Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Hangul Test

     I passed the 4th grade of the Hangul language proficiency test. I got the news today. See http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/11/november.html

     I ordered the certificate at once. I'm going to put it up on the wall of my study. The next target is the 3rd grade and this grade is my last goal. I need to increase my vocabulary of Korean words to pass the test. Though it's hard work for me, I think I can in the near future.
     By the way, I'm wondering what language to learn next. I'm hovering between Russian and Pekingese. I heard that Russian has six types of declinations. I had managed to learn the declination of German nouns into four types. Six types of declination must be more difficult than that of German. As for Pekingese, the pronunciation looks difficult. It's completely different from that of Japanese.
     At any rate, I will slowly start learning one of two languages next spring. I hope I'll reach the beginner level in two years.

(Vocabulary)
proficiency  熟達, 熟練, たんのう
decline  (専門) [他] 〈名詞・代名詞・形容詞〉 を語形変化させる [自](専門) 語形変化する

My Parents and South Korea

     My parents went to South Korea today for the first time. They have visited many countries after their retirement. I think the number of the countries where they visited would be more than 20. The local travel agency that they often use organized a tour to South Korea and invited them to participate in the tour.
     They visited South Korea today for the first time but it's not the first time they'd talked with Koreans. This incident had already become null and void, so I'm going to talk about it here. It was about 40 years ago. See also; http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/11/travel-for-me-c.html
     When my family lived on a very small island between Shikoku and Kyushu (you can see it with Google Earth, 33°10'10.34"N 132°17'15.32"E), a few Koreans were camping and poaching shellfish. Japanese people who were on the island knew of their existence but got to have nothing to do with them and didn't report the matter to the police. It's unthinkable at present. Anyway, Koreans were doing their jobs. It was a tranquil time. There was no concept of smuggling on the island in those days.
     One day, a middle-aged lady came to my house. She couldn't speak Japanese. Something unusual seemed to have happened to them and they needed a lot of water and some medicine. It was supposed that someone got badly burnt judging from my present knowledge. There was no police, no hospital, no pharmacy and no fire department on the island. She and her daughters had only 3,4 small pans and buckets as containers of water. My parents went to the elementary school where they were working, opened the sickbay and took out some first aid kits for them. After that my parents and I carried as much water as possible to their camp and gave a few bigger buckets with lids to them. Next morning they disappeared.
     A year later, that lady suddenly dropped in at my house at midnight with a lot of shellfish. My parents was so happy to see her again and gave her as much water as they needed. Our family moved to another place next spring so it was the last time they saw her and her family.
     Before starting for Seoul, my father said to me, "I'd like to see her family again. Look for them on the internet." I'd like to, but both entering a country secretly and giving some help to undocumented people are illegal. I explained that to him.
     I wonder what impression my parents are getting in present day Seoul.

(Vocabulary)
null and void  （法的に）無効な
poach   [他] …を密猟する, 密漁する  [自] 密猟する, 密漁する
unthinkable   考えられない, 想像もできない
it is unthinkable that  …とは考えられない
tranquil  穏やかな, 静かな, のどかな
smuggle  …を密輸する, 不法に持ち込む［持ち出す］
sickbay  (船・学校などの) 医務室
undocumented  正式な文書記録のない, 文書による証明のない  証明書類［許可書］を持たない

Anniversary Day

     Good morning. Isn't everything nice? Today is the 1st anniversary of my 1st post on this blog. I'm happy to have received e-mails from more than 10 countries in a year. I sometimes access Korean websites and write something these 3,4 months. Consequently the access to my blog from South Korea has increased. I'd like to talk with people who live in 속초시 (束草市） in South Korea. If you are one, send an e-mail me! I'd like to get information about coastal routes from 속초시 (束草市） to Russia around Vladivostok in case of a North Korean crisis.

November

     It's November! I have 3 private events this month. The 1st event is to take an official exam of The Hangul Language Proficiency Test. I've been learning Korean for 2 years. It's the first time for me to take this test, like TOEIC for English. The levels of ability of Korean are categorized into 5 grades. The highest level is called 1st class, and lowest, just beginner level is called 5th grade. I'll take level 4. I'm confident.
     The 2nd event is that this month is the 1st anniversary of writing my blog. I started writing blogs in November last year. I'd like to congratulate myself on keeping it up for 1 year.
     The last one is that I have to be a house husband for 10 days during my wife's business trip. She's going to Europe at the head of the college trip. She is a teacher at a technical college. I have to get up earlier and prepare breakfast and lunch for the kids. I have to make dinner at night. I already feel depressed now.

(Vocabulary)
proficiency    熟達, 熟練, たんのう
at the head of   ～を引率して

Welcome E-mail

     I got a welcome e-mail from South Korea. The sender is a lady who was studying in Matsuyama city last year. She gave me a one hour lesson a month during her stay. Though she lives in Soeul, her e-mails reach me just the same as from Japan. It's really convenient. I'd like to see her in the near future.

U.N. Secretary General

     The Korean Foreign Minister was elected to the U.N. as Secretary General. He has the experience that he had been working in other countries, but all of that work was only in Korean diplomatic missions in those countries. He doesn't have any experience in international agencies. Besides, he repeats invalid words against Japan without any secure grounds. I wonder if such a person could keep neutral in the world. On the other hand, I expect many countries to gaze at Korean policy and evaluate the activities conducted by Korea.
     The Korean Prime Minister, Han Myeongsuk, gave a complimentary speech in the memorial event for South Korea's National Foundation Day. She said that South Korea never compromised with Japan about Takeshima Rocks. Is she sane? She had served a 2 years prison term and is extreme left. Ordinary Japanese had begun to get involved about this issue and express their opinions. I feel concerned for the Korean amateur regime's future.

(Vocabulary)
invalid  （議論などが）根拠のない
Han Myeongsuk　　韓明淑
complimentary　称賛の, 敬意を表する

国連事務総長

韓国の外務大臣が国連総長に選ばれた。彼は海外で働いた経験はあるにしても国際機関での勤務経験はないようだ。加えて彼は日本に対し、根拠のない発言を繰り返している。そのような人間が国際機関で中立を保てるのだろうか。一方で多くの国が韓国政府の方針を注視し、その行動を評価してくれることを期待する。 　韓国建国記念日に韓明淑首相はスピーチを行い、その中でこう述べている。韓国政府は竹島問題で日本政府とは絶対に妥協しないと。彼女はまともなのだろうか？彼女は２年も刑務所で暮らした極左政治家である。一般の日本人がこの問題について考えるようになってきている。韓国のこのアマチュア政府に不安を感じている。

New Prime Minister

     Mr.Shinzo Abe became the prime minister of Japan today. I expect him to follow an aggressive diplomacy. Japanese leaders have been taking an ostrich policy against China and Korea. Consequently it came back to haunt us. Japan should speak up for what we are going to advocate. I think that the new prime minister can do the talking to particular kind of asian countries; China and Both Korea.
     I've received several e-mails from those countries. Many of them are critical of my opinion in this blog. It seems that they don't have enough information or are confined in those countries. I'd like to express my opinion here.

(Vocabulary)
ostrich policy　事なかれ主義、自己欺まん
haunt　〔幽霊や不吉な思いなどが人に〕付きまとう　〔心の中に悪い記憶や予感などが〕絶えず思い浮かぶ、立ち現れる　〔悪い記憶などが人を〕悩ませる
advocate　〔論争などにおいてある意見を〕主張する、推奨する、支持する、唱道する

安倍晋三氏が総理大臣に就任した。彼には積極的な外交を行って欲しい。日本の歴代のリーダー達は中共や朝鮮に対して事なかれ主義を貫いてきた。彼はこれらの国に対してはっきりとモノを言えるリーダーだと思う。これらの国から電子メールをいくつか受け取っているが、彼らには十分な情報がもたらされていない。このブログで意見をどんどん書いていきたい。

(KW: 安倍晋三　総理大臣　総理)

Mr. Lee Kyung Won (李京源さん)

     Today I have been to Niihama city, about a one hour's drive away from here. I joined the talk show of a Korean movie star, Mr. Lee Kyung Won （李京源）. It's the first time for me to attend such a meeting. He performed as a supporting actor in the historical TV drama, "Daejanggum （大長今）," with Korean dishes and a medical theme. He told us untold stories behind the drama. It was interesting. To my utter surprise, he spoke to us in fluent Japanese. I was impressed that the acquisition of another language enriches life culturally and spiritually. I'd made up my mind again to learn Korean, German, and English. And if I can, I'd like to learn French, Spanish, and Swahili. It must be wonderful to communicate with those languages. After my early retirement, I really want to enjoy wandering all over the world.

(Vocabulary)
utter　全くの
・She's an utter stranger to me. : 彼女は赤の他人です。
・This is utter nonsense. : 全くの無意味です。
口に出す、話す、発する

Typhoon

     I was relieved that the big typhoon has passed away from my hometown. Every summer and autumn, a serious typhoon hits Japan. Generally speaking, typhoons are smaller than hurricanes, but they often damage Japan every year. A big typhoon was on its way to Japan. This typhoon was much bigger than usual and I was worried. It was lucky that the typhoon veered away. Japan is stronger against natural disasters than Specific Asia (means both China and Korea), but a few typhoons level a certain area every year.

     A Korean movie star is coming to Niihama city in Ehime prefecture tomorrow. I'm planning to see him. I'm afraid that his flight from Korea might be cancelled. It was really lucky the typhoon veered off.

(Vocabulary)
veer   (急に) 向きを変える, 曲がる
The road veers to the left just outside of town.
ちょうど町を出た所で道路は左にカーブします．
veer off/away    向きを変える, それる

Anti-Japanese Pictures

     I'm writing up the memo bit by bit that I dashed off during my touring. When I checked some websites to know how to use a few words in real sentences, I found uncomfortable pictures on a website.
     First, I'd like you to access the following blog. A Canadian reports on education in Korea. I realized that we Japanese should insist on our opinion in English to make people understood worldwide. BLOG
     If you are Japanese, Google "桂陽中学校". You'll find many websites or blogs that criticize Korea only in Japanese. I think those are nonsense because Korean people can't understand it.
     A Canadian blog shows many anti-Japanese pictures that were drawn by junior high school students. To my surprise, those pictures were displayed in an official exhibition in a subway station in Incheon(仁川). You know, this exhibition should have been one of school activities. A Canadian was aghast at the fact that the Korean Government is formally fermenting anti-Japanese ideas.
     Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima) is Japanese territory and the Korean allegation has no grounds because they don't have any grounds. They squat on Takeshima and avoid talking at the International Court of Justice. I've been wondering why Korean people don't learn their own history. I knew why today. They are under Government mind control. I've some acquaintances in Korea and I like Korean cuisine and culture. However, I don't agree with the politics of the Korean Government.

(Vocabulary)
write up　〔日記・メモなどを〕詳しく書く、記事にする、きちんと書き直す
dash off　サッと［一気に］仕上げる［書き上げる］
ghast　びっくりして、あきれ返って、がくぜんとして
ferment　〔感情などが〕沸き立つ　〔感情などを〕沸き立たせる、醸成する
allegation　〔弁明や口実などの〕申し立て、主張　〔不正行為について十分な証拠のない〕申し立て、断言
squat　しゃがむ、かがむ　公有地に不法に［無断で］居座る［定住する］、公有地を不法占拠する　〈米俗〉排便する、大便［うんち］をする

韓国の反日絵

ツーリング中にざっと書き留めたメモを少しずつ書き起こしているが、英単語の使い方を確認するためにいろいろなウェブサイトをみているうちに不愉快な絵を目にした。まずは次のブログを見て欲しい。あるカナダ人が韓国の教育について語ったものだ。我々日本人は世界中に自分たちの意見を知ってもらうために英語を使わなければならない。 http://aog.2y.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1550&st=0 もしあなたが日本人なら”桂陽中学校”をググってみよう。この学校を批判するサイトを多く目にすることだろう。しかし、日本語で書いても意味がないのである。 さて、カナダ人のブログには多くの反日絵が示されている。上に上げた中学校の生徒によって書かれたモノである。驚いたのは、これは仁川（いんちょん）の地下鉄駅に堂々と掲示されていたとのことだ。これは学校教育の一環なのだ。 竹島は日本の領土であり、韓国の主張には根拠がない。竹島を違法占拠し、国際司法の場で話をしようとしない。なぜ韓国人は歴史を学ばないのだろうか。その答えが今日わかった。彼らは政府のマインドコントロール下にあるのである。韓国人に知り合いもいるし、韓国料理は好きだ。だが、政府の方針には納得できない。

(KW: 韓国　反日教育　反日絵)

Korean Star's Website

     I'm learning Korean since 2 years ago. However, I had no chance to visit South Korea and actually use Korean. I wanted to post some messages to Korean Websites, but I didn't have enough courage.
     The other day I knew a Korean movie star, Lee Kyung Won was coming to my prefecture. I'd like to manage to meet him and try to say hello in Korean. I've composed some greeting messages in Korean, and am memorizing it now. Besides, in order to raise the possibility of meeting him, I searched his official website in Korea, and posted a short message into his website, saying "I'm looking forward to meeting you in Japan." Several days later, to my surprise, he replied to me! I could understand his message in Korean. I was so happy. My learning Korean was paying off. His Website: http://hompy.dreamwiz.com/sun6pens

Riders' House

     Hokkaido is almost a sacred place for vagrants who travel by bike, bicycle, train or on foot. Hokkaido is a vast land and people who live in Hokkaido are broad-minded for vagrants. Many people visit Hokkaido every summer. These vagrants had spent every night in a station, a park, the underground if rained, or somewhere like that. They were not rich and had to save money. People who live in Hokkaido got to give them a night's lodging, using their empty house. Vagrants were very happy to avoid being exposed to the elements and night dew.
     Riders' houses were generated almost spontaneouly like this. There are no baths in most riders' houses. But it's no problem because there are hot springs everywhere in Hokkaido. No beds. It's ok because all vagrants have a sleeping bag. Every riders' house has its own specialty. Owners are unique. I know that 2 Korean bike freaks are reading this touring diary. How about going riders' house-hopping. I proudly assure you that you'll be happy. I have stayed more than 20 nights at riders' houses, but I didn't meet any foreign people. If you visit one of them, you'll be welcomed.
     See the 1st photo. An aged lady who is in the center of the photo is the owner of this riders' house called "Rider House Chitose". She is a retired beautician. After her retirement, she converted her beauty salon into this riders' house. There are a public bath, coin laundries, convenience stores and some eating houses around here within 10 minutes' walk. She said that she was happy to talk with many young people and felt they were like her sons and daughters.
     Strangers get together by chance and spend a night in the same house. I spent a wonderful time. I could share their life. I don't remember how late I slept.

(Vocabulary)
vagrant  放浪者、路上生活者
the elements   《複数扱い》 悪天候

(KW: ライダーハウス千歳 ライダーハウスちとせ)
                               

Spewing Water Park

     Yesterday's forecast said we might get rain all day long today, but I found the weather was getting fine in the morning. We started late in the morning waiting for the improvement in the weather. When I reached the top of the outer rim of a crater of Toyako Lake, I caught the full view of Mt.Youtei, one of the most famous mountains in Hokkaido. I was riding in the comfortable breeze and forgot to take snapshots. I went through Rusutsu Resort and got to Fukidashi Park. Rusutsu Resort was not as busy as I expected. The management might be tough, I thought. The rain and snow fallen on Mt.Youtei seep underground for decades and spew out here at Fukidashi Park. The water is spewing out continuously all year. The amount of water is 80,000 tons per day, which is nearly equivalent to the amount of daily life water for about 300,000 people. The temperature is 6.5 degrees centigrade at all times of the year. The 1st picture shows the spewing orifice. People gather here and take mineral water freely. The 2nd shows the park.

     This water-spewing point is touristy and there are dozen of stands. I found the word "커피" which is Korean for "coffee". I asked the clerk whether many Korean people came here or not. She replied that many Koreans came here but she didn't want them to drop in at her shop because they are impolite and their impudence is too much to tolerate. I sometimes heard such stories here and there.  Is this a common opinion on Korean people around here? I have some acquaintances in South Korea as I wrote before. They are modest and good-tempered.  I'm so sorry that some Korean tourist groups left poor impression here.

(Vocabulary)
seep  〈液体・気体などが〉 しみ出る, しみ込む
touristy  観光色の強い  観光客向けの
impudent = rude and showing no respect to other people

(KW: 京極 噴き出し 公園 湧水 噴き出し公園 羊蹄山 ルスツリゾート)

My Boots

     I got this pair of riding boots about 10 years ago when I changed my on-road type bike into an off-road type one. I use this when I go out for over 2 days' touring, i.e. once or twice a year. I couldn't take a long ride last year, so I took my boots out of the stock room for the first time in 2 years. To my sorrow, I found that the inner water proofing sheet of my boots was torn. Ten years might be a boot's life, but I can't throw it away. I have many memories shared with these boots.  Anyway, I don't have another pair. Let's go riding with these boots.

To readers:
     I'm planning to go riding to South Korea and Sakhalin in the near future, within at least 5 years. I want to get to know some Korean and Russian friends who are in their 40's and love motorcycles. If you are such a man or woman, let me know. I'll show you beautiful places in Japan whenever you want. In return, I'd like to ask you to help me ride in your country. From now, I'll write up my diary in English. Enjoy it!

I Hate China #2

     Qingzang railway, which connects Beijing and Lhasa (Tibetan Capital), was completed. A routine run will start next year. Japanese mass media focus on the tourism only, but their way of thinking is very superficial. I'm sorry that they are following the well-planned propaganda by the Chinese Communist government. What is the purpose on earth that Beijing pressed ahead with this difficult construction of the railroad. This railroad runs at an altitude of 5000 meters. Can you believe it? I'm going to mention my opinion.
     First of all, their purpose is a forced assimilation of Tibet. It's more than half a century since China invaded Tibet and killed hundreds of thousand of Tibetans on a massive scale. The honest and sincere religious leaders became rare by the destruction of Buddhist temples and the repression of priests. Potala Palace is crowded with Chinese tourists and there are many Chinese security officers in the Palace. You can see swanky souvenir shops, shopping malls, restaurants, and many taxis in the street of Lhasa. You might think Tibet is getting rich, but the owners of those companies are Chinese, not Tibetan. Speaking of Tibetan people, they draw a ricksha, play folk instruments in sightseeing points, or beg for something in front of Potala Palace. In fact, Tibet got colonized by China. Young generations of Tibet became unable to realize the significance of the existence of their spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama. Using Tibetan is strictly prohibited in all public tests; every test after 3rd grade in primary schools, the test for the driving licence, the exam for the National Public Service, the entrance exam of universities,,. In those tests Pekingese is used. Consequently young Tibetans became unable to speak the Tibetan language. The Tibetan language and culture might dissappear from this world except for written characters on the Buddhist canon, just the same as Xinjiang Uighur, that consists of Turkish. Does China have the right to accuse the former Empire of Japan of having forced Koreans to use Japanese? They didn't prohibit Korean people from using their own language.
     The second intention of this railway is to raise the capacity of transport of soldiers and weapons. This railway might escalate the level of military readiness between India and China. The Chinese Army can dispatch 120,000 soldiers to Tibet within a month. India repeats missile-launching tests. The range of those missiles covers Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Most Indians view China as a threat. As for the atomic power plant that gets U.S. assistance, the Indian government has deep ideas to improve their own atomic bombs in future.
     I investigated this railway further. The security seems to be uncertain in case of melting of frozen ground due to global warming. Is the daily maintenace of track possible at an altitude of 5000 meters? This railway has 960 km of section over 4000 meters high. The railway cars have a pressurization system using technology introduced from the aircraft maker Bombardier Inc. and have an oxygen inhalation system and a UV protection system too. I love railway traveling, but I hesitate to use this railway.

(Vocabulary)
Qingzang railway  青蔵鉄道
press ahead with　～を押し進める、～を敢行する
repression (武力・政治力による）弾圧、抑圧
swanky (場所･衣服などが)　おしゃれな、けばけばしい、ゴージャスな
Lhasa　ラサ　（中共チベット自治区の首都）
Xinjiang Uighur　新疆（しんきょう）ウイグル自治区
pressurization　予圧　加圧

私は中共が嫌いです　その２

　北京からチベットの首都ラサに繋がる青蔵鉄道が開通した。来年から運行が始まるらしい。日本の愚かなメディアは観光の面ばかりに焦点を当てるが余りにも浅はかな考えだ。中共政府の練られたプロパガンダに乗せられていることが残念だ。この困難な鉄道工事を中共が推し進めてきたのには訳があるのだ。この鉄道は標高5000メートルの高度を走っている。信じられますか？如何に意見を述べたいと思う。 　まずは、この鉄道の目的はチベットの強制的な同化政策だと言うこと。中共がチベットを侵略し、数十万人ものチベット人を虐殺して半世紀以上が経過した。この間に敬虔な宗教指導者は寺院の破壊や僧侶の弾圧のためほとんどいなくなってしまった。ポタラ宮殿は中国人観光客であふれ、悪名高い中共の公安が見張っている。おしゃれな店やショッピングモール、通りを走る沢山のタクシーを見て、チベットが繁栄していると映るかもしれないが、これらのオーナー達は全てシナ人である。チベット人はといえば、人力車を引いたり、民族楽器を演奏したり、ポタラ宮殿の前で物乞いをしたり。事実上、チベットは中共の植民地と化している。チベットの若者は彼らの精神的な指導者、ダライ・ラマの存在意義さえもわからなくなってきているのだ。また、全ての公的な試験においてチベット語を用いることは厳しく制限されている。小学校３年生以降の全ての試験で。運転免許試験、公務員採用試験、大学入学試験等々。これらの試験では北京語が使用される。従ってチベットの若者たちはチベット語を話せなくなってしまうのだ。チベット語やチベット文化は仏教の経典に書かれた文字以外、この世から消えてしまうかもしれない。ちょうどトルコ人の新疆ウイグル自治区のように。大日本帝国は朝鮮人に日本語を強要したが、彼らが母国語を使うことを禁止してはいなかった。中共に日本を非難する権利があるのだろうか？ 　この鉄道のもう一つの目的、それは武器や兵士の運搬である。インドとの戦争に備えるためのものである。人民解放軍１２万人を１ヶ月以内にチベットへ送ることができるのである。インドはミサイル発射実験を繰り返し、その射程距離は北京、上海、広州に及ぶ。多くのインド人は中共を脅威と見なしている。アメリカの協力を得ている原子力発電に関してはどうかというと、インド政府は将来の原爆開発の意図があるのだろう。 　この鉄道について更に調べてみた。安全性にかなり問題があるようだ。温暖化による凍土の融解に対して対策が講じられていない。標高５０００メートルにおいて毎日の点検が可能なのだろうか。この鉄道は４０００メートル以上の区間が９６０キロメートルもある。車両はボンバルディア社で設計され予圧されている。また、酸素吸入設備や紫外線対策も施されている。鉄道旅行は大好きだが、この鉄道だけは遠慮させてもらう。

Korean Teacher

     My Korean teacher Miss Kim came to my house. She is going to be back at the end of this month. I invited her for lunch in my garden. I got to know a little more about her over tea.
     She learned English in London for 6 months. After that she came to Japan to learn economics and Japanese.
     Learning languages makes people more considerate, I think. My wife and youngest daughter could enjoy chatting with her. My wife and I are getting to think our daughters need to stay abroad for some time during their younger days.

Ocean Investigation Again

     Korea conducted oceanographic activities around Liancourt Rocks (Japanese name: Takeshima Island). Takeshima is an integral part of Japan from the historical viewpoint and from a bibliographical consideration. If Korea has the confidence that Takeshima is their traditional territory, they don't have to seize the island and should file the case at the International Court of Justice. It's because they know that Takeshima is traditional Japanese territory that they don't go to court.

(Vocabulary)
oceanographic　海洋学の
integral part　切っても切れない部分、切離せない部分、なくてはならない部分
integral part of Japan　日本固有の領土
bibliographical consideration　文献的考察

海洋調査再び

韓国は竹島周辺でまた海洋調査を行った。竹島は日本固有の領土である。もし韓国が自国の領土であると自信があるのなら、武力で支配するのではなく、国際司法裁判所に提訴するべきだ。それができないのは日本の領土だと知っているからだろう。

North Korean Stupidity

     What, in the name of heaven, is the aim of North Korea? They launched 7 missiles. One of them is considered as a ballistic missile that could reach the U.S. The other 6 missiles can easily reach Japan if they change the direction of launch a little to the south. Who is responsible for North Korea? Who made the country such a rogue country? I believe China and Russia are responsible for stopping North Korean silly acts. I heard more than 90% of North Korean people are on the verge of starvation. It's not missiles but food that the rogue nation needs.

北の愚かさ

　いったい北の目的は何なのだろうか？７発のミサイルを発射したのである。うち、１発は大陸間弾道弾と考えられ、米国に届く。残りの６発は少し南に方向を変えさえすれば日本に届く。北をこのようにした責任はどこにあるのだろうか？このばかげた行動を止める責任は支那とロシアにあると僕は思う。北の国民の９０％は飢えていると聞く。北に必要なのはミサイルではなく、食料だ。

Miscellaneous Impression About Korea

     I make it a rule to see a student from Korea once a month for half a year. She has been studying economics in a college in my city. I asked her to be my teacher. I'm learning Korean now and she checks my pronunciation and grammatical mistakes. I started learning Korean one and half year ago, and have learned by myself. However, because self-taught knowledge might be often wrong, I asked her to see me for 1 hour a month. She is a good teacher and I'm a little more confident.
     By the way, to learn another language is to know another people, another culture and their history, I think. I got to be able to understand the Korean way of thinking.
     "Ann-Nyong ha-se-yo" is Korean for "Hello". It can be used anytime, anywhere. When I knew the meaning of this greeting, I was very surprised and realized Korea's sad history. This phrase doesn't expect anything new, happy, or good. This greeting means "Something unusual or something bad may not happen!" They couldn't have wanted anything better in their long history.
     I can guess the miserable history of Korea, which has been ruled and looted by other peoples; Chinese, Mongolian, Japanese and South-East Asian peoples all the time. Even now they are struggling, divided into 2 countries, in the midst of the Korean war after World War Two.
     I just hope they will be united into one country in the near future.

　この半年、韓国人留学生に韓国語をみてもらっている。月に一度会って、しゃべるのを聞いてもらうのである。全く独学でやってきたので不安ではあったがあまり間違って覚えていることはなく、自信を持った。
　ところで、言葉を学ぶことはその国の民衆、文化、歴史を知ることだと思う。韓国人の考え方が少しわかるようになってきた気がする。
　「안녕하세요」は韓国語のあいさつであるが、いつでもどこでも使うことができる。この言葉の意味を知ったとき、驚きもし、韓国の辛い歴史にも気がついた。このフレーズは何か新しいこと、幸せなこと、良いことを期待しているものではない。只単にいつもと違った悪いことが起きていないことを確認するだけなのである。良いことを期待できない歴史とは、、、
　有史以来、他国からの略奪を受け、常に支配されてきたみじめな歴史。今でさえ同じ民族が分割されている状態である。
　ただただ、近い将来に統一されて一つの国になることを望むのみである。

I Hate China #1

     I have a concern about hegemonic China. China started to insist recently that Okinotorishima Island is not an island but a mere rock and Japan can't insist on an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around it. Okinotorishima Island is acknowledged as an island internationally. No matter how much noise Beijing makes, it is an island if the surface of land is above the sea at high tide according to international definition.
     Mischief Reef, that has belonged to the Philippine's EEZ for a long time, has been dominated by China since 1995. This Reef goes under sea level at high tide. China built military facilities on the reef, pouring concrete over the reef in 1995. The funny thing is that China calls this reinforced reef a kind of an island and calls these facilities a shelter for the fisheries. Besides, China insists on their EEZ around this artificially elevated area which was captured from the Philippines.
     China is so naughty and difficult to deal with. They complain about Okinotorishima, the surface of which is above the sea even at high tide. On the other hand they occupy Mischief Reef, which goes under the sea at high tide. Can you accept these facts? What do you think about their opinion? It sounds paradoxical. As an aside, the Paracel Islands were occupied by China in 1974.

     The victim of the hegemonism of China is not exclusive to Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. The Prime Minister of Nepal, Koirala, spouted off at a news conference, "No one had climbed Mt.Everest from the Chinese side. Nevertheless, why does China request that mountain. How would they explain that?" I expect China to act with civilized words and acts.

(English Version)   http://www.geocities.jp/baud_2005/tx310.swf

(Chinese Version) http://www.geocities.jp/baud_2005/tx310c1.swf

(Vocabulary)
exclusive   締め出す、中に入れない、排外的な、排他的な、唯一の、一つだけの