Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

A Barbecue Party

　　I belong to the Matsuyama Century Lions Club, which was established on the 100th anniversary year since the first Lions Club was founded in Chicago. We have regular meetings twice a month in a meeting room of a hotel, but today, a special meeting was held inviting our family members at a marina run by a member of the club. I joined it with my second daughter. All the preparation was done within the members and we enjoyed a gorgeous barbecue party after the meeting on the beach side. I didn't get permission to upload pictures and added a mosaic effect to some pictures.

松山センチュリーライオンズクラブに所属している。月に２回の例会を行っているが、今日は家族を招いてのバーベキュー。メンバーの一人が経営するマリーナで行われた。僕は次女を誘い出席。準備は全て会員の手作りでとても楽しい会になった。写真を何枚か載せる。了解を取っていないので一部モザイクを掛けます。

Bonito Festival

　　There is a small fishery town of Kure on the Pacific coast side of Shikoku, which is one of the four main islands of Japan. My wife and I visited the town today, in which the Bonito festival for the revitalization of the area was held. A variety of bonito dishes were served in the event. Especially, the bonito-fishing experience and the bonito-fishing boat experience were very popular.
　　This town used to be an unknown town, but a cartoonist created a manga about a boy from this town, which triggered the explosion of interest in this small town. Honoring him, the local people built his statue on the coast. Even a Japanese sake derived from the hero's name is produced there.
　　On the way back, we didn't come straight back home and drove our car in the dairy area. Today was a really refreshing day.

(Vocabulary)
cartoonist 漫画家, 風刺［時事］漫画家, アニメ作家

四国の太平洋側に久礼というカツオ漁で有名な町がある。そこで行われた地域興しイベントに行ってきた。各種カツオ料理が振る舞われ、カツオを釣る体験や、カツオ漁船乗船体験などで盛り上がっていた。この町はかつては無名の漁村だったがある漫画をきっかけにして有名になった。町民の感謝の気持ちからだろう、その漫画家の銅像が建っていた。漫画の主人公の名前に因んだ酒も造られている。帰りは少し道草をしながら、愛媛県南部の酪農地帯を走った。リフレッシュできた一日だった。

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。

Ala Moana Center

　　The Ala Moana Center was big, for sure, and I heard it was the biggest shopping mall in Hawaii, but it might not be so big from the American point of view. We strolled about the mall to kill drowsiness, but nothing attracted us. I got some swimming pants there. We didn't eat anything after arrival in Hawaii, and entered the mall's food court. The prices of dishes were generally high, and I ate a cool ramen, which was not good, but as it was the first meal in Hawaii, I took a picture of that memorable dish of the ramen. My daughter ate a hamburger, and told me that it was just the same as one in Japan other than its price. If you stay for longer days, like a week or more, you'd better get ingredients in the market and cook your meals yourself for saving money. Then we took a trolleybus on its longest route, which was operated from downtown to Diamond Head.

アラモアナセンター：
　
確かに広いショッピングモールだったが、アメリカ的な感覚からはそうでもないような気がした。眠気を紛らすために歩き回ったけれど、あまり目新しいものはなかった。ハワイらしいものはこういった街中には無いのかも知れない。腹が減ったので何か食べようと思ったがどれも高い。観光地価格か？長期滞在なら材料を買って帰ってコンドミニアムで料理するのが得策だと思えた。冷麺を注文したが、どこか味が変だった。一応ハワイで食べた初めての料理ということで記念写真。娘はハンバーガーを食べていたが、味は日本と同じという。気を取り直してトロリーバスの一番長い路線に乗ってみることにした。これはダイヤモンドヘッドを一周する。

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。

Regret

　　After packing our suitcases and giving up swimming, I went up to the deck to drink something. Then I noticed my misunderstanding about the 20 hours-operating restaurant, Horizon Court.
　　There were several groups on the deck who were chatting over wines and dishes from Horizon Court. I could have taken dishes out of the restaurant. We had dinner every evening at a decent restaurant set up by the tour company and didn't drop in at Horizon Court in the evening. We found this evening that we could have eaten some sweets, dessert, or even another dinner every night at Horizon Court.
　　To tell the truth, I got two bottles of wine at Singapore Changi Airport and brought them into the cabin. I got some snacks on Penang island, since there was no shop which handled such items in the ship. I wished that there were some convenience stores on board, but I realized why not. Such shops weren't necessary as there were lots of kinds of nibbles at Horizon Court for free.
　　Every restaurant in Japan has time limitations, if you are allowed to eat as much as you like. It is prohibited to take dishes out to eat them later. However, the restaurant was on board, where the customers weren't able to go out. It's the same thing to eat in the restaurant and in the cabin or somewhere else. You were allowed to bring dishes back to the cabin.
　　I was so sorry to find that out just on the previous night of the disembarkation. I was determined to reserve a cabin with a balcony next time and enjoy wines there. I'll show you a picture of balconies.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　船内でスナック類を売っていない謎判明
　
荷物の整理後、夜１０時頃だったか、泳ぐのは諦めて一杯飲もうかとデッキへ出てみた。ここで大変なことに気がついた。デッキチェアーに横になって、２０時間営業のHorizon Courtから料理を持ち出してワインを飲んでいる乗客が何組もいたのだ。この手があったのか～と地団駄。つまり、ディナーの後、Horizon Courtへ寄って、何回でも食事できたし、持ち出すこともできたのだ。Horizon Courtの夕方以降のメニューを見ていないと家内も残念がっていた。
　
実は、船室で飲むために、シンガポール空港でワインを買って持ち込んでいた。そして、つまみをペナン島で買って持ち込んだ。そのつまみが美味しくなくて、結局捨ててしまった。船内にスナック菓子を売っているところがなかったからだが、そのわけがやっとわかった。必要ないからだ。
　
日本人的感覚では食べ放題と言われても大体は時間制限がかかっている。後で食べようと食べ放題のレストランから料理を持ち帰ることは禁止されている。ただここはどこへも出られない船の中。持ち帰って船室で食べようと、レストランで食べようと、食べる量は同じ。食べ放題のレストランから料理を持ち出すことは禁止されていなかった。
　
明日には降りなければならない今になって気がつくとは、、、次回はバルコニー付きの部屋で、テイクアウトした料理を心ゆくまで味わうことにしたい。

Kitchen Tour

　　The kitchen tour was great! It appeared there were several kitchens in the ship, and I was able to see one of them. Not hearing from the crew, but in my humble opinion, in some epidemics like Norovirus, the decentralization of kitchens would be much better placed to protect healthy passengers from the risk of infection. I'm not a specialist of the design of kitchens, but I realized that it was elaborately designed.
　　The cooking tables differed by its method, like boiling, frying, roasting, simmering, and so on. The several enormous fridges were set and I found some nice ideas for facilitating waiters' work around there. The kitchen staff members were supposed to cook for 2700 passengers and 1100 crew members. The crew have meals in the time slot when the passengers don't eat. That is to say, the kitchen would operate all day.
　　The guide told us about the purchasing of meat. In case of beef, they purchase a whole body of beef cattle and cut it into various parts in the ship, and they use all of them without its skin. Two processing specialists were on board. These stories surprised me. In the stockroom of wines there were numerous bottles. To my regret, I forgot to take pictures in the kitchen. I'll post a picture of a restaurant just before starting dinner time.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　厨房見学ツアー
　
厨房見学ツアーは圧感だった。厨房は船内に何カ所も有るらしい。そのうちの一つだけを見せてもらったのだが、実に機能的に造られていた。ツアーガイドから聞いたのではなく、自分が勝手に思いついたのだが、キッチンをいくつかに分けておくことはノロウイルス等による感染症対策としても有効と思われた。料理方法別に調理場が異なり、ウェイターが運びやすい工夫など随所に見られた。２７００人の乗客の食事と、１１００人の乗組員のまかない食を作っている。乗客が食べない時間帯にスタッフが食べるのだからほぼ２４時間稼働している調理場だ。肉の仕入れ方法を聞いたのだが、牛一頭の肉をまるまる積み込んで、船内に解体専門のスタッフが２人いて船内で捌いているそうだ。骨まで利用しているらしい。ワイン蔵も覗いた。かなりの数だった。厨房内の写真を撮り忘れ、セッティングを終えたばかりのレストランの写真をupします。

On the Last Day

　　On the all-day cruising day, I saw an array of events on the bulletin, Princess Patter. A variety of events were scheduled at every corner of the ship. Some passengers spent a relaxing time in galleries or the library, others enjoyed jogging or doing exercises in the gym. As for me, I joined the wine tasting, the British-style afternoon tea party, and the kitchen tour. Then I attended the briefing for disembarkation, which was required by the crew.
　　The wine tasting was not fun at all. A specialist's one-sided commentary was difficult to understand, containing words new to me. Additionally, the tastes of the wines weren't special to me, but it might be due to my poor tongue.
　　With regard to the British afternoon tea party, I had assumed that I had to learn something ritual like Japan's tea ceremony, but I was wrong. It was really easygoing. I heard that the Brits would find it unusual and odd that Japanese people would learn how to drink teas even paying tuition fees. Comparing the Japanese tea ceremony with the British one, their thoughts are really acceptable to me. Anyway, I enjoyed a British tea and some sweets. One thing that I was sorry for was that we were gathered into a Japanese group. I wanted to chat with passengers from other countries.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　
　
終日航海の日にはいろいろな催しが目白押し。ギャラリーや図書館でのんびり過ごしたり、デッキでジョギングしたり、フィットネスジムでエクササイズ、プールで泳いだり、人それぞれ。僕の午後はまず、ワインのティスティング、そしてイギリス式アフタヌーンティー、そして厨房見学ツアー、下船方法説明会、ディナーの予定。
　
まず、ワインのティスティング：　面白くなかった。一方的な説明だけで聞き取れない単語も多かったし。ワインの味にしても、特別な感じはしなかった。これは当方の舌の問題かもしれないが。
　
続いて、アフタヌーンティー。日本の茶道のような特別なやり方があるのかと思ったが何も無し。気楽なものだった。イギリス人が、日本人が茶道をお金を出して学ぶことについて不思議に感じると言うのが納得できた。他の国の人たちと同じテーブルを囲むことを期待したのだが、日本人だけで集められた。ちょっと残念。

All-day Cruising

　　The Diamond Princess was on the ocean all day on March 15th. All passengers stayed in the ship and most facilities were crowded. What should I do?
　　Examining the on board map, I found several places which I had not yet seen. I listed several spots to see and decided to visit them in turn. We had breakfast at the usual place, Horizon Court. It was not so crowded as I had expected. Lots of passengers might start the day leisurely. I ate a big breakfast.

(Vocabulary)
leisurely ゆったりした, のんびりした
a leisurely pace/speed ゆっくりとした歩調［スピード］
leisurely [副](書き言葉) ゆっくりと
have a large [big] breakfast. 朝食をたくさん食べる

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　終日航海の日
　
今日は一日中どこへも寄港せずクルージング予定。外出できないので船内の施設はどこも混んでいる。さて何をしようか。
　
船内マップをじっくり見ると、まだ見ていない場所がいくつもある。リストアップして見ていく順番を決めた。まずはいつもの場所、Horizon Courtで朝食。思ったほど混んでいない。今日は皆、朝はゆっくりスタートするのかな。いつものようにたっぷりと朝食を摂る。

Back to the Ship

　　Most tourists seemed to be heavily worn out. We were supposed to walk around the city center for an hour in the afternoon, but even local people weren't walking outside. I thought that one hour was useless. I can't help pointing it out to be a fault of the travel agency. There would be other air-conditioned facilities and tourist spots, or beautiful scenery which we were able to see from inside of the bus. Looking at the map, the area we visited was only a small southeastern part of the island. We didn't see well-known beautiful beaches on the west coast. I know it's hindsight-based opinion, but I should have picked up an air-conditioned taxi for sightseeing. In Phuket, you should spend time at beaches, I assumed.
　　When our bus stopped at the pier, which was connected to the Diamond Princess, I was relieved. The picture shows the Diamond Princess and its tender boat coming to pick us up. "I can get back to my comfortable cabin." I uttered silently in my mind.
　　My cabin wasn't equipped with a bathtub, and I bathed in the Japanese-style public bath this evening. Then I took a walk on the stern deck. There was a basketball and volleyball court. The second picture shows my dessert. I was able to eat as much dessert as I wanted. I got a hunch to gain weight. I was determined to have some exercise on the next day and slept.

(Vocabulary)
hunch 予感, 虫の知らせ

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　暑さに参った話

昼からはツアー客のほとんどが暑さに参っていた。予定ではプーケットタウンの街を自由行動となっていたが、外を歩いている現地の人など、ほとんどいない。この１時間ほどは無駄な時間だった。旅行会社の観光スケジュールは間違っていたと言わざるを得ない。冷房の効いた観光施設、あるいはバスから眺める美しい景色が他にもあったろうにと残念に思った。地図を見ると我々が廻った地域は島の南東部のごく一部。有名なビーチが並ぶ西岸地域は行けなかった。結果論だが、冷房付きのタクシーをチャーターすればよかった。

バスが桟橋について沖に待つダイヤモンド・プリンセスを見てホッとした。写真は沖に停泊するダイヤモンド・プリンセスと迎えに来ているテンダーボート。やっと船に戻ることができる。つまり、快適な場所に戻ることができると言うことでツアー客には安堵の表情がありありと出ていた。

我々の船室にはシャワーしかなかったので、夜は久しぶりに日本式の風呂に入り、船尾方面を散歩。屋上にはバスケットボールやバレーボールのできるコートがあった。写真は夕食の後のデザート。もちろんデザートも数十種類あって、食べ放題。太る予感。明日は運動をしようと心に決めて就寝。

Bus Tour in Georgetown

　　Georgetown, one of the listed cities on World Heritage. I wanted to walk around the historic spots, but our bus didn't stop at those places. At first, our bus stopped by a market in the busiest street. There was lots of sea food and meat exposed to the open air. I wondered if they didn't get rotten rapidly, and this question was shared by other tourists. The atmosphere in the street was just the same as that of Malacca that I had visited last summer.
　　St. George's Church, the oldest British church in Southeast Asia, stood in the city, but I was just able to see it from the bus. It seemed to have a memorial canopy in honor of Francis Light's arrival on the island. I wasn't able to understand the reason why he had won the respect of citizens in spite of conquering them, and I wanted to examine what he had done on the island. His tomb was in the Christian Cemetery near the pier, but I wasn't able to visit it due to the restriction of time.
　　The bus stopped at a famous Hindu temple, which didn't attract me at all. Something was wrong with JTB tour company. Arrange other options to visit historic places, please. Then, I was taken to Penang State Museum. The exhibition was set mainly about the period of British times, but there were a few descriptions about only 4 years of Japanese times. I didn't have enough time to read them through, and the tour guide's explanation was superficial. The guy who had led me in Malacca last summer was really great, but this time, I wasn't satisfied with the guidance.
　　The funniest stuff that I found in the exhibition was the description on the shameful custom of foot binding in the Qing dynasty. Look at the last picture but one below. Women in the Qing dynasty were forced to stay lifelong in the house just as if they were chained and were treated like slaves. Foot binding was the invention for women not to flee. On the other hand, high heels were designed to make women look more beautiful. They shouldn't be confused. Their excuse for cruel food binding looked ugly to me.
　　The last picture was shot through the window just before leaving the tour bus. Do you notice a white sailboat?

(Vocabulary)
Qing dynasty 清朝

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　ジョージタウン観光　ＪＴＢのバスツアー
　
世界遺産に登録された街、ジョージタウン。その歴史をたどってみたいが用意されたバスは僕の行きたいところは素通り。まずは市場に寄った。暑い土地なのに魚介類や肉類が無造作に置かれている。腐らないのだろうか？周囲にいた日本人観光客みなが感じた疑問。そして街中を歩いてみたが、昨年訪問したマラッカと同様、プラナカンの街だった。この午前中のツアーは僕には無意味なものだった。
　
１８１８年建築の東南アジアで最古のイギリス教会St. George's Churchはバスから眺めただけ。Francis Lightの初上陸を記念したメモリアルキャノピーがあるという。ペナンでなぜFrancis Lightが尊敬されているのか、全く理解できず、彼にまつわるものを１日掛けて調べてみたかった。彼の墓はこのジョージタウン、埠頭から近いクリスチャン共同墓地The Christian Cemeteryにあるのだが、すぐ近くまで来て時間の関係で訪問できなかった。実に心残りだ。
　
で、何の興味も無いヒンズー教寺院には寄ったりする。どうかしてるぞ＞ＪＴＢツアー！ツアーの選択種を増やしてくれ。つづいてペナン博物館を訪問。イギリス統治時代が中心だが、日本時代についても展示があった。しかし、十分な時間も無く、ガイドは日本人に当たり障りのない程度の説明しかしない。今回のガイドはハズレだった。
　
ひとつ面白かったのが、次の写真。清朝の纏足は女性を家に閉じ込めて逃げないようにした恥ずべき風習だが、それを見事に誤魔化している。清朝は纏足をしたが、現代西洋では女性にハイヒールを履かせる、、という自己弁護の文章の下にあった図。おいおい、ハイヒールは女性を美しく見せるためのものだぞ。纏足と一緒にしてはいかんだろ。最後の写真はバスから降りる直前に撮影したもの。ダイヤモンド・プリンセスの手前にある帆船は？？

Dinner and Champagne Tower

　　I'll show you today's dinner menu, which was put in Japanese. I know that I should choose an appetizer at first, and then choose dishes from each category to dessert, but our waiter told me that I was able to pick any dish and any number of times. I ate three kinds of main dishes over wine. They were all delicious and generous portions. I was so satisfied with dinner.
　　After dinner, I went to the Atrium. There were so many people, who were looking at the champagne tower. Asking a crew member nearby, it was not a special performance and anyone was able to join it. Hearing that, I immediately stood at the end of the line. Pouring the champagne, the attendant beside me was a really nice guy and advised me to turn my face to the audience and the photographer. He was holding the bottle of champagne and I had only to put my hand on it. The picture was one of the great memories of this cruise. I felt all eyes focused on me when I stood by the tower, as if starring in a movie.
　　Then I changed clothes and headed for a bar on the deck. Some people were swimming, watching a movie, drinking alcohol, and others were looking at the sunset glow on the Sumatran mountains. I wanted to stay there for some time, but I hit the sack by 10 o'clock to see the scene of approaching Penang early the next morning.

(Vocabulary)
atrium (高いビルなどの) 吹き抜け

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　ディナー、シャンパンタワー、夜のデッキ

そして夕食。日本語メニューを載せます。自由にいくらでも選べたので、はしたなくも、前菜などすべて飛ばして主菜を３種類＋ワインとした。美味しい上に分量が多くて大満足。
　
帰りにアトリウムへ寄った。なんと大変な人だかりで皆シャンパンタワーを眺めている。近くにいたクルーに尋ねると特別なものではなく、誰でも希望者は参加できるという。すぐに申し込んだ。写真に写っているタワーの横で介助してくれているスタッフはとても感じの良い人だった。初めてだというとボトルを自分がホールドするから手を添えるだけでＯＫ。顔は皆さんの方を向けてとのアドバイス。良い写真が撮れた。上の階からの視線を感じ、スターにでもなったような気分だった。
　
そして、一旦部屋へ戻り、着替えて１４階のデッキにあるバーへ行くと、またここも賑やか。何枚か写真をｕｐするが、完全にクルーズに嵌まってしまった。マラッカ海峡に吹く夜風に当たりながら、映画を見たり、涼んだり。しばらくスマトラ島を照らす夕焼けを眺めた後、ウィスキーでも飲みながら映画を見たかったが翌早朝のペナン入港を楽しむため２２時には就寝！

Internet Cafe and Library

　　I dropped in at the Internet cafe. The communication charges were fairly high. If I utilized the cafe, it would be only in an emergency. In the adjacent library, there were an array of "Japanese" travel guidebooks. The operating company of the Diamond Princess must be intensely aware of the next target of Japan. Some crew members were piling champagne glasses in the atrium. I didn't understand what they were doing at that time, but I heard later that it is called a "champagne tower". It's also written up as a "Sparkling Waterfall" in the Princess Patter, which I'll show you below.

(Vocabulary)
an array of sth/sb ＜…＞の大集合［勢ぞろい］, ずらりと並んだ＜…＞

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　初めて見たシャンパンタワー

しばらくプールで過ごした後、船内を探検。インターネットカフェに寄ってみたが通信料はやはり高い。僕が使うとしたら緊急のメールだけだろう。隣の図書館にはなんと、、日本の旅行ガイドがずらり。４月からのターゲット、日本をかなり意識しているように感じた。中央のアトリウムではクルーがシャンパングラスを積んでいた。何をするのだろうかとこのときは思った。後でわかったのだが、シャンパンタワーと呼ぶのだそうだ。今日の船内新聞の１ページ目にSparkling Waterfallと書かれていた。後で載せるのでご覧ください。

Pool and Jacuzzi !

　　We had lunch in a buffet-style restaurant of "Horizon Court" on the ship after our short trip to the city center. We were allowed to eat as much as we wanted, and ate too much. Then I went swimming to escape from the scorching heat. I had been eager to swim in the pool on the ship since long ago. The pool area was not so crowded. It would be due to the fact that lots of passengers were out for the long optional tours to Kuala Lumpur. We would have a whole day on the ocean on the way back to Singapore. I was afraid that recreational facilities would swarm with passengers.
　　When I was thumbing through my travel guide on Penang at the poolside, a kind of recreation started near my deck chair. A crew member was checking the scores of every participant. It looked so much fun. As I didn't have today's bulletin, Princess Patter, I didn't know that. Blowing in the breeze of the Strait of Malacca over a glass of beer on the Diamond Princess, I spent a really gorgeous afternoon.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　船上のプールサイドでビール！ Gorgeous afternoon!
　
昼頃に船に戻り、ランチ。これも食べ放題。少し運動しなくてはとも思い、またあまりの熱さに耐えかねてプールへ直行。船の上でプールに入る、、一度やってみたかった。乗船客の半数以上が７時間コースのツアーに出ているのでガラガラ。帰りの終日航海の日には船内が相当混むのだろうなあと心配にもなった。
　
プールサイドで翌日のペナン島の勉強をしていたら近くでなにやらゲームが始まった。クルーがポイントを付けながら何かやっている。見たことの無いゲームだった。船内新聞をくまなく読めば書いてあったのだろうけれど。で僕はあまりの暑さに日陰でビールを飲みながら涼む。日差しは強烈だがマラッカ海峡を吹く風は実に心地よい。

Short Trip

　　As I had heard, there was nowhere for sightseeing, even a single coffee shop. I found four buses in front of the terminal. They were shuttle service for passengers of the Diamond Princess. They transported them every 10 minutes between the terminal and the biggest mall in Port Klang. The fare was 8 US$, which I didn't carry, but they took my cruise card. I jumped into the bus. Then, the biggest mall was ..... a well-known Japanese chain store of "AEON". Oops.
　　I wanted to get back to the ship by noon to have lunch, and I dropped in
only at the food department. The halal food was arranged in the main aisle
and the meat other than halal was placed in a small area separated by glass
walls. I felt I was just in the midst of the Islamic nation.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　ポートケランで船から降りてみた

ポートケランのターミナル周辺は、話には聞いていたが何も無い。喫茶店の一つも無い。目の前にバスが止まっていたので訪ねるとダイヤモンド・プリンセスの客のためのシャトルバスだった。外出するつもりはなかったので船内新聞を読んでおらず知らなかった。で、行き先は市内で最大のショッピングモールだという。片道１０分で往復８米ドルだがもちろん支払いはクルーズカード決済。飛び乗った。で、着いた先はイ・オ・ン！日本のイオンだった～～(^_^;)

モール内で気がついたこと。ハラール食品が中心で、ハラール以外は英語でNon-Halalと書かれた扉で区切られた小さな区画にまとめられていた。さすがにイスラムの国だなと感じた。もちろん僕の買ったのはノンハラールの肉の燻製などワインのつまみ。他にポテトチップスなどの現地のお菓子。これについては大失敗。後日の記事で詳細を書きます。自分としたことが、、、

Princess Patter

　　Now, life at sea has started. The title of this entry is the name of the bulletin of the ship and I'll show you it below. When we came back to our cabin, our suitcases were there. Passengers had to obey the dress code in most restaurants, and we brought respectable clothes to make us presentable. We took them out and hung them in the closet. If we should leave our room on the next day, this would get us nowhere. I thought that it was the cruise to move with the room itself. My wife rushed to the laundromat after changing clothes to wash sweaty clothes. If these were half dry, no problem! We were able to move with them hung in the bathroom. The dinner was really gorgeous! We perfectly went all out! We were able to eat as much as we could, so I skipped appetizers, soup, pasta, and bread, then I ordered two kinds of main dishes with wine. I was afraid that the price of wine would be expensive, but they had a variety of reasonable ones as well as the expensive ones.
　　I'll upload the pictures of the Princess Patter of the 1st day. You could tell where and when all the events would be held. Pages 2 and 3 were translated into Japanese. The evacuation drill is written at the right of the middle of page 2.

 マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　　船旅開始　部屋がまるごと移動するのはこの上なく快適
　　
いよいよ船内での生活が始まる。タイトルは船内新聞の名前だ。部屋に帰るとスーツケースが届いていた。夕食はある程度の身だしなみを要求され、夕食用の服を持参したが、しわになると困るので衣類をすぐにクローゼットに片付けた。そして、こんなことができるのがクルーズだ。一泊だけで移動するホテルだとこうはいかない。カミさんはさっそくコインランドリーへ。今日は暑かった。取りあえず汗臭いものを洗濯。半乾きでも問題なし。シャワールームに干したまま移動できる。そして夕食はゴージャス！メインディッシュが何種類でも食べ放題。なので、前菜なし、スープなし、メインディッシュ２種類とワイン！ワインは予想していたほど高価なものばかりではなかった。
　
１日目の船内新聞をアップする。船内で行われていることの概略がここに書かれている。２ページと３ページが日本語に翻訳され配られてきたが、ほとんど役に立たず。いろいろなイベントが船内のあちこちで行われていることがわかる。２ページ目の真ん中辺り右側に１５時１５分からの避難訓練について書かれている。笑ったのが、４ページ目、上の段の左側、上から６項目目にIzumi Japanese Bath(泉の湯)というのがある。その４行目にNude Timeとある。午後４時から８時までは水着で、８時から１０時までは日本式でということなのだが、まあJapanese-style Bathと書かれるよりはわかりやすいかも。（笑）しかし、ヌードタイムとは、日本人が聞いたらなにやら誤解しそうな言葉ではなかろうか？(^_^;)

 

Check-in To Diamond Princess

　　I'm meaning to write about check-in to the cruise ship, the Diamond Princess. We were going out of Singapore and entering Malaysia the next morning. I wondered what procedure was required. As our bus was approaching the port, the huge body of the Diamond Princess was getting more and more enormous. Though the ship was there, I had to get through several steps. I received my suitcase and another bag of wine from the JTB's luggage transport staff members in the parking lot which was swarming with more than 2000 passengers. Then, I checked my suitcase at the counter shown in the first picture. Baggage checked here would undergo X-ray tests and be delivered to the passengers' cabins.
　　Next, I had to pass through the examination of my carry-on possessions. I declared two bottles of wine here. While waiting for the next inspection, I found the signboard of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Company. I knew their ship utilized this terminal. The 4th picture shows the entrance of immigration control. I didn't take pictures inside, but there were more than 20 booths. When I went out of the terminal building, the Diamond Princess was waiting for me. Taking a close look, its magnitude was beyond my expectation. Leaving my passport with the crew, I got on board to its 7th deck.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記： 　いよいよ乗船です

ダイヤモンド・プリンセスへの緊張のチェックイン。この船でシンガポールを出国し、翌早朝にはマレーシアに入国する。どのような手続きなのだろう。バスが港に近づくにつれて見えてきた巨大な船。すぐそこにあるのに乗り込むには手続きがいろいろとある。まずはＪＴＢの荷物運搬スタッフからスーツケースを受け取る。２０００人もの乗客がいて受取場所はごった返している。そして１枚目の写真の場所で荷物を預ける。ここで預けた荷物はＸ線検査を受けた後、船室へと運ばれる。１６時くらいに自室へ届けられた。

次は手荷物検査。２枚目の写真に示すように飛行機に乗り込むときと同様な検査があった。手荷物チェックを受けた後、出国審査を待っているときにRoyal Caribbeanの案内板があった。Royal Caribbeanのクルーズ船もこのターミナルで発着するのだと知った。４枚目の写真が出国審査場への入り口。中の撮影はしなかったが２０箇所以上のブースがあったように思う。一気に２０００人以上が乗船するのだから広く造っているのだろう。出国審査を終えて外へ出るとダイヤモンド・プリンセスが待っていた。近くで見ると本当にでかい。クルーにパスポートを預けて、船の７階に乗船した。

Singapore Debut

　　I arrived in Singapore early in the morning on Mar. 11th. After passing the immigration control, I bought two bottles of wine for myself at a duty-free liquor shop. Passengers of the Diamond Princess were strictly regulated about the carry-on wines, that is to say, up to one bottle per person. Even if you got one at a port of call, you would have to leave it on the ship until disembarkation. This rule might be from their policy to have passengers buy wines on board. If you want to bring your bottles in the restaurant, you have to pay corkage. If you don't drink them up and want to have your left-over bottle at the restaurant, you have to pay some fee. That's why I brought my bottles in the cabin, though my cabin was the cheapest one without windows.
　　We arrived in Singapore too early to visit tourist spots and took a rest at JTB office for some time. Then, we started to go sightseeing, but we had to get to the cruise ship terminal before noon, so we could only see a few spots near the port. All the spots were the first time for me, but I had seen them in some pictures or TV programs and they had no historical importance. I was not satisfied with them, but it was a good plan considering the restricted short time. I'll show you some pictures shot at Merlion Park and Gardens by the Bay. Our suitcases and bottles of wine were delivered from the airport to the seaport by the staff members of the JTB. It was really nice for us not to carry them under the cruel heat right on the equator.

(Vocabulary)
disembarkation 降りること, 下船, 下車
corkage (ホテル，レストランへの酒類の) 持ち込み料, 栓抜き料

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　初めてのシンガポール
　
３月１１日早朝にシンガポール入り。まず最初にしたことは免税店でワインを２本購入。船にはアルコール類の持ち込み規制が有り、ワインは一人１本まで。なので２本持ち込むことにした。途中の寄港地で買ったものは下船日まで船に預けなければならない規則になっている。要するに船で買って飲めということか？船内のレストランへ持ち込むと持込料金が発生し、飲み残しをキープするとキープ料金が課せられる、、、で、部屋で飲もうと持ち込んだわけだ。窓のない、一番安い部屋だけど、、、

あまりにも早く着いたため、ＪＴＢのオフィスでしばし休憩。そしてＪＴＢの手配した現地ガイドの案内で市内観光。昼には船への乗船手続きをしなければならないので、港近くの数カ所の観光地だけを巡った。映像で見たことのあるところばかりで、歴史的なものでもなく、個人的には不満足だが、時間的制約の中、これが精一杯のプランだろう。Merlion Park, Gardens by the Bayで撮った写真をアップする。ワインやスーツケースは空港でＪＴＢスタッフに預けて港で受け取った。暑い中、持って歩かずに済んで本当に良かった。