Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

School of Veterinary Medicine

     I'll show you some pictures that I took around the School.

     This is the main entrance of the School. It appeared abruptly ahead when I was heading to the School. No one would have imagined that the top level of veterinarian facilities were inside.

     This is the Veterinary School. Students must learn Veterinary Medicine here for 6 years and after that they are qualified for the national examination. It's not easy to become a veterinarian.

     This is the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. My daughter was permitted to see inside with other students.

     It's the signboard that is written in Japanese as follows:

     Subject: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Breeding
     Check-in Hours: 9:00 - 11:30
     Non-consultation Day: Saturday, Monday, National Holidays and Designated Dates

     Another entrance. You can tell how vast the campus is.

     Two lanes go around the campus. One is for bicycle riders and the other is for walking and jogging people. The black asphalt is for people. It is soft and looks good for the knees and ankles.

(KW: 北海道大学獣医学部付属動物病院)

Taking a Walk in the University

     The main purpose of this visit is to join the open campus of this University. I had to take my daughter to the veterinary department. I asked someone whether we were on the right path to get there. He replied, "Go straight this way for about 20 minutes and ask again." "20 minutes! Unbelievable!" shouted my daughter. The vastness of this university was beyond her imagination. I was happy to realize that it was worth while to have taken her to this university.
     After that, we enjoyed gazing at the forest on the way to the Vetenarian School and I was busy taking pictures.

     This picture shows the ginkgo trees, one of the features of Hokkaido Universiy. I'd like to see the leaves when they turn yellow.

     This is the main street that is running north-south.

     This is one of the features too. It shows a strand of poplar trees. The road is lined with poplar trees. I wanted to go near the trees but it's been prohibited for 10 years because the trees are old and got damaged by the typhoon. These trees are supposed to fall dawn in the near future.

     Turning the lens to the left, you can see the vast experimental farm. It's wonderful that it's a 5 minute walk from Sapporo station.

     This picture shows a small path in the botanical garden that is preserved as it used to be for centuries. It's material for researchers. From the viewpoint of nature being located in the center of the city, this garden reminded me of Stanley Park in Vancouver.

     At last, to tell the truth, I had a person whom I was eager to meet here. He is in the last picture. Yes, he is Dr. Inazo Nitobe. I'd like to see him. On the base of his statue, his desire is written as follows: "I wish to be a bridge across the Pacific Ocean." He passed away in Victoria, B.C. in Canada and his statue is in Vancouver too. He graduated from Hokkaido University and is known for his transcendent skill in English. He wrote "Bushido: The Soul of Japan" in 1900. I'd like all the people in the world to read this book from the bottom of my heart. I was profoundly moved by this book and his way of thinking.
     You might be smirking, but I had been copying his signature when I was a medical student. Now I can find my old signature in some books and files on my shelf with the surname circled just like his signature. I'm going to visit Vancouver next March with my friends and daughters. If I have enough time to drop in at his statue, I want to take some pictures of it and post them here.
     Abruptly, my youngest daughter shouted, "Hokkaido University is just like UBC!" I really think so. My youngest daughter went to Vancouver and Whistler for the first time for about 10 days in 2004. I drove my car through the campus of UBC at that time. She seemed to be deeply impressed to see the campus. It was a good and valuable lesson for her.

(Vocabulary)
gaze at sb/sth   ＜…＞を見つめる, じっと見る
ginkgo 《植物》銀杏、イチョウ  発音gi'ŋkou | gi'ŋkgou
a strand of pearls/beads   一連の真珠［ビーズ］
line  （道など）に沿って並ぶ
be lined with something （道などに）＜…＞が並んでいる
The street was lined with small shops. 通りには小さい店が並んでいた．
transcendent　並外れた人［物］　並外れた　〔能力などが〕卓越した
smirk うすら笑いを浮かべる, にやにや笑う

(KW: 北海道大学 北大 新渡戸稲造 武士道 ポプラ並木)

Hokkaido University

     We got to Sapporo City at 8:30 and had breakfast again. The weather was cloudy and the walkway was wet due to the last night's rain. Sapporo City is known as the first city where the Winter Olympic Games were held in Japan.
     I've visited Hokkaido a few times. Every time I go there, I take my motorcycle, using airplanes, trucks or ferries and I enjoyed riding my motorcycle across Hokkaido. Hokkaido has vast areas of nature and my motorcycle is an off-road type. I have ridden my motorcycle mainly out of cities, in forests, along rivers and around lakes, so it's the first time I have seen Sapporo City and Hokkaido University.
     As soon as I went through the entrance, I was moved to see how beautiful the university was. The first picture is the scene that I saw first. It's just like a park. I felt not that people built some buildings of various departments and after that planted many trees and grasses around the buildings, but that there was a wood and people built the university there.
     The second picture is a building that was built in the Meiji Era. This is a historical heritage building and is still in use now.
     The next picture is taken at the side of Ono Pond. You can see what it is like in the next picture if you magnify the picture.
     My daughter seems to be eager to enter this university. She will be an eager beaver.

(Vocabulary)
walkway  通路、歩道、散歩道
eager beaver 頑張り屋、張り切り屋、仕事の虫、やり手
eager-beaver  【形】熱心極まる、猛烈な、がり勉の、頑張り屋の

(KW: 札幌 北海道大学 北大 大野池)

B & B

     I got up earlier than usual. I might be tense subconsciously. We were provided with breakfast that was simple but good. The owner of this inn was kind and talkative. My daughter looks delighted to chat with her. This inn was reasonable (3500 yen). The choice of our inn was good. The first photo shows this inn.
     The second photo shows the Otaru station of JR (Japan Railways). We got on the ordinary train here for Sapporo. I like wandering around with nothing to do as I wrote before.
     Deserted windswept fishing villages, overhanging cliffs over our train and magnificent views of the Sea of Japan,,,all of them made me happy.

(Vocabulary)
subconscious  潜在意識に潜む, 意識下の
a subconscious fear of failure  潜在意識に潜む失敗への恐れ
subconsciously  潜在意識の中で, 意識下で
windswept 〈場所が〉 風の吹きすさぶ, 吹きさらしの
windswept moors 風の吹きすさぶ荒野

(KW: 小樽 民宿 若葉荘 Wakabaso)

Shopping in Otaru 2

     We are window-shopping in the shopping street. I took these photos just when the stream of people broke. It was not easy to take these picture because people were coming one after another. Most houses are made of rock and look old. I imagined that the age of the houses was more than 50 years.
     Otaru is known as the city of sushi. We chose sushi as our dinner.

 

 (KW: 小樽)

Shopping in Otaru

     The 1st picture shows the Otaru Canal Restaurant. I already found and knew about it from a guide book and it looked like a restaurant complex. I didn't have any appetite but I dropped in out of curiosity. I was surprised to see the inside because the inside was the world of a half-century ago. I don't know how to describe it in English. It's just like a backdrop for making movies. I'm 48 years old now. The world around me was just like it used to be 40 years ago, that is to say, my childhood. There was a mom-and-pop candy store that had many kinds of candies, tiny cheap toys and anything that little boys and girls are fond of. I keep remembering that I ran into such stores as soon as my parents or grandparents gave me small coins. I was so delighted and took lots of pictures to show to my parents. I posted some of them here. The girl in the picture is my daughter.

(Vocabulary)
backdrop (文) 背景, 光景
mom-and-pop 【形】〈米話〉家族経営の、夫婦だけで経営する、（店が）小さな
mom-and-pop candy store  駄菓子屋

(KW: 小樽)

Sightseeing & Shopping in Otaru

     Otaru City is much frequented by all kinds of people from all over Japan. This city is famous for its high popularity. The pictures show the Otaru Canal. It is the chief feature of this city. It was constructed for the purpose of increasing the amount of transport between Hokkaido and Honshu (mainland Japan) about a century ago. Numerous commodities from Honshu must have been gathered here and scattered all over Hokkaido. There is no doubt that Otaru was the center of development of Hokkaido in the Meiji Era.
     Decades ago, after habours, railroad networks and other infrastructures like that were built, Otaru City was going to fill in this Canal to reclaim new land and this newly-made land would be a parking lot or a park for citizens belonging to Otaru City. However, at that time, most citizens objected to this municipal plan and wanted to preserve the Canal as a cultural heritage site.
     Consequently, the Canal has been preserved. The choice of the citizens was a bold decision, I think. If it were not for the Canal, the popularity of Otaru City would be smaller. Many shops and restaurants are open around the Canal. The Otaru Canal is collecting not commodities but tourists now.

(Vocabulary)
frequent （ホテル・店など）によく行く, 頻繁に行く
The hotel is frequented by American tourists.
そのホテルはアメリカ人観光客が頻繁に利用している．
[他] 〈動物が〉 〈場所〉 に生息する, 現れる
feature　特徴, 特色, 特質　 (ある地域の) 地形, 地勢, 特徴
a geographical feature　 地形
fill sth in ＜穴・ひび＞をふさぐ（埋める） (＋fill in with)
Fill in the hole with cement.  穴をセメントでふさぎなさい．
reclaim
1 〈失ったもの〉 を取り戻す
2 〈税金〉 を返還［還付］してもらう [同意] claim back
3 〈土地〉 を開拓［開墾］する, 埋め立てる
4 〈廃棄物〉 を回収する, 再生利用する

(KW: 小樽 倉庫街 運河)

Wandering in Otaru

     Finally, we found our inn. We went out as soon as we checked our baggage. The inn is located on a deserted street. We came across various things until we got downtown.
     The first photo shows an unused track of JNR (Japan National Railways). It is the Temiya Line which was abolished in 1985. It used to be a main transportation artery between Sapporo and Otaru. Numerous materials and commodities for the development of Hokkaido were carried on the track. I said "Thank you!" at the track in my mind. I don't know; I just couldn't take it anymore! I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't said thanks. I found myself having make-believe conversations with people who were alive and working for the Temiya Line 100 years ago.
     Otaru city is known as the northern Wall Street. This city used to be a financial center. Dozens of buildings that were built in the Meiji (1868-1912), Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926-1989) Era are preserved now. The second photo shows one of them. I don't know who was the original owner, but it looks like a former bank.
     On the way to downtown, I took more than 20 pictures of such kinds of buildings. I'm thinking that I'll build a website for showing those pictures to all of you.

(Vocabulary)
inn　宿屋
check one's baggage　手荷物を預ける
make-believe　【名】見せかけ、ふりをする人、偽り、～ごっこ
【形】見せかけの、～らしく作った、偽りの、架空の、作り事の、でっち上げた、代用の
make-believe world  架空の世界


 

(KW:小樽 北の金融街)

Lost in Otaru

     We arrived in Otaru City. Otaru City is the second biggest city in Hokkaido. During the Meiji Era, about 100 years ago, this city was the centre for finance and the distribution of goods. As you know, the biggest city in Hokkaido is Sapporo City, but Sapporo had no harbour. The goods that were transfered to Sapporo were brought to Otaru City at first. The distance between Otaru and Sapporo is about 30km. The commodities were carried by trains or horse carts from Otaru to Sapporo. There remain dozens of historical buildings everywhere in this city.
     I usually choose my hotel using my PC connected to the internet. I searched for a favorable hotel for us at the beginning of July as usual, but it was too late. Otaru City is one of the most famous cities for sightseeing as is to be expected. There was no vacancy. More properly, I found some vacancies at extremely luxurious hotels, but it wasn't suitable for us. Finally I called the municipal sightseeing agency and asked them to help me find a hotel. At any rate I chose a Japanese-style hotel.
     I headed for that hotel, "Wakaba-sou," shortly after getting off the train. I'm going to report about this hotel. On the way to the hotel, we got lost. We found ourselves getting into a dark alley. I took some picture here.This is Otaru, too.

(Vocabulary)
commodity   商品, 生産物
agricultural commodities  農産物
horse cart  馬車
more properly より正確には
at any rate  とにかく、ともかく、いずれにしても、いずれにせよ、どちらにせよ、何はともあれ、どのみち、何しろ、それにしても
alley  裏通り、路地、小路、小道

(KW: 小樽 観光 若葉荘)

Raining as Usual

     I'm sitting on a seat in the express train for Otaru. It's raining outside. I've visited Hokkaido 4, 5 times. As always, it's raining this time. I really prefer the clear sky to the rain, but the green of the plants around me is very beautiful just in the rain.
     I found a skywalk at Kita-hiroshima station. I've seen some passages like this in Minneapolis. When I visited a hospital in Rochester in Minnesota, I stayed in Minneapolis a night to watch a baseball game of the Minnesota Twins. I heard the temperature of Minnesota is extremely low in the winter and people can't walk outside. This skywalk reminds me of the days in Minnesota. The climate in the winter around here must be harsh for humans.
     The name of this station is "Kita-hiroshima". "Kita" means north and "Hiroshima" means Hiroshima City that is famous for being the victim city of the Atomic Bomb, so the meaning of "Kita-hiroshima" is "North Hiroshima".
     In the Meiji Era the government promoted emigration from the mainland to Hokkaido to protect our land from the northern enemy. At that time the immigrants newly named their land after their original place. The ancestors of the citizens of this city must have come here from Hiroshima City.
     My daughter is looking out of the window. She must be aware of the difference between our hometown and here in various ways. I think this land might be her second home town.

(KW:北広島)

At Matsuyama Airport

     It's bright and clear today just after the typhoon passed by. The typhoon is heading for Hokkaido now, where we are going to visit. When our plane reaches Hokkaido, the typhoon is supposed to be at Tsugaru Strait, which is located 100 miles south of the Shin-Chitose Airport where we will arrive. This flight seems we are chasing the typhoon.
     Our plane is coming into the parking spot as the picture shows. Hokkaido is farther from here than Tokyo. I thought our plane would be bigger than the plane headed for Tokyo, but I was not correct. Our plane was a Boeing 737-500 and smaller than I expected. I imagine the number of passengers is not always so many on the flight to Hokkaido.
     By the way, I'm now using a noise cancelling headphone, QuietComfort 3, produced by BOSE. The effect is amazing. I realized how many noises were around me in the airport. I can't do without this anymore. It erases only unnecessary and harsh noises. I was going to listen to English conversation while I was waiting for the departure, but I'm listening to baroque music as I was touched by the technique of BOSE.

(KW: 松山空港 北海道 台風)

Koban

     Japan is a very safe country, though some shooting incidents occured recently and the number of crimes that are committed by foreigners is increasing. That is something that the Japanese people can be proud of. The crime rate in Japan is exceptionally low among the industrial nations. The fact that the crime rate constantly decreased during the 50s, 60s and 70s, the most hectic years of industrialization and urbanization, is a "miracle" to the eyes of foreign observers.
     There are a number of reasons. The Japanese are ethnically and culturally a homogeneous people. They are not divided into classes. They have a high educational standard. The dropout rate in secondary education is as low as 2%. Gun control is strict and effective and there is virtually no availability of firearms among ordinary citizens. The drug problem is minimal. They live in a society of collective responsibility, so to speak, where one person's disgrace is the disgrace of those who are related to that person.
     This picture shows a koban that covers the area that my house is located in. Every Japanese knows the koban, but I think that the koban is not familiar to foreigners.
     A koban is a police box or a fixed police post. David Bayley, who did an excellent comparative study of police in Japan and the United States wrote: "Unlike the United States, police operations in Japan have not been organized in terms of the patrol car. Fixed posts outnumber patrol cars...almost five to one."
     The kobans are all over the country. Again according to Bayley, "There are about 5800 kobans in Japan....kobans serve small, very densely populated areas. In metropolitan Tokyo, for instance, where there are approximately 1000 kobans, the average area covered is about 0.22 square miles containing a population of 11500 people."
     In rural areas there are fixed posts called chuzaisho. The major difference between koban and chuzaisho is that the personnel of kobans changes its shift, whereas the chuzaisho is both a fixed post and home for the police officer on duty. He lives in the community with his wife and family.

(Vocabulary)
collective responsibility　集団責任、共同責任、連帯責任
so to speak　いわば、言ってみるならば
So to speak.　いわば（そうですね）。／強いて言うなら（そうですね）。
in terms of　～を単位として；　～に関して、～の観点から
outnumber　【他動】～に数で勝る、数で凌駕する、～の数を上回る、～より数が多い
・We are not outnumbered. : 私たちは、数では負けていない。
・We were outnumbered more than two to one. : 相手の人数はこちらの2倍以上だった。

(KW:松山　駅前　交番　駐在所　おまわりさん　お巡りさん)

Matsuyama Station (JR)

     When I went to Okayama city by train the day before yesterday, I took this picture. It is Matsuyama Station of JR (Japan Railways). The weather was cloudy and the picture is not bright enough. The station is shabby for the scale of the city. Reconstruction of the station has been in the planning stage for these past 10 years. Things are not going well because of various factors.
     It takes the same amount of time (about 3 hours) to travel to Okayama city by train and by car. I usually use a car because I can start whenever I like, but I chose the train today.
     I had to stay 2 successive nights at my hospital. I got tired and a little sleepy. It was the reason why I chose the train. I fell asleep just after leaving and was jolted awake by a train conductor at Okayama station. I had 3 hours' good sleep. I recovered completely.

(Vocabulary)
shabby  ぼろぼろの, 使い古した, みすぼらしい
jolt
[自] 〈車両などが〉 ガタガタ揺れながら進む
[他] …をガタガタ揺さぶる
[他] 〈人〉 にショックを与える
jolt somebody into/out of something
＜人＞にショックを与えて＜…＞させる［をやめさせる］

A Moving Stall

     When I was making my morning rounds on the third floor, I happened to look out of the window. It was a nice day and a little hot. I really felt that I'd like to go out and ride my motorcycle. At that exact moment I saw two people walking to a car like ants gathering around candies. The car was a moving stall. The two people were my co-workers. It was more than one hour left until lunch time. They had sneaked out of the hospital and had been waiting for the opening of the stall. It was intersting and really funny that they didn't know that I, the head nurse, and another staff member were observing them from the 3rd floor. They must have thought they had successfully slipped out and no one knew where they were. The picture shows them and the stall that is getting ready to open.
     I didn't know about the moving stall, but the owner of the stall appears to be famous. The menu he presents is only two kinds. One of them is Thai-style vegetable curry and seems to be very popular.
     Anyway today's targets of the owner must have been my staff members and his tricks turned out to be completely successful. Next time he comes here, I'll try it.

(Vocabulary)
sneak  (sneaked または snuck)
sneak into/out of something
＜場所＞へこっそり入る［からこっそり出る］
it appears (that) …ということのようだ
It appears that the two aircraft were in no danger.
2機の航空機はまったく危険な状態ではなかったようだ．
appear to be  …のように見える
The man appeared to be in his late twenties.
その男は20代後半ぐらいに見えた

Prefectural Office Building

     On the way home after work, I happened to stop at a red light in front of the prefectural office building. At that time I took a picture of it. What do you think when you look at this building. It is still in fact in use and at the same time it is a historical heritage building. This building is located in the heart of the city and many official facilities are near here. My hospital is one of them. This is at the base of the hill where Matsuyama Castle is located. I can't help recalling the Showa and Meiji eras when looking around this area.

A Fire

     A fire broke out near my hospital today. It was about noon. My hospital is located in the heart of the city and the streets were heavily packed with business people going out for lunch. The fire occurred in a building that was being pulled down, so the damage was not so much, I think. The building is at the busiest corner in the city. There is the headquarters of the main local bank and the branch of the Japan National Bank at the opposite side of the corner. This intersection was locked for a couple of hours. It was like a scene from a movie. It was the first time I had seen an aerial ladder truck actually working. A firefighter was on the top of the ladder, at about the 8th-10th floor level. I'm scared of heights. I admired him.

(Vocabulary)
aerial  航空機からの, 空からの; 空中にある, 空中を動く
aerial photographs  航空写真

(KW:シャトーテル松山)

Wonderful Meeting (Corrected by Maria)

     A famous Japanese poet, "Machi Tawara (俵万智)," describes a lovebird's meeting in her poem:
     The meeting would have been impossible if their births didn't coincide in history. Only 100 years of difference in their birthdays would have made it impossible to meet each other. The probability of their meeting is extremely small because they have to live in the same era before they meet in this world. The poet sings of a glorious life experience that only occurs by chance. The poet's words make us realize how many experiences we miss. As may be expected of the poet, her way of thinking is different from that of ordinary people.
     Just the other day, I found myself wishing I could pass through history and touch those that went before me when a discovery was made at Matsuyana Castle. Matsuyama Castle is in the heart of my home town. It was constructed 400 years ago, taking 25 years. The original features of the castle have been maintained by timely restorations and fundamental reconstructions in every century. The castle has been under reconstruction these past 2 years. During the renovation, a lot of the castle was replaced in order to conserve the original features for the next 100 years. In the process of replacement, to my surprise, two pictures were found on the ceiling. A samurai was painted on the wooden ceiling. It is estimated that it was drawn 200 years ago. It was big, local news. Who painted it? Who is in the picture? One picture is an overhead view of a samurai's head. It might have been drawn by a carpenter who worked on the ceiling. That samurai might have been a kind of official of the renovation committee in those days. The other picture is a portrait of a samurai. I felt close to this unknown painter and the picture of the samurai. I felt a sense of fun for the painter to see the picture and thought he and I might have been good friends if I had been born in the same era.
     The painter and the samurai disappeared into history. I can't meet nor talk with them but if I had enough imagination, I might be able to exchange feelings with them. Human history flows all around me and I cannot touch what already happened before I was born. I happened to be born after World War 2. I am caught in the big stream of history. I'd like to visit various historical sites all over the world and talk with those who have gone before me. Can I hear the voice of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo? Can I hear the voice of Robert Scott at the South Pole? Can I see famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Renoir drawing or walking at Le Bateau-Lavoir on the hill of Montmartre?
     What lessons can I learn from my forbearers?

(Vocabulary)
expect sth of/from sb/sth   ＜…＞に＜…＞を期待する
Good behavior is expected of all our students.
本校の生徒は生徒としての本分をわきまえて行動すること．
forbearer 先人
forbear   慎む, がまんする
forbear from doing sth (forbear to do sthとも) ＜…＞するのを慎む

(KW:松山城)

Wonderful Meeting

     A famous Japanese poet, "Machi Tawara (俵万智)," describes the lovebird's meeting in her poem like below:
     The meeting must have been impossible if their births didn't coincide in history. Only 100 years of difference in their birthdays would make it impossible to meet each other. The probability of their meeting is extremely small because they have to live in the same era before they meet in this world. The poet sings of a glorious life like this. As may be expected of the poet, her way of thinking is different from that of ordinary people. However, I was vaguely thinking that her tale might be true.
     The other day, this happened:
     There's Matsuyama Castle in the heart of my home town. It was constructed 400 years ago, taking 25 years. The original features of the castle have been maintained by timely restorations and fundamental reconstructions in every century. The castle has been under reconstruction these past 2 years. During the renovation, a lot of parts of the castle were replaced in order to conserve the original features for the next 100 years. In the process of replacement, to my surprise, two pictures were found on the ceiling. A samurai was painted on the wooden ceiling. It is estimated that it was drawn 200 years ago. It was big, local news. Who painted it? Who is in the picture? One picture is an overhead view of a samurai's head. It might have been drawn by a carpenter who worked on the ceiling. That samurai might have been a kind of official of the renovation committee in those days. The other picture is a portrait of a samurai. I felt close to this unknown painter and the drawn samurai. I felt a sense of fun for the painter to see the picture directly and thought he and I might have been good friends if I had been born in the same era.
     They disappeared into history. I can't meet and talk with them but if I had enough imagination, I might be able to exchange feelings with them. Human history had already begun and I happened to be born after World War 2. I really feel that I am in the big stream of history. I'd like to visit various historical sites all over the world and talk with those who have gone before me. Can I hear the voice of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo? Can I hear the voice of Robert Scott at the South Pole? Can I see famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Renoir drawing or walking at Le Bateau-Lavoir on the hill of Montmartre?
     What lessons can I learn from my forerunners?

(Vocabulary)
lovebird  仲の良い恋人同士、おしどり夫婦
sing  〈人・功績など〉 を詩で賛美する
sing of somebody/something  ＜…＞を（詩で）賛美する
tale  (架空・伝説上の) 話, 物語
enovation　〔古い建物・部屋・家具などの〕修復、修理、リフォーム：　革新、刷新
if I had enough imagination　想像をたくましくすれば
Le Bateau-Lavoir　洗濯船
パリのモンマルトルにあった安アパートの名前。 1904年から1909年まで、パブロ・ピカソが恋人のフェルナンド・オリビエと共にここに住んだ。
the hill of Montmartre　モンマルトルの丘
forerunner　先駆者、先人；　前兆、前触れ、兆候

Matsuyama Castle      (KW:松山城 改修)

Bocchan Train

     I went out in lunch time today. The photo shows the Bocchan Train which is one of symbols of my home town. My town is famous as the place from the scene of the novel, "Bocchan" and "Sakanoue no kumo". Both novels describe people in the Meiji Era (1868- 1912). This train, now mainly for tourists, shows up in "Bocchan" and runs near my hospital.

Urban Valley

     I carry around a digital camera these days. I'm going to shoot many pictures around me. One of the biggest benefits of using a digital camera is that you can take as many photos as you want. This picture is shot on the way to my hospital from my parking lot. It has a composition of looking up towards Matsuyama Castle from the urban canyon. The castle is in bright natural light but the sunlight doesn't reach the bottom of the valley.

(Vocabulary)
composition [U] 構図, 画面構成, 配置

(KW:松山城　都会の谷間)