Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Moji Port

　　I went across the Kan'mon channel to Moji Port, which is on the other side of Shimonoseki and also has a long history as a connecting port between Honshu and Kyushu. However, after the completion of Kan'monkyo bridge, which connects Honshu and Kyushu, Moji became a city just to pass by. Several historic buildings in the city implied the old prosperity. I dropped in at an ongoing restaurant at which Albert Einstein had dinner.
　　I happened to see a cutting-edge patrol ship of Japan's Coast Guard mooring at Shimonoseki on the way back to Shimonoseki from Moji Port. I heard that this type of patrol ship was designed to suppress Chinese overbearing and unreasonable behaviour in the East China Sea.
　　China is out of my thoughts and out of global common sense. This country would continue to cause a variety of turmoil globally. I get depressed to think of this country. Anyway, getting back to my hotel, I prepared for tomorrow's marathon.

(Nov. 2nd)

九州の最北端に位置している港で古い歴史がある。以前は下関と連絡船で結ばれ活気を呈していたが、今や、橋と海底トンネルで結ばれ連絡船は廃止されている。そのモニュメントがあった。港一帯は古い歴史を感じさせる建物が多く、アインシュタインが立ち寄り食事をしたというレストランも残っていた。門司と下関を結ぶ観光船から最新型の巡視艇を見た。シナの横暴に対応するため建造されたものの一隻。世界の常識からは考えられない国である。これからもいろいろなもめ事を起こすのだろうなあとこの国のことを考えると暗澹たる思いがする。 ホテルに戻り、明日の準備を整えて２１時は就寝　明日に備える。

Shimonoseki

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

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

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

Imamiya Jinja Shrine

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

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

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

Cinderella Story

　　You surely know the Cinderella Story. Also in Japan that surely existed in reality.
　　A poor girl who was born in a vegetable shop in Kyoto in the early 17th century married into the Tokugawa clan. She finally became the real mother of the 4th Shogun of Edo Shogunate (1603-1867). She went into the castle on a beautiful palanquin, which is called "Tama no Koshi" in Japanese and this phrase is now often used to describe a girl who got a good fortune in marriage.
　　She is said to have often visited a shrine to pray for happiness for her family. The shrine is now selling several kinds of charms and one of them is "Tama no Koshi" charm for girls who wish for affluent and happy lives. My friend has two daughters and I have three. We visited the shrine to get the charms. (grin)

(Vocabulary)
palanquin 　輿

 

 

Souken-in Temple

　　I put up at my friend's house last night. Chatting with him and his family, time went by really fast to us. We knew each other at a crammer for a junior high school. We both passed the exam and spent six years in the same school. Then he proceeded to Kyoto University. We parted at that time, but have kept in touch since then. Our friendship would become more than 50 years.
　　I was taken to Souken-in Temple, which is open to the public for a limited term yearly. Do you know Hideyoshi or Nobunaga? They are prominent figures in Japan's history. This temple was built by Hideyoshi for Nobunaga, whose tomb was set in the grounds of this temple. A variety of things concerning Nobunaga were exhibited in the main building, but taking pictures was prohibited. Knowing that this temple was open to the public on this day, my friend apparently took me to this temple. I'm interested in the history and culture of Japan, and his selection was great.
　　I found an unusual tomb near Nobunaga's and took some pictures. It looked like a famous musician's, whom I didn't know. The tomb was equipped with a music machine and illuminations. I searched him on the internet later and knew that he was a pioneer of Japan's jazz scene.

(Vocabulary)
crammer a special school that prepares people quickly for examinations

昨夜は友人宅に泊めてもらい、楽しい夜だった。お互いの状況を話しながら時間の経つのを忘れた。地元の有名中学を受験するための予備校で知り合い、ともに合格し、彼は京都大学へ進学したので大学からは別だったが、連絡を絶やさず、もう５０年以上の付き合いになる。

今日はまず、総見院を見学することとした。信長の菩提寺が特別に公開されているという。撮影禁止のものが多くて紹介できないが、よくぞ保存してきたものだと驚く。茶室も見学して寺をあとにしたが、奇抜な墓を発見したので載せておく。信長の墓から３０メートルくらいの距離にあった。有名なジャズバンドの構成員らしい。機械は壊れていたが、ボタンを押すと音楽が流れるようにつくってあったのだろうと思われた。

Jidaisai, Traditional Costume Festival

　　The purpose of this trip was to view "Jidaisai", the traditional Costume Festival. I had planned this trip half a year ago. I'd also like to see my longtime friend at that time. This festival has been held on Oct. 22nd every year, but the day of this year was assigned to the 126th Ten'noh's enthronement ceremony and this festival was to be held on Saturday this weekend. If the weather was not ideal for the festival, the festival was supposed to be postponed to the next day, Sunday, so I understood that I would view the parade of lots of performers wrapped up with traditional clothes even if Saturday was rainy.
　　The parade of Jidaisai started at Kyoto Imperial Palace and continued more than two hours. We set two folding chairs on the roadside and got on standby. The 50th Ten'noh, Kanmu (781- 806 on the throne) started to live in Kyoto in 794 and Kyoto became the principal place in Japan at that time. 1200 years have already passed since then, and the banner which 8th century's ladies had was the slogan to get together to preserve ancient traditions and to develop at the same time toward the 1300th years.
　　Tastelessly, the top runner of the parade was a police car, but the next were mounted policemen specially outfitted with 8th century noble people's costume who were usually positioned in the Kyoto Imperial Palace. I didn't understand the role of the following man in the first picture, but I got it after a while. Several staff members were collecting the feces of horses and cows. Thank you for cleaning!
　　Starting with the Meiji Period (1868 to 1911), the periods were getting old. Ordinary people, adults and kids, nobles, samurai-warriors, famous historical figures, and so on. I enjoyed it very much.

http://www.heianjingu.or.jp/festival/jidaisai.html

京都へ来た理由は時代祭を見るため。半年前から予定していた。長く会っていなかった友人にも会いたかったし。毎年１０月２２日に開催されてきたが、今年は新天皇の即位の礼のため、２６日土曜日に変更された。万一雨の場合翌日に延期なので、雨でも翌日に見ることができる。時代祭は御所を出発し２時間以上のパレード。京都に天皇が住むようになったのは７９４年。その後、１２００年が過ぎ、パレードの先頭には遷都１３００年に向けて頑張っていこうという横断幕。パレードの先頭は、パトカーだった。風情の無いことだと思っていたら次に来たのは、御所を護る警察騎馬隊。後ろを歩く人の役割が不明だったが、ずっと後に続くパレードを見ていてわかった。馬の糞を回収する警察官の人だった。ご苦労様。明治時代の衣装に始まり、だんだんと古くなる。庶民、貴族、その時代の衣装に身を包んだ人たち、歴史上の有名人などの列が２時間も続いた。楽しめた。

In the Grounds

　　While wandering in the grounds of Nanzen-ji Temple, I came across a well-remembered scene. You see the bridge-like building in the following pictures, which was a part of Biwako Sosui that I wrote about in the previous entries. This place has often been utilized in various TV dramas as murder scenes, like this situation; someone finds a body while jogging in the early morning. I uttered "Those films were taken here!" Climbing up the nearby slope, more than 100 year-old waterway worked even today. I felt that all the people concerned in this big project were great to leave a benefit to posterity. Then we entered the main building of Nanzen-ji Temple. Its national treasure-class properties and garden were really wonderful and I was thankful for the efforts of preservation by those who have gone before us.

(Vocabulary)
posterity 子孫, 後世の人々

Biwako Sosui

　　We climbed up the dead track and reached the end of a small canal, which connects Biwako Lake and Kyoto. The dead track seemed to have been utilized to lift boats to the surface of the canal. This canal was built as the solution of water shortage in Kyoto, and it was apparently also used as the route of transportation of commodities. The former logistics or distribution route is now open to visitors. You can travel on the canal in a boat. When I reached the canal end, a small sightseeing boat was about to start. I wanted to get on the boat someday. The last picture shows a small scale hydroelectric power station. This facility is also run by the water from Biwako Lake.

World's Only Emperor's Enthronement in the World's Oldest Country

　　The 126th Ten'noh, who has been frequently translated into "Emperor", proclaimed his enthronement globally today. Lots of people were invited to the ceremony. Precisely saying, 1999 people were in attendance including overseas dignitaries from 191 countries and organizations. Counting only kings, there were nine kings from Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Tonga. Keenly being interested worldwide, CNN broadcast the ceremony live and several international news agencies reported promptly. There would be no other domestic occasions that collect such dignitaries and celebrities, and attracts interest from all over the world.
　　It would be due to the positioning of Ten'noh which is listed as the emperor class, i.e. higher than that of kings in addition to the efforts of the Japanese Royal Household to build friendly relationships with lots of counties in the world. It was the enthronement of the single emperor of the world that we watched today.
　　However, FYI, "Emperor" means having absolute power, just like the emperors of the Roman Empire and Chinese Dynasties, whose nature is completely and totally different from that of Ten'noh. I'm thankful that Ten'noh is highly and globally evaluated, but we Japanese should spread the essential qualities of Ten'noh, saying "Ten'noh" is "Ten'noh", not "Emperor". I raised national flags at the entrance and the living room in my house.

　１０月２２日、即位礼正殿の儀が開かれ、参列者は1999人、海外からも１９１カ国・機関の元首・首脳級が参加した。国王だけでも、オランダ・ウィレム・アレクサンダー国王夫妻、ベルギー・フィリップ国王夫妻、スウェーデン・カール１６世グスタフ国王、スペイン・フェリペ６世国王夫妻、ブータン・ワンチュク国王夫妻、ブルネイ・ボルキア国王、カンボジア・ノロドム・シハモニ国王、マレーシア・アブドラ第１６代国王夫妻、トンガ・ツポウ６世国王夫妻が参列。
　国際的な関心も高く、アメリカのＣＮＮは儀式の模様を中継し、海外の通信社も次々と速報を発した。およそ、一国内の儀式でこれほど多くの元首・首脳級が集まり、国際的にも関心を集めるものはないのではないか。
　これも戦後日本が世界各国と友好関係を築いてきた事に加えて、日本の天皇が国際社会で唯一のエンペラー(皇帝)級、すなわちキング(国王)よりも格式が高いと位置づけられている事も一因だろう。我々が目の当たりにしたのは、世界一古い国の、世界で唯一のエンペラーの即位式なのであろう。
　もっとも、エンペラーとはローマ帝国や中華帝国の皇帝という「権力者」であり、その本質は天皇とはまるで違う。国際社会が高く評価してくれるのは良いが、天皇の本質の理解をもっと広める必要がある。そのためにも、まずは国民の間での理解を深めることが必要だろう。

Kinuyama District

　　One of the high-ranked preparatory schools in western Japan was transferred from the city center of Matsuyama to the outskirts 47 years ago. At the same time, the railroad station was built nearby for students and an increasing number of folk houses were built around the station. This district was originally the place where many poor populations resided and there was an elementary and junior high combined school for North Korean kids which had been built by North Korea or the municipal nursing facility for government welfare-payment recipients. The area was very inconvenient for living, so the price of land was cheap. Though the area was such a place, the housing land development started taking this opportunity. When the school was transferred, I carried something with my teachers and friends. I remember it just like it only happened yesterday. One of my daughters and I graduated from this school. I recall the rural and deserted scenery of half a century ago. When I think of those days, I feel I'm living in a completely different age.
　　However, there is something which didn't change for half a century one way or the other. I dropped in at one of them, the ruins of Kinuyama executing grounds, which is currently maintained by Matsuyama prison. I'd like to write about this site.

４７年前、西日本有数の進学校が松山市中央部から郊外に移転した。それと同時に生徒の便を考え電車の駅が作られ、周辺には住宅が建ち並ぶようになった。 僕の母校であり、長女も通った学校だ。４７年前、移転時に荷物を運んだ覚えがある。また、発展する前のこの地域の様子もはっきりと覚えている。朝鮮学校、生活保護受給者のための介護施設などの施設があった貧しい地区で、元々人の住むような場所では無かったのだが、学校の移転により地域の開発が本格化したのだ。 隔世の感がする。
しかし、この半世紀に変わらなかったものもある。その一つ、衣山刑場跡地にジョギングの途中寄ってみた。なんら変わっていなかった。この場所のことは、いずれ書きたいと思っている。

Kochi Gokoku-jinja Shrine

　　Gokoku-jinja Shrines are often seen across Japan. At least more than 40 shrines exist, but they might not be well known abroad. Accurately and literally translated, Gokoku-jinja means "guardian of the state shrine", or "a shrine for the war dead", i.e., it's for honoring the war dead and praying for divine protection.
　　I was asked to work at a hospital in Kochi prefecture today and visited Kochi Gokoku-jinja Shrine before work. The shrine was deeply quiet in a little chilly air. Several monuments to the dead were built. I put my hands together at every monument.

Niihau Island

　　I saw Niihau island through the window while climbing down. Our tour guide started briefing us on the island. The seashells from this island seemed to be characteristic of the island. After some Japanese entertainer knew of the seashells and made them popular, lots of Japanese people apparently come to buy them, though I didn't know anything about that. The guide was talking only about seashells on Niihau island. I wanted to know about the Niihau incident, especially the opinions of local people on it. She talked with a mask-like face, which you see in the faces of the patients of Parkinson syndrome. I felt uneasy, or scared, and I didn't ask her about the incident.
　　Getting back to about 80 years ago, military planes which took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor and got some damage, and weren't able to return to the aircraft carrier, were designated to make an emergency landing on Niihau island and wait for the arrival of the rescue submarine. A zero fighter which was controlled by a young pilot from Imabari city, near my hometown made a crash landing on the way back from Pearl Harbor. While he was sitting unconscious, confidential papers and his handgun were stolen by one of the locals. He tried to take them back, but negotiations didn't work and his lonely war against local people broke out. The rescue unit didn't show up for some reason or other. The news about Pearl Harbor traveled to this island and the conflict got fiercer. A Japanese American happened to be staying on the island at that time. He was moved by the pilot's speech about his mother country, Japan. He cooperated with the pilot and fought the locals, but they were eventually killed.
　　The U.S. Government placed an emphasis on this incident. Japanese Americans who pledged that they shall follow the U.S. rules can easily become genuine Japanese back. The public opinion insisted that Japanese Americans should be taken into custody. Japanese Americans who were living in Hawaii were sent to the mainland and a regiment consisting only of Japanese Americans was formed, which was that famous 442 regiment. The 442 regiment rescued lots of U.S. soldiers in France who were surrounded by German troops and were living on borrowed time or on the brink of annihilation. This regiment is known for the highest rate of mortality in U.S. military history. A man from this regiment lost his right arm in the fight and became a senator in after years. His name is now added on the international airport in Honolulu. I joined my hands in prayer seeing Niihau island from the minivan, for the sake of the young pilot, Nishikaichi and his co-worker, having a hatred for people who had loved the war at the same time.
　　The following pictures were shot by myself. The 1st one is Niihau island. The second and later were shot last year in the Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor. They show the zero fighter at the crash landing site.

ワイメア峡谷から山を下る途中でニイハウ島が見えた。ガイドがニイハウ島の説明を始めた。日本の芸能人が注目したということでこの島の貝殻が有名なのだそうだ。貝殻の話ばかりしていた。そんなことより、ニイハウ島事件について地元の考えを聞きたかったのに一切触れず。パーキンソン症候群の患者のような仮面様顔貌で話すガイドが少し不気味でこの事件のことは質問できなかった。

真珠湾攻撃の日、機関故障などで空母まで戻ることの出来ない攻撃機の一時避難場所がニイハウ島に設定されていて、戻れない場合はこの島へ不時着して救助の潜水艦を待つことになっていた。そして、今治市出身の若者の操縦する零戦が一機不時着した。気を失っている間に機密書類と拳銃が島民によって盗まれ、それを取り返すべく、彼のたった一人での戦争が始まった。救助の潜水艦は何かの理由で現れなかったのだ。ビジネスでたまたま島に滞在していた一人の日系アメリカ人が彼に協力したが、真珠湾攻撃のことがこの島へとやがて伝わり、大きな闘いとなり、二人は結局戦死する。彼はパイロットが熱く語る母国への想いに感動し、彼に味方したのだ。

アメリカ政府はこの事件を重く見た。アメリカ市民として誓いを立てたはずの日系人は、いざとなると日本人に戻ってしまう。日系人を隔離せよ。日系人を信用するな、、、、ということになった。ハワイの日系アメリカ人は本土に送られ、日系人だけの連隊が組織された。その４４２連隊はヨーロッパ戦線でドイツ軍に包囲され全滅直前の米軍部隊を自らの犠牲を顧みず救出した。米軍の軍隊史上、今なおもっとも被害の大きかった部隊である。その戦闘で片腕を無くした男がいる。後に上院議員となった英雄である。今、ホノルルにある国際空港に彼の名前が付けられている。ニイハウ島に向かって同郷の英雄に手を合わせた。戦争を望んだ連中を憎みつつ。

下の写真は今回の旅で自分が撮ったニイハウ島の写真と、去年訪れた真珠湾にある航空博物館に展示されていたニイハウ島の事件現場に残されていた零戦の残骸。

Waimea Canyon

　　Leaving Spouting Horn Park, our minivan ran through a sparsely populated area and started climbing up the hill toward Waimea Canyon. There were several tourist spots on the way, like the statue of James Cook and his landing point, the ditch which was said to have been built by legendary indigenous people, the former Russian fort, and so on. I learned in advance the history and the geography of the island and knew of the existence of the above tourist spots. I hoped that our minivan would stop by on the way back, but passed them. It was really regrettable. We had enough time to see them.
　　By the way, Waimea Canyon was spectacular. It seemed to be called Hawaiian Grand Canyon, and I thought it acceptable. The oldest island of the Hawaiian islands of Kauai was abundant in nature, and I enjoyed seeing its scenery. The sky was clear today, but I wasn't able to view the summit of the highest mountain of Kauai island from the lookout. The tour guide told us that it's only a few days for even local people to see its summit. However I saw its summit about noon for only 10 minutes or so. I was apparently lucky.

潮吹き公園を出てほとんど家の無い市街地を通り抜け、我々はワイメア渓谷へ向かった。途中、キャプテンクックゆかりの場所や銅像、伝説に伝わる水路、ロシア人の築いた砦などをパス。帰りに寄るのかなと思い、往路では気にとめなかったが結局帰りもパスした。時間が無いわけでは無かったのに。キャプテンクックの銅像の周囲には観光客の姿もあり、ここに立ち寄らなかったことで、無表情で淡々と喋る日系人と思われるツアコンに不満が残った。

さて、ワイメア渓谷は予想通り圧感。ハワイのグランドキャニオンと呼ばれているらしく、またそう呼んでもおかしくは無い景観だった。ハワイ諸島で一番古い島と言われるカウアイ島。ゴツゴツとした地形、海岸で見た黒い岩、カウアイ島の自然を堪能した。天気は快晴だったが最高峰の頂上は見えない。ガイドによると見えることは年に数日しかなく、それも短時間とのこと、、、、それが昼過ぎに１０分間ほど顔を出した。幸運なことだったらしい。

Kauai island tour

　　I'd like to visit all the Hawaiian islands open to the public in the not so distant future and started with Kauai Island. We joined a Kauai island tour with some of our friends. A chartered van picked us up at our condominium at 5 o'clock am. After picking other customers up, we were taken to Daniel K Inoue International Airport which was renamed two, three years ago from Honolulu International Airport after the name of a war hero. As you can imagine from the surname,he was a Japanese American. Japanese who had settled in the U.S. had to go through hardships, but gradually came to be valued in the long run. I'm going to write about their life in this trip memo later. The destination of other guests in the same van was Hawaii Island and it was our group only to head for Kauai island by Hawaiian Airlines. This was my Hawaiian Airlines debut and the following picture shows the Airline's check-in counter.
　　On the way to the boarding gate, there was a monument apparently honoring Japanese American soldiers. I was really sorry that I didn't have enough time to elaborately read its descriptions.

いずれ、ハワイ諸島のうち旅行者に開放されている島全てを巡りたいと思っているが、まずはカウアイ島から。友人たちとツアーに参加した。朝５時過ぎにツアー会社のバスが迎えに来た。いくつかのホテルに立ち寄り客をピックアップしてホノルル空港へ。この空港は最近ダニエル・Ｋ・イノウエ空港と改称された。ハワイ出身の英雄の名にちなむ。名前からわかるように日系２世である。ハワイに移住した日本人は辛い生活を強いられるが、努力を重ね、評価されるようになる。ハワイの日系人の歴史についてこの日の最後の方の記事で書くつもり。ピックアップされた他の客は皆ハワイ島で、カウアイ島へ向かうのは我々だけだった。写真は初めて乗るハワイアン航空の隣の島へ向かうグループ客用カウンター。

搭乗口前の途中に日系２世の軍人のモニュメントがあった。ゆっくりと見ている時間は無かったが、彼らの活躍を讃えるためのものだろうと思われた。

What I thought from the Ceremony

　　Who are the four men who are handed big leis from people, I wondered. If you are interested in Japan, you must have been alive to the resemblance between them and sumo wrestlers in Japan. Sumo wrestlers are often called on the occasions of Shinto ceremonies, because sumo is tightly connected with Shinto. These four men might be such people and Kamehameha I might be treated as their God or something.
　　Around the time when Hawaii was annexed into the U.S., the Japanese Imperial Navy was the strongest in the world along with its ally, Great Britain. Just a single Japanese naval vessel being there, the U.S. navy was
frozen. In such times, Kalakaua, the 7th Hawaiian King, wanted to become a relative of the Japanese Imperial Household by his niece's marriage, but in vain. He is said to manage to protect the independence of his Dynasty by the solid connection with Japan, but I assumed that it might not be the single reason. In my view, Kalakaua had a natural affinity for Japan, because Japan and Hawaii seemed to have something in common culturally or
from the folkloric perspective. Viewing the maybe-sacred men or listening to the local melodies, I imagined the era of the end of 19th century.

(Vocabulary)
folkloric    民間伝承の, 民間に伝わる

日本に親しみをもつ方なら、この４人の男達の姿が相撲の力士達に似ていることにすぐ気がつくでしょう。
ハワイがアメリカに併合された頃、日本の海軍力はイギリスと同等の世界最強レベルでした。我が国の軍艦がそこに居るだけでアメリカは黙り込んだ時代です。１９世紀末、アメリカに怯えるハワイ王朝は自らの独立を護るべく、日本の皇室との婚姻関係を希望した事実があります。この力士風の姿を見ると、カラカウア王が日本に接近したのは、単にハワイを護りたかっただけではなく、民俗学的、文化的に見て、日本とハワイには共通する何かがあったような気がします。レイ・ドレーピング・セレモニーが神事かどうかはわかりませんが、日本では神事に力士が参加することは多いです。そのようなことを考えながら人々の歌を聴いていました。

Lei Draping Ceremony

　　When I ran in front of Kamehameha I's statue in the Honolulu Half Marathon last year, I heard of the Lei Draping Ceremony held in the Kamehameha week, and I became eager to see the ceremony. On our arrival day, I was sleepy due to jet lag, but I dropped in at the statue to see it. The ceremony was already going on.
　　Several groups stepped forward toward the statue with a huge lei and handed it to the assistants who were dressed in almost naked, but maybe sacred costumes. I didn't learn what their costumes meant, but their costumes and that of Sumo wrestlers were alike. I presumed that they might be specially elected to do religious services as Japanese sumo is weaved into the history of Shinto,Japanese traditional religion or ethics. Every group danced or sang, or both of them in front of the statue. I heard some songs of other than English. It might be the ancient Hawaiian song. They would praise the king. Leis were raised and hung using the hook-and-ladder truck. I was gazing at beautiful Hawaiian folks' costumes and their elegant dances.

(Vocabulary)
hook-and-ladder truck 　はしご車

去年、ホノルルハーフマラソンでダウンタウンを走ったときに、カメハメハ大王像の前を通過した。大王像近くのエイドで６月に行われるレイ・ドレーピング・セレモニーについて聞いてから、実際に見てみたかった。ハワイへ到着した日、少々眠いが我慢してやって来た。式は既に始まっていた。
 
見ていると、いくつもの団体が順に大王像の前に出て、巨大なレイを数名の若者に渡していた。彼らの風体は恐らく古代ハワイアンの衣装なのだろう。各団体は踊りや歌を披露していたが、英語では無い歌も多かった。おそらくは大王を讃える歌なのだろう。巨大なレイははしご車を使って大王に掛けられていた。ネイティブハワイアンの美しい民族衣装にみとれた。

Sad Monument

　　This is the third visit to Hawaii for us. We had two reasons to choose this week for our visit. One is, June 11th is said to be the birthday of Kamehameha I, who consolidated the Hawaiian Dynasty, and lots of festivals and events are scheduled on every island. In other words, this week is the liveliest season in all of the Hawaii islands. The other is,,,,, I'll write about it later. Anyway, I headed for Kamehameha I's statue, where I stopped by for some time during last year's half marathon.
　　While walking, I came across a sad story. The war memorials of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. If FDR hadn't wanted to wage the war against Japan, the present Chinese Communists' Country wouldn't exist now and the conflicts between South and North also wouldn't have happened. I thought that lots of young men were dispatched to war from Hawaii. I paid tribute to them for a short time.

我々にとって３回目のハワイ。この時期に来たのは二つの理由がある。６月１１日がハワイ王朝を統一したカメハメハ大王の誕生日とされ、ハワイ全島が盛り上がる一週間だから。二つ目の理由は後に挙げる。で、一人でトロリーでカメハメハ大王の銅像へ向かった。去年の春、ホノルルハーフマラソンの途中で立ち寄った場所。
トロリーを降りて歩いていると、悲しい歴史に出会った。朝鮮戦争とベトナム戦争で亡くなった若者たちを悼む慰霊碑だ。ＦＤＲが日本との戦争を希望しなければ、恐らく今の中共は存在しないし、南北間の争いも無かったろうに。ハワイから出征した若者が多かったのだろう。しばし黙祷！

Terrorism in Sri Lanka

　　I heard about massive terrorism in Sri Lanka. People in Sri Lanka seemed to spend better lives in the wake of a long civil war, so this news really surprised me. This country is a tiny island, but it has a long history and as many as eight world heritage sites. Sri Lanka has long been on my bucket list to visit, though the priority level went down to the lowest. When I choose where to visit, its security is the top priority. I'm planning to visit Oahu island in this coming summer vacation and Taiwan in the winter holidays this year. Then I'm thinking to visit Cancun in Mexico next year, but my wife is afraid of the security at present. Anyway, wherever we will visit, we'd like to spend enjoyable days there. I hope that people in Sri Lanka will recover from deep sorrow and get back to ordinary lives.

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/05/story-of-friend.html

 

New Era "Reiwa" to Start in Japan

　　The Japanese Ten-noh is generally called Emperor globally, but I suppose that he stands totally at the opposite side of what you call Emperor, like Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and so on. He is just the leader of Shinto priests. So, I believe that we should call him the Priest King or Ten-noh, not the Emperor in English.
　　By the way, the present Ten-noh will soon pass his position on to his successor. His era "Heisei" will end and another new era will start. The government announced today that the coming new era will be named "Reiwa". What will become of the new era, "Reiwa"? Almost all Japanese expect something good or happy in the new era, I think. The new era will start on May 1st with the enthronement of the 126th Ten-noh.

Big Bullet

　　A patient in his late nineties consulted me with a big bullet. It was his regular consultation. After that, he started to talk about his bullet.
　　He had been on the Chinese front during the Great East Asian War as a maintenance personnel of railroads. The bullet was U.S.-made and what he brought back from the Chinese continent. Gunpowder was already removed and it was not dangerous, but I felt uneasy as I hadn't seen such a big bullet before.