Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Heartful Supply

　　Today, we, health care personnel received an unexpected supply of refreshments from a local dairy company. While cows produce milk, all the schools are closed due to the Wuhan virus and their products lost most part of the demand. The company leaders seemingly wanted to show thanks to medical personnel occupied with the extra task to prevent patients from the Wuhan virus infection. In this rainy season of two years ago, this company transported fresh water to my office by their milk truck, when the region suffered from a big flood damage. My office wasn't damaged on the basis of hardware, but the water supply was cut. The milk truck transported water for the bath. Not only the inpatient but also the neighborhood were able to be refreshed through the bath.

(Vocabulary)
provision [C,U] (必要品・サービスなどの) 供給, 支給
a supply of refreshments to a person occupied with some task　差し入れ

Guinomi

　　I'm a thirsty soul. Every time I visit strange places across Japan, I drink local sake and buy "Guinomi", a small glass for Japanese sake, which is crafted by local potters as a memory of the trip. They are small and not bulky in my suitcase and they don't take up so much space in my house.
Today's sake is a gift from my second daughter's fiance and I feel happy and sad at the same time. I picked 4 guinomis up for this sake. I'm wondering which guinomi to use now.

僕は無類の酒好きで、日本各地を旅行するとその地方の地酒を飲み、記念に土地土地の土で出来たぐい呑みを買って帰る。小さいものなので、荷物にはならず、置き場所にもそう困らない。さて今日はどのぐい呑みで飲もうか、、、酒は次女のフィアンセが送ってくれたもの。嬉しいような悲しいような酒を飲むことにしよう。

Two Days at Sea

　　Dec 21st and 22nd were to cruise all day. We were going to enjoy various events, concerts, shows and wandering in the shopping street and on the deck during these two days. To my regret, however, the weather was terribly horrible. I'll upload a moving picture which shows the sea from my room. We booked the cheapest room but one this time and it was lucky, because the room was located on the lowest deck, which must have served to suppress the pitching and rolling for me. I'm quite prone to motion sickness. The motion picture taken from near the sea surface is really awful. It was fun to have a tea time with my friend and his wife whom I came across on board for the first time in 10 years. The cooking show by the executive chef was also fun.
　　An unexpected happening was waiting for me on the final night. The captain made an announcement that the ship wasn't able to keep its usual speed and our arrival in Yokohama would be considerably late.

https://youtu.be/LQQg2nZKL5A　Cooking Show  料理ショー
https://youtu.be/vVurYDTg__k　 Raging Sea   荒れ狂う海
https://youtu.be/5mXNNMSp9so　Boisterous Dinner  ドンチャン騒ぎ

２１日と２２日は終日航海の予定。いろいろなイベント、コンサート、ショーがあり、これらを見たり、プールでのんびりしたり、レストランの食べ歩きなど、予定していたが、天気は最悪。部屋の窓から見た風景を動画で撮影したので見て欲しい。
今回のクルーズも安い部屋、つまり一番下の階にあるが、お陰で他の上のクラスの部屋よりも揺れが少ない。これは有り難かった。海面近くから撮影した動画は迫力がある。
１０年ぶりに船内で出会った古い友人夫妻とのアフタヌーンティーも楽しかった。そして、総料理長による料理教室。これも動画に撮ってあるので下に出しておきます。
そして、最後の夜に船長からアナウンス。荒天のため、スピードが思うように出せなくて到着がかなり遅れるということだ。

Climate of Taiwan

　　We had to give up sightseeing in Keelung due to the terrible weather and made for Taipei following the tour guide's suggestion, though we didn't have any special plan in Taipei in advance. A certain Taiwanese drink has been getting popular in Japan recently. It's various drinks including tapioca. Taipei is the birthplace for the tapioca drinks, so we decided to taste them. As for me, I wanted to buy my wife some accessories made from hokutolite, which is very precious now. This mineral is found only in Taiwan and Japan, and it's prohibited to newly mine them.
　　The tour guide told us that it was clear or at least cloudy in Taipei, though the city is only less than 30km away from Keelung. It was natural for us to feel doubtful about her words. According to her explanation, Taiwan is geologically divided into two parts, the east and west side, by the 4000 meter class mountain range. Both sides show totally different climates. It appears there are few plains on the east side. As she put it that way, there were no vast areas in Keelung as far as I saw. Moreover Taiwan can be climatically divided into two parts longitudinally. Its northern half has a subtropical climate, and its southern half has a tropical one. I understood the affluence of various kinds of fruits in Taiwan.

(Vocabulary)
hokutolite 北投石
climatically 気候(上)の; 風土の.

Keelung

　　I awoke past 6. It was raining heavily and very windy. The ship should pitch. Last night, I brought some nibbles back from the restaurant to my room and drank wine which I brought from Yokohama. That helped me sleeping on the raging ocean. By the way, what do we do in this heavy rain? The Diamond Princess offered us a variety of bus tours, but I wanted to freely walk around Keelung, so I had asked a travel agency to exclusively prepare a tour guide and a driver. We were able to choose places where we would visit and I had some places.
　　I viewed around from the top of the ship after breakfast. The port of Keelung is the nearest port to Japan and is now known for its second largest trade volume in Taiwan. This port has been developed under the reign of Japan and now its appearance must have changed from those days. However, its mountainous terrain would still retain the general atmosphere of the old days. I recalled zhèng chénggōng. He must have taken a view of these mountains in the 17th century and I imagined the scene of 17th in which Spanish sailors were the first Europeans to see this beautiful island. French soldiers would have seen them in 19th century when they waged war against the Qing Dynasty. Those images always get me turned on. On the opposite side of the pier, several military vessels were moored.

(Vocabulary)
zhèng chénggōng 鄭成功
the Qing Dynasty　清王朝

基隆港

６時過ぎに目が覚めた。ひどい雨だ。風も強そうだ。揺れるはずだ。昨夜はレストランからつまみを部屋へ持込み、横浜で買ったワインを飲んで寝た。お陰で揺れには悩まされずに済んだ。さて、この雨の中、どうする。自由に行動したかったので団体行動は止めて個人的にガイドと運転手を頼んでいる。どこへ行こうか、、、見たいところはいくつかあったのだが、この天気では難しい。

朝食後、デッキに上がって周囲の風景を眺めた。基隆港は日本に一番近い港であり、台湾第二の規模を誇っている。日本統治時代から開発されてきたために雰囲気は変わっているだろうが、１７世紀にやって来たスペイン人や鄭成功、１９世紀に戦争をふっかけたフランス軍もこの山並みを見たかと思うと感慨ひとしお。対岸には海軍の施設があった。

Tohri-ike Pond

　　Shimojijima Island is tiny and flat. The island has no high terrain and structures, so the island would be suitable for commercial pilots' landing and taking-off training. On the other hand, there are two Tohri-ike ponds for the general tourists. If you translate them into English literally, they would be "Through-pond". Two ponds, called Tohri-ike, connect with each other underwater and one of them with the sea. I saw similar holes on Kauai island (link). The process of the island formation in ancient times would be alike.
　　Distinguishing rocks were scattered around. I'm not familiar with rock science, but I hadn't seen such rocks in my hometown. I noticed two airport-related facilities far away and wanted to walk around to the end of the runway under the clear sky in the sea breeze, but I didn't have enough time for that, because I wanted to visit one more island, Ikemajima. After seeing Tohri-ike ponds, I left for Ikemajima island, but I couldn't help returning just in front of the bridge connecting Miyakojima and Ikemajima islands. Considering the time for returning the car and moving time from the car rental shop to the pier, I had to do a U-turn there.
　　The return shuttle to the Diamond Princess was not so crowded as the shuttle boat which we had ridden in the morning. I investigated some equipment in the tender boat. I was surprised and then understood a device for collecting rainwater in order to use it as drinking water. The boat seemed to be able to seal up to prevent seawater from coming in the cabin.

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2019/06/spouting-horn-park.html

下地島は平坦で小さい島である。空港の周りには視界を遮るものは何も無いから離着陸の訓練には向いているのだろう。その空港の西側にこの島唯一と言っても良い観光スポットがある。地下でそれぞれが、そして海と繋がっている池があり、通り池という。文字通り英語に訳すなら『Through-Pond』とでも訳せようか。同じような構造の穴をカウアイ島でも見た。島の成り立ちが似ているのだろう。

このあたりには特徴的な岩がゴロゴロしている。岩石に詳しくはないが、少なくとも愛媛でこのような岩を見たことが無い。平らな土地の向こうに空港施設の一部が見える。天気は良いし、心地よい海風が吹いている。滑走路の方まで散策したかったのだが、時間が十分無い。もう一つ渡りたい島が残っているのだ。その島、池間島に向けて出発したのだが、レンタカーを返却し、港まで向かう時間を考えると、島へ渡ることは諦めざるを得なかった。池間大橋の手前でUターン。宮古島、また来ることもあるだろう。

帰りのテンダーボートは上陸時よりは空いていた。雨水を採取して飲み水にする装置など、遭難時の設備が珍しかった。いろいろなことを想定して設計されているのだろう。

Kurimajima Island

　　Miyakojima Island has three islands connected respectively by bridges. We were going to visit all of them, and we headed for one of them, Kurimajima Island at first. There were very few cars on the way, so I drove our car slowly to see around. The landscape around us was so beautiful. Cars run on the left side and traffic signs were the same as those of my hometown, but the natural scene was completely different from what we were used to seeing. Crossing Kurima bridge, I came across an elementary school. I imagined how the schoolkids' lives were there. Japan is a tiny country, but it has lots of climatic variations for its size.
　　We dropped in at a supermarket on the way to the next island, Irabujima Island, to see the local foods on the shelves. Two foods caught my eye there, one was raw bonito slices and the other was mimiga salad! I knew mimiga by its name, but had never eaten it. Firstly, raw bonito, we call sashimi, was great. This fish goes bad rapidly, so you must eat them on its landed day, if you like its raw state. Next, mimiga salad! It's okinawan original food and mimiga means pig's ear. It was my first time to eat it, but I liked it. If I didn't drive, I would get 'shochu', Japanese white distilled liquor to enjoy with mimiga salad. To be honest, I'd been reluctant to eat mimiga before then, but such reluctance disappeared.

　


宮古島には付属する島が３つある。それを全て見て回るつもりだった。東平安名崎を出て来間島に向かった。途中の景色が実に楽しい。日本だから左側通行だし、道路標識ももちろん松山市と何ら変わらないが、景色がエキゾチック。海がきれい、例えようもない。人口密集地を外れているので道はガラガラ。キョロキョロしながらの運転となった。来間大橋を渡って来間島へ。小さな小学校があった。この島での暮らしはどんなだろうか？小さな日本だけど、その割には変化に富んでいる。

来間島を出て伊良部島までの途中でスーパーマーケットに寄った。どんな食材が売られているのかと、、、そして、カツオの刺身とミミガーサラダを試してみた。どちらもうまかった。運転中でなければ地元の焼酎も飲んでいただろう。ミミガーはちょっと抵抗があったのだが、、、抵抗はなくなった。そして伊良部島へ渡る！

At Sea

　　The ship proceeded to the west all day long today. We had breakfast by the window of the Pacific Ocean side, while viewing the vast expanse of the ocean. The dishes were delicious, so I had a good appetite. To be honest, my wife wondered at my appetite, because we had a snack late at night in our room, taking a few dishes out from the restaurant after the magic show. One bottle of wine per person was permitted to bring into the ship, so we had two bottles. Holidays when I don't mind clocks are great! I was never called from my office. I was out of reach of the smart phone network in the first place.
　　The weather was clear and we took a walk to help digestion on the 7th deck where we were able to walk around the ship. The walking distance was about 600 meters per cycle. Then, I went swimming and my wife went window-shopping for some time. After that, we enjoyed several kinds of performances of various instruments, like a piano, violin, flute, and so on.
　　Getting back to the central hall, the champagne tower was already built and its pouring had started. I recalled our first cruising trip during which we tried to pour for the first time in our life. It was two years ago. The picture at that time was really nice and is placed now in the living room of my house. Then we watched a movie at the last time slot of the day under the sky full of stars wrapped up in a blanket. Adjacent bars offered soft drinks and pizzas for free, i.e., included in the cruise fee. The breeze on the ocean was a little bit cool, but comfortable.

終日航海の日　朝食は太平洋側の窓際で大海原を見ながらいただく。美味しいので食が進む。昨夜はあれほど食べたのに、よくまた食べられるものだと驚く。昨夜の記事には書いていないが、レストランから３品ほど持ち出して、自室で持ち込んだワインで２次会。カミさんが呆れていたことは書くまでもない。何時に起きても良い休日は最高。職場から呼び出されることもない。元より携帯電話は通じない。

食べ過ぎたので、７階のデッキを散歩。船の周りを一周するとやく６００メートル、そしてプールへ。さすがに泳いでいる人は少なかったが、食べてばかりでは太るので、、、。デッキに立っていると寒いけどプールの中やジャグジーは快適。他の乗客と話をするのも楽しい。ウインドウショッピングをしていたカミさんと合流していくつかのコンサートをハシゴ。中央のホールへ戻ってみるとシャンペンタワー！　２年半前にはこれに参加したなあとなつかしく思いだした。そのときの写真は良い記念になった。我が家のリビングに飾ってある。ショーの後は最上部のデッキで映画鑑賞。満天の星空の下、毛布にくるまって、無料の（クルーズ料金に含まれている）ピザと珈琲を楽しみながら。太平洋上の風が心地よい。少し寒かったけれど。

Embarkation

　　We finished all the procedures of embarkation and entered our room. Our luggage wasn't there. It would take time for us to get it. We checked tonight's event schedule and started out for the ship tour. While walking, I recalled every corner of the ship. It was two and half years since the last time. I realized that the best thing I had to do in this time slot was viewing the night view of Yokohama City from the sea. We climbed up to the deck to see the departure ceremony. It was my first time to see the scenery of the city from on the sea. It was so nice. Several people were swimming, but we headed for the restaurant for dinner. Another helping was free and I ordered two kinds of main dishes omitting the appetizer. Such a flexibility was really thankful to me as I'm a kind of chowhound. I scarfed them down not to be late for the magic show. I'm not LGBTQ+, but I was just curious about their meeting scheduled at 9:30 pm, but refrained from it.

(Vocabulary)
scarf down (inf)　〈食べ物〉を急いで食べる

　部屋に入ったがチェックイン時に預けた荷物はまだ届いておらず、今宵のイベント案内をチェックした後、船内探検に出発。歩いているうちにだんだんと地理を思い出した。この時間帯はやはり出港風景を見なくてはと思い、最上階へ。横浜の夜景を海から見るのは初めてだった。とても美しい夜景だった。すでに泳いでいる人もいたが、われわれはレストランへ。お代わり自由ということでメインディッシュをお代わり、、(^_^;)　そしてマジックショーを見て、、、LGBTQ+の集いに興味があったが、、、会場の前まで言ったが、、、立ち入る勇気は無かった。

Yokohama

　　We were told to get together at the Diamond Princess's mother pier in Yokohama City at the designated time. The higher rooms you booked, the earlier you could get on board, just like passenger planes, but our room was the lowest class but one, so our checking time was late and set around 1600 hours. Being eager to see the ship as early as possible, however, we left my hometown in the early morning. When we got off the bus from Haneda Airport at the Yokohama pier stop, we found lots of tourists with suitcases walking from the direction of the pier. They would have been the passengers on the last cruise. The enormous ship came into my sight, as I was approaching the pier. I was excited, thinking of getting on board again. A big event, replicating the German-style Christmas, was being held in the nearby park. One single thing which I had to do this day was to get on board the Diamond Princess. I wouldn't drive, so I got sausages and a mug filled with German beer without a second thought.
　　Next, we headed for Hammer Head Park, which was still under construction. My wife wanted to drop in at a pizza house in the park. I didn't know its name, but the pizzas were delicious.

出港は横浜から。早い便で到着し、埠頭の周辺を観光した。埠頭へ向かうと、船から降りてくる人たちの一団に出会い、また巨大な船が見えてきた。また乗るのだと思うとワクワクする。近くの広場ではドイツのクリスマスマーケットを模したイベントが行われていた。今日の予定は船に乗り込むだけ。車の運転などない。ということで、ビールとソーセージ！
　
次に向かったのが、建設中のハンマーヘッド公園。ここにあるピザ屋に立ち寄りたいというカミさんの強い希望で。店の名前を画像で記録。とても美味しかった。

Shimonoseki

　　I visited Shimonoseki City, located at the westernmost part of Honshu, the biggest island of Japan, to run the Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon on Nov. 3rd. This city has been prosperous since long ago by taking advantage of its location. The peace treaty between Japan and the Qing dynasty was tied in Shimonoseki after the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). During the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) Shimonoseki was the most important supply base. My late grandfather was waiting for deployment to the Chinese Continent as a cavalry soldier in Shimonoseki when the war ended. Anyway I'll eat local specialties and go sightseeing around today.
　　My friend and I were eating "Kawara-soba" in the first picture. Soba noodles on the heated kawara roof tile were delicious, though I didn't know why people started grilling soba on the kawara roof tiles. Then we headed for Ganryujima island which was famous as the duel site for two historic master swordsmen. The statue of the duel stood on a small hill. This tiny island is on the Kan'mon channel, which is so narrow and has a rapid ocean current. Ship handling would be so difficult there. The last picture shows the Kan'mon'kyo bridge straddling the Kan'mon channel.

(Vocabulary)
cavalry (現代の陸軍の) 機甲部隊; 騎兵隊, 騎馬隊
swordsman 剣士、剣客

３日に開催される下関海峡マラソンに参加するため下関へ向かった。この町は古くから栄えた港町。本州の最西端に位置しており、九州は目の前に見える。今日は地元の名物を食べ、この辺りの観光をする。
１枚目の写真で食べているのは瓦そば。瓦の上にそばを置いて焼いている。なぜこのようなスタイルが生まれたのかは知らないが、美味しい。そして日本を代表する剣豪の血統で有名な場所、巌流島へ。この小さな島は関門海峡にある。とても狭い海峡で、流れの速さ、操船の難しさで有名な場所。５枚目が本州と九州を繋ぐ橋、関門大橋である。

Imamiya Jinja Shrine

　　Hearing about "Tama no Koshi" as I wrote in the last entry, we visited that shrine, Imamiya Jinja Shrine. It was surrounded by forest even in a big city, Kyoto. The path from Souken-in Temple to the shrine was comfortable, covered by the mystic atmosphere.
　　Along the former approach to the shrine there lined up a few candy stores who only sold "Aburi-mochi" rice cakes. These rice cakes have a long history and the stores have been run by several generations. I was moved by the appearance of the stores which had been used since hundreds of years ago with some restorations. FYI, there are so many businesses in Japan handed down from generation to generation. An oldest construction company started their business in 578 i.e. 6th century! It's estimated that the number of more than 100 year-old companies in Japan surpasses 100,000. Visiting this shrine, I understood that I just only scratched the surface of Japan's history though I meant to have learned it thoroughly.
　　My friend saw me off at Kyoto Station. I got on a Shinkansen Bullet Train for the first time in ten years or so. The car was upgraded since my last ride. I wondered how far the train would develop. Kyoto is always new and old at the same time. I hope I'll visit again and again.

http://www.imamiyajinja.org/eng/imamiya_ENG/TOP.html

玉の輿の話を聞いてその神社へやって来た。この神社のことは全く知らなかった。大都市京都にありながら森に囲まれていて歴史を感じさせる。総見院からここまでの散歩も荘厳な雰囲気に包まれて心地よかった。旧参道には名物「あぶり餅」を売る店が並んでいて一服した。美味しかった。もう何代もに渡って営まれている古い店のたたずまいに感動。日本には代々継がれる企業・店舗が多い。六世紀から続く建築会社も・・・・・・ある。１００年以上続く企業は１０万社以上あると推定されている。自分なりに歴史を勉強してきたつもりだったが、この神社を見て、上っ面を少しかじった程度でしかないことを思い知った。京都駅まで送ってもらって新幹線を利用した。久しぶりの新幹線で、乗るたびにアップグレードしている。古くて新しい街、京都、また何度も訪れたい。

Ryoma-Dappan marathon (10km)

　　I ran the Ryoma-Dappan marathon (10km category) which might have been canceled due to the rain from the typhoon. Luckily for us however, the typhoon had sheered away eastbound, though it ended up in devastating some areas in eastern Japan a few days later. Anyway, this marathon was held in a mountainous region of Shikoku - one of four big islands of Japan - and its route ran through deep in the forest. As you imagine, its route had a few steep slopes. As I was climbing up a slope, I found a former Defense Minister walking up the slope. I wanted to speak to him, but he was puffing and panting like me. We were mutually not in the condition to talk to each other. I just bowed slightly and passed him. One thing, I admired him for challenging this 10km roadrace for his age. My friends and I were welcomed by local people and we were thankful for their kindness. If I could have time next year, I'll join this marathon.

Typhoon No.19, Hagibis

　　Typhoons are numbered in the occurrence order every year in Japan, so the current typhoon on the northern Pacific Ocean is called No. 19th Typhoon, but I'll call it Hagibis following the international manners in this entry. Hagibis was born near the equator last weekend. Its size and power rapidly got bigger and bigger in a few days, and it ended up reaching the strongest rank.
　　The weather forecast says Hagibis would land between Tokyo and Nagoya on the 12th. If the forecast proves right, it would veer off my house, but I'm afraid that Hagibis would devastate a considerable range of Japan. As personal countermeasures, I'll prepare drinking water and easy-to-ready food for two days, radio and batteries. On top of that, I have to move bicycles, flowerpots and other stuff on the garden into the house. I was to join the Ryoma-Dappan marathon on 13th in Kochi Prefecture, but it would be cancelled.

Home Party

　　My wife made a funny suggestion that we had to hold a home party for a rescue team. Rescue team? I wasn't able to understand what she meant. She continued, "You are going to join a marathon in Shimonoseki, aren't you?", then "If you drop out of the race, who'll take you home?" I got her story finally at that time. "Rescue team" meant my marathon companions. She seemed to ask my friends to take care of me face to face. Anyway, as the pictures show, we had a wonderful time at my house.

Birthday Present?

　　Today is my birthday and Japan's official holiday also, but I'm staying in my office for inpatients. I have to remain inside just like a prisoner for a few more days. The following picture shows things sent in to me. The partner of my boss is Iranian and pistachio is from Iran. I like it a little roasted. Luckily, all the inpatients are in stable condition, so I'm going to read some books over beer.

Imotaki, Taro Potato Party

　　Japan has four distinct seasons and every season has its own amusement. One of the autumnal events in Ehime prefecture is "Imotaki" party. "Imo" means potato and "taki" means boiling. My colleagues and I ate a huge pot of hot and sweet soup with all kinds of root vegetables, including taro potato and chicken.
　　To tell the truth, and originally the party should be so, I wanted to enjoy them outside viewing the moon, but it was cloudy and chilly, so the party was held indoors. The party was also an annual event of my hospital and all the fee was paid by the company. That means, all the meals and drinks were free. The following first picture was shot when I went to the pot to take another helping. Everyone is smiling!

(Vocabulary)
taro 里芋

An Old Friend

　　My old friend who lives in Tokyo came back after a long interval. I called up other friends and held a welcoming party for him.
　　He is still single and I'm sometimes envious of his independent, freewheeling life. He often visits unsafe areas where Japan's Foreign Ministry warns to take extreme care. This announcement is on the brink of issuing travel bans. His last trip's destinations were East European countries, but I remember he had stepped in Iraqi Kurdistan or Chernobyl on former trips.
　　He gave us souvenirs from his recent trip to East European countries. It's an armenian brandy, shown below. We opened each bottle at once and tasted it! That's why the amount is a little reduced. We talked forgetting the time.

(Vocabulary)
Iraqi Kurdistan イラク北部に設けられたクルド人自治区





東京に住む古い友人が帰省した。最近行った旅行のお土産ということでアルメニアの酒をもらった。彼は独り者で時々羨ましくなるが、少し危険と思われるところへ旅行する。外務省のウェブサイトを見ると渡航には注意をと指摘されているところにも平気で出かける。今回は東欧だったが、中東の普通の旅行者はあまり立ち入らない地域にも出かけていく。ＦＢでたくさんの記事を書いてくれるので出かけるたびに楽しみにしている。写真は古い仲間が集まった場所で配ってくれたお土産。少し減っているのはその場で皆で少しずつ呑んだから。時間を忘れて痛飲。再会を期して別れた。

Street Terrace

　　While wandering in the European streets, you often find street terraces, but I was afraid if it was too hot or too cool, or I hated them as an obstruction for pedestrians. Today, my family went out for dinner. The restaurant was already occupied, but outside seats were open. We preferred an air-conditioned room, but we seated at the outside terrace. My eyes often met other's who were walking by us, but it was not bad to eat on the busy street.

Vacation Life in Hawaii

　　This vacation was a little bit different from previous vacations. We've usually stayed in a resort alone, but this time, my friends visited us one day, and we joined a Kauai island tour with my friends on another day. We
had to adjust our schedule according to their plan, but we had a lot of fun.

　　By the way, our usual way of living in Hawaii is like this:

　　Basically, we had no plan. We got food and drinks for a week at a supermarket on the 1st day, and then did nothing in particular. We went to bed when we got sleepy, and got up when eyes were open. I enjoyed reading books in the air-conditioned living room over a cup of Kona coffee or tropical fruits juice, which I prepared for myself from various fresh fruits and vegetables using the blender. Sometimes we enjoyed cooking as a hobby with lots of unfamiliar ingredients using unfamiliar cooking utensils. I've once mistakenly used the oven for steaming a small chicken. The figures shown on the panel were calibrated in degrees Fahrenheit. Waiting, waiting, and waiting, but the chicken wasn't heated. I instantly assumed that the oven didn't work, but it was my fault. Anyway, staying in unusual circumstances was always fun. Just staying in the resort was a really refreshing experience. During the daytime, I went jogging or walking, and I often soaked in the sea water or in the pools when it got hot. A feast for the eyes was often walking around me.(grin) If I felt like it, I went to a bar in Hilton Village and listened to the conversations of the next tables, but those conversations were hard to understand for me. I reflected that those conversations might have various slang, dialects or unfamiliar accents for me. Anyway, they were great lessons for me. One thing, I made it a rule to stay in the Village from 2200 to 500 hours for security.
　　By the way, I got accustomed to spending vacations on Oahu island and I'm thinking of renting a car and viewing the sunrise at the easternmost point of Oahu on the next vacation, though we have to start out before 5 o'clock. Then I'd like to see the sun setting from the westernmost point, but I heard that the west coast of the island wasn't secure, and a taxi driver, who transports us between the airport and the Village every time we visit Oahu, advised us to keep away from the west coast after sunset, so we'll follow his words for now.
　　The following pictures show my favorite route for walking. You'd know what I wrote above. I always wear clothes with which I can move into the sea or pool anytime. My digital camera is water-proof, and I brought a pair of new shoes called "marine shoes" this time, which were really handy in the resort. I rushed into the lagoon on the way also today, succumbing to the heat.

(Vocabulary)
feast for the eye 目の保養

今回は友人の訪問があったり、友人と一緒のツアーに参加したりと、事前にスケジュールの調整が必要だったが、いつもの休暇中は何もしない、計画を立てないというのが基本。初日に一週間分の食料を買い込み、後は部屋でゴロゴロする。眠くなったら眠り、目が覚めたら起きる。コナコーヒーやトロピカルフルーツジュース（備え付けのミキサーで自分で作る）を片手に読書を楽しみ、時々「趣味としての」料理を楽しみ、日中はジョギングや散歩、暑くなれば海へ浸かり、プールへ浸かり、時に目の保養をして、気が向いたらヴィレッジ内のバーへ飲みに出かける。隣のテーブルの会話に聞き耳を立てリスニングを試みるも、飲み屋の会話はスラングが多いためだと思うが、相当に難しい。そして、２２時以降と午前５時前にはヴィレッジから出ないことにしている。これは身の安全のため。しかし、そろそろ慣れてきたので、次回はレンタカーでも借りてみようかと、オアフ島の最東端で日の出を眺めてみようかと考えている。日の入りがみえるところは、かなり治安が悪いので当面は見送る。(小錦の地元)

写真はお気に入りの散歩コース。いつでも海やプールに浸かることの出来る格好で散歩している気持ちがわかってもらえるかな。今回マリンシューズと呼ばれる、水陸両用の靴を初めて使ったが、とても便利だった。この日も暑さに負けて、散歩途中にラグーンに、、、(^o^)