Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Savage History

　　Province House, which appears in the first picture, was one of the places which I wanted to visit on Prince Edward Island. A tour pamphlet said that it was completed in 1847 and was well known as the place which held the first meeting consisting of the representatives from all the colonies. That is to say, this was the birth place of Canada. The next two pictures show the signboard and inside the meeting room, which is well preserved as an important cultural asset. I just stood at the very historical place.
　　The last two pictures were shot at Peake's Wharf, where the Canadian founding fathers landed in 1864. A comfortable boardwalk was constructed and there were several gift shops. It was actually one of the tourist attractions.
　　I abandoned myself to the imagination of the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I don't mean to accuse anyone and any country, but I thought as follows;
　　Anglo-Saxons came to eastern north America, killed numerous native people and built their country. Additionally, they went west continuing the massacres, reached the Pacific Rim and went across the Ocean. However, their savage plan was foiled by Japan, which freed Asian nations which had long been governed by their savage colonial masters. If Japan had failed, this world would be governed by Anglo-Saxons and the colored people would have been slaves forever. When I stood at the starting point, such a mixed feeling came upon me.

(Vocabulary)
savage 〈人・攻撃などが〉 非道な, 非人道的な, 〈動物が〉 獰猛(どうもう)な
asset 《通例複数形で》 資産, 財産;《[C]通例単数形で》 役立つもの［人材］, 貴重なもの［人材］
founding father  建国の父
foil 《[他]通例受け身形で》〈相手・計略など〉をくじく, 未然に防ぐ
The escape attempt was foiled by police guards. 脱走の企ては警察の警備員によって未然に防がれた．

　最初の3枚の写真はプロビンス・ハウス（１８４７年建築）。ここで１８６４年カナダ連邦を結成するため、初めての各植民地代表者会議が行われた。２階には「連邦誕生の間」と呼ばれる歴史的会議室があり、当時のままに保存され公開されている。
　次の2枚はPeake's Wharfで、１８６４年にカナダ連邦成立の会議に出席した”建国の父たち"(この言葉自体いい気なものだなと言う気がする)が降り立った埠頭。海沿いには遊歩道がしかれ、美しく整備されている。ギフトショップが並び観光客の憩いの場である。
　この埠頭と会議室には来て見たかった。カナダ人を非難するつもりは全くないが、ヨーロッパからやってきて、現地人を虐殺して得た土地に自分たちの国を作った記念の場所と言われても、もともと住んでいた人々にとってはどうだろう？とても悔しい場所なのではないか。徐々に西へと彼らは進出し、次々と先住民を虐殺、太平洋に出て、日本に抵抗され野望は潰えた。日本がアジアを解放できていなければ、この世界は白人の世界、有色人種は永遠に奴隷だったはず。その野望の始まりの地点に立ち、複雑な気持ちになった。

Japan Year 2672

　　Today is Feb. 11th, the National Foundation Day of Japan. 2012 minus 2672 equals -660. That is to say, Japan was founded in 660 B.C. and the story was written in Japanese mythology. We Japanese could be proud of our own history, but lots of Japanese people don't know that due to the abhorrent Douglas MacArthur. However, my family, who had successfully evaded his plot, hoisted the national flag.

(Vocabulary)
abhorrent   嫌悪感を起こさせる
hoist 〈重いもの〉を持ち上げる, つり上げる, 〈旗・帆〉を掲げる

Our Priest King, Ten'noh's Words (Reprint)

Last year, it pained me greatly to see that many lives were lost to natural disasters, the Great East Japan Earthquake in the spring and torrential rains in many places in the summer and in the autumn. My heart also goes out to the people who regrettably can no longer live in the places they used to live because of the radioactive contamination caused by the nuclear plant accident. Last year was a truly distressing year. However, it has been heartening to note that, even under such conditions, the people were helping each other and many people were working hard to support the victims.

This year, our country has to make various plans towards reconstruction and decide on guidelines for the future. At the same time, it is expected to be a year in which our country has to tackle many difficult challenges, including the disposal of the debris from the disaster. It is my sincere hope that people will bring together their wisdom and that those involved in the various tasks can work under safe conditions.

Our country is now going through difficult times because of the earthquake and other factors, but I hope that the people's hearts will always be with the afflicted, and that everyone will persevere and work together to build a brighter tomorrow.

It is my hope that the new year will be a good, peaceful year for the people of Japan and the people of the world.

陛下の平成２４年、新年のお言葉の英訳です。実に美しい英文です。このような文章が書けたらなあと思います。

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
　昨年は春には東日本大震災が起こり，夏から秋にかけては各地で大雨による災害が起こり，多くの人命が失われ，実に痛ましいことでした。また，原発事故によってもたらされた放射能汚染のために，これまで生活していた地域から離れて暮さなければならない人々の無念の気持ちも深く察せられます。
　昨年は誠に心の重い年でした。そのような状況の中で，皆が互いに助け合い，また多くの人々が被災者の支援に力を尽くしていることを心強く思っています。

　今年は，復興に向けて様々な計画を立て，将来への指針を選択していく年であるとともに，がれきの処理を始めとする多くの困難な業務に取り組まなければならない年になると予想されます。人々の英知が結集されるよう，また業務に携わる人々の作業が安全に行われるよう，願ってやみません。

　日本は大震災の影響等により現在厳しい状況にありますが，皆が被災者に心を寄せつつ，力を合わせ，明日の社会を築くために忍耐強く力を尽くしていくことを期待しています。

　この年の我が国及び世界の人々の安寧と幸せを祈ります。
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

　陛下は「心を寄せつつ，力を合わせ，明日の社会を築くために忍耐強く力を尽くして」と述べられています。何かが変わろうとするとき、それはなにやら劇的な変化や過激な言葉、強烈なリーダーシップのようなものに、ついつい多くの人が期待を寄せてしまいます。とりわけ現代のように、閉塞感に包まれた日本においては、とくにそれが顕著で、だからろくに考えもしないで民主党に票を入れた馬鹿者などが現れたりします。
　けれど陛下は、「心を寄せつつ，力を合わせ，明日の社会を築くために忍耐強く力を尽くして」と述べられています。これが日本流、これこそが日本人の行動原理なのではないかと思います。

　日本を変えたい。そのために必要なことは、なにか突飛なことをすることではない。みんなが「心を寄せつつ，力を合わせ，明日の社会を築くために忍耐強く力を尽くす」。このことこそ、日本が日本を取り戻す原動力なのだろうと思います。

（日心会メルマガより転載）

September 2nd

　　Russia arrogantly carried out a military drill near the border with Japan the other day. A Russian fleet of 24 military vessels passed through the Strait of Soya, just north of Hokkaido, in a rude manner. They were surely looking down on Japan. Moreover, a Russian bomber flew the circuit over Japanese territory. It was not a reconnaissance aircraft, but a bomber! They presumably would like to know how the Japanese government would react, but it was so provocative that we even ignored this silly defiance.
　　Russia insists that they won the war against Japan, but Japan actually didn't fight them and Russia didn't sign the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Just like committing a theft in the scene of a fire, Russia started the invasion into Japan after the defeat of Japan. Japan signed the document of capitulation on Sept. 2nd in 1945 on board the U.S. battleship Missouri. The month of September always reminds me of the arrogance and self-righteousness of the allied forces.
　　Anyway, the magma in the ordinary Japanese people's mind is getting more and more vigorous now. Russia, China and Korea would be well-advised to be modest toward Japan. The present ruling party, the DPJ, began revealing it's true character and the massive demonstrations against leftists like the Government, NHK and some specific media began to break out frequently. The revival of Japan is not so far away.

(Vocabulary)
fly the circuit　一周する
defiance  反抗, 挑戦
in defiance   挑戦的に
in defiance of sth  ＜…＞を物ともせずに, 無視して
capitulation [名] [C,U](フォーマル) 受諾, 降伏
reveal one's true character 化けの皮がはがれる

Purpose of the Greater East Asian War

　東京裁判における東條英機の宣言供述書では、「大東亜戦争は、自存自衛の戦いだった」と主張していたが、それだけなら、一つの自己主張ということで終わりですが、東京裁判をやらせた当のマッカーサー元帥が、帰国後の昭和26年(1951年)5月3日、米国議会上院の軍事外交合同委員会において、東條首相の主張を認め、次のように述べていることです。　
 
Their purpose, therefore, in going to war was largely dictated by security
 
この英文を、すべての日本人が覚えておかなければなりません。日本人はいまこそ、本当の「昭和史」を知るべきなのです。
 
即ち、マッカーサー元帥は、『したがって、日本が戦争を始めた目的は、主として安全保障上の必要に迫られてのことだった』と証言していることです。

その記事を英文・和文で下記に、掲載します。 
http://historicalfacts.blog128.fc2.com/blog-entry-3.html
●Testimony of Douglas MacArthur-Strategy Against Japan In World War II
Strategy against Japan in world war II
MILITARY SITUATION IN THE FAR EAST p55,
the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees of the United States Senate – 82nd Congress, Thursday May 3, 1951

Senator　HICKENLOOPER. Question No.5:Isn't your proposal for sea and air blockade of Red China the same strategy by which Americans achieved victory over the Japanese in the Pacific?

General MACARTHUR. Yes,sir.In the Pasific we bypassed them.We closed in.You must understand that Japan had an enormous population of nearly 80 million people,crowded into 4 islands.It was about half a farm population.The other half was engaged in industry.

Potentially the labor pool in Japan,both in quantity and quality,is as good as anything that I have ever known. Some place down the line they have discovered what you might call the dignity of labor, that men are happier when they are working and constructing than when they are idling.

This enormous capacity for work meant that they had to have something to work on.They built the factories, they had the labor,but they didn't have the basic materials.

There is practically nothing indigenous to Japan except the silkworm.

They lack cotton,they lack wool,they lack petoroleum products,they lack tin, they lack rubber,they lack a great many other things, all which was in the Asiatic basin.

They feared that if those supplies were cut off, there would be 10 to 12 million people unoccupied in Japan. Their purpose, therefore, in going to war was largely dictated by security.

.........................................
Japanese Translation（和訳）

第二次世界大戦における対日戦略(和訳)
　ヒッケンルーパー上院議員　では五番目の質問です。中共（原文はRed China）に対し海と空とから閉鎖してしまへといふ貴官の提案は、アメリカが太平洋において日本に対する勝利を収めた際のそれと同じ戦略ではありませんか。

マッカーサー　その通りです。太平洋において我々は彼らを迂回しました。我々は封じ込めたのです。日本は八千万に近い膨大な人口を抱へ、それが四つの島の中にひしめいているのだということを理解していただかなくてはなりません。その半分が農業人口で、あとの半分が工業生産に従事していました。

　潜在的に、日本の擁する労働力は量的にも質的にも、私がこれまでに接したいづれにも劣らぬ優秀なものです。歴史上のどの地点においてか、日本の労働者は、人間は怠けている時よりも、働き、生産してゐる時の方がより幸福なのだということ、つまり労働の尊厳と呼んでもよいようなものを発見していたのです。

　これほど巨大な労働能力を持つてゐるといふことは、彼らには何か働くための材料が必要だということを意味します。彼らは工場を建設し、労働力を有していました。しかし彼らは手を加へるべき原料を得ることができませんでした。

　日本は絹産業以外には、固有の産物はほとんど何も無いのです。彼らは綿が無い、羊毛が無い、石油の産出が無い、錫（すず）が無い、ゴムが無い。その他実に多くの原料が欠如している。そしてそれら一切のものがアジアの海域には存在していたのです。

　もしこれらの原料の供給を断ち切られたら、一千万から一千二百万の失業者が発生するであろうことを彼らは恐れていました。したがつて彼らが戦争に飛び込んで行った動機は、大部分が安全保障の必要に迫られてのことだったのです。

※昭和26年5月3日、米国議会上院の軍事外交合同委員会で行われた質疑応答の一部です。
 

Atomic Bomb's Day

　　This day came again. Lots of Japanese are still brainwashed that the bombing was legal and inevitable, though it was obviously a violation of international law and just a slaughter of defenceless women and children. Who wanted to wage the war were F.D.Roosevelt and Sir W. Churchill. As formerly confidential documents became open year by year, the historical facts are also known across the country. I hope that Japan would be a normal sovereign nation.
　　I'll show you an amazing story on the Japanese Constitution. This is drafted by several military personnel for only a few weeks during the time Japan was occupied. Is it valid from the viewpoint of the legislative process?

(Vocabulary)
sovereign nation   主権国家

Entry Refused

　　Three Diet members were refused entry to South Korea along with a specialist on the territorial issue. They flew to Seoul, but had to return to Japan on the same day. Their purpose was to visit Ulleung-do Island which is located at the east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan. It is also known as the nearest site to Takeshima Island which South Korea insists it has sovereignty over. As I wrote in this blog repeatedly, they have no persuasive evidence on their sovereignty. They have only distorted things that they call evidence. The Korean Government promotes Ulleung-do as the starting point for the sightseeing of Takeshima Island. The Japanese group just wanted to see how things were in Ulleung-do.
　　One thing, there is Tokdo Museum in Ulleung-do. (Tokdo is the Korean name of Takeshima Island.) Almost all of the items in the museum were already shot and shown to us Japanese and their distortion is apparent in Japan. There would be lots more things that the Korean Government didn't want to be seen. The monument in front of the museum reads "Tsushima Island is ours." It's incredible, but it might be natural for Korean people.
　　On the other hand, South Korean Diet members came to Shimane Prefecture in Japan to which Takeshima Island belongs. They burned Japan's national flag and made a fuss there though the Japanese group just intended to see around the island peacefully.
　　By the way, what's the legal basis to reject the entry of the Japanese Diet members? It seems like the adoption of a law against terrorists. They were taken as terrorists. Unbelievable! The relationship between Japan and Korea is just like between adults and kids. Japan has the issue left over for a long time, but we never increase their arrogance.
　　Koreans used to be slaves of the China for several centuries. Japan beat China and forced it to acknowledge the independence of Korea in 1895. Korea could become independent because of Japan. However, Korea was hopelessly undeveloped and Japan annexed Korea to protect the Korean people under unavoidable circumstances. It originated from the desire of most Korean people and lots of countries at that time. The above is historical fact, but the Koreans don't show any gratitude to Japan. That's why I feel the Koreans to be childish.

(Vocabulary)
Ulleung-do  鬱陵島 うつりょうとう
persuasive〈主張・証拠などが〉 説得力のある, 納得できる
make a fuss  騒ぎたてる, 不平を言う
increase 増長させる
legal basis  法的根拠
under unavoidable circumstances  仕方なく

Ishiyamadera Temple

　　This is the last entry with respect to the trip. After leaving Mt. Sanganesan, we took my daughter to her apartment and headed for Osaka. We were driving on the highway when my wife found the name of a famous temple on the map. We were just near the temple and got off the highway. It was late for visiting and the gate was closed as you can see in the picture, but we took a short walk around. The temple was "Ishiyamadera Temple", which is noted as the place where "Murasaki Sikibu" wrote that famous novel, "Genji Monogatari" in the 10th century. We wanted to see some historical records that the temple preserves, but couldn't.
　　There was the Setagawa river flowing out from Japan's biggest lake of Biwako in front of the temple. The service of the Setagawa sightseeing cruise had also ended for that day. This area is not so far from Kyoto which used to be the capital city of Japan from the 9th to 12th century.
　　After an hour's wandering, we started for Osaka. We could drive the car to Matsuyama City overnight, but it would be hard work and decided to use the ferry service in the opposite way to that which we had started for Toyama a few days before.

 

Mt. Sanganesan Monument Park

　　I've been in a quandary wondering how to describe the topic. I'll tell you about the spot which I  visited this day. When you have time, you would be well-advised to look into the topic by yourself, because this piece of writing might be insufficient for making you understand.
　　The story dates back to 1948. Seven heroes of Japan were executed as an act of revenge, what you call the Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals, on Dec. 23rd, the birthday of the present Priest King, "Ten-noh". From what I think, it shows the arrogance and atrocities committed by D. MacArthur when he chose this day for the execution. The present Priest King was the prince at that time, but the day was also celebrated across the country.
　　By the way, do you know what happened to their ashes? Most people wouldn't know how the ashes were treated. Lo and behold, the ashes were scheduled to to be thrown away in the Pacific Ocean on the next day of the execution just like the U.S. buried Bin Laden at sea. I thought that the U.S. hadn't changed at all even after 60 years, as I heard that the U.S. threw his body away.
　　Going back to the story of their ashes, some people sneaked into the crematorium after midnight of the execution day and took a part of their ashes out before the U.S. scatterred it on the ocean. The ashes are said to have been piled up in an offhand manner mixed with all the victims. They had kept it secretly for some time and the ashes were placed in the sanctuary of Mt. Sanganesan with some bumps and detours.
　　A half century has passed since then and this place must be a target of pilgrimage of ordinary Japanese people, you would think. To my sorrow, however, this place has been unnoticed for a long time. After the Greater East Asian War, lots of Japanese were brainwashed by the U.S., China and Russian communists, so Japanese patriots were afraid that the mourning facility could be ruined by them. Even now, the main media don't deal with this facility, but people came to know it via the internet. The members of the present Cabinet don't respect the war dead. Can you believe it? The Japanese way of thinking was on the brink of disappearance, but now people started to know the whole truth by watching the behaviour of China, Korea and Russia. It would be not long before the Japanese would wake up.
　　My wife, daughter and I prayed for the spirits to protect Japan. There were other many cenotaphs on Mt. Sanganesan and I found the memorial of the tank unit which repelled the Russian troops on Shumushu island. I wrote about the fight on this island before and I hope you'll read it, though it's a little long and is divided into 4 entries.

(Vocabulary)
in a quandary   途方に暮れて
sb would be well-advised to do sth  ＜人＞は＜…＞するほうが賢明である
You would be well-advised to accept his offer. 彼の申し出は受けたほうがいいですよ．
look into sth
1 ＜…＞を調査［捜査］する
The police are looking into the matter.  その件は警察が捜査中だ．[同意] investigate
2 ＜…＞を詳しく調べる, 検討する
That sounds like a good idea. I'll look into it.  いい考えですね．よく検討してみます．[同意] explore
the Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals  東京裁判
atrocity 通例複数形で，[U] (複 atrocities)  (戦時中などの) 残虐行為
lo and behold  驚くなかれ〔会話で相手の注意を引くために使われる〕
crematorium  火葬場
in an offhand manner  無造作に
with some bumps and detours  紆余曲折を経て
sanctuary  [C](米) (教会などの) 礼拝室／[C] (教会などの) 至聖所, 内陣, 最も神聖な場所
cenotaph  戦没者の慰霊碑
tank corps / tank unit  戦車隊

 
 
 
 
The engine of the bomber, B-29, found in Mikawa Bay after the war was placed here, praying for the crews' peace in heaven. They were also the victims of the war. I say again, I hate F.D.R., W. Churchill and J. Stalin, who were eager to wage the war and were real war criminals, I believe. 

"Minshuku" Guest House

　　There are various types of hotels in Japan; western style hotels, Japanese traditional ones, youth hostels, riders' houses, dormitories, , , . Among them, the accommodations which are run by ordinary people are called Minshuku. They give their guests meals and overnight stays in their houses. Most traditional houses in Gokayama provide this type of stay to visitors and I became intersted in the life of the mountainside. Especially, what is life like here in the winter? I'm thinking of visiting there again and staying for a few days in the winter. You can see the scenery of winter in Gokayama village here.

About the structure of the houses:
The floor was designed higher than usual, because people were cultivating the soil under the floor. Potassium nitrate, which was the main material of gunpowder, was secretly produced by biochemical methods here. Various plants, feces of silkworms, human urine and some other marerials were put into a hole under the floor and cultured for years. People live on the first floor and the heat goes up to the upper floors. It helped raise silkworms to obtain silk. After that the heat went out of the house through the roof which was made of straw.

　　Ancestors' wisdom is concentrated in this style of house. These houses thoroughly deserve a World Heritage designation, I think.

(Vocabulary)
potassium nitrate  硝酸カリウム
designation [U] 指名, 任命, 指定／[C] 称号, 呼称, 名称

 
 
 

Gokayama (World Heritage)

　　Last night, we spent a happy time with people who would become relatives soon and slept well and truly.
　　By the way, we were going to drop in at or stay in Itoshiro village for a day, which was known as the home of mountain stream fishing. The mineral-rich subsoil water from Mt. Hakusan pours into the Itoshiro river and it makes the river abundant in fish. Naturally we'd enjoy fishing there, but because it had been raining in the Hakusan mountain region for a week, the amount of water was dangerously high. The fishing became impossible and so we visited Gokayama historical village, which is notable for its distinctive roof structure of houses called the "Gassho dukuri" style. "Gassho" means the shape of hands when people pray for something in a shrine or somewhere like that. Can you imagine? Both hands put together palm to palm. My expression might be incomplete and I hope you'll see them in the picture below.
　　This region is surrounded by mountains and has been isolated for centuries. The feudal lord of this region made people produce gunpowder evading the inspection of the tycoon in power at that time. Actually, even now, this region is known as one of most snowy areas in Japan. People would build such style houses so as not to be flattened by the weight of snow.

(Vocabulary)
mountain stream  渓流
river-bed water / subsoil flow[water] / underflow water  伏流水
gunpowder  火薬

 

Location of "Sakano Ueno Kumo"

　　"Sakano Ueno Kumo" is the title of a famous novel written by Ryotaro Shiba, dealing with the Japanese-Russo War (1904-05). Just for your information, greedy Russia hatched a plot to invade Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula and Japan at that time and Japan was able to foil the plot and fight them back in the war. It was the first-ever war that the colored race could repel the white race. All Asian and colored people erupted into cheers and applause for Japan's victory because lots of countries and areas in Asia and Africa were ruled by the white people then.
　　To continue, the major naval battle fought during the war is the Battle of Tsushima, commonly known as the "Sea of Japan Naval Battle" in Japan. The flagship of the Japanese fleet was "Battleship Mikasa" and I wrote about the battleship (1, 2, 3) before.
　　Now my friend is shooting the NHK TV drama "Sakano Ueno Kumo" as the executive producer. He talked with me about the location site of the drama and I had wanted to visit the site. The site, then, was on my way to today's destination, Toyama City. Naturally, we visited there and expected the full-scale Mikasa, but it was disappointing.
　　That is to say, it was built only for shooting the drama and not for the museum which has historical significance. The stern of the ship was omitted and the space under the left side of the deck was the storage space for shooting materials and stage properties. The commander, Heihachirou Togo, is said to have stood still on the deck during the fight to know how things went on against the risk of his life. The place where he was standing must have been important in terms of shooting the drama, but it was not set up. That scene would have been shot in another place using a smaller set or something. To my surprise, this backlot was utilized not only as Mikasa, but as Russian military vessels as well. Some pictures were displayed and I'll show you some of them. The destroyed Russian battleships in the pictures were reproduced on this same Mikasa. It would be an usual way of shooting movies.

 
 
 
 
 
 

(Vocabulary)
location / shooting place  ロケ地
Japanese-Russo War 日露戦争
Manchuria  満州
hatch a plot  陰謀を企てる, たくらむ
foil a plot  陰謀を阻止する
To continue,  話を続けますが、
as large ［big］ as life / full-scale 実物大の
stage properties 小道具
backlot (映画会社所有の) 野外撮影用地
reproduce  再現する

Eiheiji Temple 1

　　We parked our car in the parking lot in front of the temple and stepped into the grounds of the temple which was forested as I'll show you in the picture at the foot of this entry. Visitors were allowed to take pictures freely inside the temple with a few exceptions. I'll post those pictures in the next entry and I'd like to write about the outline of the temple at this time.
　　Eiheiji temple was built in 1244 by a Zen Monk, Dogen, and so it means that the temple has almost eight centuries' history. This temple is the home of Zen monks and is famous for its long history, tradition and strict rules. However, it's not only due to them, but a noted TV program as well that it is so famous. NHK airs a program, "Yukutoshi, Kurutoshi", which means "passing year and upcoming year" in English, once a year for an hour from 23:45 on Dec 31st. In this program, Eiheiji temple has been frequently featured. Fukui prefecture, that Eiheiji belongs to, is very snowy and the scene of the Zen seated meditation in heavy snow evokes some special sensation in our minds. So, most Japanese know at least the name of Eiheiji.
　　Something survives after lots of hardships through eight centuries. Don't you think it amazing?

(Vocabulary)
religious meditation / seated meditation / Zen sitting meditation  座禅

(Vocabulary from comments)
serenity　(人の) 穏やかさ, 安らかさ／ (場所などの) 穏やかさ, のどかさ
reverence [U](フォーマル) 尊敬, 敬意 [＋reverence for]
Your/His Reverence (やや古)  尊師 (聖職者に対する敬称)
timeless 時代を超えた, 不朽の／(文) 永遠の, 永久(とわ)の
landscaping  造園／景観設計
line.....curve
in unison  同時に, いっせいに
work/act in unison   一致協力して働く［行動する］
betterment (フォーマル) (社会的・経済的地位の) 向上, 出世
for the betterment of sb/sth   ＜…＞を向上させるために［の］
epitomize …を集約的に示す, の典型である

Shizugadake Service Area

　　We arrived in Osaka at 6:00 in the morning. After breakfast on the ferry, I left for Eiheiji Temple, one of the most famous temples in Japan which was located on our route. Just when we got  off the ferry, I found that the navigation system was upset, and it was funny. It was just like the system looked like a live person. I knew the reason why the system didn't work. I inputted today's drive plan into my car navigation system last night when we had started. That meant, the car was transported with its engine stopped. If you place yourself in the system's position, it must have recognized that the car had moved 200 km in a second. Anyway, it was no use if I'd have left it. I re-inputted the destination in the system.
　　To the engineers' credit, the system worked perfectly after that as I had expected. We smoothly went up north on the highway and took a short rest at the Shizugadake Service Area, which is at the northern end of Japan's biggest lake, Biwako. The term "Service Area" might be a Japanese-made English word and let me add a remark about it. The Japanese highways are all toll roads. If you leave the highway, you are charged the toll fare. So, various kinds of services are offered to users of the highways. Restaurants, hotels, shower rooms, dog runs, gas stations and so on. These services are available in the service areas.
　　When we dropped in at this service area, the maintenance of the street lights was under way. I'd never seen it and was watching how things went on for more than five minutes. When I got back to our car, my wife laughed at me, saying that several people were watching me while I was looking up at the work.
　　One more thing, Shizugadake is one of the famous historic battlefields, which I have been eager to visit, but I'd never done it until now. Everytime I passed here by train in the second picture, I wished I had come here by car. This time, however, I came here by car, but we didn't have enough time to get off the highway and walk around the ancient battlefield. I could just take pictures pointing toward the historic site. I'll visit there next time.

(Vocabulary)
place oneself in sb's position  （人）の身になってみる
to someone's credit （人）の名誉のために言っておくと
point [他] （銃・カメラなど）を向ける／《[自]常に＋[副]/[前]》(銃・カメラなどが) 向けられる
point a gun/knife/weapon at sb　銃［ナイフ，武器］を＜人＞に向ける
The man pointed the gun at him and told him to keep still.　男は彼に銃を向け，じっとしてろと言った．
point at sb/sth　 ＜…＞に向けられる
When he woke, a gun was pointing at his head.　彼が目を覚ますと，頭に銃が向けられていた．

(Vocabulary from comments)
funnel  じょうご／(機関車・汽船などの) 煙突
《[他]常に＋[副]/[前]》 (じょうごを使って) 〈液体など〉 を注ぐ
《[自]常に＋[副]/[前]》 (狭い場所を) 通り抜ける
《[他]常に＋[副]/[前]》 (狭い場所に) 〈大勢の人・たくさんの物など〉 を通す
ambush　待ち伏せ（攻撃）／…を待ち伏せ攻撃する
archer 　弓の射手, 弓術家

 

Do not build homes below this point!

　　I think there are numerous stone monuments in Japan, but nothing is more well-known than this monument in the picture now. It reads that homes built on higher ground would make you happy; don't forget the huge disaster by the tsunami and don't build homes below this point!
　　Lots of households could have reportedly avoided damage by the tsunami following this ancient tradition. I admired the idea of the ancestors that built the monument at the highest reach of the tsunami.
　　It would be our task to inform posterity of the calamity.

(Vocabulary)
stone marker/monument 石碑
tradition （口伝による）言い伝え

A Historic Island

　　I asked my parents to go on a short trip to a small island in the Seto Inland Sea. My parents have visited many places in the world, but don't know much about the islands near their hometown. I chose an island which they had never visited. Our ferry dropped in at an uninhabited islet on the way, and I recalled the role of this island before the Greater East Asian War. I'm writing about this tiny islet, Ohkunoshima island. You can find it in Wikipedia, but I'd like to revise the entry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ckunoshima

　　Japan was a signatory on the 1925 Geneva Protocol banning the use of poison gas, but didn't ratify it. Additionally, it was also legal to develop and keep poisonous gas at that time. This island was the scene of the development of poisonous gas. This 4.3 km-around tiny island has now become a big tourist attraction with historic facilities concerned with the manufacturing of poisonous gas. We didn't get off the ferry today, but I felt like visiting this island some day.

(Vocabulary)
desert ［deserted］ island // uninhabited island / islet  無人島

 

Friend or Enemy?

A month has passed since the unprecedented huge earthquake and tsunami devastated the eastern part of Japan. I wrote about the resilience of Japan in the past entry; I'm writing about the current picture of Japan in my eyes this time.
The affected people are showing undaunted exertion. Each and every person does what he/she can/should do. The tsunami deprived them of their loved ones, houses, possessions and bread and butter. Fishermen lost their boats, farms for sea products and seafood processing factories. Various kinds of rubble on the bottom of the coast curb the use of the ports. 78% of the rice fields along the coast were damaged by seawater. What's more, in some areas, seawater is still on the fields, because of the ground sinking. Little kids lost their books and stationery. Most of their kindergardens and schools were also damaged. In such helpless conditions, the assistance of the U.S. was really, really, helpful and I'm grateful. I will never forget their friendship and Tomodachi Operation. I'll hand it down in posterity.
Next, I'd like to talk about the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station. I read several reports written in English, German and Korean. I was very disappointed with them. It's not the nuclear power generation but the unbelievably terrible tsunami that is responsible for this accident. Lots of European people apparently insist on abandoning the nuclear plant, not improving the security of the plant. The nuclear explosion occurred in Chernobyl, but the nuclear fission reaction was shut off a second after the earthquake in Fukushima. I'm not sure, but this looks like a way higher technique. Additionally, no one died in this crisis.
There's an amazing fact that wasn't broadcast overseas. Just when the earthquake broke out, 27 Shinkansen bullet trains were in service in the affected area. Several of them were at their top speed, over 300km/h. Guess what became of those trains. None of them derailed. No passengers were injured. Can you believe it? The earthquake state, California's Governor, Mr. Schwarzenegger, would have to choose Japanese technology for California's super-express train project.
Now, I'll write about the aid from overseas. Lots of countries operated warm-hearted relief efforts for Japan. I'd like to pick four countries, such as Israel, Taiwan, China and South Korea in this entry.
Several Japanese media, like NHK, Asahi Newspaper and Mainichi Newspaper are known for their biased coverage. They didn't want to cover the aid by Israel and Taiwan on one hand, and willingly report the aid by China and Korea. Why?
In the Greater East Asian War, Japan had a military pact with Germany which persecuted the Jews, but Japan rescued lots of Jews and helped them to move to the U.S. against the policy of Nazi Germany. It is a historical fact. The central figure of this plan was Mr. Hideki Tojo, who was accused and hanged as one of the war criminals in the Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals. This fact is very inconvenient for some liberal groups. Though the Israel team stayed in the affected area and continued its efforts even after the nuclear crisis, the above-mentioned media didn't report them. However, lots of Japanese could know of their devotion via the internet.
In Taiwan, ordinary people raised relief funds and the total of the fund got over that of the U.S. This fund was raised by not the company, or some welfare groups, but private ordinary people! I was moved. However, this fact wasn't reported in Japan and Prime Minister Kan didn't show any gratitude to Taiwan, so voluntary people raised money for advertisement in the Taiwanese newspaper. Their target was 2,400,000 yen, but the donation reached 20,000,000 yen. I'd like Taiwanese to know our feelings of gratitude.
The second largest GDP country, China, sent only 13 people for rescue, but apparently they only took lots of pictures and didn't work so hard. They were thought to be kind of spies or they would sell pictures to the Chinese media privately.
When Japanese authorities announced a Japanese textbook of history, the South Korean people stopped raising money against it. They were the people which I had expected. No matter what textbook Japan adopts, it is an internal affair. I realized their narrow-mindedness.
In such difficult times, Japan was being threatening by some countries. Russia frequently dispatched scout planes and fighter jets along the border and Japan had to scramble fighter jets while the Japan Self Defence Force was performing rescue tasks. China is also threatening the coast guards around the Senkaku Islands. South Korea is building a new military facility on Takeshima Island which is Japanese territory.
The Japanese genetically hate disputes. The Japanese tend to prefer an apology and concessions rather than a dispute, but there are limits. The above-mentioned stupid three countries seem to be trying our patience. They should know that they are playing a tragic adventure.
Even though the media are foolish, people can get the exact information from the net. I think Japan will change by getting rid of the influence of the GHQ and McArthur.

(Vocabulary)
picture 《常に単数形で》 状況, 情勢
the big/bigger/wider picture   全体像, 大局
It's important not to lose sight of the big picture. 全体像を見失わないことが大切である．
Give me the picture of Japan in your eyes. あなたが見た日本の様子を教えてください。
undaunted  (困難などに対して) くじけない, ひるまない
exertion   a lot of physical or mental effort
bread and butter 生活の糧
be damaged by seawater 塩害を受ける
ground sinking 地盤沈下
nuclear fission reaction  核分裂反応
biased coverage 偏向報道
internal affair / matter of internal politics  内政問題
narrow-minded 心の狭い, 偏狭な, 狭量な
narrow-mindedness  偏狭, 狭量
scout plane 偵察機
give way 譲歩する
concession 譲歩

A Sincere Gratitude

　　I'm writing about Mr.YL who has frequently given comments since several weeks ago. I know that he is from the U.S. judging from his IP address and imagine that he is learning Japanese.
　　Japanese and English are completely different languages from each other. I think that it is one of the reasons why most Japanese are misunderstood. Certain medias like the New York Times, frequently accuse Japan over unprovoked causes. I have thought for a long time that it's impossible to make Americans understand the spiritual aspects of the Japanese, but it was just plain wrong.
　　The name of Mr. Toshio Tamogami and Mr. Bun'yu Kou appears in his comment. This surprised me very much. Why does an American know them? They are conducting an educational campaign for brainwashed people with a masochistic view of the history of Japan. What's more, he knew the website of the Society of the Dissemination of Historical Facts (http://www.sdh-fact.com/). His comment was just what I wanted to affirm. Please check his comment. (Link)

(Vocabulary)
unprovoked 〈攻撃・非難などが〉 いわれのない, 正当な理由のない
plain まったく, すごく
(just) plain stupid/wrong/bad まったくばかげた［間違った，ひどい］
masochistic view of history 自虐史観
affirm
1 [他](フォーマル) …を断言する, 肯定する
2 [他](フォーマル) 〈考え・感情など〉 を支持する

Sprit of Japan

I'm writing about the spirit of Japan in reply to Mr/Ms YL's comment in my entry of "Resilience".
Japan was attacked by propaganda from China and Korea after the Greater East Asian War. Some people held out against them, but the Japanese Government did not take protective measures against them. They were desperately useless. Consequently lots of Japanese were brainwashed and came to think that Japan used to be an evil nation. I believe that all the Japanese will stand up against those critics when it is required.
Modesty or to be humble is a virtue for the Japanese. The DNA of the Japanese always tries to avoid conflict with others. The result of this virtue is the Russian unlawful occupation of the Kuril Islands and the southern half of Karafuto (Sakhalin in Russian). South Korea's unlawful occupation of Takeshima is the same. China is taking advantage of the Japanese virtue.
If you want to know Japan and the Japanese, read "Bushido: The Soul of Japan" written by Inazo Nitobe. It is written in English. I wrote some entries about Inazo Nitobe before. Additionally, I want you to access the website of the Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact. Lastly I'll show you the links to the society and my entries concerning Inazo Nitobe.

http://www.sdh-fact.com/

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/07/a-new-acquainta.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/03/nitobe-memorial.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/01/ski-schedule.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/08/taking-a-walk-i.html

(Vocabulary)
hold out against 対抗する
take advantage of people's misfortunes 人の不幸につけ込む

(From comments)
proletariat ［無産］階級, プロレタリアート [同意] working-class
See the 3rd comment of this entry! Very useful and highly suggestive!
manifest (感情・態度など)を表明する
be manifested in/through sth ＜…＞に［を通じて］はっきりと表れる
manifest itself（問題・症状などが) 現れる, 目に見えてくる
on a silver tray　　See the 3rd comment of this entry!
stature 評価
of stature  評価されている
the masses 《複数扱い》 一般大衆, 庶民
denominator 分母
lowest common denominator
(けなして) (万人にとっての) 共通項 (専門) 最小公分母
[同意] least common denominator(米)
lightweight (けなして) 取るに足らぬ人, 小者,軽薄な人,根性なし
class 一流の
demagogue 扇動政治家
demagogy (demagoguery とも) [名] [U]（民衆）扇動
demagogic  [形]扇動的な
statecraft 政治的活動, 政治的手腕
a school of thought  (ある集団の共有する) 考え方, 見解
There are two main schools of thought on the subject. その問題については2つの主流となる見解がある．
discredit
[他] …の信用［威信］を傷つける
《[他]通例受け身形で》 〈理論・報告など〉 の信憑(しんぴょう)性を失わせる
a discredited theory 信憑性を失った理論
venture an opinion 思い切って［あえて］意見を言う
in medical/scientific/advertising parlance 医学［科学，広告業界］用語で
in common/popular/ordinary parlance 平易な言葉で言えば
Joe Six-pack, the Great Unwashed    See the 3rd comment.

 

What I Learned From Libya

　　The unrest in Libya is also broadcast almost every day in Japan. I wonder why Libyans hate Libyans so much that they kill each other relentlessly? What reason for excusing their slaughter do they have? I read some books about African history and I understood that there had been lots of armed intervention by the European superpowers into the African Continent in previous times. It was more harsh than I had learned in my high school days.
　　In Africa most borders were marked out, not considering African native people but suiting the  convenience of Europe. It is said that lots of kinds of people live in Libya, like Arabs, Berber and other African tribes. They have their own views and agendas. The majority are Sunni Muslim, but some people are Coptic Christians. It might be impossible for these people to get together and shape a single nation. Will the conflict drag on for a long time?
　　Japan is located in the far east of Eurasia. In a fixed area, with almost a single ethnicity and almost a sole history, Japanese people have survived on the globe since recorded history. Though there are several dialects, people use Japanese for daily communication. The people who live in Japan are the Japanese public. The way of thinking is alike. It might be an extremely special occasion. I reached this conclusion.
　　This might be the reason for the incredible stability of Japan. Despite frequent replacements of the prime minister, the social status is calm with a few rare exceptions. Armed uprisings have seldom broken out in Japan after the Edo era, which started in 1603 and continued until 1868. In this period, the social security was extremely stable and science technology and various cultures developed remarkably. These accumulations of technologies and cultures surely became the basis of the present Japan.
　　I hit on a curious idea now. The words, "country", "nation" and "state" are translated into Japanese as a single word, "kuni". This fact makes it difficult for me to distinguish between these three words. For example, in European countries and the States, different ethnic people live and different languages are spoken and there are different cultures in one country. It might be the reason that English has various words that stand for the Japanese word, "kuni".
　　Anyway, I hope that Libya will became a secure country soon.

(Vocabulary)
in previous times かつて
mark sth out  (線を引いて) ＜場所など＞を区切る, 仕切る
ethnicity  民族性, 民族意識
uprising  反乱, 暴動, （武装）蜂起