Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Today's Dinner

     Pictures show part of today's dinner. My daughter, A, was grabbing anything she felt unfamiliar with, especially anything from Hokkaido as soon as she found them in the evening. She was 50% full and couldn't eat much. She had only a few kinds of salad. I felt sorry about it, because we came across a wonderful restaurant in the Sapporo Factory.
     This restaurant uses an old brewery building that was made of bricks a hundred years ago. I mean that we had dinner in a national heritage site, where the first beer was made in Japan. I compared three kinds of beer in the 3rd picture and I liked them all. The last picture shows the spare rib that I ordered without making sure how big it was. Though I'm afraid you can't tell how big this is, this was far bigger than I expected. I could barely eat it all. In the U.S. there is a doggy bag in every restaurant, but this is rare in Japan.

 

 

 

(KW: サッポロファクトリー)

Where to Have Dinner

     I heard that "Dreams Come True" (Japanese Pop Group) was doing a live concert at the Sapporo Dome and more than 50,000 fans were in the Dome, and the concert would finish soon. When we came here, we took the subway to Fukuzumi station, which is the nearest station from the Sapporo Dome, and I was going to get on the subway at the same station on the way back. However, if we did this we would be surely involved in an enormous crowd. I was afraid that it could take a long time to get on the subway. I made up my mind to get on the bus that goes to the center of the city, though my daughter could easily get sick in the bus.
     We returned to the center of the city. Whilst looking out of the window I found clusters of people in front of the western-style house. We made up our minds to get off quickly, which was good for my daughter's health. It was the most popular sight-seeing point, the Sapporo Clock Tower. This was built in 1878 for the Sapporo Agricultural College (now called Hokkaido University). It's now a nationally-designated Important Cultural Asset.
     We walked around looking for a better restaurant, but all the restaurants we found were ordinary and just like in our hometown. At that time I happened to find the Sapporo Factory which was a complex of restaurants, shops, movie theaters and other amusement facilities. The 2nd and 3rd pictures were taken there.

(Vocabulary)
whilst　 …する間に, …ときに　= while
important national cultural asset　 国の重要文化財

(KW: サッポロ 札幌 時計台)

Hitsujigaoka Viewpoint

     We came here to eat mutton barbecue, one of the special cuisines of Hokkaido, in the meadow. Though my daughter doesn't like meat, I expected there would be some other food to barbecue, like vegetables, fish and shellfish. However, contrary to my expectations, there was nothing to eat for her, so we decided to have dinner in the city center.
     As I wrote in the last entry, Dr. Clark is a kind of symbol of Sapporo City. His statue stands in Hitsujigaoka too, one of the viewpoints of Sapporo City.
     You can see the Sapporo Dome in the pictures and URL below. http://www.sapporo-dome.co.jp/
     At any rate, I can't understand why he endeared himself to the people of Sapporo. He was accused of fraud after returning to the U.S.

(Vocabulary)
endear sb to sb  〈性質・言動などが〉 （人）を（人）に好かれるようにする, 慕われるようにする
endear yourself to somebody  （人）に好かれる, 慕われる

(KW: クラーク博士)

A Nightcap

     On the way back to our inn from the sushi restaurant, I ran into a convenience store and entered the store. I wanted to know what the inside was like though I thought every convenience store was the same all across the country.
     I happened to find a wine named Otaru. I found myself with the wine in the basket at the next moment. Besides that I picked up some nibblies and a bottle of tea.
     The wine "Otaru" tasted so-so. I should have chosen another wine.
     At any rate, I had a relaxing time far away from my office. "No Emergency Call" is very good for my mental health.

(Vocabulary)
nightcap　寝酒
run into = bump into
run into somebody (インフォーマル) ＜人＞にばったり会う
I ran into Ruth this morning outside the station.
今朝駅前でルースにばったり会った．
nibble　 [自] 少しずつかじる, つつく
nibble at/on sth　 ＜食べ物など＞をちびちび食べる
nibbles 《複数扱い》(英)(インフォーマル) おつまみ, スナック

(KW: 小樽 コンビニ ワイン)

At Shin-Chitose Airport

     We got to Hokkaido and just got on the train for Otaru at Shin-Chitose Airport. In the airplane, after having reached the cruising altitude, I put the headphone on and kept it on all the time during cruising. An announcement shortly before landing said that any digital devices are prohibited, so I took it off. I didn't mind the weight of the headphone for the 2 hours for which I set the headphone. The contact with the ear pads didn't bother me. I felt that it decreased 90% of the noise produced by the airplane. In other words, you can hear only what you want to hear. If you want to listen to music or a certain sound like conversations in a noisy place like the subway, you have to turn the volume up to overcome the noise. Consequently, in some cases, the sound you are listening to leaks and might bother some people who are sitting next to you. If you put this headphone on, your listening never bothers others and you can hold conversations.
     The picture shows a bottle of tea and two lunches, what we call "Ekiben". "Ekiben" means a lunch that is sold at a stall on the station platform. Every "Ekiben" has characteristic ingredients that are the special products from each place. The shape or the material of the lunch case is rich in variety. Eating "Ekiben" is one of the fun things to do when you travel. My youngest daughter chose "Ika-meshi", which is made of squid and rice. Squid, landed at Hakodate City which is near here, is very famous. I chose a lunch of salmon and salmon caviar. Hokkaido is famous as the place where salmon is landed. The taste was very good, especially with the view from the window.

(Vocabulary)
land （魚）を釣り上げる, 取る
caviar   キャビア (チョウザメの卵を塩漬けにしたもの)

(KW: 駅弁 函館 イカめし 石狩鮨 うらら ボーズ ノイズキャンセリング noise cancelling)

Beer Party '07

     I had a beer party last night. People who gathered were PC freaks. We met on the network about 10 years ago and have been having a party once or twice a year. When we met for the first time, the internet didn't exist and we were useing a PC online service, Nifty-serve, which was modeled after CompuServe in the U.S. I really think I was lucky to have known the PC online service because I could get many friends in many fields.
     I chose the roof garden of the ANA hotel as the place for our party. The reasons are as follows: The dishes must be good and luxurious judging from the status of the ANA hotel. This hotel is the most exclusive in my city and besides the major hotels have facilities for handicapped people. One of us has the after-effects of polio and needs a special washroom. I expected the most luxurious and relaxing time, but...
     Most beer gardens or roof gardens have a time limit and a fixed charge system. The time limit was 110min and the charge was 3600 yen per person in the ANA hotel. Within the time limit we can eat and drink as much as we like. It's so far so good. The problem is that the closing time was set there. They change all the customers at that time. The first group is from 17:30 to 19:20 and the last group is from 19:30 to 21:20. The time that the customers get to the seats wasn't the starting time. The starting time was already set and if we were late, we would lose our eating time.
     That is to say, so many people gather at one time in front of the table where dishes are arranged and have to stand in line to take their meal. We got to the roof garden a little earlier, so we were OK, but some other groups that got in 10 minutes or so later had to wait about 20 minutes to self serve their meal. The dishes were good, but it is a real killer for thirsty people to wait for beer for a long time.
     Our table was the nearest one to the dishes and it was easy to get another helping. It might be due to the consideration that the hotel showed. Anyway we had a really enjoyable time. Time passed so rapidly and we moved to another Japanese-style inn and talked and drank to our content. It was the next day when I reached my home.

(Vocabulary)
model after　～をモデル［原型・模範］とする、～をまねる
so far　今までのところ
It's a real killer.　これは本当につらい。
consideration　考慮；　配慮、思いやり、心遣い
Money is the first consideration. 先立つものは金。

The Roof Garden of the ANA hotel

At Japanese-style inn

It's sashimi, raw fish.

Annual Beer Party

     I came to be the host of the beer party of people who are on the net. We have been having an annual beer party since 2000. The number of people will reach 8 or 9 this year. I have to find and decide where we'll get together. I asked them for their suggestions but they left it to me where to meet.
     I'll be responsible for the place. It's a tough decision. I don't have enough ideas about the downtown, so I decided to pick up the free information magazine, which is shown below. I don't know what they call such kind of magazines in English. I figured out "free information magazine" now by myself. Is this a suitable expression? These magazines are delivered freely in the streets, stations, hotels, ,,any place where people gather and they contain many discount coupons. We can use these coupons by cutting them out of the magazines. We Japanese call it a "Free Paper". Of course, I know that it is a Japanese-made English term. If you know the correct expression which describes these kind of magazines, tell me.
     Getting back to the point, I chose the roof garden of the ANA hotel. We can eat and drink as much as we like at a price of 3500 yen. http://www.asiarooms.com/japan/matsuyama/ana.html
     The party will be held on July 28th. I'm going to post pictures of us here. Don't miss it!

A Curious Gift From Okinawa

     My friend dropped in at my hospital with gifts today. She did a three day trip to Okinawa. Okinawa had a miserable history in World War Two, but now it has become one of the popular sightseeing places in Japan.
     The gift is the famous distilled spirit, Awamori. I like it. You can see the bottle and the package in the picture and one other thing, the small bottle on the left. What is it? It is written on the label that Okinawa-produced peppers are pickled in Awamori. In short, pickled peppers from Awamori.
     In this case we eat peppers based on common sense, but the label says "Sprinkle this on noodles, like soba, ramen,,,. Wow! We eat Awamori, not peppers. What will it taste like?

Man' Noodle Number II

     At first, look at the picture of this entry:
     http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/06/mans-noodle.html
     In the entry I wrote, "I think it will disappear from the store shelf soon." Exactly as I wrote in the entry above, that instant noodle disappeared after a while. It must have been unpopular. However, I found a new type of Man's Noodle at the same convenience store today. When I bought the noodle last time, the price was unreasonably low. I'm not sure, but the store owner wanted to clear out the stock and I fell into his trap.
     By the way, take a look at the picture below. The word "Die Hard 4.0 and Bruce Willis" caught my eyes. "Why is he on the package of instant noodles?"
     It was special sales campaign. If the winning ticket was in the package, you win! You'll receive the goods that makes and trains men. (I don't know what it is.) It might be a kind of trainer or cosmetics for men. Bruce is a hero among men in Japan too.
     Anyway I bought this Man's Noodle again, though I wrote that it would be the last time I tasted it in the entry...
.... and I tried it just after I had written the above.
     The taste was a little improved but it was not good for me. I realized that I will never learn.

(Vocabulary)
clear out stock　在庫を処分する
clear out　
〔ロッカー・押し入れ・机などの〕中を掃除する［片付ける］
〔中身を〕捨てる、空にする

(KW:インスタント焼きそば　ブルース・ウィリス)

Man's Noodle?

     Take a look at the picture below. It shows an instant fried Chinese noodle. You can eat it in 3 minutes after you pour boiling water into the bowl. I often eat such instant foods in my office and I'm picky about those instant noodles. I have favorites, of course. Today I found a new instant noodle that you can see in the picture. The brand name is "Man's fried noodle". Not woman, but man. What does it mean? I got it without any hesitation. What is the man's taste like?
     The taste was very spicy and not my preference. It will be the last time I taste it. I think it will disappear from the store shelf soon.

A Moving Stall

     When I was making my morning rounds on the third floor, I happened to look out of the window. It was a nice day and a little hot. I really felt that I'd like to go out and ride my motorcycle. At that exact moment I saw two people walking to a car like ants gathering around candies. The car was a moving stall. The two people were my co-workers. It was more than one hour left until lunch time. They had sneaked out of the hospital and had been waiting for the opening of the stall. It was intersting and really funny that they didn't know that I, the head nurse, and another staff member were observing them from the 3rd floor. They must have thought they had successfully slipped out and no one knew where they were. The picture shows them and the stall that is getting ready to open.
     I didn't know about the moving stall, but the owner of the stall appears to be famous. The menu he presents is only two kinds. One of them is Thai-style vegetable curry and seems to be very popular.
     Anyway today's targets of the owner must have been my staff members and his tricks turned out to be completely successful. Next time he comes here, I'll try it.

(Vocabulary)
sneak  (sneaked または snuck)
sneak into/out of something
＜場所＞へこっそり入る［からこっそり出る］
it appears (that) …ということのようだ
It appears that the two aircraft were in no danger.
2機の航空機はまったく危険な状態ではなかったようだ．
appear to be  …のように見える
The man appeared to be in his late twenties.
その男は20代後半ぐらいに見えた

Lunch on Valentine's Day

     In Japan it's an annual event for ladies to present chocolates to men who mean a lot to them. I think that it is a sales strategy of chocolate companies.
     A small chocolate cake that is shown below was served for every staff members at today's lunch. It was kind of fun and was arranged by the chef. He sometimes entertains us with his humor.

Trumped-up Story

     The Dietary effect of natto that I wrote about before was disclosed to be based on fake data. The TV program was a fabricated story. The story was extremely vicious. I guess that the producers were desperate to make the program work at any cost. They have been making a similar program every week. It must have been hard work.
     When I was in postgraduate school to get a Ph.D, I sometimes felt a kind of frustration. You know, when I couldn't get preferable data from the experiments, I got depressed. I imagine that the feelings of those TV producers were likewise and they yielded to the temptation of making up the segment. The TV program might come to an end.

(Vocabulary)
trumped-up  〈申し立て・口実などが〉 でっち上げの, 偽りの
trumped-up charges  でっち上げられた容疑
fabricate  〈話・うそなど〉 をでっち上げる, 捏造(ねつぞう)する
The police were accused of fabricating evidence.
警察は証拠を捏造したとして告発された
vicious  悪意のある, 意地悪な
a vicious rumor  悪意のあるうわさ
at any cost  金をいくら出しても、是が非でも、意地でも、絶対に、万難を排して
segment  〔テレビ・ラジオ放送などの〕一区切り、一番組、ひとコマ

A Cheap Wine

     I got the cheapest foreign wine at the nearest supermarket. That cost me only 500 yen, about 5 US dollars. You know, I've wondered about that price. This wine is from Chile. So ... somehow, they have to grow the grapes, turn the grapes into wine, make a bottle, slap a label on it, insert a cork in it, box it up, ship it halfway across the world, store it in a warehouse and then bring it to the store in a truck - all for under four dollars, because the store has to make at least a dollar profit too. Someone must be getting a raw deal.
     Anyway, the taste of the wine was worth it for more than 10 US dollars.

(Vocabulary)
slap sth on sth  ＜…＞をべたべた塗りつける
box (up)  …を箱に入れる［詰める］
ship  [他] (船・飛行機・トラックなどで) …を運ぶ, 輸送する
a fair deal   正当な扱い
get a raw/rough/bum deal   (informal) 不当な扱いを受ける

Natto Boomlet

     Natto is one Japanese foods that most visitors from out of Japan hate. Natto is fermented soybeans. Natto is a very healthy food. Soybeans contain many kinds of nutrients, such as protein.
     By the way, it appears the production of natto cannot keep up with the rapid increse of demand now in Japan. It's because a new method for diet by eating natto was introduced on a TV variety show on Jan. 7. On that night I went out shopping for natto as soon as the program had finished, though it was late at night because I was afraid that natto would run out.
     Next evening I dropped in at the same supermarket after work. As I expected, natto was out of stock. A few days later, I found some new brands of natto from out of Ehime Prefecture arranged at the supermarket. All of the natto producers across the country seem to be working to capacity.

"Tako-Yaki", Octopus Dumpling in Dazaifu

     Octopus balls or octopus dumpling is very popular in Japan. I think many visitors to Japan have eaten it at least once. Needless to say, I've eaten it many times. Octopus dumpling is not a formal food, but kind of a snack. I always find a few "Tako-Yaki" stands among fair stalls. Every "Tako-Yaki" ball has a piece of octopus in it. I was so surprised to see how big the ball was here. You can see it in the photo. Every "Tako-Yaki" ball has a whole body of a small octopus. I took a picture in a mad rush.

(Vocabulary)
fair stall  お祭りの屋台
in a mad rush  あわてて　大急ぎで

(KW:太宰府　たこ焼き)

Late-Night Snack

     Today is Sunday. It's a holiday, but I'm in hospital now and I'm on duty now, though today is Christmas Eve. I have to stay here until tomorrow evening. If there aren't any acute changes in the hospitalized patients, I have some free time. I wonder what to do today.
     I'm going to have a hospital dinner that the patients eat for now. This dinner is a little small in amount for me. The photo shows my late-night snack.
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/11/todays-lunch.html

Oyster Nabe (Food Boiled Together in a Pot)

     Today's evening TV news says that the price of oysters has decreased sharply because one of the origins of the Norovirus infection is said to be from eating raw oysters. Despite that there's no evidence of epidemic food poisoning from oysters, but such a rumor is getting around in Japan. It's a shame to believe such groundless rumors.
     I'm going to have oyster pan dish today or tomorrow. This food is very popular in Japan, especially in winter. We put oysters, tofu, various vegetables, anything if it's needed and Japanese dressing materials in the pan and boil them. Norovirus will disappear when heated up. It's lucky that oysters are cheap now.

Two Parties

     Two end-of-the-year parties coincided with each other last night. I attended the hospital end-of-the-year party at first, then attended another party of my rally team.
     I had a little hangover this morning. Every time I have a hangover, I regret drinking too much and my wife says, "You just never learn, do you?"

Today's Lunch

     According to the Medical Care Law, every meal for the inpatients must be checked by someone just before serving it to the patients. I usually check ordinary lunches for the patients who are hospitalized. Besides, some special meals are prepared for the patients who suffer from specific diseases; diabetes, hypertention, kidney or liver diseases,,,and so on. I check the ordinary lunches and fill in the form (shown in the picture) as follows. The time I check the lunch. How about taste; excellent, good, bad. How much the rice is; too much, moderate, too small. How hard the rice is; hard, good, soft. How it looks; excellent, good, bad. I think the kitchen staff of my hospital are excellent. Every lunch is satisfactory to me. I took a snap of today's lunch shown in the 2nd picture.