshino". The cherry trees planted along the Potomac are this man-made kind. "Edo-higan" blooms a few weeks earlier than "Somei Yoshino".

Replacement of Fridge

　　On the night of Feb. 10th, the fridge abruptly stopped working. This fridge was the second one for my house and was operating for as long as 18 years, except a couple of shutdowns for moving house.
　　The first one, which had been bought when we got married, broke after 12 years' use. When we chose the second one, we thought that our daughters would grow up and the bigger and more functional it was, the better. It was refined to save electricity and to adopt several cooling methods for various food items, like vegetables, fish, meat, and so on.
　　My wife and I weren't able to conceive of life without fridges and made a beeline for the nearest electric appliance shop at just its opening time on the next day, the 11th. A big and sophisticated fridge, which was equipped with a storage space for even wines, caught my eye, but my wife told me that we wouldn't need such a big one for just the two of us. She was right and I agreed. When I replaced a dead light bulb into a LED bulb the other day, I wondered when and who would replace this bulb. It would never be me! My life was surely approaching to the end. (grin)
　　The picture was shot on 12th. The old one was being taken out of the kitchen in the pictures. I fully left the moving work of both the new and old fridges to the store staff members. Their work was really that of professionals. I admired them.

 

２月１０日の夜、突然冷蔵庫が動かなくなった。この冷蔵庫は我が家の２代目で１８年使っている。この間、引っ越し以外で電源を落としたことはなく、常に我が家の食生活を支えてくれた。
　
結婚時に買った初代の冷蔵庫は１２年あまりで壊れた。そして今の冷蔵庫を買うとき、これから娘たちが成長するからと考え、結婚したときに買った大型の冷蔵庫よりも更に容量の大きいのを買った。２代目の冷蔵庫は冷蔵方法が食品別に設定されていたり、節電できたりと細やかにデザインされていた。
　
冷蔵庫のない生活は考えられないので翌１１日急遽電気屋へ行き、新しい冷蔵庫を購入。これからは夫婦二人の生活で、食も細くなるだろう。あまり容量は大きくなくて良いと考えて選んだ。先日交換したＬＥＤ電球、その寿命を考えると、次にこれを交換するのは誰だろう？少なくとも自分ではないだろうなあと考えた。あ～、人生、終わりに近づいている。(^_^;)

１２日に古い冷蔵庫の引き取り、新しい冷蔵庫の搬入となった。冷蔵庫の移動はプロにお任せした。その巧みなやり方に驚いた。やはりプロはプロである。

 

Oktoberfest

　　I don't remember when it started, but the German traditional event of "Oktoberfest" has come to take place every autumn in some big cities in Japan. I supposed that the event was held only in big cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo. However, it was held this autumn in my hometown, Matsuyama city. It was apparently its second year. This "Oktoberfest" is derived from Munich, and I was able to enjoy a variety of German beer with lots of kinds of sausages here in Matsuyama. I was so happy! I attended the event with my daughter, who had studied in Freiburg in Germany several years ago. She looked like she was remembering the nostalgic scenery of Freiburg.

 

Ichigo-Ichie (Buddhist Terminology)

　　A once-in-a-lifetime meeting? It made us feel blue just to think that it was the last time to see N chan's family. The last dinner with them was arranged at their relative's restaurant. I took a snapshot of their menu board to record the restaurant's name. I'd surely be back to KK with full preparation for climbing Mt. Kinabalu and drop in at this restaurant again. We enjoyed KK's local dishes and were completely satisfied.
　　Additionally, lots of mangosteens were served. My wife had known that they were nicknamed as the queen of fruits, but I didn't even know their name. My mangosteens debut was really fantastic. Great tastes, and easy to peel them! I like fruits, but don't bother eating fruits which need peeling. I just eat fruits on a plate after being peeled. However, peeling mangosteens was really fun and easy. We wondered how much it would cost to eat them in Japan. Could we get them in Japan in the first place? We unconsciously overate them. Thanks to this N chan's family, we became Malaysian and Borneo island's big fans.
　　My family line has been Buddhist priests for generations. When I left my hometown at the age of 18 to learn medicine in college, my grandfather advised me to keep the Buddhist terminology, "Ichigo-Ichie" in mind. I had a big struggle to express its profound remark in English and is this ok? "Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur."
　　However, I don't want to end this visit to Borneo with "Ichigo-Ichie". I'd like to visit KK again and see them. We shot several pictures with them in the lobby of Jesselton Hotel, which created an early 20th century's British atmosphere. I'll upload a picture taken together with N chan, her mother, and her grandmother. Take care and good luck to you all! I'll surely see you again!

P.S.The heart-marks in the first picture were added by lovely N chan.

(Vocabulary)
Mangosteen ［C］〔植〕マンゴスチン（の実）《熱帯アジア産；果物の女王とされる》.
terminology 専門用語

マレーシア旅行記：　Ｎちゃんファミリーとお別れ

一生に一度の出会い？　このご家族と今日を限りにしばらく会えないと思うと悲しくなる。一緒に摂る最後の夕食はご家族の親戚のレストラン。次回コタキナバル訪問時には必ず寄りたいと思いレストランの名前を画像にてメモした。店主自慢の料理をいただき、デザートにはマンゴスチン！フルーツの女王の名にふさわしい味だった。不精者の僕には剥きやすさもありがたかった。日本で食べるといくらくらいかかるだろうか？そもそも日本で手に入るのか？そう思うとついつい食べ過ぎてしまった。美味しかった。初めて食べた。このご家族のお陰でマレーシア、そしてボルネオ島のファンになってしまった。
　
僕の家は代々僧侶の家柄で父方の祖父は臨済宗妙心寺派の僧侶だった。僕が１８歳で大学の医学部に合格し郷里を離れるとき、祖父が言った言葉。『一期一会』を大切にしなさい。英文でどう書けば理解してもらえるか随分考えたが、『全ての出会いを大切にしなさい、繰り返されないことなのだから』で良いだろうか。

ただ、このご家族とは一期一会とはなりたくない。次はキナバル登山でコタキナバルを再訪したい。２０世紀初頭のイギリスの香りの漂うJesselton HotelのロビーでＮちゃんとお母さん、おばあさんと記念撮影。お二人ともいつまでもお元気で！またきっと必ず絶対にお会いしましょう！

Canopy Walkway and Jungle

　　I wanted to see or step into the jungle in Borneo. My father-in-law was working on the maintenance of military planes during the Great East Asian War on Shortland Island near Bougainville Island. His unit faced a serious shortage of food after the military logistics was broken and its supply route was severed. After the loss of all the planes he worked searching for food in the jungle with the help of local people. Wild oxen were evidently delicious. Anyway, the United Nations headed for the Philippines directly after the seizure of Guadalcanal Island, passing Bougainville Island, but the unit didn't know about this. My father-in-law was preparing for the UN's attack on Bougainville Island and he was going to kill a multitude of soldiers in exchange for his own life.
　　I had heard about the real life and the hunting in the jungle from him before his death. I wanted to feel the atmosphere of the jungle, and I walked on the canopy walkway built in the trees in the Poring Hot Spring Area. The ground was beneath me, but I wasn't able to see it hindered by bushes, leaves, and due to the lack of sunlight. Moving and living in such a severe condition, my father-in-law and his fellows survived. I recalled their unimaginable difficulties.

(Vocabulary)
Bougainville Island ブーゲンビル島　南太平洋西部、ソロモン諸島北端の火山島。
Shortland Island ブーゲンビル島の南にある小さな島
military logistics  兵站
Guadalcanal Island　ガダルカナル島《南太平洋 Solomon 群島中の島》　大東亜戦争の激戦地の一つ

マレーシア旅行記：　ジャングル、キャノピーウォーク、そして大東亜戦争へ思いを馳せる
　
ボルネオ島ではジャングルそのものを見たかった。義父が大東亜戦争中、ブーゲンビル島とそのそばにあるショートランド島で軍用機のメンテナンスをしていた。飛ばせる戦闘機が無くなった後はジャングルで食べられるものを探して歩き、部隊を支えたという。地元の人たちの助けを借りて捕獲した野生の牛はごちそうだったという。アメリカ軍はガダルカナル島を攻略した後、ブーゲンビル島をパスしてフィリピンへ向かったが、そのことを知らない義父たちはアメリカ軍が上陸してきたら少なくとも一人当たり二人のアメリカ兵と差し違えようとジャングルで準備をしていたらしい。
　
生前、義父からジャングルでの暮らしをよく聞いた。どのようなところなのか自分の目で見てみたいと思い、ポーリン温泉の奧にあるCanopy Walkwayを歩いてみた。地面は遙か下にあるのだが、見えない。こんなところを移動しながら食料を確保し、生き延びた義父たちの苦労が偲ばれた。

Viva! Kota Kinabalu!

　　Our flight to Kota Kinabalu(KK) was short, about a few hours, and the departure time was scheduled at 9.05 hours. We didn't expect a lot from our in-flight meal, but it was really filling. I shouldn't have had breakfast in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. By the way, the second pleasure next to the meal in flight was the scenery from the window. The sky was clear and we were able to see downward to the South China Sea. The flight route from Kuala Lumpur was roughly straight to KK. The Borneo Island was approaching us from the front right side. My heart began pounding with expectation and pleasure to see her again! ....HER?
　　Until last December, Malaysia was a far away country whether in distance or sensation to me and my family. I didn't even want to visit it. However, the circumstances had dramatically changed. A Malaysian schoolgirl stayed in my house for about a week last December. She was a what-you-call trigger for us to know about Malaysia and was just like a diplomat from Malaysia for my family. No Malaysian ambassador who ever came to Japan stirred us to visit Malaysia, but she did. That schoolgirl lives in Miri which is located on the north shore of Borneo Island and is adjacent to Brunei. One of the purposes of this trip was to see her again. She was supposed to wait for us in KK International Airport. We looked for Miri from the plane when it came close to Brunei, but it was too far for taking pictures.
　　Borneo Island came close. The picture was shot about 10 minutes before landing. Judging from my map, it shows the area of Kuala Penyu. We would visit Papar near the area by train. The second picture looked like an oil camp and I photographed it. Looking up the map, it was Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal, which reminded me of the Great East Asian War. Japan, which was imposed with a total ban on US crude oil imports, expelled Britain from Borneo Island to get oil and established its military administration on the island. They say that the condition of the island was peaceful while Japan was dominant in the war. The island has its several tribes like Taiwan. What history does it have? I wanted to visit some museums.

(Vocabulary)
establish a military administration  軍政を敷く

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルへ向かう

９時５分発の数時間の短いフライト。食事は期待しておらず、空港で朝食を取ったが失敗だった。飛行機の中で朝食が出た。結構食べ応えのあるサンドイッチだった。晴れていて眼下にきれいな海が見える。飛行ルートはクアラルンプールからほぼまっすぐにコタキナバルへ向かっている。右手遙か前方に見えたボルネオ島が近づいてくる。『彼女』に再会すると思うと胸がどきどきしてきた。
　
昨年の１２月までマレーシアは全く知らない、縁の無い国だった。行きたいと思うこともなかった。しかし、昨年１２月、我が家にマレーシアから女子高生が１週間滞在し、そのことでマレーシアに興味を持つようになった。我が家にとってはマレーシアから派遣された外交官に等しい高校生だった。その高校生が住む街がボルネオ島北岸の中央部に位置するミリ。今回の旅の目的の一つは彼女と再会すること。その彼女は今、コタキナバルで我々を待っていくれているはずだが、彼女の住むミリはどの辺りかなと目を凝らす。モニターに映る現在位置から判断して、ブルネイのすぐ隣だからこのあたりかと飛行機から島を見下ろした。
　
コンパクトカメラでも撮れるくらいに陸地に近づいてきた。写真は到着１０分くらい前に取ったもの。手元の地図から判断するとKuala Penyuという街らしい。この近くまで実は鉄道を使って行ってみるつもりでいる。石油基地らしいものがあったので撮っておいた。地図を見るとSabah Oil and Gas Terminalとある。そういえば先の大戦時、アメリカからの原油輸入を止められた日本はボルネオからイギリスを追い出しこの地に軍政を敷いた。戦争前半の日本が優勢な時期には平和な時代だったと聞いている。ボルネオも台湾などと同様限られた面積に多くの民族が住んでいた。どのような歴史を持つのだろうか。歴史博物館も楽しみだ。

Rib Eye Steak Debut

　　After lunch we visited the National Art Center, Tokyo and appreciated Venetian Renaissance Paintings from the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. This museum is located in Roppongi, one of the busiest districts in Tokyo. My daughter had reserved a table at Wolfgang's steak house near here, which was now rising in popularity, so we visited the museum to kill time. To tell the truth, I wasn't interested in those pictures and I've never been to Venice and I didn't expect much about pictures. However, the pictures there evoked my feelings of eagerness to visit Venice.
　　My daughter treated us to a gorgeous dinner. It was my rib eye steak debut. Furthermore, she prepared a surprise birthday cake for her mother. Several staff members of the restaurant got together around our table and sang that famous birthday song for her with other customers' clapping. It was an unforgettable night.

(Vocabulary)
Venice; Venizia （地名）ベニス、ヴェネツィア adj. Venetian
the national art center, Tokyo 国立新美術館　http://www.nact.jp/english/

KÄRCHER K-5

　　My house has an open terrace, which is called loggia. I wrote about its cleaning here two years ago. Now the stone panels of the loggia got dirty again and need cleaning, but I'm unwilling to clean them, remembering the hard work that I referred to in the blog entry. It must take 3 or 4 hours of the precious holiday. I've reached the point where I just don't care any more. However, I had been pestered to polish the stone panels by my wife.
　　One day I happened to watch a TV commercial of the high pressure water washing machine of KÄRCHER. My intuition urged me to get it for the cleaning of the stone panels. I had the next day off and visited a DIY store showroom. I was able to try it there and ordered it online that night.
　　The effectiveness was so great! The cleaning of all the stone panels were done in 15 minutes and without hard work! Incredible. I'll show you the pictures of before and after the cleaning. The ability of the machine was amazing.
　　As I talked about the machine to my parents, they wanted me to clean their house's fences and the floor of the parking lot. Consequently, I had to work a whole day at the end of the day.

(Vocabulary)
I've reached the point where I just don't care any more.
もうどうでもいいと思うくらいになってしまった．

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2014/07/cleaning-stone-panels.html