Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

GEARS FOR A SMALL BONFIRE

　　Japan is in the midst of a record boom of outdoor camping. It might be due to the pandemic, because camping in the park or mountains can keep enough distance from others. Under the various restrictions, outdoor camping would be one of the best pastimes. There are many types of camping cars on sale. Some people remodel their cars for camping use, or some people go hiking into the wilderness with light and simple camping gear. Lots of people post videos about their camping on YouTube, which might become a trigger of the boom. I wrote about a well-known comedian's video before, and put the link here.
　　I bought a cheap bonfire stand. The use of this can damage the ground and I got a protecting mat. I'll show you these items below. I tried to prepare "chan-chan yaki", a famous cuisine in Hokkaido, and found it very relaxing and fun. A bottle of Scotch whisky was at my side, which doesn't appear in the picture, though. Just seeing the bonfire was also comfortable.

(Vocabulary)
pastime 娯楽, 気晴らし

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2020/12/bocchi-camp.html

VACUUM CLEANER FOR MY MODEL 3

　　Japan is a disaster-rich country like earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and typhoons. Companies over a certain magnitude are required by law to always keep necessities for employees to survive several days just after the disaster. My company stores 5-year drinkable water, food, materials for emergency aid for all employees who are left stranded in their workplaces.
　　The other day all those items were replaced by new ones due to the expiration of their appreciation limit. Old expired items were going to be thrown away, but some workers insisted that it's a huge wastefulness because they can still be useful. Actually I thought that the food was still edible. Under the consensus on their own responsibility, abandoned food was delivered to employees who wanted it. I'm one of them and received a box of small hard dry biscuits that do not spoil easily. A box contains 60 packs with 400 kcal in each pack.
　　I don't have hard evidence about the security of eating them, but the food which has a 5-day appreciation limit would keep its freshness for at least 6 days in general. The biscuits I received, which have a 5-year limit, would be likewise ok for 6 years, maybe. The biscuits are put in my office and car as an usual snack. They're tasty and I like them.
　　There's a problem with this biscuit. It spawns small pieces of biscuit when I eat it. It scatters on my chest and in my car. I can dust my chest, but I couldn't remove the small pieces that dropped into narrow spaces in the car. Mice would never invade into my car, but I become irritated.
　　When I made a trip to a nearby electrical appliance store to get some dry cells, I happened to find a small charge type vacuum cleaner, which looked nice for narrow and small spaces. I bought one without a second thought. This was a very good purchase! The best thing which I did today was the discovery of this type of cleaner in the store.

(Vocabulary)
appreciation limit 賞味期限
spawn [他] …を引き起こす, 生じさせる
dust [他] 〈家具・部屋など〉 のほこりを払う［ふく］ [自] ほこりを払う
dry cell/battery 乾電池

Snowstorm and Earthquake

　　When net-surfing, I found a heart-warming article and I'd like to write about it. Six customers and about two dozen employees of the global furniture store giant, IKEA, got stranded due to a snowstorm in Copenhagen,Denmark. The shop owner allowed them to use their products exhibited in the showroom and the showroom was used as a shelter for a night. The shelter seemed to have been so comfortable according to the article. This incident apparently raised the awareness of the company and contributed to the company image. In case of emergency, Safety First!
　　In 2011, when a vast blackout hit Tokyo, most transportation stopped. People who were working in the city center were stranded just like in the said Ikea showroom. I recalled the devastating damage from the earthquake and tsunami in the wake of it.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/ikea-sleepover-denmark-snow-storm-strands-staff-customers-overnight-1.5692384

 

Baby Seat

　　I have a 10-month-old granddaughter. I have been eager to see her, but the pandemic has deterred me from visiting her. The other day, her parents told me that they would bring her to my house and they received PCR tests and the results were respectively negative.
　　I was so happy and bought a baby seat for her. Car owners are required to install a baby seat by law when they travel with under-6-year-old kids.

Full Harness Type Safety Belt

　　Japanese industry is strictly regulated and protected at the same time by the Industrial Safety and Health Law. It was revised and the simple safety belt is set to be replaced by the full harness type safety belt. I don't need this type of safety belt, but all employees are required to wear it when entering the factory. So, I put it on and took pictures. Does the belt suit me?

(Vocabulary)
Full Harness Type Safety Belt　フルハーネス型安全帯
Industrial Safety and Health Law 労働安全衛生法

Prep for Winter

　　I exchanged tires of the Model 3 to ones for winter-use. Today was a little early but the tires which were supplied to the car were considerably worn. The tires shop person advised me to buy new ones for next spring. In addition, the winter tires would be near the limit. I have to buy summer tires in the spring and then winter ones in late autumn next year. Tires for Model 3 are higher than usual ones, I can't risk myself and my fellow passengers.

(Vocabulary)
fellow passenger　同乗者

 

Car Dealer Tour

　　My daughter's couple who got married last February are going to buy a brand new car. It's the first time for them to buy one and they asked me to accompany them to the dealers. They've already narrowed down the option to two cars, but they are wondering which of them to buy. They are thinking of an SUV whose price varies from $30000 to $40000. I know the cars manufactured by the Japanese companies are generally wonderful. Additionally, I admired the progress of the driving assistance system of each company.
　　The systems of both cars were superior to the Mercedes SLK200's, which I bought 5 years ago. The system was installed only in expensive cars those days, but the system is now provided to ordinary popular cars. Amazing! For instance, when another car approached my car from diagonally behind, my SLK200 alarmed me by the blinking of the light imbedded in the door mirror of the car-coming side. If I didn't notice the alarm and tried to change lanes toward its side, the car set off the alarming sound and added the resistance to the steering wheel to hinder my operation. When I knew these functions, I was astonished by its progressiveness. Naturally, those functions were expensive five years ago, but now such functions have become essential to most cars.

(July 22nd)

Bed, Toilet, Comparison

　　Three weeks have passed since I began using my bed. I should have used it much earlier. My bed made by Nihon Bed is very comfortable and contributes to my health.
　　Japan's bedding is not bad, but the western bed is much better especially for older people. Comparing both, the bed will be declared the winner. By the way, how about toilets?
　　When I saw the western style toilet for the first time more than 50 years ago at my uncle's house, I was surprised at its curious shape, but now I prefer the western one. I can't detect any merit for the Japanese style toilet now. The western style can be the winner in terms of the toilet.
　　However, once the Japanese accepted the western style toilet, its progress has been remarkable. When you open the door of the compartment, the toilet senses your presence and opens its cover for you. After the business, it cleans around the anus and dries up. Any bad smell is automatically eliminated from the compartment. You might say that I'm lying, but it's true. If you come to Japan, I advise you to use the toilet just after arriving at the airport, I assure you that you'll be astonished by its function.

(Vocabulary)
be declared the winner 軍配が上がる

YouTube

　　I often watch YouTube recently. It's very handy to watch it even in my car. People of ability or of information sources post various motion pictures on the net. In terms of the location of the responsibility, these videos are more reliable than the information from the mainstream media.
　　It's also fun to watch videos about ordinary peoples' private lives or daily occurrences. One of my favorites is

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV_e5CE026DKpkXEeXvo3cQ 

　　A middle aged person who operates a tanker in a Missouri-based transport company posts videos regularly. I wanted to live in the U.S. in my younger days, so his way of life is very attractive for me.

 

Netflix

　　I'm under contract with Netflix and I admire it. When I have time, I can enjoy movies anytime and anywhere. The newly produced ones aren't on the list, but it's a question of time when those films are put on the list. I'm planning a camping trip using my car. See this link:

https://electrek.co/2018/07/31/tesla-party-camper-mode/

　　My car generates no poisonous gas and no noisy sound in operation, so it can function as an air-conditioner, the movie theater and electricity supply in an isolated site. I can't wait for camping with my granddaughter, who is only 4 months old now, though.

 

My Bed 3

　　My bed was delivered yesterday. I tried to lie on the various beds in the furniture store the other day and I selected this, a little hard one with a simple frame. The frame hasn't drawers and there is a space under the bed. The reason why I chose this frame was for the robotic cleaner, Roomba, to work smoothly. As I expected, the Roomba came to move smoothly in my room.
　　The hardness of the mattress was a nice fit for me. I was able to get a good sleep last night. It was very easy to get up from the bed. It would be helpful when I get older to avoid accidents from orthostatic hypotension.
　　However, I have one thing to solve. I wonder where I can put my things around my bed. I can buy bedside tables, but I would sometimes drop my things from the table being half asleep, but anyway, I should have had my bed much earlier.

(Vocabulary)
being half asleep 寝ぼけて

Care of My Parents

　　Today was taken for the care of my parents.
　　My mother has a serious dementia and is receiving good care in a nursing facility. A physician regularly visits the facility and takes care of inhabitants. As my mother broke her eyeglasses accidentally the other day, my brother and I took her to an eye doctor for the examination and the prescription of the eyeglasses. What she talks about was ambiguous and it was not easy to check her eyesight, but finally I got the prescription of her eyeglasses.
　　Then we took her to another facility in which my father is admitted. He is bedridden, but his cognitive ability is still maintained. Due to the pandemic, they weren't allowed to see each other face to face and their meeting was via iPad. Their meeting was after an interval of more than 6 months. To our grief, my mother didn't remember my father. Her symptom is called "mottled dementia". "Mottled" means, two phases of the normal and impaired cognition vary from time to time. The moment when she saw her husband would be in the impaired cognition phase. Her attitude would disappoint my father. My brother and I thought that it was our fault to take her to my father's facility.
　　After I sent her to her nursery home, I dropped in at my regular optician and asked to make her glasses from the prescription.

(Vocabulary)
mottled dementia まだら痴呆

 

My Bed 2

　　This entry is continued from the previous entry. I occupy one room in my house as my private room, but when I sleep, I move to another room, which is designed in a Japanese traditional style. My futon is laid out in this room. Fundamentally the futon must be folded and put into the closet every morning and it is laid out every evening. This make the room enabled to be used for other purposes than the bedroom. In my case, however, I leave it as it is. My wife hates this condition. She awfully loves cleanliness. My daughters are for her and completely against me. They seemed to keep me off from the Japanese style room no matter what.
　　I came to buy a bed in the long run and the bed is set to be placed in my private room. My wife and I visited a furniture shop, which has overwhelmingly lots of beds. I didn't decide which to buy, and proposed to get back and come again later, but my wife didn't allow me to retreat. When the salesperson knew the reason why I unwillingly had to buy a bed, she looked so happy with my story. Anyway I bought one and it will be delivered on 26th. I'll show you my bed later.

 

My Bed 1

　　I've never used my own bed whole in my life. Are you surprised? When I stay at a hotel, I use it naturally, but I've never owned one myself. That doesn't mean I hate a bed and I'd rather like it than otherwise. The reason is very simple. A futon, Japanese traditional bedding, is usually laid out directly on the tatami mats. If I explain this condition with the western items, the surface of the bed and the floor will be at the same level. This make it possible to put my things around me when I'm on my futon. For example, books which I'm reading and my table lamp stand on my right side and a tissue box, a small waste basket, and a memo pad and something to write with on the left, and sometimes, drinks at the top to avoid spilling by my rolling over.
　　Imagine the scene. My wife says, "You are sleeping in the center of the garbage." My daughters also say that ironically. However, this situation is very handy to me. I can reach them anytime when I need to. You might think that I leave them as they are for a long time, but no. I move all those things around me onto the futon every Monday morning before work for my robotic cleaner. It automatically works at 18:00 hours every Monday just before my coming back. Don't you think it's wonderful?

(Vocabulary)
bedding (集合的に) 寝具; (動物が寝るための) 寝床, 敷きわら

50000 km

　　The odometer of my car marked 50000km today after a year and 6 months' drive. The total amount of electricity consumed is 8027kWh, which is calculated to 161Wh per kilometer. The electricity fee is 30 yen/ kWh in my hometown. That is to say, the driving cost is 5 yen per kilometer. At today's rate of gasoline, it is three times lower than that of gasoline. I'm satisfied with this data.

Return Ride From A Business Trip

　　I was asked to cover the Okayama Branch from my company since April and I worked in the Okayama Branch today. I visited there by car last time, but I used a JR train this time. The reason why I chose the train is just for relaxation. It takes more than two hours from Okayama to my home by train. What did I do in the train?
　　On the return ride, I enjoyed a movie on Netflix with my small PC as you can see in the following pictures below. Time flied while I was in the movie world and the train arrived in Matsuyama City in a moment.

Folding Keyboard

　　I'm carrying a small PC of "OneMix3 Pro" with me, which is driven on the platform of Windows. I can use this just like my desktop PCs. This commonality is very helpful and I connect all my PCs via cloud services. Consequently, I built the very handy system. No matter which PC I use, I can start using them in the same condition. I can read the files on the PC-A which I saved into PC-B. This convenience is never understood by people who have never used it. However, my small PC has a single defect, which is inevitable to minimize the PC.
　　The other day, I found a folding keyboard with a reasonable price on the net. I found myself clicking the order button in the next moment. The picture shows the keyboard. I put my OneMix on my note PC, and I set the folding keyboard before them. Compare their sizes. The keyboard is laid out open. If it's folded, its size turns into a half. How splendid, don't you think so?

Kindle

　　I knew about the Amazon's bargain sale, cyber Monday recently. I didn't know about it until recently but I checked the sale from curiosity and found that kindle was selling at 35% off the price. A moment later, I found I had already clicked the purchase button unconsciously.
　　The prices of the Kindle version of books are a little lower than those of the normal version. Moreover, I can always carry lots of books with me. It's very convenient and I admire the inventor of the Kindle system.

Ripstik Board

　　I knew about the ripstik board by accident. After a short thought, I bought one. It looked easy and fun when I had seen it for the first time.
　　If I master how to ride on it and can ride on the sidewalk, the board would be handy to move, but riding on the sidewalk is apparently prohibited. Before that, riding wasn't so easy. However, I'm going to acquire the riding technique. I'm over 60 and it's a big issue for me to keep fit. Riding on the board is good to strengthen the trunk. A veteran rider was talking in a Youtube video that the movement on the board was really alike a snowboard and surfing. I might be able to ride on both some day. First of all I'd like to boast riding to my upcoming grandchild.
　　
Conclusion: The ripstik board is not a thing that 60 - over seniors try to master, but it's a lot of fun. I'll try to get on it in the garage.

リップスティックボード

ひょんな事からリップスティックボードというものを知った。調べてみると面白そうなので早速購入。 練習して乗れるようになれば、いつも車に積んでおいて出先での移動に便利かと思ったが、歩道を走ってはいけないようだ。ただその前に乗りこなしが難しそう。日頃、意識して体調管理に努めなければならないと思っているのだが、歳を取るにつれ筋力の低下が進む。大腿四頭筋と体幹の筋肉の維持が極めて重要だと思っている。このおもちゃは体幹の強化に役立ちそうに思える。

結論：６０歳を過ぎたおっさんが始めるようなものではない。が、面白い。取りあえずは車を移動した後のガレージで練習だ。

Arita

　　We were overwhelmed by the beauty of lots of Imari wares. Then we moved to another porcelain town of Arita. We stopped by a Japanese-style restaurant in Arita and we were surprised by their porcelain wares rather than their cuisine. More than 100 porcelain wares shops were aligned along the main street. Its number made me wonder how they were able to exist together. We dropped in at two famous factories. My wife was interested in porcelain and she knew the name of the factories. Tableware which had been used in Japan's Imperial Household and that used as a present for participants to an Imperial happy event like a wedding ceremony or some other official banquets were exhibited. I wanted to take pictures of them, but it was prohibited. Some wares were made more than 100 years ago, and they'd like to avoid deterioration by flash.
　　We toured three representative porcelain sites in Japan today. I started to feel that beautiful porcelains make our daily life happy.

焼き物の美しさに圧倒され、有田に移動した。まずは腹ごしらえと和風レストランに寄った。出てきた器にまたビックリ。写真を撮らせてもらった。重い箱形の食器。料理よりも出てくる食器に感嘆した。続いて町を散策。恐らく１００軒以上はあるだろう焼き物の店が道路沿いに並んでいた。こんなに多くて商売になるのか？と心配になるくらいの数だった。そのうち、有名な二軒に立ち寄った。皇室で利用されている食器、皇室の慶事で使われる引き出物などの展示があった。撮影は禁止されていた。さらに数世紀前に作られた国宝級の伊万里焼の壺がいくつも並んでいた。価格は付かないのだろうと思う。
この日は、唐津焼、伊万里焼、有田焼と見て回った。美しい焼き物は生活を豊かにするような気がしはじめた。