Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 5

　　The evacuation from the Prince of Wales was completed except for one person. The captain, Thomas Phillips remained on the deck of the Prince of Wales to sink with the ship. It is said that Japan's bombers got in a line and the pilots gave their salutes to Admiral Thomas Phillips one by one as they passed in front of him and he also sent a salute to the pilots. After the exchange of salutes, he bound himself to the deck and sunk with the Prince of Wales. The mortality rate of the crew of the Prince of Wales was only 20%, in spite of the sinking of the ship. Except for fatalities during the fight, all crew members were saved. On the next day, Japan's aircraft flew to the battle area and dropped bundles of flowers in honor of the bravery of the British sailors to calm their souls. If you couldn't understand this Japanese way of thinking, check this url in which I wrote about the Shinto religion.
　　By the way, let's cut to the chase. All I wrote above was just introductory remarks.
　　After three and a half years, Japan's battleship Yamato was sunk in the naval battle off Bounomisaki (Operation Ten-Go) and more than 90%(3063/3332) of the crew of Yamato were killed by the U.S.'s repeated air attacks. Don't you think that the mortality rate is too high? What's the difference between Yamato and the Prince of Wales?　　Link to Next


Admiral Thomas Phillips

(Vocabulary)
give a salute to  敬礼する
fatality [C] (事故・戦争・病気などによる) 死亡者（数）,（不慮の）死
bravery 勇敢さ, 勇ましさ
cut to the chase (informal) (末節の話をやめにして) 本題に入る
introductory remarks（話の）前置き


ウエールズの乗員全員の退艦後、デッキには、トーマス司令長官が残った。このとき日本の航空隊は、全機整列し、一機ずつデッキ前を通過して、司令官に最敬礼を送ったと伝えられている。司令官は、その間、ブリッジから挙手敬礼をもって答え、日本の航空機との挨拶の交換後、司令官はデッキに体を縛りつけ、艦とともに沈んでいった。ちなみに、マレー沖海戦におけるプリンスオブウェールズの戦死者は、艦が轟沈していながら、総員の２０％に過ぎず、戦闘中の死亡者以外、全員が助かっている。そしてさらにマレー沖海戦の翌日には、日本軍機が、再度戦闘海域に飛来し、機上から沈没現場の海面に花束を投下して英海軍将兵の敢闘に対する敬意と、鎮魂を行っている。
さて、本論に入る。今まで書いてきたことはほんの前置きに過ぎない。では、この戦いの三年半後に行われた坊ノ岬沖海戦はどうだったか。この海戦では、戦艦大和が沈み、乗員３３３２名のうち、９０％以上にあたる３０６３名が死亡した。なぜか。ウェールズでは２０％ではなかったか。

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 4

　　However again, no more battleships for Japan were committed, though Japan knew about the existence of both battleships of the Prince of Wales and Repulse. Receiving the information of the departure of the British fleet, Japan's 85 bombers took off from Saigon which is now Ho Chi Minh City. 15 bombers found the Prince of Wales and sank it against heavy anti-aircraft fire. It is said that Winston Churchill lost his speech on hearing the news of the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse. This incident was startling and sounded impossible to him.
　　Let's see the details of the battle now. In the battle, Repulse was sunk first and next the Prince of Wales got seriously damaged and was about to sink. Then, the captain, Thomas Phillips sent a wire to the pilots of the bombers asking for 30 minutes to evacuate the crew and they responded to it and suspended the attack. The crew of the Prince of Wales moved to the destroyer Express, and the destroyer Electra and Vampire searched for the crew of the sunken Repulse. Finally Electra saved 571 and Vampire 225, including the captain of the Repulse and war correspondents.
　　During their rescue work, the bombers were waiting for the completion of the evacuation. Thinking of the fuel consumption or flight range of the bombers, this suspension of the attack was very dangerous. They might not be able to get back home or fight even if they met enemy aircraft on the way back, but they chose the suspension.　　　Link to Next

(Vocabulary)
commit [他]〈資金・兵力など〉を投入する
commit sth to sth ＜…＞を＜…＞に投入する
His company has committed $10,000 to the project. 彼の会社はそのプロジェクトに1万ドルを投入した．
be lost for words 言葉に窮する［詰まる］
speechless (怒り・動揺などのため) 言葉を失った, 口のきけない
speechless with rage/fear 怒り［恐怖］で口もきけなくて
leave/render sb speechless ＜人＞を口もきけなくする
I'm speechless  (怒り・驚きなどのため) 言葉もない



Battleship Prince of Wales

実際の戦いを見てみよう。これからが本論である。事前の情報によって日本は英艦隊が世界最強戦艦のウエールズまで投入していることを掌握しているが、それでも勝たなきゃならない。そういう状況にあったのである。英国艦隊出撃の情報を受け、日本はサイゴンにある航空基地から、九六式陸攻59機、一式陸攻26機、計85機を出撃させた。うち、１５機がウェールズに遭遇しこれを撃沈。ウエールズ撃沈の報告を聞いた英国首相チャーチルは、「あの艦が！」と絶句したと言われる。まず戦艦レパルスが沈み、次いで戦艦ウエールズが被弾し、沈む寸前にウエールズの艦長のトーマス・フィリップス司令長官は、日本の航空隊に向け、乗員を退官させるので、３０分時間をほしい、と打電する。ウエールズの乗員たちは、巡視船エクスプレスに乗り移り、エレクトラとヴァンパイアが沈没したレパルスの乗組員を捜索し、エレクトラが571名、ヴァンパイアがレパルスの艦長と従軍記者を含む225名を救助した。

その間、日本の襲撃部隊は、空で待機した。英国軍の救助活動の間、いっさいの攻撃行動をせず、空で待機したのだ。当時の飛行機は、燃費がよくない。３０分の上空待機というのは、帰還するのに必要なギリギリの燃料しか残らないということであり、その間に英国の航空隊が急襲してきたら、日本の航空隊は帰還するための燃料を使い果たし、全機、墜落のリスクを負うことになる。それでも日本の攻撃隊長は、戦闘を休止し空で待機を指示したのだ。

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 3

　　Let's check the battleship the Prince of Wales. It was a huge battleship mounted with ten 14-inch guns and powerful anti-aircraft guns nicknamed "pom-pom" guns. The latter could shoot 6000 bullets per minute. She had experienced a fierce air attack from Germany and Italy 2 years before. Additionally the crew was well trained to repel the aircraft. Moreover, the name of the battleship, the "Prince of Wales" derived from the name of Edward VIII in his Crown Prince days, the elder brother of then king George VI. How proud of this battleship the Brits were. Another battleship, Repulse was alike. The commander of the fleet was Admiral Thomas Phillips who was the best veteran officer. They were unarguably the strongest in the world. They set out at past 1700 hours on Dec 8th from Singapore searching for the Japanese fleet in order to smash them.
　　How about the Japanese side? Against the world's most powerful British fleet, Japan could only spare two old battleships, Kongo and Haruna, whose age was 27 years old. Their armaments were at most the level of cruisers. It was just like a joke. No one would believe the victory of Japan, however Japan actually survived both the Japanese-Sino and Japanese-Russo War in the same situation. That's why Britain delivered the most powerful battleships to the East. If Japan couldn't win the battle, the troops proceeding down the Malay Peninsula would be completely killed by the shortage of military necessities.　　Link to Next

Pom-pom guns

戦艦プリンスオブウェールズは毎分６０００発もの弾を射出できるポムポム砲など、当時最高クラスの武器を搭載し、ヨーロッパ戦線において十分な経験を積んだ戦艦。その艦名にも彼らの自信が感じられる。当時の国王ジョージ６世の兄王である、エドワード８世の即位前の王太子プリンス・オブ・ウェールズの名前を冠していたのだ。さらに英国東洋艦隊司令長官は、実戦経験の豊富な英国の誇る最強の士官、トーマス・フィリップス海軍大将。彼らは、日本のマレー上陸部隊の輸送船団を攻撃するために最強の布陣「Ｚ部隊」を編成し、１２月８日１７時過ぎに、全艦シンガポールを出撃した。これに対し、日本が対抗して派遣できたのは、艦齢２７年の金剛と榛名の二隻だけ。兵装・装甲の厚さも巡洋艦程度の実力しかない戦艦である。悪い冗談としか思えないが、日本は同様な条件で日清／日露の戦いを制した実績があり、これを知る英艦隊は最新鋭の不沈戦艦を派遣したのだった。一方日本は、英艦隊に敗れればシンガポール攻略を図る日本陸軍への支援を絶たれ、陸軍は下手をすれば全滅する。そのような状況なのだが割ける艦船は、金剛と榛名しかない。どうなってしまうのか、、

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 2

　　In the U.S.-distorted post-war education, I was taught as follows: that is, the Imperial Headquarters was so stupid that they didn't notice the importance of aircraft and continued to rely on ships. As a result, Yamato was destroyed mainly by military aircraft. It seems that the U.S. would like to instill disgust at Japanese military knowledge into Japanese young people such as me. Is this true? I declare it's wrong and I'll write about the evidence that proves me right.
　　In the first place, it was Japan who sent a battleship to the bottom for the first time in the world. I don't mean Pearl Harbor. The battleships destroyed by the air assault at Pearl Harbor weren't in operation. The switches of those ships were off! There is another precedent in the battle of Taranto which took place on the night of 11-12th November 1940 during the Second World War, and the ships sunk were moored in this case too.
　　I'm going to talk about the naval battle off Malaya, in which the proud British battleships of the Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk by land-based bombers and torpedo bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This engagement was fought on 10th December 1941, 2 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and it was the beginning of the rise of the power of naval aviation over the guns of battleships.
　　Viewing also the following years of history, there were only 2 cases apart from the naval battle off Malaya in which the battleship in operation was sunk. The name of the battleships were Yamato(Apr. 7th 1945) and Musashi(Oct. 24th 1944), both of which were repeatedly attacked by overwhelmingly huge numbers of military aircraft before sinking. In other words, the battleship had such a strong and overwhelming power at that time.
　　The naval battle off Malaya was an unprecedented mission for Japan to attack only by aircraft the strongest and bravest battleships in the world at that time. Anything you do first since recorded history requires an unbelievably tremendous amount of time and effort. You'll appreciate how daring Japan was in those days.
　　What of the British side? Britain along with the U.S. had been pushing Japan to the brink of waging war against the allied nations since long ago, and eventually and successfully they plunged Japan into the bottom of deep sorrow. Britain was already ready for fighting Japan. They would be confident of victory in the battle.
　　Six days before the battle, Force Z moored in Singapore, which consisted of the battleship the Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser Repulse and four destroyers. The objective of Force Z was to intercept the Japanese fleet with its extraordinary power. On the other hand, Japan had to transport military supplies to the troops which were going down south on the Malay Peninsula.　　Link to Next

(Vocabulary)
the Imperial Headquarters　（旧日本軍の）大本営
instill  to teach someone to think, behave, or feel in a particular way over a period of time:
instil confidence/fear/discipline etc into sb A manager's job is to instil determination into his players.
prove sb right/correct  ＜人＞が正しいことを証明する
send ~ to the bottom  ～を沈める
the naval battle off Malaya  マレー沖海戦
rise 《常に単数形で》台頭, 権力獲得, 出世
the rise of fascism ファシズムの台頭
her rise from poverty 彼女が貧困から身を起こしたこと
the rise and fall of sb/sth ＜…＞の興亡, 栄枯盛衰
appreciate 《[他]進行形不可》…を認識する, 理解する
appreciate how/why  どれだけ［なぜ］…かを認識する
It is difficult to appreciate how bad the situation has become. 状況がどれだけ悪化したのかを認識するのは難しい．
fully appreciate  完全に認識［理解］する
fail to appreciate something  ＜…＞を認識［理解］できない
daring 危険を伴う; 怖いもの［命］知らずの; 斬新な, 大胆な: [名] [U] 度胸; 斬新さ, 大胆さ
a daring rescue attempt 危険を伴う救助活動
a daring young officer 命知らずの若い将校
what of ...? (formal) (ほかの人やもののことを持ち出して) …はどうなんですか？



Battleship Yamato

我々が戦後の偏向教育で教えられたことがある。戦艦の時代から航空機の時代に変わっていたことに気がつかなかった大本営が馬鹿だというのだが、そもそも世界で最初に航空機で軍事行動中の戦艦を沈めたのは、日本なのだ。航空機で戦艦を沈めた先例としては真珠湾攻撃とタラントの戦いがあるが、そのどちらも撃沈したのは作戦行動中の戦艦ではなく、スイッチの切られた、港に停泊している戦艦だった。作戦行動中の戦艦を撃沈したのはマレー沖海戦での日本が世界最初であり、その後においても現代までの世界の戦史において、航空部隊が作戦行動中の戦艦を沈めた事例は、このマレー沖海戦と、終戦間際に圧倒的な航空機をもって沈められた戦艦大和（昭和２０年４月７日）、同様に大多数の航空機をもって沈められた武蔵（昭和１９年１０月２４日）の３例しかない。言い換えれば、戦艦（バトル・シップ）というものは、それだけ強力かつ圧倒的な存在だった。まして、マレー沖海戦が、世界で最初に戦艦を航空機で叩くという作戦だったということは、前例のない不可能への挑戦だったということであり、何事も、はじめてのことというのは、たいへんな緊張と決断力を要することを考えれば、日本が、どれだけ凄かったかがわかろうというものだ。一方、英国軍にしてみれば、日本を追いつめ、開戦に踏み切らせたわけで、すでに何ヶ月も前から日本がやってくることを見越して、準備万端整えて、日本軍を待ち受けていた。マレーの海域で、英国海軍は、１００％確実に勝利できる体制をひいていた。開戦の６日前の１２月２日に、英国の誇る最新鋭の巨大不沈戦艦である「プリンス・オブ・ウェールズ」、巡洋戦艦レパルス、その他駆逐艦４隻からなるＧ艦隊をシンガポールのセレター軍港に入港させていた。

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 1

　　I rang in the New Year and I chose the biggest-ever battleship Yamato as the topic of my first entry. Two battleships were built of the same size just before the Greater East Asian War; one was Yamato and the other was Musashi. Far bigger battleships than them would never be built any more, because the role of battleships in war decreased. Both Yamato and Musashi were attacked by airplanes and torpedoed. The end of Yamato was more tragic than that of Musashi, so Yamato remains in Japanese minds even now as the symbol of the tragedy of the war. Testifying to the popularity of Yamato, Yamato was featured in a Japanese anime and it was exported as "Space Battleship Yamato", also known as "Star Blazers" in the U.S. I'll cite the description from Wikipedia about Star Blazers;
　　Star Blazers is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series, Space Battleship Yamato l (1974), ll (1978), and lll (1980). Star Blazers was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. Significantly, it was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be shown in order. It dealt with somewhat more mature themes than other productions aimed at the same target audience at the time. As a result, it paved the way for future arc-based, plot-driven anime translations.
　　Returning to the topic, I will build my thoughts about the last war around the battleship Yamato. This topic will need ten or more entries, but please keep subscribing.
　　Yamato headed out for Okinawa with only enough fuel for one-way and without any defence force by fighters in April 1945, when the Greater East Asian War was near its end. It meant that the crew were going to throw away their lives. Some people referred to this action as a reckless plan, but is that so? Actually, Yamato sank in the East China Sea on the way, receiving air assaults by numerous aircraft and being torpedoed by submarines. Was Yamato foolhardy? I feel like this action included an invisible and monumental intention.
　　Temporarily, the allied forces would feel on top of the world. The pilots of military aircraft would be in ecstasy, attacking and sinking the world's biggest battleship! They must have had a boisterous party.
　　However, when the fever of victory fades away from the winner's mind and the grief of losers diminishes after a certain span of time, and both winners and losers obtain understanding, some surely put on their thinking caps. The last voyage of Yamato might suit the purpose of such people who can see history through neutral eyes. Is it still too early to think about the causes and effects of the war serenely, beyond a dichotomy between winners and losers?
　　As Voltaire said in his Letter to Frederick the Great; History is truly written only in nations with freedom. I'm writing about Yamato in the following several entries.　Link to Next

Star Blazers Intro (English) 　

Star Blazers

(Vocabulary)
ring in the New Year　新年を迎える
testify to sth ＜…＞を明示［証明］する
an animated movie アニメーション映画
adaptation [C] 改作, 翻案, 脚色
television/film/stage adaptation  テレビ［映画，舞台］用の脚色
significantly  《文修飾》 重要なことは
overarching 全体にわたる, 包括的な
a target audience/group/market  対象となる視聴者［グループ，市場］
The target audience for this magazine is women aged 25-45. この雑誌が対象とする読者は25歳から45歳の女性だ．
audience 1 (コンサート・講演・映画などの) 聴衆, 観衆, 観客; 2 (テレビの) 視聴者（層）, (ラジオの) 聴取者（層）, (雑誌・本などの) 読者（層）
a captive audience  とらわれの聴衆
Advertisers make use of the fact that they have a captive audience on trains. 広告主は電車の中にとらわれの聴衆がいるという状況をうまく利用している．
[!] There were about 200 people in the audience (×200 audiences). 観客はおよそ200人ほどいた．audienceは集合名詞なのでaudiencesは不可．
build stories around  ～を中心に据えて物語を作る
assault [C] (軍事的な) 攻撃, 急襲
a military/an air/a ground assault  軍の［空からの，地上］攻撃
foolhardy 無謀な, むちゃな, 向こう見ずな
monumental 《通例[名]の前で》とてつもない, とんでもない
a monumental task  とてつもない任務
in ecstasy  歓喜して
put on your thinking cap (informal) じっくり考える, 熟考する
dichotomy (formal) 二分される違い, 二項対立 [＋dichotomy between]
serenely (人・表情などについて) 穏やかに, 安らかに; (場所・景色などについて) 穏やかに, のどかに
Letter to Frederick the Great; ヴォルテール ｢フリードリヒ大王への書簡-1739/4/27｣ 歴史は自由な国においてのみ真実に書かれうる。

日本海軍が作った当時としては世界最大最新鋭の戦艦、大和と武蔵。戦艦の価値が下がった今、これ以上の船が造られることはあるまい。大和は同型艦武蔵と比べ、より悲劇的な最後だったため日本人の心に今でも残っている。大和は宇宙戦艦ヤマトというアニメにも登場し米国にも輸出された。なぜか名前はスターブレイザーと変えられているが、これはもしかしたら大和という戦艦を米国民に知られたくないのかもしれない、、、戦艦大和の最後の任務と宇宙戦艦ヤマトの任務と重なっていることが米国の子供達には隠されている。確固としたストーリーを持つアニメは米国ではこれが最初だという。大和は片道分の燃料だけで航空機の護衛もなく出撃し、東シナ海に沈んだ。これは無謀な攻撃だろうか。沈めた方はどんちゃん騒ぎをしたことだろう。沈められた方は悲しみに沈んだだろう。しかし、時が経ち、勝者と敗者の興奮と悲しみが薄れ冷静に歴史を見ることができるようになったとき、大和の出撃はどのように評価されるのだろうか。

Command Center of the Imperial Japanese Navy

　　On the last day in Okinawa, I visited the former site of the command center of the Imperial Navy. People in Okinawa resisted the U.S. until the last minute in 1945. The top officials of the Navy turned their guns on themselves or had their hand-grenades on their arms in this command center to take responsibility for the defeat. Some following pictures show the inside of the commander's room. You can see the bullet-pocked or damaged walls by the broken pieces of their grenades. There were brief descriptions in every room and they were enough to know the cruelty of the war. Who and for what started the last war? The answer is now being brought to light bit by bit. I'm going to write my opinion in this blog.
　　This center was constructed in the underground of a hill near Naha airport. When you stand there, you can get the whole view in all directions. It's maybe why this hill was chosen as the fort. A monument stood on top of the hill in memory of people who had departed around here. My wife and I commemorated them by a moment of silence. What were they thinking about in their fading consciousness. No one would want to die. I decided to write about the last war from the eye of a Japanese.

(Vocabulary)
bullet hole/mark 弾痕
a body full of bullet holes 弾痕だらけの死体
bullet-pocked 弾痕の残る
commemorate someone by a moment of silence  黙とうで（人）を追悼する

Ryukyu Dynasty

　　After the sunset, we visited the illuminated Shuri Castle, which had been the seat of power during the period of the Ryukyu Dynasty. The last picture was shot in a traditional restaurant in which we had dinner. The local musicians of cojaco and her friends were playing various Okinawan music and they were full of hospitality and really nice.

(Vocabulary)
Ryukyu Dynasty　 琉球王朝

Present From ANA (Japan-based Airline)

　　I got a present of two return tickets to the cities Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya or Naha, which are connected with my hometown of Matsuyama City by ANA direct flight. I picked the last choice up. I'm going to write about my trip to Okinawa whose capital city is Naha.
　　I left Matsuyama in the pouring rain. About an hour later, the captain announced that we were flying above Kagoshima Prefecture in the south of Kyushu. Due to the thick cloud, I couldn't see the ocean, but I remembered Chiran air station in Kagoshima Prefecture from which pilots of the "Kamikaze Suicide Squad" flew toward the U.S. fleet 68 years ago. How long did it take for them bearing heavy bombs to reach the target. After taking off, they must have put up with the solitude because they were prohibited to use wireless communication so as not to be detected by the U.S. What were they thinking? About their sweetheart? Family? Friend? Childhood? I was so sorry to be happy on the passenger plane. At the same time, I was proud of them. They truly had Bushido, the soul of Japan, I believe. I'd like to cite the words of Inazo Nitobe; "Unformulated, Bushido was and still is the animating spirit, the motor force of our country". I hope the truth about the last war will be revealed.

(Vocabulary)
Unformulated, Bushido was and still is the animating spirit, the motor force of our country.
新渡戸稲造：決して定義されているわけではないが、武士道は、今も昔も日本人に息づく魂であり、我が国の原動力である。
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１２月の沖縄旅行。マイレージが貯まったので行ってみました。途中、機長の挨拶で、鹿児島県上空を飛んでいると聞いて知覧を飛び立った特攻隊員のことを考えました。重い爆弾を抱えてどのくらい孤独な時間を過ごしたのでしょう。盛大な見送りを受けて飛び立ったものの沖縄沖の敵艦を発見するまでたった一人。その間、何を考え、死んでいったのでしょう。彼らの存在は今生きる日本人が誇りにすべきものと考えます。

Medical Meeting in Yokohama

　　I joined the 25th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery held in Yokohama City on Dec. 6-8th, which is located to the south of Tokyo and is also one of the best known ports in Japan and has lots of historic cultural assets. If I write about the medical items, most of the subscribers would be bored, so I'll write about one of the main tourist attractions of the city, a cargo and passenger ship, "Hikawamaru", which was built in 1930.
　　Before starting its story, I have to write about Seattle in the U.S.A. Seattle used to be a small town with a population of only 6,000. However, after the Great Northern Railway was built in 1892, and Japan's ocean transport company, "Nippon Yusen", introduced a new line between Yokohama and Seattle in 1896, Seattle remarkably developed as a relay point between the Far East and New York. A mayor of Seattle declared that the prosperity of Seattle owes much to the Great Northern Railway and Nippon Yusen, calling both of them the father and the mother of its prosperity respectively.
　　"Hikawamaru" was one of three ships operated in this line. It was requisitioned during the Greater East Asian War and served as a hospital ship. It had touched mines a few times, but survived until the end of the war. Generally speaking, the life of the ship should have ended after around fifteen years, but it had to work on the transportation of Japanese soldiers and citizens from overseas after the war. The number of people who are grateful for its contribution is countless. The Nippon Yusen decided to preserve her forever in the port of her hometown, Yokohama, in honor of her life.
　　I visited this ship which was permanently moored near my convention center. I'll show you pictures of the restaurant and the stairs to the first class cabin. How did they look to the Japanese people of the time? Sitting on a chair was not frequently seen in Japan at that time. I was eager to look at the front view of the ship and get on the sightseeing boat showing the visitors the inner section of the bay.

(Vocabulary)
introduce a new line between 　航路を開設する
relay / transfer point　中継点
requisition 　[U] (軍隊・政府などによる) 徴発, 接収;〈軍隊・政府などが〉…を徴発する, 接収する
How did they look to the Japanese people of the time? 当時の日本人の目にはどう映っただろうか？

Senile Dementia?

　　Today, a nearly 90 year-old patient visited my opd a week earlier than I expected. He has long been seeing me regularly, but he didn't have an appointment today. However, he asked me to give him injections of the analgesics consisting of hyaluronic acid into his bilateral knee joints.
　　According to his words, he, along with his wife, had been invited to a memorial ceremony held by the U.S. Navy, casually dropping the name of the Commander of the Navy and they had to visit Tokyo this weekend. He wanted the injection for prevention of pain from his knee joints for fear of the long walking.
　　He lives deep in the forest and is a mere common farmer. I didn't believe his story, but I wanted to joke with him saying "Is your destination really Tokyo? Isn't it Yokosuka?" He replied, "Yes, How do you know that?" I just knew that the naval base is located in Yokosuka City and had no idea about the memorial ceremony." However, I started to think that his story might be true.
　　You always have to keep away prejudices, I deeply realized. He was one of the rescuers of the U.S. aircraft accident that had occurred near here in 1952 and also one of the founders of the monument to fourteen U.S. soldiers who had passed away at that time. This year is the 60th anniversary. Sorry for the kidding, old man! You are right!

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/04/short-touring.html

(Vocabulary)
joke with sb ＜人＞をからかう
drop  [他]〈言葉・名前など〉をふと口にする, 漏らす
She casually dropped his name into the conversation. 彼女は会話の中で彼の名前をふと漏らした．
casually  何げなしに

Kamikaze, Special Attack Force

　　More than 2600 years have passed since the foundation of Japan. However, Japan hasn't always stayed independent during this span of existence. Japan was governed by the U.S. for 6 years and 8 months about 60 years ago. The products manufactured in Japan during the governed period were stamped as "Made in Occupied Japan". That is to say, Japan wasn't independent for nearly seven years. Japan was forced to take a major role of minesweeping around the Korean Peninsula during the Korean War. It led to the successful invasion of U.N. troops onto the coast of Incheon and consequently the restoration of South Korea, but there are no appreciative words for Japan on the monument standing at Panmunjom, but it's natural because the independent nation of Japan didn't exist at that time.
　　In 1952, Japan finally attained its independence after all sorts of troubles and difficulties. However, Japan has completely changed. We were brainwashed and our Constitution, which was drawn up and forced on us by the U.S. 60 years ago, is still highly prized, while Germany, which had likewise lost the war, has modified their Constitution more than 50 times.
　　Oct. 25th is the day when the suicide attacks by fighters started. The leader of the first attack team was from Saijo City near my hometown. He left his newly-wed wife, charged toward an aircraft carrier and sank it.
　　What impressions will people have about the Greater East Asian War several hundreds years from now?

(Vocabulary)
after all sorts of troubles and difficulties  幾多の紆余曲折を乗り越えて

An Historic Site, Shirakawa-no-seki

　　On this day we were in Fukushima prefecture, which had become well-known worldwide as the victim area of the nuclear accident. The disaster, however, was very localized and was far different from the case of the Chernobyl disaster. I place an emphasis on this point in the first place.
　　After saying goodbye to Y, we had some time until the departure time of the train. So, we visited a nearby famous historic site, which had long been a key junction from ancient times between northern and central Japan. That is a barrier called "Shirakawa-no-seki", which was already recorded in old literature written in the 8th century. The barrier had been functioning at least in the 8th century, but nobody knows when it was established. The barrier's function as a strategic point is thought to have disappeared as early as the 12th century and the accurate position of the barrier had long been unknown. It was identified during the Edo period.
　　I'd like to introduce Basho, who wrote many masterpieces while traveling in the northern part of Japan in the 17th century. He also dropped in at this barrier and left several poems called "haiku". In front of the Shin-shirakawa station, the statue of Basho stands. By the way, do you know about Mr. Donald Lawrence Keene? He is one of the Basho enthusiasts.

Nagasaki

I honor the victims of the tragedy in Nagasaki, those who knew and loved them, and those who are struggling to recover.

 

Hiroshima

My hands shake as I pray and think of the victims in Hiroshima.

 

 

Fort York

　　I finished my longitudinal walking on the Toronto Islands. I stopped by at a small amusement park on the way and was listening to little kids' English for some time. It was difficult to understand their words.
　　Returning to the mainland, I headed for Fort York at first, one of the tourist attractions, which is a fort constructed by the first Governor-General of Upper Canada, which is now Ontario, in 1793. People gathered and lived around the fort and formed a small community. It gradually became bigger and finally became Toronto City. This place was also the scene of the Battle of York in the War of 1812. It was ruined once, but rebuilt in 1815 and now is open to the public as a historic place. I saw several cannons on the wall, barracks and the changing of the guards. I was proud to remember such a place from my history class.
　　By the way, do you know Celine Dion? "La Memoire d'Abraham Lyrics" in her "French Album" came up suddenly. Canadians of French origin are grieving in the song, but how about native people? Though I think there's nowhere that hasn't the history of wars, I felt sorry for native people exposed to the invasion of Britain and France. Lots of soldiers might be lying under the soil so I walked around this historic site with their lives in mind.

(Vocabulary)
Governor-General  (英連邦諸国・植民地の) 総督
fort  砦(とりで), 要塞
War of 1812  英米戦争
La Memoire D'abraham Lyrics セリーヌディオンの French Albumに収められた「アブラハム平原の思い出」

Toronto Island (Hanlan's Point)

　　After seeing my daughter in front of her school, which is located in the northern part of the city, I went down to the south heading for the water front. Today's first destination was Toronto Island on Lake Ontario. The first picture was shot at the entrance of the port to the islands. It is called "skywalk", which is not so common in Japan, specifically in my hometown. I remembered my first visit to the U.S. It was 20 years ago in Minneapolis that I saw and knew a skywalk for the first time. My friend who was a researcher in the Mayo Clinic explained to me how critically cold it was in winter. I looked nostalgically back at those days. He has already passed away. Anyway, I'll continue. The next picture was the ferry which I got on-board. The cars and trucks got on first and the people next.
　　Abruptly I was assailed by a big sound in the third picture. It was from a passenger plane flying right above, which landed in the airport which I had viewed from the CN tower on the previous day. The next picture from the ferry is one of the three ports in Toronto Islands, Hanlan's Point. I was wondering from what the name "Hanlan" derived, and I found the statue of Mr. Hanlan and the description about him near the port. He seemed to have been a rowing phenomenon in 19th century.

(Vocabulary)
assail (文)〈人〉を悩ませる, さいなむ
be assailed by/with doubts  疑問に悩まされる
 …を激しく非難する  assail sb for sth  ＜人＞を＜…＞のことで激しく非難する
 〈悪臭・騒音などが〉 …を襲う
 〈敵・陣地など〉 を襲う, 襲撃する = attack

Skywalk in Hokkaido

My friend in Rochester

Historic Site of Canadian National Railway

　　Lots of visitors bustled around the CN Tower. While I was wandering around, I found several retired trains displayed. Some of those trains seemed to be re-used as shops or cafes. "CP Rail" and "CANADIAN NATIONAL" were printed on the side of those trains. I rode on VIA Rail, the "Rocky Mountaineer," from Calgary to Vancouver 17 years ago, so are there three railroad companies in Canada?
　　In addition, the turntable and the additional building for maintenance work remained almost intact. This area was like a railroad museum. My travel guidebook said nothing about this facility, but I thought it should be listed in the book. A part of the maintenance work building also seemed to be used as a shopping street. The position where the CN Tower stood must have been the birthplace of the CANADIAN NATIONAL. I imagined that the network of the railroad would have expanded from this point across the country. The naming and position of the "CN Tower" must have been derived from the CANADIAN NATIONAL Railroad Company. I was convinced.
　　The last picture was shot just from underneath the CN Tower. According to the signboard, there were several tour programs operating in the tower, and I wanted to climb up to the highest point, but there were so many people waiting. I chose the tour with the shortest waiting time.

(Vocabulary)
bustle about/around せわしなく動き回る
bustle with something 〈場所が〉＜人・活気など＞でにぎわう

Additional Pictures

Niagara Glen

　　We went down along the Niagara River by shuttle bus, just after coming back to the Canadian side. About 10 minutes later, our bus stopped in front of a tiny hut, which was the gate to the riverside of the Niagara River. As I had expected, the current velocity and amount of water was indescribably fierce. Seeing the rapid current, I remembered the Caroline affair which had occurred in 1837. The wreck or something associated with the steamboat SS Caroline might remain in the waterfall basin or a water pocket around there. The hut, which I referred to above in a bad way, was a history museum inside. From the papers on display, I knew that lots of people had tried to swim across the river or go down the Niagara falls in some container like a wooden barrel. Some succeeded, but most people didn't come back. The stripe pattern on the wall of the bank of the river revealed the constantly continuing crustal movement. I found a large-scale dam on the opposite side of the river. I wondered whether it generated power or was it for cultivation. We strolled along the pathway carved on the wall for a while. It was fun, just like becoming "Indiana Jones", which you can see in the last picture. I met several groups of campers. If I could spend a while and sleep in such primitive circumstances, how wonderful it would be. We stayed around the glen for about one hour.

(Vocabulary)
crust 地殻
crustal change/crustal movement  地殻変動
carve decorative patterns on   ～に彫刻刀で加飾する













See also;
http://www.niagarakanko.on.ca/gallery/gellery_of_niagara_river.htm

Last Day in Charlottetown

　　On the last day in Charlottetown, I went out for a walk alone after breakfast and packing my suitcase. I took a picture of a monument of interest and the description set by him. I wanted to take a picture of myself with our arms around each other, but there was no one but me and I couldn't ask anyone. The statue was of the first premier of Canada honoring his achievement of "Confederation". The store behind him specialized in items associated with Anne of Green Gables, and I bought several items for souvenirs there.
　　At Charlottetown airport, my daughter said to me, "There's a cow." What? I was surprised to hear that, but it was a statue of a cow. According to her story, it was also in Whistler in B.C. Is this cow so famous in Canada? It was funny that we had different perspectives in spite of visiting the same place at the same time.
　　In the passenger cabin of the return flight, my daughter was reading a textbook of her major, medicine, which seemed to arouse considerable interest from the cabin attendant. They were chatting so long that I was afraid whether he could fulfill his job. She was grateful for the practice of English conversation. He was really a nice guy.

(Vocabulary)
description
give a description of sth  ＜…＞を説明する
give a description of sb  ＜人＞の身体的特徴について説明する

Guided Tour 9 (Kensington)

　　The last tourist attraction of the tour was Kensington station which was built in 1905 and was put an end to in 1948. The only public transport service on the island started with the completion of this station. It seems that Montgomery used this station. At present, this station was converted into a cozy restaurant. About a hundred meters of train tracks were also preserved as they used to be. As I walked on the track, I thought I heard the hustle and bustle of those days.
　　I've never been to the UK, but I recalled London hearing the word, "Kensington". There were so many English names of places on the island. A few words such as "Toronto" and "Niagara" would probably come from native Canadian words judging from their spelling. I wondered why Anglo-Saxons didn't want to keep the original names of places. Prince Edward Island has three districts, whose names are Kings, Queens and Price. I simply thought they should have kept the original names out of respect for the indigenous population.
　　After looking around this historic site, the driver took us to our hotel. We really enjoyed all the tourist attractions and the scenery from the windows of the minivan. We went out for a walk at once to make every minute count. The next entry will be the last with respect to Charlottetown.

(Vocabulary)
hustle and bustle  [U] 喧騒, にぎわい
out of respect (for sb/sth)  （＜…＞に）敬意を表して, （＜…＞を）尊重して
the natives 《複数扱い》 土着民 (差別的な表現)「先住民」の意味ではthe indigenous populationやthe indigenous peopleを用いる．
indigenous /ɪnddʒənəs/〈人・慣習・文化などが〉（土地）固有の, 土着の;〈動植物などが〉自生の
population (特定地域の)（全）住民
The majority of the population lived in poverty.  住民の大半が貧しい生活をしていた．
count [自] 重要である, 価値がある
First impressions count.  第一印象は重要だ．
count for sth/nothing  価値がある［ない］, 重要である［ない］
His promises don't count for much.  彼の約束は大して当てにならない．
make sth count  ＜…＞を有意義なものとする