Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Axe Murder Incident (판문점 도끼 살인 사건)

     I know that the title is not suitable for this blog, but I have something I want to say about this incident.
     When I was waiting for the next class in my high school, the teacher of social affairs stormed into the classroom. I was a high school student preparing for the next year's entrance examination for universities at that time. It was a hot day in August. Most high school students were on summer vacation in Japan, but we were called and given special lectures for the examination. The teacher told us that the U.S. aircraft carrier, Midway, went up north on the Yellow Sea. Within the next couple of days, or even today, the war might start again in the Korean Peninsula. The Korean Peninsula is a neighbor of Japan. If the war broke out there, the influence on Japan would be immeasurable.
     We asked him what caused that serious situation, and were surprised with his explanation. The object of the conflict was a poplar tree standing in the JSA (Joint Security Area) at the border between South and North Korea. I vividly remember when I heard of this incident in my last high school year.

     The story was like this;
     The U.S. and Korean soldiers cut poplar trees down in JSA. North Korean soldiers didn't want them to cut the trees and interfered with them. It lead to the cruel murder of two U.S. soldiers by an axe, so the incident is now also known as The Hatchet Incident and The Poplar Tree Incident. The killings and the response three days later (Operation Paul Bunyan) heightened tensions between North and South Korea as well as their respective allies, China and the United States.

     JSA is located in a small area called Panmunjom (판문점) and used to be controlled by the U.N. and North Korea before the incident. However, JSA is separated strictly between North Korean and the U.N. ruled area now. I had been eager to visit Panmunjom since my high school days, and finally I visited Panmunjom.
     You can see a bridge over Han River in the left side of the picture. If I had my GPS, I would have recorded the site where I took the pictures. I'm really sorry I didn't take it.

(Vocabulary)
within the next couple of days  　 一両日中
poplar　  ポプラ
JSA  (joint security area) 　 共同警備地区

このタイトルがこのブログにふさわしくないことはわかっているが、どうしても話しておきたいことがある。

　次の授業を待っていたとき、社会科の先生が教室に飛び込んできた。高校３年生で受験を翌年に控えた夏のことである。暑い夏の日だった。アメリカの空母ミッドウェーが黄海を北上し戦争準備に入ったというのである。一両日中には朝鮮半島で戦争が始まるだろうと。もしそうなれば日本への影響は計り知れない。その原因を尋ねると、ポプラの木を切ったからだという。なぜそれが戦争になるのか？話はこうである。

　アメリカと韓国の兵士が共同管理区域（ＪＳＡ）にあるポプラの木を切った。共同管理区域は南北朝鮮の国境にあり双方により管理されていた。ところがその木は北朝鮮にとっては切り倒したくはなかったため戦闘に発展し、二人の米国兵が殺害された。そのためこの事件は斧殺人事件、ポプラの木事件とも呼ばれ、南北朝鮮間とそのそれぞれの同盟国、米国と中国の間に緊張をもたらした。

　今ＪＳＡは完全に二つに分けられ、その場所は板門店と呼ばれる。この場所にずっと前から、３０年以上前から行ってみたかった。そしてやっとそれが実現した。

　写真には漢江にかかる橋が写っている。ＧＰＳを持参していたら正確な場所がわかるのだが残念ながら特定できない。道は漢江沿いに北上している。

 

Breakfast at Lotte Hotel

     We looked for a coffee shop or an eating house near the Lotte Hotel, but couldn't find one. Finally, I went into the hotel and decided to have breakfast in a buffet style restaurant in the basement. To tell the truth, I don't like such a restaurant, but there was no choice. There are two reasons why I didn't want to choose that restaurant. One is that breakfast in such a restaurant costs a lot. Another, is that breakfast is standardized in hotels. We were in South Korea, so we wanted to have a Korean breakfast.
     About 80% of foods were westernized as I expected, and more than 50% of the customers were white or black. Fortunately, however, there were some Korean domestic foods. We tried some of them. In the picture you can see rice gruel containing abalone, which is one of the famous Korean cuisines. It was also my first experience to handle Korean chopsticks and a spoon. The Korean spoon was just like ours, but the chopsticks were made from metal.

(Vocabulary)
gruel  オートミールの粥（かゆ）= porridge
abalone  アワビ

 

On The Street

     The first picture shows the Lotte Hotel and the Lotte Department Store. The next is the street just in front of the hotel. Some street stalls were being prepared. We were hungry before breakfast, but our travel agents who we had met the day before advised us to refrain from eating food from these stalls. Even if they were cooked, Seoul was attacked by yellow sand a few days before and might be contaminated with it. I obeyed their words, but my daughter was reluctant and stayed near the stall. Then, a breezy stall man gave her some of his products. It made her happy. These trifle things would make foreign people favorable towards South Korea.

(Vocabulary)
reluctant to do   気が進まない、不承不承の、心残りがする
breezy    a breezy person is happy, confident, and relaxed

Arrival

     The flight was not bumpy and was comfortable. I got out of the security area first because I didn't check my baggage and need not drop in at the baggage claim. A travel agent who was supposed to take me to my hotel could easily find me. She was a good Japanese speaker and showed me some landmarks and told me fundamental information about South Korea such as how to use taxis, subways, or how to behave in the country, on the way to my hotel. We Japanese might be careful about raw food and tap water. She advised me not to drink tap water directly. I felt at home in the minivan she chartered.
     Additionally, however, I felt bad when I talked about Hangul letters. She was proud of her language; Hangul letters. She insisted that Hangul letters could express all kinds of pronunciation in the world. I didn't think so, but let it go. She didn't know that I could speak and read Hangul letters a little bit. Actually, Korean people can't tell the difference between r and l, k and g, p and f,,,,many letters. For example, Kimpo Airport is frequently described as Gimpo Airport on maps. Korean ears can't hear the difference between Kimpo and Gimpo. Consequently, the same Hangul letters stand for dull and resonant sounds at once.
     I wanted to ask her how to express the German pronunciation of R or CH in Hangul letters. It's very very hard, at least for me.

(Vocabulary)
check  [他](米) 〈手荷物など〉 を預ける
dull sound // voiced consonant   濁音
resonant sound   清音

A320

     I saw my plane, an A320, from the departure lounge although I couldn't tell the detailed classification. It was a long time ago when I got on this type of plane last. Also the company, Asiana Airlines, was new to me. I've never used this carrier. I wondered what the flight was going to be like. I got nervous and excited all at once. "Let's go aboard!"
     A cheap dinner was served just after taking off. It was not good, but it was better than nothing. To tell the truth, it helped me later and I'm going to write the reason in a later entry. Actually I didn't expect any food to be served, because the flight time was only an hour and 30 minutes. I want to show you, but I'm sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it.

After Embarkation Procedure

     I use domestic airlines several times a year, and I'm accustomed to going through the security gate. However, I was surprised to see the number of security guards at the gate. Did something happen? No! It seems to be usual these days. I know that it is for us passengers, but I wondered if there is a better way of doing things. I had to take my jacket off and empty my pockets, which was annoying. Besides, the only duty free shop was shabby. This airport is a local one, so we might have to accept it.

(Vocabulary)
departure formalities // embarkation procedure   出国手続き

Korean Won Bill

     I wrote about Korean Won a few days ago in http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/03/piquant-news.html  Actually, I have not seen the bill before.
     Today, I exchanged Yen to Won for my trip. It's not familiar to me and I felt it looked like toy money for kids. 10000 Won is equal to 750 Yen now. When my friend went to Seoul this time last year, he got 10000 Won for 1000 yen. So, this means that the value of the Won has decreased by 25% from its value a year ago. There are many Korean students in my city. I wonder what will become of their life in Japan?
     I checked out some public fares such as that of subways, buses, taxis and some tourists' tours. They were awfully cheap. The average meals were likewise. It is so helpful for us foreigners. Our hotel is one of the luxuriest hotels in Gangnam-Gu, which was set by JTB, the leading tour company in Japan. I've never stayed such a high class hotel, but now in Seoul I can. Besides, a casino only for foreigners is adjacent to the hotel. I'm going to try things like slotmachines and roulette there. I've seen several casinos in movies, but never went into one. I can imagine the atmosphere of it, but you never know until you try.
     Anyway, my expectation is getting bigger and bigger now.

(Vocabulary)
this time next year   来年の今頃
not a few  かなりの、かなり多くの、少なからぬ、相当数の、数多くの
You never know until you try.   やってみるまでは分からない。

 

First Visit to South Korea

     I'm planning to visit Seoul with my eldest daughter this month. I've made it a rule to write more entries than usual during my travels. I will encounter many things that are new to me. I mean, the trip is out of my daily life so it will be nice to write lessons about unusual stuff. I'm going to take many pictures and try to explain them in English. I'll be able to use new expressions that would not be used daily.
     I'm going to join two sightseeing courses. One is to visit Panmunjeom (板門店 판문점) and the other is to see some tourist attractions in Seoul City. I heard that North Korea have started to prepare the launch of missiles. I'm afraid that Kim Jong-il will set off the rocket during our stay in Seoul.

(Vocabulary)
Panmunjeom  板門店
Kim Jong-il  金正日

　この３月に娘と韓国旅行を計画している。旅行中はたくさん写真を撮り、帰国後その説明を英語で書く練習をしている。非日常のことを書くことは新しい英語表現を学ぶことになる。滞在中は２つのツアーに参加するつもりだ。一つは板門店観光、もう一つがソウル市内観光で、滞在中金正日がロケットを発射しないことを祈っている。

Ainu Culture

     It seems that Ainu people are not well-known in the world, but they had lived in northern Japan and eastern Russia since recorded history and had been keeping their own rich culture. However, they are almost totally absorbed in Japan at present because of the forced assimilation of the then Japanese Government. I know it was for the defense against the Russian invasion, though. The policy of national defense in Meiji era is acceptable, but I wonder if there was any other choice?
     It was not until 1997 that I had interest in Ainu. For, I rode my motorcycle in Hokkaido, located in the north of Japan, for a week and I visited many Ainu related sites at that time. I heard that 99% of the names of places in Hokkaido originate from Ainu language. In fact, place names in Hokkaido have something different from that of other areas. I wrote about Ainu Museum and Ainu cuisine in this blog before. To my regret, the culture of them has already disappeared or come close to perishing.
     I knew an Ainu woman who ventured to record their culture about 100 years ago. Ainu people didn't have their own letters and so, her work to preserve their cultural heritage was very tough. She investigated many stories by word of mouth from the elderly and wrote a book. I read it through and I admired her work.

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/08/porotokotan.html

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/03/ainu-cuisine.html

(Vocabulary)
rich culture  豊かな文化
assimilationism / forced assimilation / integration policy
（異なる文化・人種に対する）同化政策
by word of mouth  口伝で

　アイヌ民族はおそらくあまり世界的には知られていないだろうが、日本の北部、ロシア太平洋岸で暮らしていた文化度の高い民族である。現在は日本に吸収されている。時の政府の過度な同化政策のためである。北方からの侵略に備えるためであった。

　９７年に北海道をバイクで走ってから興味を持つようになった。

　文字を持たなかった民族の記録を残そうと立ち上がった一人のアイヌの女性が残した本を読んだ。文字を持たなかったが故にその文化は消えかかっている。民族が存在した事実は記録として残していかねばならない。

 

Piquant News

     I had heard that two new bills would be printed in South Korea. The 50,000 and 100,000 won bills were to be made next year, but the 100,000 won bill was cancelled the other day. Do you know why? Guess!
     The problem had to do with an old Korean map that was chosen to be on the bill. The disputed Takeshima islands don't appear on the map. It is natural, I think, because Korea hadn't perceived it as their territory until Rhee Syngman drew the border between Japan and Korea in violation of international laws in 1952.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee_Line
     Additionally, anti-counterfeit technology was introduced from Japan. South Korea can't independently print their own bills.
     Don't Korean people wonder why the old map doesn't have the islands?

For reference: http://dokdo-or-takeshima.blogspot.com/2008/01/korea-adds-dokdo-to-old-map.html　

(Vocabulary)
piquant  1 having a pleasantly spicy taste:  a piquant wild mushroom sauce
               2 interesting and exciting
the thing is...   実は…, 問題なのは…
You see, the thing is I've decided to leave home.
あのう，実は家を出ることにしたんです．
have/be to do with sth  ～と関係がある
Rhee Syngman  李承晩 〔韓国初代大統領〕
in violation of 　～に違反して

韓国１０万ウォン紙幣発行中止

　その理由が面白い。予定していた図柄が韓国の古い地図なのだが、それに竹島が載っていないのだという。そりゃ当たり前だろう。竹島は韓国領土としては認識されていなかったのだから。しかもこの紙幣に使う偽造防止用ホログラムは日本の技術である。独自に紙幣の発行もできないような国なのである。韓国という国は。墓穴を掘ったと言うことだ。 　付言すると、１９５２年に李承晩が国際法を無視して勝手に国境線を決めた時に竹島を韓国領と言い始めたのだ。その際に日本漁民数百人を死傷させたこと、抑留した日本漁民を解放する条件として在日朝鮮人で服役中のものを許し、しかも永住許可を与えさせられたこと。まったく無法の限りを尽くしているのである。

South Korean Defense White Paper

     The picture is the front cover of the 2008 South Korean Defense White Paper and this book jacket is censured in Japan now. The Government of South Korea has been insisting that the small islands that are called Takeshima in Japan should be their own and used a color photograph of the disputed islands on the front page. Takeshima is an integral part of Japan and this Korean attitude should not be overlooked.

For reference;
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/11/korean-common-s.html

     The Korean Government should give the correct education of history to their people! As long as they have this wrong attitude, the relationship of trust will never exist.

（Vocabulary)
defense white paper   国防白書
censure   (フォーマル) 〈人〉 を非難する, 譴責(けんせき)する
use color photographs on the front page  １面にカラー写真を載せる
integral part of Japan / traditional Japanese territory   日本固有の領土
enter in existence  生まれる

２００８韓国国防白書

　写真は韓国の国防白書の最新版である。この表紙に竹島が載っている。韓国の態度はいったいどこまで図々しいのか。韓国政府は自国民に正しい歴史教育を行うべきではないか。そうでないといつまでたっても日本との間に信頼関係など生まれないだろう。

 

Lack of PR activity

     A frequent subscriber of my blog lives in Tel Aviv and sends me e-mails sometime. I only know his name and occupation. He is also a surgeon, but his specialty is the brain as opposed to my specialty, digestive organs. Anyway, he has a concern about how I catch the situation of the present conflict between Israel and Palestine in Gaza strip. I am only an innocent bystander about this issue, but this issue is so important for the peace in Mid-east area that it is well-known among people of integrity in the world.

     By the way, do you know the Kuril Islands dispute, the same issue in Japan? It is also a big problem, but isn't so known in the world due to the Japanese poor policy. The southern half of Sakhalin and these Kuril Islands are traditional Japanese territory, but are now illegally occupied by Russia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuril_Islands_dispute

     I really wish that all the people in the world would know this issue. The same thing lies in the abduction issue of cruel and crazy North Korea. The PR activity by the government is absolutely lacking. The Japanese language is grammatically far from English, which is recognized as an international language. Many Japanese are not good at using English. This might be a cause of lacking PR activities.

（Vocabulary)
as opposed to  [成句] ＜…＞と対照的に, とは違って
innocent bystander  傍観者
PR activity  広報活動

　良くメールをくれる人の中にテルアビブに住んでいる外科医がいる。彼は最近のガザ地区での戦闘について日本ではどのように捉えられているのだろうかという心配をしているようだ。
　日本にも同じような問題があるのだが世界的に知られているだろうか。北方領土とサハリンは日本固有の領土なのだが政治力不足により世界的には知られていない。残念なことで、世界中の人に知ってもらいたいと思う。日本語は英語とはかけ離れた文法体系で、英語を使うことに不慣れな日本人が多い。こういったことも原因になっているのだろうか。

Today's Dinner

     You might think that this dinner is a bit cheap or poor, but actually, this is my dinner today. I have to check out the dinner for hospitalized patients before service. Since I started working as a surgeon twenty some years ago, I've tasted meals prepared for hospital feeding at least 10 times a week. These meals are strictly controlled by nutritionists. While eating this dinner, I thought that my health might be kept by these meals, because I have nothing wrong in my health now. On the other hand, I thought like this as well. We, present advanced countries' people, might be taking in too many calories compared with the ancient people who were making a precarious living because people might not be able to get foods for the next day.

（Vocabulary）
make a precarious living 　　不安定な生活をする

President of the U.S.

     If you asked me which president of the U.S. I feel most familiar with, I'd answer it is ex-president Jimmy Carter. It is because I met him in Shimoda City in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1978 or 1979. A meeting between college students and him was scheduled in his first official visit to Japan and I was one of the students. The picture is the monument of his visit and it stood in Shimoda City.
     I had been learning English for 6 or 7 years at that time and I thought I could understand at least 20 percent of his speech, but it was just an illusion. I couldn't catch his words at all. I was so disappointed at my English skill. I studied English very hard to pass the entrance exam of one of the best universities in Japan. Years later, when I listened to the inauguration address of Ronald Wilson Reagan, which was so beautiful and clear, I figured out the reason why I couldn't understand Carter's speech. It was due to his dialect and inflection.
     Anyway, I had a sense of closeness to him and had paid attention to his policies during Carter's presidency. The society at that time wasn't like today's IT society and my sources were only newspapers and TV news. Therefore, my opinion might be biased. However, I think it was President Carter that developed the present situation of Afghanistan.
     President Carter was elected in a mood of weariness towards war and approval of becoming weak just like now. He planted the seeds of distrust in Asia, seeking withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Republic of Korea. He didn't intervene in Mozambique, made a serious mistake in Iran and ended up allowing the Russian invasion into Afghanistan. I wondered if he might be an ordinary farmer living in a sleepy village.
     Don't you think that the situation of Obama is similar to that of Carter? President Obama was born from the peoples' revulsion against a war. When he announced his candidacy, he was obscure just like Carter. Both presidents are Democrats and didn't and don't have enough experience.
     I'm afraid that the U.S. will collapse day by day during next 4 years and something serious for the human history will happen just like during Carter's presidency.

(Vocabulary)
during Carter's presidency   カーター大統領政権の間に
develop  (問題･事態が)発生する、生じる
get weary of war  厭戦的になる
plant [sow] the seeds of distrust  不信の種をまく
seek withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Republic of Korea  在韓米軍の撤退を求める
revulsion  激しい嫌悪感
announce one's candidacy 　　立候補する
collapse day by day　　日に日に衰弱する

　米国大統領の中で誰に一番親しみを感じるかと問われたら、ジミー･カーターと答えるだろう。それは学生時代に下田市で直接会ったことがあるからだ。写真は彼の訪日を記念したものだ。当時、英語を６，７年かけて勉強したところで、彼のスピーチをある程度は理解できると思っていた。ところが、まったくわからない。愕然とした。かなり勉強をしたつもりであったのに。その理由は後のレーガン大統領の就任演説を聴いたときに判明した。カーターの英語は南部訛りが強かったのである。

　カーターに親しみを覚えた後、彼の政策に注意を払っていた。今のような情報社会でなかったため主な情報は新聞やテレビからだけだったが、今のアフガンの原因を作ったのはカーターではなかったか。

　カーターは、いまの米国のような厭戦と衰退容認のムード的状況から生まれ、在韓米軍の撤退を最初に主張して、アジア各国の不審をよび、モザンビークが転覆しても介入せず、ついにはソ連軍のアフガニスタン侵略をまねいた。いなかの普通のおっさんが大統領になったような気がした。

　オバマはカーターに似ているのではないか。厭戦感覚から生まれた実務経験のない、またこれといった実績を積んでいない民主党大統領である。そして次の四年間に米国の力は衰弱し、カーター時代の悲劇のように、世界史を塗り替える何かがおきるだろう。

 
(KW: カーター大統領　下田市)

New Habit

     I got a new habit these days. It is shoe polishing. I've never polished my shoes in my life. I have never had an expensive pair of shoes that deserved to be polished. This might be one of the reasons.
     Anyway, I watched a scene that a shoeshine boy was polishing the customer's shoes and I didn't know why, but I thought I try it in a snap. I shopped for items in the picture online. It was the first time and I checked out how to use them on the internet and tried to polish my shoes. The result was. . . . My shoes got brilliant after polishing. I took to polishing shoes.

(Vocabulary)
take to sth  (定期的に)～をするようになる、が習慣になる
shoeshine boy  靴磨きの少年

Risutora

     The title, "Risutora" means "corporate downsizing" in Japanese and it is from the Japanese pronunciation of "restructuring." Massive job cuts are under way in Japan as well as in the U.S. and the financial crisis is awfully serious. The other day I watched a movie, "Mad City", starring Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta, focusing on unreasonable firing. In the movie, Sam, whom John is playing, is axed and goes to the library which he used to work in for more than 5 years to have a talk with his former boss. He didn't accept his layoff and wanted the backing off of his pink slip. That's it. That should be it.
     However, Sam unexpectedly ended up shooting his colleague on accident and holding children hostage in the library. This originally little incident gets bigger and gets to be watched from all over the U.S. This movie climax with the news that his colleague, whom Sam shot, made a sudden change and died in the hospital.
     I know for a fact that this story is fiction, but it might happen in present Japan. I felt how heavy and serious the responsibility of the government is.
     I wish that one of the world leaders, Mr Barack Hussein Obama will do a good job. However, his inauguration address sounded to be lacking in concrete plans and it was just idealistic. I'm wondering if he can do it, a man who conceded his own second name, "Hussein", during the presidential race. 

(Vocabulary)
corporate downsizing / restructuring    リストラ
mass firing / massive job cuts / wholesale   大量解雇
banking crisis / financial crisis / financial meltdown  金融危機
climax with　　～とクライマックスを迎える

タイトルは　corporate downsizing の意味でrestructuring を日本語読みにした言葉から来ている。日本でも労働者の大量解雇が続いており、金融危機は深刻である。先日、ホフマン、トラボルタ主演の映画　Mad Cityを見た。時給８ドルの警備員が雇い主の都合で解雇され、抗議をしている最中に偶然が重なり大変な事態になっていく。フィクションではあるが、今すぐに日本で起こっても不思議のない話であった。為政者の責任の重大さに思いを馳せた。自分の名前を伏せて大統領になったオバマさん、大丈夫だろうか？就任演説に具体性がなかったことが気になる。

My Private Views at the Beginning of the New Year

     The last big news of 2008 would be the fierce fight in the Gaza Strip. I'll show you my personal perspective about Japan as the first writing of the year 2009.
     The U.S. and USSR (or Russia) that have never waged all-out war against each other because of both having nuclear weapons. If both countries opened hostilities without nuclear weapons, could Russia wage a fearlessly as courageous battle as Japan had done against the U.S.
     The U.S. vs. Russia, China vs. the U.S. and China vs. Russia: They have never gotten into an all-out fight, though small regional fights might happen.
     It has been Japan only that engaged in total warfare face to face with these countries and chilled the heart of them, which had been acknowledged as superpowers since before Meiji Restoration (1868).
     Japan, that has developed to the second highest GDP country, following the U.S. in only half a century after being burned to the ground in the Greater East Asian War.
     Japan, that has potential to be able to build up nuclear weapons or aircraft carrier fleets in a short period of time once it is determined to do so.
     The country that the U.S., Russia and China fear in a true sense. Might it be Japan?

(Vocabulary)
all-out     (攻撃･キャンペーンなどが）総力を挙げての、全面的な
hostilities      (複数扱い/フォーマル)　戦闘　交戦
wage a fearlessly courageous battle  　勇猛果敢に戦いを仕掛ける
engage in warfare (with)     （～と）戦争する
chill the heart of     心胆を寒からしめる
be burned [burnt] to the ground      焦土と化す
scorch     焦土化する
in a true sense      真に

　核兵器があったために総力戦にまでは至らなかったアメリカとソ連だが、仮に核兵器抜きで戦ったとしたら、ソ連はアメリカに対して、日本ほどの敢闘を果たすことなど可能だっただろうか。アメリカ⇔ソ連、中国⇔アメリカ、中国⇔ソ連(ロシア)。小競り合い程度の戦闘はともかくとして、互いに総力戦を戦ったことなど１度としてない。明治維新以前から、世界の超大国と認識されていたこの３国と、バカ正直故に真正面からぶつかって、しかもその心胆を寒からしめたのは日本だけだ。

　大東亜戦争の敗戦で焦土とされてから僅か半世紀にして、アメリカに次ぐ世界第二位のＧＤＰという水準にまで経済的復興を果たした日本。

　一旦「やろう！」と決意すれば、日ならずして核兵器だろうが空母艦隊だろうが、保有が可能な潜在能力を秘めている現在の日本。

　米露中が真に恐れている国、それは日本なんじゃないだろうか。

An E-mail from An Old Friend

     My old friend, five years younger than me, sent me an e-mail with a picture that I will show you at the end of this entry. He seemed to have bought this motorcycle and enjoys riding every weekend around Mt. Fuji, which is the highest mountain in Japan.
     We had been working at the same hospital in Osaka twenty some years ago. It is him who has a camera in this picture: http://canada1995.web.fc2.com/tateyama/87tateyama-1/original/File0002.jpg  He and I were both single and free to go everywhere we wanted. Tons of scenes of my younger days were coming up in my mind. He has two kids now and I have three. I wish we could see each other with our whole families.

 

iRobot, Cleaning Robot, Roomba 530

     I'm reporting on how the cleaning robot worked in a couple of weeks in my house. To make a long story short, it was great! My room has been kept clean all the time. I admire the designer of this robot.
     How many times or how frequently do you clean your room up? Once a week? As for me, once or twice a DAY! I've only to push the start button. Before taking a bath, if I punched the start button, when I get back the cleaning would be finished completely. It was amazing. I'm thinking of purchasing a second one.
     By the way, my house is protected with a Secom Security System. The security of every door and window that are wide enough for someone to go through is strengthened. Even if someone successfully managed to get into the house, infrared light would absolutely catch the hot moving bodies. At the same time, the alarm will be sent to the security center and the officers on patrol. So, ordinary thieves never try to break into the house with this system. However, it indicates that Roomba can't move under surveillance. It has a motor to discharge heat, which is easily detected by the monitor and makes officers gather at my house. The problem is this; Roomba can't work while the security system is on.
     Anyway, this cleaning robot is going to be perfect and one of necessities in my house. See also, http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/11/automatic-clean.html

(Vocabulary)
Secom Co., Ltd.  セコム
infra-red radiation / infra-red ray / infrared light  赤外線
be under surveillance   監視されて

（ＫＷ：ルンバ５３０　お掃除ロボット）

Portable Bath Unit

     The rapid aging of the society and falling birthrates are causing issues on the burden of nursing care of the aged. Some people are obliged to stop working for their parents or someone like that. Some aged people with dementia frequently get lost, or eat anything even if it isn't food. After using cooking utensils, some people never mind the fire of the stove burner. It might lead to a big fire. From the viewpoint of human rights, we are not allowed to peg them down to their beds. Finally, someone has to keep their eyes on them 24/7.
     In order to overcome these strains, several kinds of assisted-living facilities have been built across the country in the last 10 years. People who find it hard to live in their own home are accommodated into these facilities by the degree of their handicaps. On the other hand, some people don't want to farm their parents out and take care of them in their house.
     When I made a house visit to one of those patients, I saw a portable bath tub and took pictures. This bath tub consisted of two parts. It was easily built up in front of my eyes. The sealing at the joint was perfect. The hot water was boiled in the van as you can see in the last picture and was sent to this tub. Three care workers help the patient take a bath. These run-of-the-mill services makes me feel that I was lucky to be born in Japan.

(Vocabulary)
stove burner  ガスコンロ
keep/place under restraint / peg down    拘束する
strain  負担
assisted-living facility / care facility / care home〈英〉  介護施設
by the degree of   ～の程度により
farm sb out  （人を）預ける