Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Dry Sushi

　　We got back to downtown Freiburg and went to the huge shopping center that I wrote about in the former entry. Yuri didn't have a desk lamp and we looked for one, but in vain. We couldn't find what we needed, but found packs of assorted sushi there and tasted them. They were incredibly bad. The rice was dry and I could see the air space between the grains of rice. I couldn't believe it. The title has the Japanese words like Edogawa, Arakawa and Bento, and it meant that Japanese had something to do with them. German people might have thought that this was  sushi, but if so, I'm very sorry. I wish they could eat sushi in Japan or Vancouver. Sushi is really nice there.

(Vocabulary)

desk lamp / desk light  電気スタンド

grain of rice 米粒

Memorandum

　　Every time I go on a trip, I bring a small notebook for memoranda. The detailed schedule of the trip is written in it in advance. Everything, such as what I thought or noticed during the trip, prices of things, addresses and telephone numbers are noted down. Additionally, I use my digital camera as a kind of pad. This picture was taken to remember the name and spelling of the site. It's the signboard of the bus stop in front of the valley station of the ropeway.

(Vocabulary)

in advance  前もって

note sth down  ＜…＞を書き留める, メモする

Schwarzwald or Weißwald ?

　　What I wanted to do in Schauinsland, which lies at an altitude of 1284 meters in the midst of Schwarzwald, was to get a wide view of Schwarzwald. However, it was not Schwarzwald (Black Forest) but Weißwald (white forest). (grin) The first picture shows Oberried district from the top of the hill. It was a snow world. What I wanted next was to visit a kind of museum about the lead mine. You can see the name of the museum, "Museums-Bergwerk" on the second line on the signboard in the next picture. We had to walk 500 meters in the snow, but visited the museum. The third picture is probably of the entrance. I went into it, but a security officer found us and told us that the museum was closed now. The last picture was just when I came out. My glasses were misted by the wet air in the cave.

(Vocabulary)

mist over [up]  （水蒸気によってガラスやメガネなどの表面が）曇る

Schauinslandbahn

　　We got off the bus to climb up to Schauinsland on the way to Horben. You can use the ropeway that is called the Schauinslandbahn to Schauinsland in the midst of Schwarzwald. I'll show you pictures taken from our gondola.

　　You can see Talstation (the Valley Station) in the first picture. There are some inns around the station. In winter, many skiers would stay here. In the next picture, you can see four areas. Did you notice the unseasonable soft frost? It was such cold and non-seasonal weather in the upper area, but you can also see a peaceful village surrounded by green. This village is Horben. I wish I could stay here for some time and do nothing special. It must be great for relaxing. Additionally, you'll see the built-up area, and this is the center of Freiburg city. Lastly, there are mountains far off in the distance. These mountains belong to France. This area is called Alsace, where there are the small villages of Colmar and Riquewihr which we couldn't visit last time.

　　When I was flying to Frankfurt, I checked through the travel guidebook and found this ropeway on the map. After arriving at the dormitory, my room was equipped with internet access and I looked for details about this ropeway. I knew of Schauinsland by this means. I'm going to write about Schauinsland in the next entry.

(Vocabulary)

non-seasonal weather 季節外れの天気

out-of-season / unseasonable / untimely  季節外れの

untimely  (formal) (時期的に) 早すぎる, （予定より）早まった

somebody's untimely death/demise ＜人＞の早すぎる死, 早死に

frost 霜 =rime [U](文学的) 

soft frost  樹氷

built-up area / urban area/district/zone 市街地

built-up   建物が立ち並んだ

a mile off / far off in the distance / far off / way off ずっと遠くに

Alsace 〔フランスの地名〕アルザス

by this means / in this way このようにして

At Günterstal

　　The first picture shows the crossroads which we call "the corner of NORDSEE". You can see a statue in the center of the crossroads and it seemed to be of a person who saved Freiburg, I don't remember exactly. Anyway, we got on a tram and went to Güenterstal district. This area was located in the south of the city, and I wanted to wander in the village. The second picture is one of the pictures that was taken near the last stop of the tram. This scenery was typical of Germany. After 20 minutes' walking around, we got on a bus. This bus would climb up to the Horben area on a hill and I really wanted to see the area, but we got off on the way to climb up to the second highest mountain in the black forest (Schwarzwald).

(Vocabulary)

be typical of  いかにも～らしい

Shelf in my Room

　　At first, look at the picture. A sandwich and a can of salmon on the shelf in the picture was my supper today. I bought them at the nearest supermarket which Yuri would frequently use from now. I wanted to buy something at this supermarket and there was no restaurant around the dormitory. Moreover, Yuri didn't have dinner, because the amount of lunch was too much for her stomach. I had to eat supper in solitude in my room.

(Vocabulary)

in solitude 寂しく、一人で

 

Vauban

　　Time Magazine featured ecological cities in the world last autumn. They picked 10 areas as the most favorable places in view of the ecology. The Vauban area was one of the selections. We went to Vauban to see what it was like and I'll show you a picture below. It was a beautiful and peaceful place. I thought that it would be comfortable to live there. We enjoyed walking around.

(Vocabulary)

in view of something (フォーマル)  ＜…＞を考慮して, の点から見て

In view of his behavior, he is expected to resign. 彼の言動からすると，彼は辞任するものと見られる．

ecology  [U] 生態学, エコロジー; 《[U], a/the ~》 生態環境, 生態

Mr. D

　　I have to write about Mr. D here. He is a Japanese soccer player and also a student learning how to manage a soccer team in Freiburg. As you know, Germany is highly advanced in the field of soccer. Naturally, his German ability is wonderful. Consequently, he became a kind of leader of Japanese people who live in and around the city. He seems to assist the Japanese Consul or companies which would like to build up some relationship with German people. Anyway, it was lucky to have contact with him. He is really a reliable man.

　　He was kind enough to help us to open Yuri's bank account and activate her cellular phone. It took an hour, but we would have taken much more time without him. After that, we had a coffee break at the shop in the picture. He gave us useful lessons about Freiburg. After lunch in a nice Italian restaurant, he helped her to apply for a student visa. We were totally grateful for his assistance.

(Vocabulary)

consul  (Consul とも) 領事

activate

〈機械など〉 を作動させる, 動かす

〈契約・口座など〉 を有効にする, 利用可能にする

grateful for

I was grateful for the advice. その助言はありがたかった．

March 31st

　　This day was March 31st and April 2nd was Holy Friday, one of the national holidays in European countries. That meant I had only two days left for Yuri's essential procedures in Freiburg, but didn't finish any of them. We visited the city office again that had been closed the previous day and managed to complete Yuri's residential registration. Then, we met a Japanese whom I asked to help her live in Freiburg. He had lived in Freiburg for 10 years. I don't have permission to use his name, so I will call him Mr.D for now.

Matsuyama Street (Matsuyamaallee)

　　This is the busiest, I think, intersection in the "Altstadt" which Yuri and I call the corner of NORDSEE. All the tramlines cross down here, so we could use any tramline we like from here. After lunch in NORDSEE, we decided to look around the city from the window of a tram.

　　I knew there was a street which was named Matsuyama Street after the sister city, Matsuyama, which is my home town. So, I looked for it on the map and headed there by tram. The tram got out of the noisy "Altstadt" and went through residential districts and finally got to the last stop, "Haid". It was the southernmost rural place, but there was a huge shopping center. The picture that I took at the south side of this center is shown below. It was Matsuyama Street.

(Vocabulary)

residential district [area] 住宅地

southernmost  最南（端）の

Residential Registration

　　My main purpose of this trip was to do fundamental and essential procedures, such as the inhabitant registration, opening a bank account, applying for her student visa and the contract for Yuri's cellular phone and her dormitory. This was tough work for us, but we went to the city office at first which was located just in front of Johannes Church which is shown in the picture. To our regret, however, the office was closed. The residential registration is required to have a bank account through which Yuri receives money from Japan. So, this registration was very important.

(Vocabulary)

voter registration   選挙人登録

apply for a visa  ビザを申請する

 

NORDSEE

　　"NORDSEE" is famous as a seafood restaurant in Germany. "Nordsee" also means the North Sea in German. So, it's the best name, I think, for a restaurant handling seafood. The North Sea is just in the north of Germany. By the way, this restaurant is located just in the center of the old city, "Alt Stadt" in Freiburg. We dropped in at this restaurant to check the taste of seafood from the North Sea, but as I imagined, there was no fresh seafood. I didn't tell them that I'd come from the land of sushi, but if Freiburgers think that this was fresh, it would be sad.

　　We didn't feel like eating what they call fresh fish and ordered heated and cooked ones that you can see in the following pictures.

Dormitory

　　We got back to the hotel and received our baggage. Yuri's dormitory is located in the western area of the city and it takes about 30 minutes by tram and on foot from our hotel. We should have been there in 30 minutes, but we took the wrong bus trying to avoid walking, and after all we had to walk more than 20 minutes. The first picture shows Yuri. The path on which she is walking is for pedestrians and bicycles. I think that Germany is a kind of heaven for cyclists. In the second picture she is about to enter the dormitory.

 

Tram Tour

　　Anyhow, we left our hotel with our baggage stored in the hotel and started for the north of the city by tram. We were offered the 2-day ticket for public transport and could use the tram and the bus as long as we liked. We could get on and off the car wherever we liked without the hassle of having to pay each time.

　　I like seeing around strange areas and taking stock of my tracks. Plotting the data on the map is really fun. The picture is of the bus stop which is the most northerly of all the bus stops. I took this picture as a record of my reach, because I forgot my GPS receiver at the hotel. I was really sorry not to carry it with me.

(Vocabulary)

tram (米) ロープウェー; 路面電車

public transport  公共交通機関

hassle [C,U] 面倒, 煩わしいこと

I don't want any hassle. 面倒はごめんだ．

strange 《通例[名]の前で》 見知らぬ, なじみのない

northerly 《[名]の前でのみ》北の, 北への; (風が) 北からの

 

Unfavorable Breakfast

　　I awoke at 4:00 in the morning due to jet lag. However, Yuri was in a deep sleep. It's always like this to my surprise, but Yuri can sleep well anytime and anywhere. This might be her special ability. Anyway, I spent the time writing e-mails and making preparations for today. The main job for today was to check into her dormitory where she'd live for one year, and buy her daily necessities. We had time until the appointment time, so we went out for a walk after breakfast, which wasn't good. The breakfast only consisted of animal protein and no vegetables. I was lost for words. It can't be good for the health. We stayed at this hotel last autumn and I remember that we got tired of eating the same breakfast every morning.

(Vocabulary)

make preparations  準備をする［整える］

Preparations are being made for the president's visit.  大統領の訪問に向けて準備が整えられている．

be lost for words  言葉に窮する［詰まる］

tired of (doing) sth  ＜…＞（すること）に飽きて, うんざりして

Döner Kebab

　　I had a regret that I had had during my last trip in Germany. It's the Döner Kebab which originates from Turkey. It looked nice to me, but I couldn't try to eat it. I hesitated to drop in at the stall, because I didn't know how to order it. It had lots of fillings and I didn't know the name of each one. Actually, I didn't need to be so tensed up, Yuri simply ordered by saying "Zwei(Two) Kebab". When I heard her saying so, I couldn't help laughing. It was very simple, but enough. Too much consideration is sometimes bad for me, and I think this hesitation might stonewall me from speaking foreign languages.

 

Direct To Freiburg

　　When I came to Frankfurt last time, the travel agent advised me to reserve a hotel in Frankfurt on the arrival day in case the flight was delayed. So, I left for Frankfurt after I had arrived at Frankfurt airport about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. However now, I'm heading directly for Freiburg from the airport. The long-distance train station is adjacent to the airport and it is very convenient. I will reach Freiburg soon. It's 7:45pm now, and the sun is just on the horizon. I realized that I was really at a higher latitude than my hometown.

　　By the way, I usually check various expressions on the internet when I write this blog. For example, when I am torn between "on the internet" and "in the internet", I google both and count the number of  hits and adopt the one that has more. I found a sign on the door of the coach that I got on, saying that you could use the internet, but it was out of service between Frankfurt airport and Basel. This train (InterCity Express, ICE) runs between Köln and Basel. The internet access is utilized in the north of  Frankfurt airport, but not in the south. It was really regrettable. The picture was shot on the escalator going down from the upper floor.

(Vocabulary)

be torn between A and B  AとBの間で迷う

 

The Lunch

Hors d'oeuvre

German Potato Salad with smoked Salmon

ドイツ風ポテトサラダ　スモークサーモン添え

Green Tea Soba with Wasabi and Soba Sauce

茶蕎麦　山椒付き

Entree

Sliced Beef with green Pepper Sauce,

fried potato and Broccoli

牛肉薄切り　グリーンペッパーソース

ジャーマンポテトとブロッコリー添え

Dessert

Fresh Fruit

(Vocabulary)

Hors d'oeuvre   オードブル, 前菜

Entree  [C] アントレ (レストランの食事や正餐(せいさん)における主菜料理)

 

Lufthansa!

　　I become a big fan of the air carrier Lufthansa last year. I wrote some entries about this company in this blog. The cabin is clean and the staff members are polite. Moreover meals are good. However, there was one thing that I regretted. I couldn't get the window seat. Of course I know it's not the fault of the company, but I was going to record my flight as I'd done the last time. My data logger (GPS) didn't work in the aisle seat. On the other hand, there was also a good thing. I found myself a little improved in listening to German in comparison with the last time.

Eye Contact With The Pilot

　　I set off for Osaka at noon on ANA1636 from Matsuyama airport. The airplane was a DHC-8-Q400 made by Bombardier Aerospace. I had flown on this plane several times and I think it's suitable for short-range flights in a small country such as Japan. The place where it stopped in Osaka was a little away from the airport building and I got on the bus which was waiting for us just in front of the exit ladder. While the bus was waiting for the last passenger, I unintentionally saw the cockpit. At that time, I was eye to eye with the captain. His name was "Jason" or "Jake", though I didn't remember exactly, according to the chief purser's announcement before the flight. He greeted me politely in the Japanese way and gave me a good impression. Such a small incident makes my travel happier. I thought that I would use ANA again.

　　I am staying in a hotel near Kansai International Airport now. Tonight's dinner was sushi. Yuri will live in Germany for one year and I was afraid that she would miss Japanese food. Particularly, Freiburg, where she is going to stay, is located in the south of Germany, I mean, it's in the midst of mountains. I imagined that sushi wouldn't be good in Freiburg. When I visited Freiburg last time, I had my hands full with just staying, moving and coming back to Japan. So, this time, I'm going to try as many things as possible.

(Vocabulary)

set off 　出発する

exit ladder　〔船や飛行機の乗り降りに使うはしご〕

boarding ramp　（飛行機などの）

unintentionally  何気なく

be eye to eye  目と目が合う 

purser  船の事務長; 旅客機で客室乗務員のうち上級の者。

have one's hands full with ～のことで精いっぱいである