Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Mellow Out Party (ほろ酔い会）

　　The title of this entry is the term coined by me to describe the regular meeting that is held quarterly in the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club to which I belong. Can you figure out the characteristics of the meeting from my translation?
　　It's a party to enjoy Japanese sake along with seasonal dishes, which go well with sake. Japan has four distinctive seasons and each season has a considerable amount of unique foods. Likewise, huge kinds of Japanese sake are produced across the country by the grace of pure water.
　　I live in Shikoku, which is the 4th biggest island of Japan, and there are more than 80 sake breweries in Shikoku. The hosts of the most recent party collected 28 representative sakes from 28 sake breweries. The scent and taste of some of those sake attracted me and I'll show you some below. Those dishes and sake were very nice and I unthinkingly drank too much. I lost my memory after leaving the party and getting on a tram, and I found myself in my bed the next morning on the receiving end of an icy stare from my wife.
　　By the way, I found a phrase "as drunk as an owl" in my dictionary. It seems to indicate "heavily drunken", so "Mellow Out Party" might be better if it was modified to "Owl Party", at least in my case.

(Vocabulary)
Mellow Out Party  ほろ酔い会　（注記：筆者による造語）
mellow (out) (酒などを飲んで) くつろぐ, いい気分になる
mellow sb out …をいい気分にさせる, くつろがせる
coin 〈新語など〉を作り出す; 〈貨幣〉を鋳造する
the disk jockey who coined the term "rock 'n' roll"  「ロックンロール」という新語を作り出したディスクジョッキー
quarterly 　年４回, 四半期ごとに
by the grace of God　神の恵みによって
on the receiving end （攻撃・非難などの）的になって

Young Soccer Players

　　It was cold today too. About noon, I went to Matsuyama Central Park where the primary school kids soccer tournament Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club Cup is being held yesterday and today. It was one of the activities of my Lions
Club. The Club has hosted this soccer meeting for several years.
　　The popularity of soccer has soared in recent years and lots of kids have come to dream of being professional soccer players. I'm not interested in soccer so much, but it was enjoyable watching the kids play the game seriously and vigorously.
　　Ehime Prefecture, home to me, will host the National Athletic Meeting of Japan in 2017, and at that time, some of the kids who were running around the ground will be selected as representatives of Ehime Prefecture. I hope to see them participate when they are grown-up.

Formal Visit

　　My usual overseas trips were always easygoing with old and tried friends. This trip, however, is a formal visit as a representative of citizens in Matsuyama City. I'm not so familiar with a half of the tour members. What would become of the trip? To tell the truth, it's the first time for me to attend such a group tour accompanied by a professional tour guide. Seemingly, I have only to follow her.
　　Let me explain the picture below, which was shot at Matsuyama Airport just before the departure. I'm a member of Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club and four of the members are going to join the tour. The second person from the left, my superior general surgeon, is my sponsor in the club and at the same time he is the former chairman of the Matsuyama Freiburg Friendship Association (MFFA). He pulled me into MFFA at the last anniversary event held in Matsuyama City five years ago. (http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/04/visitors-from-1.html) As a result, this event lead me to Germany three times and my second daughter came to stay in Freiburg for a year. Additionally I was invited into the Lions Club. He is really a precious one for me.
　　The plane soared into the clear sky just like my growing sense of expectations, heading for Tokyo, where we would change planes.

(Vocabulary)
old and tried ［trusted］ 気心の知れた
tried and tested (tried and true とも) 〈方法・技法などが〉立証済みの, 確立された
tried and tested research methods 確立された調査方法 [同意] well-tried
sponsor 〔…の〕引受人, 保証人〔of, for〕.

Uniform of Matsuyama Chuo Lions Running Club

　　I sometimes wrote about the Ehime Marathon in my blog, which has been held in my hometown for 50 years. It had been only for professional or semi-professional athletes for a long time, but now it is open to the public. Moreover it's getting more and more popular across Japan. About 8,000 city runners are permitted to join the marathon and the competition rate has been more than double every year recently. The other day, four members of my Lions Club, including me, were drawn to obtain permission to join the marathon. The president of the club is an enthusiastic supporter of the marathon and he instantly established the running club in the Lions Club.
　　As I attended the regular conference of the Lions Club today, several dozen uniforms, shown below, were prepared for not only the runners, but supporters. Seemingly, several club members will support the runners along the route wearing the same uniform. It's really cool, but I would never be allowed to retire from the race. I have to definitely pursue the completion of the marathon.

Holland

　　I've been writing this blog for about 8 years and it's probably the first time to handle Holland as a topic. That's because my youngest daughter set out for Holland a short while ago. She was dispatched to The Hague in Holland through the Youth Camp Exchange Program organized by the International Lions Club. Young exchange people from Japan to Europe are supposed to leave Japan tomorrow morning from three principal airports of Japan, i.e. Narita, Chubu and Kansai Airport. My daughter flew to Kansai Airport to get on-board tomorrow's flight LH741. All of them will get together at Frankfurt Airport when they arrive. Then they'll head for everyone's destination, like Amsterdam, Zurich, Helsinki, and so on.
　　Back to my daughter's story, it's her 7th time to go abroad, but the first time to visit Europe. She can speak English really fluently, but will be puzzled by other countries' unfamiliar customs. I hope those experiences will help her grow up. She is a budding doctor and wants to work in an international organization like WHO in the future.
　　She is due to stay with a Dutch family for 2 weeks and spend another 2 weeks in the countryside near the border with Germany with young people from all over the world. In the camp, she apparently seems to be a single Japanese and co-campers will ask her lots of things associated with Japan and vice versa. I'm looking forward to hearing her story about the camp.

(Vocabulary)
be due to do something  ＜…＞する予定である
The theme park is due to open next year. そのテーマパークは来年オープンする予定です．

No, Never, Drugs Campaign

　　A campaign was held in the busiest shopping street in my hometown today. More than 500 people from across the political, educational, and governmental spectrum gathered. Naturally, several volunteer bodies like Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club, which I belong to, joined. Over chatting with high school students, carrying a placard and passing out flyers, we walked along the street for an hour. Much to everybody's regret, crimes associated with drugs are still happening in Japan. The flyers we delivered point out the hazards of using drugs.

Marathon Exercise

　　I wrote about the catalyst for my recent endeavor to engage in running in February. I started reducing my body weight at first along with light walking in February, and now I sometimes run in the area around my house. I am far from being able to complete a marathon, but I'm trying to run faster bit by bit.
　　By the way, my Lions Club is the 8th biggest club in Japan on the basis of the number of the members. About 110 people belong to the club and some of them are fond of running. They put together a running circle to evoke the health trend in the club and naturally I joined them. On the other hand, as the popularity of marathons has risen, students, who major in physical education or physical exercise in Ehime University, have voluntarily begun teaching citizens how to run and complete a marathon safely. I joined this circle as well. This circle is sponsored by the pharmaceutical giant, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which manufactures various sports drinks. It's very useful for people like me, who usually shy away from sports, to find out more about exercise, warm-ups, cool-downs etc.
　　The gadget in the picture - sorry for the lack of sharpness - is a device for carrying a bottle of water on the waist. In Japan, especially the southwestern part, is experiencing sweltering and scorching heat and thousands of people have been rushed to hospitals. Water is essential for running at present.

(Vocabulary)
catalyst  (重要な変化や出来事を) 引き起こす人［もの］, 要因 [＋catalyst for]
endeavor [C](フォーマル) 試み;[U] 努力
in an endeavor to do sth ＜…＞する試みとして
make every endeavor to do sth ＜…＞するためにあらゆる試みをする
scientific/creative/artistic/human endeavor 科学的［創造的，芸術的，人間の］努力
endeavor to do sth  (フォーマル) ＜…＞しようと努力する［努める］
health trend 健康志向
shy away from (doing) sth  ＜…＞（すること）を避ける, にしり込みをする
Don't shy away from saying what you think.  しり込みしないで思っていることを言いなさい．
find out more about ～についてもっと多くのことを発見する、知る，調べる

A Letter to Lions Club International President

Lions Clubs International President
Mr. Wayne A. Madden & To Whom It May Concern

　　I'm a member of Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club (District 336-A, 1R3Z). I read "A Message From Our President" in LION MAGAZINE IN JAPAN April 2013, Vol.55 No.10., in which your statement was translated into Japanese. Your message surprised and deeply disappointed me. I immediately ordered your original statement from the head office in Japan and made sure of the words like "strafing of enemy", "cruelly tortured". I put your message on the net. Your "Madden column for March" literally maddened me. I have a few questions.
　　Are "strafing by Japan" or "cruelly tortured by Japan" historically correct? If you have some evidence, please have it forwarded. Where? and When? I'll check it.
　　In TIME MAGAZINE, Asian version, Dec. 20th 2010, p.52, there was a list of "The Best Books of 2010". The highest one in the nonfiction category was "Unbroken" written by Laura Hillenbrand. I thumbed through the summary of the story. He seemed to have eaten sparingly but survived until the end of the war. He must have been taken into custody so close to the end of the war. It's naturally ironic.
　　Japan had foolishly kept the Geneva Convention throughout the Great East Asian War, while the Allied forces treated prisoners cruelly. It is an unanswerable fact. Strafing sailors evacuated on the sea from their military vessels is the Allied forces's way of fighting, not Japan's way. Do you know about Bushido, the soul of Japan? Presumably I don't need to write about the Atomic Bombs or the one-night bombing on Tokyo, which killed no less than 100,000 ordinary people.
　　However, there could be some exceptions. The protagonist of "Unbroken" might be such an exception or an exceptional person who lacked emotional sensitivity and couldn't feel grateful from those who offered something from the extreme shortage of their food.
　　I'd like to emphasize that your message is far different from the general historical facts. You believe a popular novel without questioning it. Additionally, do you think your message is appropriate for the LION MAGAZINE, which is delivered around the world? If you want to know about strafing, read the following pieces which I wrote in January. It contains accurate figures. Rebuttal is always welcome, though I'm not good at English.

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-1.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-2.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-3.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-4.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-5.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-6.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-7.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-8.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-9.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-10.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2013/01/battleships-prince-of-wales-and-yamato-11.html


Bushido, the soul of Japan and Chivalry;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLdX2ngSepY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbHIC_CLDhk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcwX93oi1CE

Mr. Xxxxx Yyyyy M.D. Ph.D
General Surgeon
Matsuyama Japan


ライオンズクラブ国際会長
ウェイン　Ａ　マッデン　様


　私は３３６－Ａ地区１Ｒ３Ｚ松山中央ライオンズクラブに所属しています。日本語版ライオン誌４月号に掲載されたあなたのメッセージを拝読致しました。その内容に驚き、かつひどく落胆し、すぐにオリジナルを取り寄せ英文を確認し、その中に「敵の機銃掃射」、「残酷な拷問」という文言を確認しました。私の読んだ文書を念のためネット上にＵＰしておきます。いくつか質問させて頂きます。

　まず、あなたの書かれた海上で助けを求める水兵に対する機銃掃射、捕虜に対する残酷な拷問は歴史的な事実でしょうか？もし何か根拠をお持ちなら、お示しください。当方で確認致します。いつ、どの海域での話ですか？

　Ｔｉｍｅ誌アジア版平成２２年１２月２０日号の５２頁に「The Best Books　of　2010」という記事のノンフィクション分野のリストがあります。その第一位は、Laura　Hillenbrand氏著、「Unbroken」です。サマリーをざっと読んだだけですが、主人公は戦争中、日本軍の捕虜となり、殴られ、絶食させられたが終戦まで生き延びたそうです。絶食させられて終戦まで生き延びたのですからよほど終戦真近に捕虜となったのでしょう。もちろんこれは皮肉です。

　日本軍がジュネーブ条約をバカ正直に守って捕虜を扱った一方で、米国軍をはじめ連合軍は投降した日本軍兵士に対して数々の虐待を行っています。海に逃れた水兵を機銃掃射するというのは米軍がやることであって、日本軍は絶対にしていないはずです。日本軍は全戦域において武士道を忠実に守っています。２個の原爆や一晩で一般人１０万人を殺した東京爆撃を例に挙げるまでもないでしょう。

　勿論、例外はあり得ます。そして、Unbrokenの主人公も偶然そのような例外的人物であったのか、乏しい資材の中で精一杯捕虜のために日本軍兵士が提供した処遇を素直に受け止めることのできない例外的人物であったのかもしれません。

　ただ、一般的な歴史的事実とは異なるという点、売るために書かれる本を鵜呑みにしている点、ライオン誌にふさわしいものなのか、意見を聞きたい。世界中のライオンズクラブに送られるメッセージがこれだとしたら、看過しがたいことです。

　機銃掃射がどういうものか、下記にまとめています。正確な数値、記録に基づいて書いています。反論があれば受けたいと思います。英語は余り得意ではありませんが。

Spring Festival

　　Spring has come. One of the distinctive features of Japan is its vivid transition between the four seasons, each of which has its own distinctiveness, and "spring" evokes warmth, beautiful flowers, cherry blossoms, the start of newcomers to lots of companies, and so on. I remember the springs like it was only yesterday when I entered medical school and I became a doctor.
　　Today, I joined an annual activity of Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club (336-A 1R 3Z), associated with Matsuyama City Spring Festival. In order to make the festival more enjoyable, we held an outdoor tea ceremony at the foot of Matsuyama Castle Hill for citizens and tourists. We also handed out pairs of red and white rice cakes which are thought to be auspicious and are consumed particularly in the beginning of the year in the hope of good fortune. Cherry trees are usually in full bloom at this time of year, but this year the period of the blossom has already passed by. However, a number of tourists were swarming around us.
　　Another attraction was "the period procession" in which some three hundred people dressed in costumes representing various periods paraded through the streets. Some of the pictures show the preparations of the parade. A popular actress is featured as the queen, the wife of the local lord every year and I was lucky to see her preparing just before the start of the parade.

Shakuhachi, Bamboo Flute

　　I'd like to direct your attention to the picture, which shows me playing a shakuhachi, a Japanese traditional bamboo flute, in the new year party of my Lions Club. I have played it for more than 30 years, but on this day, I got stage fright due to about a hundred spectators in front of me. I couldn't make a beautiful sound for the first one minute. It was regrettable.

Orientating Party

　　As I wrote again and again, I belong to Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club, which works in my hometown, Matsuyama City. It has already more than 100 members and is always hoping to attract new members. Naturally, it's the biggest club in district 336-A. Is it true, however, that the bigger the club becomes, the better? To tell the truth, new members of my club tend to be too shy before old members. Additionally, it takes a longer time to know all the members. With this in mind, the president of my club decided to hold several parties in this Lions' year in particular for younger members. As for me, it's only 2 years after my membership and I was invited to the first party last night. The club was established 48 years ago and most of the members from that time have passed away, but seven are alive. One of the survivors gave lessons about the development of the club. His story was really fun. The picture shows me with his cap on. Does it suit me?
　　By the way, I came back to Japan from my trip to eastern Canada on Aug. 2nd and managed to recover from the jet lag today. I'll write about my trip and post entries for a month. Enjoy them!

(Vocabulary)
orientate 〈人〉をなじませる, 慣れさせる
get orientated  なじむ, 慣れる
attract  to make someone interested in something, or make them want to take part in something
The club is hoping to attract new members. クラブは新会員を勧誘したいと思っている．

Sake Lovers' Meeting

　　My Lions Club sometimes holds unique parties. Today's was the gathering for the members who love Japanese sake. The owner of a long-established sake brewery belongs to my club and he offered his best products and other company's sake were also served. I enjoyed chatting with friends over a variety of wonderful sake, though I got rather drunk.

(Vocabulary)
established shop / long-established business  老舗

Toronto

　　I'm always proud of my daughters, but the virtue of Japanese people hasn't allowed me to write about my daughters. Silence is most valued in Japan. Naturally, my daughters are alike. However, I'd like to write about my youngest daughter in this piece.

　　Each daughter has language skills respectively. The youngest one is really good at English and far above the average level of Japanese students, though she has not experienced learning abroad. The other day, she asked me to allow her to stay overseas for a month to learn English and told me that she had earned and saved enough money during two years after entering medical school. I was surprised at her resolution, but I said, "Yes, O.K. You can try anything you like." She seems to want to become able to do tough negotiations or discussions about serious issues in her field, medical science, in English. She chose Toronto in Canada as her study destination. That's because there are fewer Japanese in Toronto rather than other cities which noted language schools are located at.

　　However, her grandparents didn't want that. They are concerned about the security of foreign countries. Consequently, I ended up taking her to her homestay accommodation. Because the time difference is 11 hours between Japan and Toronto, we decided to visit Toronto several days earlier than the start day of her language school and enjoy sightseeing around Toronto; Prince Edward Island and Niagara Falls, while recovering from jet lag. When looking for something trendy in eastern Canada, I found a website of a Lions Club (link). Did they give me any recommendation?

(Vocabulary)
homestay accommodation  ホームステイ先

Lions Club District Convention

　　I've belonged to the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club for two years now and in that time I have become accustomed bit by bit to various activities of the club. Today the District Convention was celebrated, inviting Korean guests in my hometown, Matsuyama City.

　　Every club is controlled systematically by the International Organization and with more than 100 clubs in a certain area, called a District, it shapes into a big group. My club is registered to District 336-A. All of the members of the District 336-A, about 2000 people, were supposed to get together in Matsuyama City on Apr. 15th. Additionally, the representatives of the District 354-D, which consists of the clubs in Seoul City, attended the convention, because District 336-A has a friendship treaty with District 354-D. Anyway, I joined the convention for the first time. The first picture was shot at the rehearsal and the second shows the Korean guests.

Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

　　I belong to a big lions club, Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club, which consists of a hundred-plus members. Naturally it's the biggest one of 150 clubs in Shikoku, which is categorized as 336-A district by the International Lions Club. My club is one of the most active clubs in Japan. I sometimes feel busy in fulfilling duties, but it might be due to its scale for me to keep my membership, because there are various people with their own specialties and it's great fun to chat with them. I'm going to write about the cherry blossom viewing party which was held on Apr. 10th.

　　What do average Japanese people think of cherry blossoms? It would be far different from that of foreigners, I think, and I wrote about it before. The president of my club proposed a plan of a cherry blossom viewing party at his inauguration address last year, but the lifespan of the blossoms is very short and the time of the year and the duration of the full bloom was really unpredictable. However, we came up with the solution.

　　A hotel manager arranged a big room in case of rain. A CEO whose company specializes in indoor and outdoor advertisements, signboards, displays in a variety of events, and so on, prepared the pictures of cherry blossoms and several real trees. Our daytime regular bi-weekly meeting was shifted to the evening. I'll show you the pictures of the meeting, self-introduction of new members and kimono-wearing members.

Spring Festival

　　My hometown, Matsuyama City, has 400 years of history as the castle town. An event associated with its history was held today in the heart of the city. It featured a costume parade of every period. One of the pictures shows samurai warriors in the early Edo period.

　　I belong to the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club and the club was planning to serve a tea ceremony, called Nodate, to the public. Nodate literally means outdoor tea ceremony. I joined the activity and enjoyed the feeling of the start of spring.

　　Today was really warm, breeze-blowing and a desirable day for the festival. The last two pictures were shot in the Castle Park. The cherry trees all over the park burst into bloom. Cherry blossom is one of the national flowers of Japan. Most Japanese people love it. The cherry blossom in the picture is the kind called "Somei-yoshino", the same the kind aligned along the Potomac river. Somei-yoshino cherry trees only bloom for a particularly short period of time, and their petals seem to start dropping almost as soon as they've opened. The aristocrats of ancient days saw their own mortal lives reflected in the cherry blossoms that bloom and fall all too quickly. This dovetails perfectly with the traditional Japanese aesthetic sensibility that finds beauty not only in blooming flowers but also in the way they flutter to the ground. Some might recall the way the Japanese people fought in the last war. I believe that it has something to do with the above sensibility.
（これは我ながらうまく書けたなあと、自画自賛、、(^_^)

(Vocabulary)
costume parade  仮装行列

 

 

 

Key for Longevity

　　Nowadays, more people are aware of the importance of regular exercises. People who go jogging are frequently found around my neighbourhood. Sometimes, I wonder whether I can start, but I don't want to wear outfits which show my body shape and lines too clearly.
　　By the way, several marathons are held across Japan today. Those events had been held for only athletes for a long time, but now they are open to the public. The event named the Ehime Marathon will be held in my prefecture too on Feb. 5th. This marathon is so popular and highly competitive that more than double the number of people were trying for 7000 positions. My acquaintances, who belong to my Lions Club, will take part in the marathon and I'll go and support them.
　　By the way, I wondered who was the oldest who completed the full marathon and looked for one on the net. According to an article, 100-year-old Briton, Fauja Singh, became the world's oldest marathon runner, completing the race in Toronto in eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds in October 2011. Ginger curry, tea and "being happy" appear to be the key to finishing the race.

He says;

"The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative, stay smiling and keep running."

I agree!

Cleaning Up Reservoir

　　I wrote about my membership of Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club before, which was established a half century ago to serve people in Matsuyama city. After I joined it last year, I have often taken part in various voluntary activities. In this entry, I'll relate one of them.
　　I live in Matsuyama City and half its water supply is dependent on the Ishitegawa reservoir and another half is obtained from underground water. The authorities have recruited volunteer workers once a year for cleaning the water intake. My club has been joining this event for more than 10 years and I attended the event for the first time.
　　The number of volunteers was far beyond my expectation and there were about 700. We got together and listened to the briefing about the cleaning. My club members were manned at the 200-meter long section of the river which flowed into the reservoir. At the briefing, I knew that the water of my house was supplied from the reservoir, not from underground water. This fact made me more serious about cleaning the river.
　　In Japan, all TV broadcasting systems were changed from analogue to digital last July. The city authorities were afraid that lots of TV sets might be discarded illegally in remote areas. However, no TV set was found in the area in which 700 people cleaned up. I was proud of that.

(Vocabulary)
membership [U] 会員であること, 会員の資格[地位]
What is the cost of membership?  会員になるにはいくらかかりますか．

 

Poster Exhibition

　　I've been a member of the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club since last year. I was present at the regular meeting at noon today. The picture shows the conference room and the poster exhibition which was held there. Each poster was drawn by the students of several junior high schools to encourage people to build a peaceful world. A variey of ideas were woven in every poster and it made me happy. On the other hand, an abhorrent exhibition came to my notice. Look at this link or this entry. These posters were also drawn by Korean junior high school students. What will become of them receiving such an absurd education?
　　Anyway, the club members had to choose three posters which they liked the most. The three drawers who got the highest points will be given an award from the club. I chose three posters which adopted the issue of air pollution, described the scene of shaking hands among several nationalities and depicted a fairy tale land.

(Vocabulary)
abhorrent   嫌悪感を起こさせる
come to sb's notice  (フォーマル)(事実・問題などが)＜人＞の知るところとなる
This never came to my notice (= I never knew about this).
nationality [C] 民族
fairy tale   おとぎ話

(Vocabulary from comments)
hatred  [C,U] 憎しみ, 憎悪
fallacy  [C] (多くの人が信じ込んでいる) 誤った考え, 誤信
denigrate 〈人〉 を中傷する, けなす
denigration  中傷

Orientation of Lions Club

　　I attended a meeting for newly-joined members in Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club today. I got lessons about the organization of the worldwide Lions Club. All Lions Club members seem to be under the same regulations all over the world. It was amazing for me. What can I do as one of the members? I felt something overwhelming. The club is naturally for volunteer work, but it sounded like it will be of use for shaping my character.