Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Hawaii Tour

　　How many times have we been to Oahu Island? This time, it was four of us: our second daughter, her husband, my wife, and I. Since it was their first time in Oahu, I explained to them how to get the best of their visit to the island, and how to use our time-share condominium. It would have been more convenient to leave from Haneda Airport from our hometown; yet, we left from Narita Airport. My son-in-law wanted to fly the A380, which connects Narita and Honolulu. Yet, since Haneda has a direct flight to our hometown, we opted to return to Haneda. We stopped by both lounges of ANA and United. The United lounge was larger and less crowded. Also, the dishes were better in United. We got to Honolulu at 8:30 AM on the same day. I had known two taxi drivers in Oahu Island since my first visit, and I sent e-mails to them, but got no reply. I reckoned they'd gone out of business during the pandemic. As a result, I booked a taxi from Charley's Taxi. The driver, who was Japanese, updated us on the recent topics and told us how to stay safe. For example, he advised us not to get into some areas after dark.

　　My wife wanted to stay in the Hilton Village to take a rest at noon, but the three of us started for Ala Moana Center to see how it was, Kaka'ako area to see the area's famous wall arts, and then to the Ehime Maru Memorial to offer a prayer for the lives lost there. Our dinner was box lunches from the Blue Water in the Hilton Village, like our usual first day in Honolulu. In the following photo, our daughter and her husband are standing in front of the Ehime Maru Memorial.

(Feb. 22nd)

Back to Japan

　　On the way back to Japan, I lost one day as I had to cross the dateline. Despite having gained one day on the way to Honolulu and coming out even, I still felt as though I'd lost. Anyway, I departed at noon on the 15th and arrived in Narita on the 16th. My plane was an Airbus A380, which was a full-length, double-decker passenger airplane and the world's largest. I didn't get sleepy, so I watched two movies. I could travel directly to my hometown from Tokyo; however, being worried about a delay in my international flight, I booked a hotel near Haneda Airport in advance. I dined at a quaint but run-down tavern near Haneda Airport. My wife and I liked the yakitori or grilled chicken on a stick, over some drinks. On the shelf, I found a rare distilled spirit native to Aogashima Island in Tokyo, whose terrain surely amazes everyone who visits it. The island is on my list of places to visit. I hope I will drink this spirit on the Aogashima Island!

(Vocabulary)
dateline 日付変更線
cross the (international) dateline
come out even 差し引きゼロになる
distilled spirit 焼酎

Wandering around Waikiki

　　I visited the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii, which I had been eager to see. It is located near Hilton Village, and when I got to the center of Waikiki, I passed the museum. I thought that I could stop by it whenever I wanted, but it was not a top priority for me. There was no admission fee. The government probably wants to make the museum accessible to as many people as possible. I spent a couple of hours pondering the history and achievements of the U.S. army. The activities of the army, from its foundation to the time of the Second World War, were vividly depicted. ot only was that true of the military operations, but of the real lives of servicemen and women. For me, the dropping of the two atomic bombs was the devil's work, carried out by the army. I expected a self-serving description about it, but I wasn't able to find anything relevant to the atomic bombs. I am sure those responsible for it would have felt remorse. The exhibit included old weapons such as tanks, a helicopter, and an aircraft, along with a monument to the fallen heroes. After I exited the museum, I went by the Tesla dealership along Kalakaua Street. They had the Cybertruck there. Although I knew about it, I'd never seen one up close. I sat in its driving seat and felt its real size. It would be too big to drive in Japan; however, I wish I could have one.

(Vocabulary)
ponder 〈問題など〉 を思案［熟考］する, じっくり考える
self-serving （けなして） 利己的な, 身がってな
remorse 深い後悔, 悔恨

 

Coffee Roasting

　　While I am a coffee enthusiast, I had never seen coffee beans up close on a tree. Also, Kona coffee, prized by coffee aficionados all over the world, is grown on Hawaii Island. I really wanted to see the coffee beans (seeds) with my own eyes. In Japan, the top coffee brand is UCC, and as luck would have it, its plantation was a mere 20-minute drive from Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport. Since we were going to fly to Oahu Island from this airport today, we dropped in at the UCC plantation before our departure. Upon arrival at the plantation, they welcomed us with their specialty, and a staff member gave us a tour. I inspected the raw coffee beans on the tree and even tried to eat one, which was a first for me. I just couldn't imagine that those beans later became a cup of coffee. I guessed that the first-ever coffee was found after the wildfire by coincidence. Anyway, as shown below, the raw beans will turn white after drying. We were able to roast dried coffee beans as we liked. There was a sample of how the beans would change according to the roasting time. I tried "Full City Roast", and my wife opted for "City Roast". Both are on the dining table of my house now and we are enjoying them every day. The only thing we are sorry about is not being able to enjoy them in Japan. We flew from Kona International Airport, whose peaceful atmosphere resembled a farmer's market, and arrived at Honolulu Airport. Then, we checked in at our familiar Hilton Hawaiian Village. We bought takeout box dinners at our familiar shop. The dinner over wine and a beautiful night view of Waikiki was great. Hawaii is always marvelous.

 

 

 

Just Relaxing

　　I was not in the mood for doing something special today. Since I am very busy every day in Japan, I wanted to have some free time for myself. I strolled around my condominium and enjoyed the soothing Hawaiian breeze on the hammock that was set up on the beach. I visited a shop nearby and had a poke for lunch. My wife made rice, and we had it with the poke bowl, which is a traditional Hawaiian dish. We had takeout pizzas from an Italian restaurant near our home. We feasted on pizza and admired the view of the setting sun.

King's Land Waikoloa

　　Compared to Oahu Island, Hawaii Island's sparse population leaves me with a nostalgic and languid impression. Our condominium was at Waikoloa Village on the west coast of Hawaii Island. It was a vast village with quite a few condominium complexes. While I enjoyed myself a great deal in the village, my wife and I went to another condominium, King's Land Waikoloa. After hopping on a shuttle bus, we arrived at the mall in the King's Land area. There were only a few shoppers there. We only saw a few Japanese groups. Contrary to what I'd expected, the area was not bustling with people. It appeared that economically the area was only halfway towards full recovery. We enjoyed a simple lunch at the food court of the mall.

　　I went for a stroll around the Ocean Tower in the afternoon. Tranquility reigned in our area; they suspended the shuttle boat service—one of two ways to travel between condominiums—leaving only the tram running with a few passengers.

Mt. Kilauea

　　Our major reason for visiting Hawaii Island was to get a close look at the active volcano, Kilauea. I was also looking forward to climbing Mt.Maunakea, the highest mountain in the State of Hawaii; yet, I decided against it after we took into consideration that there wasn't enough time for us to get into top shape. We were still suffering from jet lag. Mt.Maunakea is higher than our own famous Mt.Fuji. I wanted us to be fully prepared to stand on its summit.
　　Shortly before noon, we left our condominium on the West Coast of Hawaii Island for Hilo. We enjoyed a lecture from our tour guide about the formation and the history of Hawaii Island. It was a very informative lecture. On the way there, we saw a vast maneuver area of the U.S. Army. Apparently, Japan's military personnel exercise there.
　　We took a short stroll around the city. The route of our tour began on the West Coast of Hawaii Island, moved on to Hilo on the East Coast, and then we climbed Mt.Kilauea. Despite our tight schedule, which didn't give us too much time to explore Hilo's city center, I managed to get a cool aloha shirt at a famous aloha shirt shop.
　　Viewing Mt. Kilauea and its crater had been a longtime dream of mine. While viewing the Halemaumau Crater directly, I imagined the grandeur of its actual eruption. I wished I had been there when it happened. We walked through the volcano-made tunnel called the lava tube and watched some fumaroles.
　　On our way back, I did some stargazing from a mountain pass located around the center of Hawaii Island. There was no light around us, so we were able to admire the brilliant starry sky.

 

Trip to Hawaii

　　On November 8, my wife and I left for Tokyo before noon. After we whiled away some time at the ANA lounge, we headed for our gate, No. 45. Shortly before embarkation, an announcement informed us of some discovered mechanical problems, resulting in a flight delay. They repeated the announcement several times, and finally, the the flight was delayed for three hours. I felt a bit hungry so staff members of Air Nippon Airways set a few tables in front of us and started delivering snacks and water bottles. I wished for more filling food, like sandwiches, but they would do for the time being. It would have been impossible to prepare them so late in the evening. Anyhow, after our three-hour delay, our plane took off. We were changing planes in Honolulu on Oahu Island, where there was going to be a four-hour layover. I thought that four hours would be more than enough in a not-so-huge Honolulu Airport, yet, catching our reserved flight bound for Hawaii Island proved an exercise in futility. At Honolulu Airport, an assistant was ready to help us with immigration control and to take us directly to the gate of Hawaiian Airlines. Moreover, another arrival delay delayed our flight to Kona. We finally boarded our scheduled flight and arrived on Hawaii Island on the 8th, as scheduled. The laid back atmosphere at the airport felt like we were at a farmer's market. We called for a taxi to take us to our condominium.

Trip to Okinawa 3

　　A tiny, croissant-shaped island was featured in a TV news item last night. I checked it on the net and I learned that the island was located just in front of us, so I decided to visit it today. Its name was Min'na-jima, nicknamed Croissant Island. It was 10 minutes drive from our condominium to Toguchi Port, from which the small boats start for the island, and 15 minutes from the port to the island. It was a tiny island, but its beach was crowded with boisterous kids and tourists. I preferred to see its natural circumstances or the lives of islanders than the beach and enjoyed wandering on the strange island. Then I headed for the northern end of Okinawa, called Hedo Cape. I happened to drop in at a roadside soba shop on the way, and the taste was great. I made a note of the shop’s name to revisit it on the next trip. It was worth the bother of stopping by. I had been to Hedo Cape before. Under the control of the U.S., people in Okinawa apparently prayed for the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese administration. I could see Yoron Island in the distance.

Trip to Okinawa 2

　　I got up at about 5 o'clock this morning and went out for a jog after breakfast, but the subtropical sunlight was harsh and I was only able to run for 20 minutes. Eventually, I walked around almost the entire island. Some beaches were preparing to open. Many gravel carriers were peacefully lying at anchor at Motobu Gulf. They were for the construction of the new Marine Base, which was welcomed by most Japanese, but pro-China activists are getting in the way. I happened to see a ferry boat, which I had wanted to get on, and I took a snapshot. Today's dinner was at a gorgeous Italian restaurant in the resort, and we enjoyed the famous Hilton fireworks.

 

Trip to Okinawa 1

　　My wife and I visited Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort in Okinawa, part of which was under development. There's a direct flight from my place to Naha (Okinawa), and we were able to reach Naha in two hours. After renting a car, we headed for Sesokojima Island via the American Village. We happened to pass by the scene of the conflict between the government and the leftist group. A security guard was killed there a few months ago. It was a disgusting accident. Just after our arrival at the resort, I enjoyed wandering around alone, leaving my wife, who was tired, in the condominium. Wandering aimlessly in a strange area was very joyful to me. We had Okinawa's local specialty, soba noodles, for dinner in our hotel. It was great. After dinner, we enjoyed a special concert by the local band "Inagun-gwa". Tonight's nibbles were pig ear jerky as you can see in the following pictures. It was not bad, but I prefer beef jerky.

Back Home

　　We wiled away four hours with some drinks in a lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport and then headed to Kansai Airport on Thai International Airways. I slept all the way on the flight, and the landing announcement awoke me. There was no Japanese-speaking cabin attendant and no Japanese version of an immigration card. I felt that the airline company didn't take proper care of Japanese customers despite the direct flight between Thailand and Japan. We got home utilizing the super-express Haruka, the Shinkansen bullet train, and the super-express Shiokaze for one stretch from Kansai International Airport. The destination of next year's trip to the U.K. will be London and Brighton.

At Munich Airport

　　We utilized award tickets of All Nippon Airways on this trip, but we weren't able to get direct flights. We had to stop over at Munich and Bangkok on the way to Japan. We stayed one night at Flightgate Hotel near Munich Airport. Our room was clean and cozy. The hotel staff were kind. Additionally, the breakfast included in the hotel charges was great. If we will have another opportunity to stop over in Munich, I'd like to book this hotel again. At Munich Airport the next day, I had to pass the passport control twice! I didn't know why. It didn't take so much time. One more thing, my daypack was opened at the inspection and my pack of wet tissues were tested using a thin film. The inspector might have doubted if I had some illegal substances. Anyway strict inspections are also for myself and are welcome. However, I wanted to know the reason why they suspected me of carrying something illegal. We flew Thai Airways International from Munich to Bangkok.

At Heathrow

　　We bought a stuffed bear, "Paddington" for our granddaughter at London Paddington. Then, we moved to Heathrow Airport by the Elizabeth Line. It was a direct service and very handy. We had to stop over at Munich. We used award tickets this time and stopping over at Munich was a trade-off for getting cheaper flights. We decided to enjoy the airport itself in Heathrow. After wandering around bookstores and several souvenir shops, we entered a conveyor-belt sushi bar which seemed to be run by Indians. Not only this sushi bar, but in many places, I often came across Indians or people of Indian origin. Anyway, the taste was not bad, but their prices were incredible expensive. We ate only two kinds respectively. Their tastes and cleanliness were acceptable. I recalled that my daughter, who was now in Bath working as a physician, and I felt nauseous in a sushi restaurant run by Koreans in Prince Edward Island in 2012. I'll add the link to the article. 

 

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/07/japanese-cuisine-.html 

 

(Vocabulary)     

conveyor-belt [conveyer-belt] sushi bar [restaurant] 回転寿司     

 

 

 

　パディントン駅で孫にお土産の熊のぬいぐるみを買った後、エリザベスラインでヒースロー国際空港へ。直通なのでかなり便利。ヒースローからはルフトハンザでまずミュンヘンへ飛ぶ。特典航空券なので直行便で無いのは仕方ない。その代わりにラウンジや空港そのものを楽しむことにする。回転寿司屋があったので寄ってみた。味はまずまずだったが信じられないほど高い。それぞれ２品ほど食べて失礼した。味と清潔さは合格点。 カナダ東部のプリンスエドワード島で、コリアンが経営する寿司屋「竹鮨」でうんざりしたことを思い出した。その時の記事を添付する 

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/07/japanese-cuisine-.html 

Good-bye Bath

　　I left Bath by the great western railroad (gWr). I took some pictures of the small street leading to my daughter's apartment. I'd never visit here again. I engraved the scene, atmosphere and cool weather on my memory. My daughter lived here and commuted for a year. I wanted to say loudly "Thank you" to all the people who helped her. 

　　I got a cup of coffee on the train and enjoyed the scenery through the window, always checking where I was on the screen of the iPad. I happened to find Windsor Castle on the screen. I looked in the direction of the castle, but I couldn't see it. However, I understood the rough position of the castle. I'd like to visit the castle on the next trip to the U.K. My daughter will move to Brighton this summer following the governmental(NHS) decision. I'll visit Brighton and around London next year. 

 

 

Cardiff

　　It rained on the last day in Bath. I visited Cardiff, which is the capital city of Wales. It has some medieval castles and a coal mine museum called "Big Pit National Coal Museum". This coal mine used to be a major driving factor of the development of the U.K. after the industrial revolution. When I was checking the location of the museum, I happened to find the town of Aberfan. I recalled a miserable coal mine accident. No, not the coal mine accident. It was the worst-ever industrial accident, which killed a hundred school kids. The small town was said to have lost one generation. Anyway, the weather was bad, and the driving seemed to be hard and we stayed at Cardiff and enjoyed wandering the streets and department stores. I wasn't interested in shopping and visited Cardiff Castle alone. In the outer wall of the castle, the preparation of events or something was under way. It robbed the castle of the medieval atmosphere and it was regrettable. The outer wall was a hollow structure and I could walk inside the wall without being caught in the rain. Was this space used to repel enemies? 

　　The streets of Cardiff were generally clean. There were few litters. One thing, most signboards were written in English and Welsh. I tried to pronounce some Welsh words, but their spelling was very unusual and I couldn't even imagine the sound of the words. I'll show you an example later. 

 

(Vocabulary)   

medieval 中世の   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　旅行中、初めての雨。カーディフは言うまでもなくウェールズの首都。いくつかの中世の城が残っており、また産業革命以後、イギリスの発展を支えた炭鉱が博物館になっていると聞き行くつもりだった。Big Pit National Coal Museumだ。場所は南ウェールズ、悲惨な炭鉱事故というより、イギリス史上最悪の産業事故で、ウェールズ南部の小さな、ほぼ一世代を失ったという村、aberfanの近く。しかし、天気が悪く、運転が大変そうだったのでやめて、カーディフ市内のぶらぶら歩きに変更した。カーディフ城では何かイベントの準備で中世の風情は無くなっていて残念だったが、内部は雨も掛からず快適だった。   

　街は総じてきれい。余りゴミはない。が、いろいろな表示が２カ国語表示、ウェルシュ語と英語。発音を真似ようとしてもできない綴り。消えゆく言葉なのかもしれないと感じた。

Stonehenge

　　It was around May when I knew that the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge was located near Bath. I recognized the location of Stonehenge and asked my daughter to take us there. We had breakfast in her apartment and headed for Stonehenge in my daughter's car. Her car was made in Japan and already had run about 200,000km. The car was incredibly obsolete and run down, but worked! When she started her career at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, she bought it and she has used it for a few years. I thought it a junk car, but she wouldn't need it in the next duty hospital in Brighton and seemed to be going to sell it, though I believe that the car would never sell. Anyway, she bought a car and made a contact of her parking lot herself in a foreign country. I saw her pump the gas herself with deep feeling admiring her attainments.
　　The drive in the vast Salisbury Plain was really fun. Viewing the streaming scenes along the road was a soothing relief. When we arrived at the visitor center of Stonehenge, the parking lot was full of visitors and their buses and vehicles. First of all, we got tickets and then got on a shuttle bus to the site of Stonehenge. Stonehenge was circled by rope and visitors weren't allowed to access it. In the museum, there were several descriptions about people who were supposed to have built Stonehenge. Their restored houses and the same size of stone as a stone used in Stonehenge are also displayed. Seeing them, I admired the achievements of research, but at the last part, the description wound up saying, "All about Stonehenge are still unknown".

(Vocabulary)
junk a car 車を廃車にする
junk [junker] car〈米俗〉廃車
duty station (兵士の）任地

　ストーンヘンジがバースからほど近い場所にあることを知ったのは５月頃だった。ここにあったのかと場所を再認識し、是非とも訪問したいと思った。１２日は朝食を娘の部屋で済ませてストーンヘンジへ向かった。娘の車は日本製で、２０万キロくらい走っている。信じられないほどボロだが、動く。ストーク・マンデビル病院勤務時代に購入してもう数年使っている。廃車寸前かと思えば、まだ売れるという。次の任地ブライトンでは不要になるらしく売るそうだ。売れるはずが無いと思うが売れるらしい。(^_^;)異国の地で、車を買い、駐車場所を契約し、ガソリンスタンドで苦も無く給油している姿を見るとずいぶん逞しくなったものだと感慨深い。
　ソールズベリー平原のドライブは楽しいの一言。ロンドンとはまた違ったのどかな風景に心が和む。急ぐ旅ではなく、あちこちへ立ち寄りながらストーンヘンジに到着すると、観光客、それを運んできたバスでごった返していた。まずはビジターセンターで入場券を買う。そしてシャトルバスで現地へ。後でわかったことだが、一般道からでも眺めることができたが、近くから見るには（と言っても５０メートルくらいのところにロープが張られていてそれ以上近くには寄れない)やはり、入場券が必要。併設のミュージアムではストーンヘンジを組み立てたであろう人々の生活の様子が語られていた。復元された住居やストーンヘンジで使われている石と同サイズの石が置かれていた。展示品をずっと見ていくと、、、、最後に一言、それでも尚、ストーンヘンジの意味がわからない、と。結局行き着くところはそこ。（笑）

Avon River

　　As you see, viewing from the shooting point, the city of Bath is raised. I was not sure, but I imagined that people would have built the city again on the previous city. I'd been keenly interested in the geology of the city after seeing the basement of Sally Lunn's or the excavation work of Roman Bath. Why was this structure born? I'm going to investigate it. Additionally, I found some rather big lock gates just in front of me. I recalled the locks I'd seen in Oxford, and I realized again that the early modern U.K. had harnessed water for means of transportation.

撮影している場所から対岸を望むと街がかさ上げされている。昔からの街の上に街を作ったのか？Sally Lunn'sの地下のミュージアムやローマンバスの地下を見たときからこの街の地層が気になっていた。どうしてこのようなことになってしまったのか。調べてみたい。また、目の前には川の水面の高さを調節するための閘門がある。イギリスがこれほど水運に頼っていた国だとは知らなかった。

Strolling

　　I strolled in the city of Bath. The first picture is a monument for victims of World War II. Bath was also bombed during the war. The Germans would have done it. What did they aim to do in such a rural city? By the way, Bath has something to do with Frankenstein and there was a museum about him. I had been eager to drop in, but I couldn't due to the time shortage.
　　Then, I walked around the Circus, which was one of the sightseeing points. My daughter's apartment is between the Circus and the Royal Crescent. It's a very easy-to-grasp location. There were lots of cars parked in front of both historic buildings. The gaps between cars were extremely short and I felt sympathy for the car owners. It would take time to park or drive out of the parallel parking spaces. Tesla cars automatically park themselves, but even so, it would take time for many lock-to-lock steering.
　　The last picture is Saracens Head, the oldest pub in Bath, which opened in 1713. According to the audioguide of the city tour bus, the pub was loved by Charles Dickens. He is a well-known novelist, whom even I know, and I really wanted to sit at his regular place in the pub, but I didn't have time to do so due to the following schedule.

(Vocabulary)
easy-to-grasp　わかりやすい
parallel parking space 縦列駐車スペース

　一人で街をぶらつく。最初の写真は慰霊碑。第二次世界大戦でこの街にも空襲があり、その犠牲者を悼むものだった。おそらくはドイツ軍だろうが、こんな田舎町を爆撃して何が目的だったのだろう？この街はフランケンシュタインゆかりの街だそうで、ミュージアムがあったが明日にしよう、明日にしようと思っているうちに時間がなくなり訪問できず。少し残念。
　そして、バースの観光名所の一つ、The Circusを一周した。娘のアパートはこのThe Circusとthe Royal Crescentの間にある。こんなにわかりやすい目印はそうはない。どちらの建物でも車は路上駐車。車間は狭く、入れるのも出すのも大変だろうなあと同情した。テスラ車については自動で縦列駐車をしてくれるが、時間はかかりそうだ。
　そして、最後の写真は１７１３年開店のバースで一番古いパブと言われるSaracens Head。あのディケンズゆかりのパブと観光バスの案内で知った。入ってみたいと思っていたが、次の予定があって立ち寄れず。

EV Charger

　　I got accustomed to walk around the city of Bath. When walking on the backstreet, I came across a chic B&B. To be exact, an EV charger caught my eye first and then I noticed the charger was installed at the B&B for their guests. The connector was Type 2 and I'd never seen it in Japan. I wanted to know the spec of the charger, but there was no one to tell me. I'm going to write about EVs later. 90% of Tesla cars in Bath were Model Y. Model 3 and Y were fifty-fifty in London, and I didn't see BYD's EVs. I heard that the BYD's EV is very popular in Europe, but it was not the case, at least in the U.K.

(Vocabulary)
chic ʃik/ おしゃれな, シックな
to be exact 正確には

　バースの街にも慣れてきて裏通りを歩いていて、しゃれたB&Bを見つけた。正確にはEV充電器が目に留まり、それがB&Bの宿泊者向けだったという順番。プラグは見たことも無い形状で、日本標準のチャデモとはまったく違う。充電スピードなど詳しいスペックを調べたかったが周囲に誰もおらず尋ねることは出来なかった。後の記事でＥＶについて書くつもりだが、バースで見かけるテスラ車は9割がモデルＹだった。ロンドンではモデル3とＹが半々で、シナ製は見かけなかった。欧州に普及していると聞いていたがイギリスはそうでもない。