Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Hagi Castle Ruins

　　We strolled around the Hagi Castle Ruins and then the old castle town. The town was well-preserved. There were several houses along the street related to heros, like Takasugi Shinsaku, Kido Takayoshi and so on, of the Meiji Restoration. I learned much in the museum of the city and felt the breath of the Meiji Restoration. Next, we visited Shoukason-juku, a private school run by Yoshida Shoin. Lots of young men learned at this juku (school) and some of them became the leaders of Japan. I was overwhelmed by its poorness and forgot to take pictures.

Sightseeing on the Boat

　　We got on a sightseeing boat which I had found yesterday. The guide provided us the detailed information on the city and it was very instructive. Many cherry trees were lined along the river and I recalled its beautiful scene in spring. I noticed there were no high buildings. Even the principal hospital was three-story. The hospital was located at the opposite side of the World Heritage Site across the river, but the local rule prohibited building four or more story buildings to keep its historical scenery. After World War 2, railway construction was planned in the city, but people didn't permit the line cross the old streets and the train had to detour for several kilometers. It is thought to be a judicious decision currently.
　　The story from the guide has changed from history to a geological one when we were going out to the sea. As you see in the following pictures, the shape of the islands off the coast was characteristic. This is due to the loose - less viscous - lava, and the lava erupted from the nearby volcano couldn't form hills and it flew to the sea. That's why such flat islands were formed. While I was listening to his story, I became eager to see the volcano.
　　Getting off the boat, we headed for the mausoleum of the 1st lord of the Hagi clan. Several samurais from this clan were protagonists of the Meiji Restoration. I bowed with respect to him and his wife.

Hokumon Yashiki (Ryokan)

　　Hagi City is listed on the World Heritage Sites. It has several historic assets and one of them is the old streets in the Samurai era. The streets are well preserved and one of the tourist spots in the city. Our hotel was located in the midst of those streets. There are so many Ryokans, the traditional style of Japanese hotel, across Japan, but it's rare in the midst of a World Heritage Site. After check-in, we went out for a walk around the Ryokan. The first picture shows the main gate of the Ryokan, and I came across the sightseeing boat's boarding site. I decided to get on it the next day.

Hagioukan

　　Hagi City is located on the Sea of Japan coast in Yamaguchi Prefecture. There has been a narrow and winding path from the side of the Seto Inland Sea to Hagi City across the mountainous area since long ago. The current road is built roughly along that old path.
　　We dropped in at a rest area called "Hagioukan". Several heros of the Meiji Restoration welcomed us as you see in the following pictures. An exhibition was showing that many young promising samurais were studying and discussing about Japan's future. Then we had lunch, "Kawara-soba", which was a regional specialty. Soba noodles were stir-fried on a roof tile called "Kawara". People apparently used Kawara as a frying pan in the times that frying pans weren't widespread. It's definitely a token showing how poor lives people spent, but this simple stir-fried Soba has become a famous specialty now.

Short Trip to Yamaguchi

　　I'm bonkers about trips. I'm always itching to set out for a trip. The restriction associated with COVID-19 has been deterring me from going out of Japan. The other day, however, Japan finally came out of the long tunnel and the restriction was lifted, though the government is still requesting to wear a face mask and frequent hand washing.
　　I planned a short trip nearby before the next wave's occurrence. My destination was Yamaguchi prefecture located at the opposite side of my prefecture across Seto Inland Sea. I've been to the prefecture only a few times, but I don't know much about it. Two cities on the side of the Sea of Japan, Hagi and Nagato, were the target places.
　　Hagi City is well-known as the ground zero of the Meiji Restoration. In general, revolutions are raised by people who can get benefit from them, but the Meiji Restoration was accomplished by the samurai who wanted to put an end to their era. They descended from the privileged class to commoners. I'd like to learn the secret of the restoration in Hagi City.
　　As you may know, the 126th Ten-noh, which is translated as an emperor for want of a better word, ascended the throne three years ago. His new palace was also newly built. I hear that the wall of the reception hall is decorated with a traditional picture of Japan depicting the Nagato Coast. After hearing that, I was eager to see the scenery of the coast. That's why I decided to visit Nagato City.
　　My ferry left the harbor and headed for Yanai port in Yamaguchi prefeture. It traveled on the Seto Inland Sea, which is famous for scenic islands and the complex sea current. When my ferry passed the waters of an usually rapid current, the current was at a standstill. Enjoy the following pictures which I took from the ferry.

(Vocabulary)
hypocenter 〚通例the ～〛震源(地); （核兵器の）爆心(地点).
ground zero （核爆弾の）爆心地. 出発[始発]点.
for want of a better word 他に適当な言葉がないので

Crane Climbing 2

　　Finally I got it! I climbed up to the operation room of a huge crane in my office. I had tried it once last year but couldn't make it. Since then, I have been feeling regrettable every time I look up at the crane. I took some pictures from the level of the operation room as a token of my successful climbing. Closely looking, there was a long ladder on the arm continuing to the tip. A specialist seems to investigate the crane up to the tip several times in a year. He brings some oil to the tip and puts it on the moving parts. I would never perform such an awful task.
　　You'll know where I took the following picture judging from my former entry (LINK). Stairs to the room were exposed outside and my climbing was thrilling. When I climbed down and stood on the earth, my glove was dirty with the dust and coating material of the handrail. I did a good job cleaning the handrail.(grin)

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2020/10/crane-climbing.html

Porsche Taycan

　　An exhibition of Porsche cars was held in an adjacent prefecture and I joined it. I was able to actually sit on the driver's seat of a Porsche Taycan, Porsche's first-ever electric vehicle. Its general appearance was wonderful and the instrument panel was also beautiful. It was gorgeous, but to my sadness the price was also gorgeous. I can't afford the car, but it was refreshing to see such a beautiful car with cutting-edge technologies.

TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System)

　　An alarming sign showed up on the screen of my car, which wasn't familiar to me, but I promptly understood what it was meaning from its design. It was telling me about the low pressure of tires. It would be exacting work to figure out the design which can be easily and correctly recognized by people.
　　Anyway, I brought my car to a tire shop and had all the tires checked. The right front tire was slightly low-pressured. It was taken off and was sunk into water to detect the puncture, but no puncture was found. The air would be discharged bit by bit for long hours. Nitrogen gas was infused into all the tires and the inspection was done.
　　The mechanic pointed out the tire wear at the same time. It's 23 months since the purchase and I drove the car almost 70000km though I used winter tires during winter. I have to think about purchasing new tires next spring.

(Vocabulary)　tire wear タイヤの摩耗　

Jubilant !!!

　　My youngest daughter is a postgraduate student at Oxford University, but she has been working as a trainee physician in Hokkaido, departed from the U.K. just a year ago avoiding the harsh pandemic and the lockdown of the city. She has been making money for her study for a year and decided to visit the U.K. again as it lifted all the restrictions against COVID-19. Her research didn't seem to make rapid progress through the remote lectures.
　　She stayed at home for a few days before leaving for the U.K.. Her stay was like a storm and people around her are always wrapped around her finger. She exchanged greetings with her brother-in-law and his relatives for the first time, and then visited nursery facilities in which her grandparents live. Then she set out for the U.K..
　　Some wonderful news came in today. Her paper which she wrote at Oxford University will be published in an international technical magazine. My wife and I are jubilant now.

 

UberEats

　　I utilized UberEats for the first time. It was really handy and it serves as an aid for students in need due to the coronavirus pandemic. There's no custom of tipping in Japan, but the UberEats application has the function of receiving tips. I tipped 10% of dishes to the delivery boy. The UberEats delivery boys get a message from UberEats whenever they do their businesses. If they can have time for delivery at that time, they take on the task and they can change their free time into real money.
　　Dish delivery service is valuable also in terms of the protection from infection. People can avoid the crowd in restaurants and save their time for movement to the restaurant and waiting for dishes. I would utilize the UberEats often from now on. I admire the person who designed such a wonderful system.

 

My Wife Injured

　　My wife got heavily injured early this morning falling down the stairs. I was awakened by her weak cry and rushed to her and found her collapsed at the foot of the stairs, bleeding from her head. She has a chronic high blood pressure and dyslipidemia, so I assumed that she suffered a brain infarction and fell down before she got hurt in her head.
　　I spoke to her and got a normal response from her. Then I found out that the laceration was due to a simple bruise. Her respiration was normal and she was able to walk. I decided not to call an ambulance. After astriction, I took her to the emergency hospital. She got a small laceration also on her left lower leg and got surgery. If I am active (I mean not-retired) and am working in a hospital, I'd like to treat her. Anyway, she had bruises at several parts and the X-ray test found out that the first rib was broken at the point close to the backbone. If she got injured at the cervical spine, she might have suffered paralysis from the neck down. It will take time to become recovered perfectly, but her recovery is sure and this is one consolation.

 

A Scene In My Car

　　I'm in Kochi Prefecture. I took on a task from a hospital and came here. I arrived fairly early and I parked my car at the multi-story parking lot of a nearby shopping center to avoid the sunshine. Watching a YouTube program, I'm checking my e-mail and writing this entry in the car. It's comfortable to stay in the electric vehicle. Even if you are using an air-conditioner, there's no noise and no uncomfortable vibration. That's not the case in cars with combustion engines. I became less hesitant to eat something in my car, even if it is greasy, so wet tissues and plastic gloves are always ready in the car not to get my hands dirty or greasy.
　　I felt the change of my life after getting my car. It sounds funny, but I felt the same feeling when a dog came into my family. The speed of life seems to become slow around me.

English and My Car

　　I don't have so many difficulties in reading English newspaper articles, but I'm not good at speaking. Suitable words even in my vocabulary don't promptly come up into my mind in every situation. Anyway, it would be inconceivable to you that my poorness in talking is connected to the fact that I own a Tesla car now. 　　When I visited Honolulu in Hawaii in 2018, I noticed a Tesla dealer shop along Kalakaua Avenue. I'd never entered a car shop abroad and something like valor began to rise up within me at that time. It urged me to get into the shop and try to speak to a salesperson, and I did it following the voice of someone in my mind.
　　Just after entering the shop full of my courage, I suddenly felt deflated, because the salesperson who attended me was a Japanese guy. He offered an opportunity to test-drive a Model-X during my stay in Honolulu and I drove a Model-X in Honolulu. The result? Its performance was superb and I became unable to get it off my mind. The price of the Model-X was too expensive for me, but I started to save money for the down payment for the car.
　　The more than one-hour test-drive was like a sightseeing tour. Some Japanese celebrities own their home in Honolulu, and the salesperson showed me those during the test-drive. His parting words were "See you again next year and I'll take you to another area in Honolulu!"
　　I revisited the dealer in 2019 and I saw a Model 3 at that time. I didn't know about this car. The same salesperson advised me to take a test-drive and I was amazed at its functions and price, which was narrowly within my reach. In addition, the sales of it would start in Japan two months later. I promptly ordered a Model 3. The company offers three types of Model 3 and I opted for the longest range type.
　　It's been two and half years since my last visit to Hawaii. I've never been to a gas station in these two years. Arriving at my house from my work, I insert the charging plug into my car. By the next morning, the charging has finished. The charging is done in the night and I don't mind how long it takes. It's very convenient and I love this car.

(Vocabulary)
deflated がっくりした, 自信をなくした;〈風船・タイヤなどが〉 空気の抜けた, しぼんだ

Replacement of School Building

　　My house is located near my alma mater, to which I had gone for 6 years from 12 years old. Young students of my alma mater pass by in front of my house every morning and afternoon. The new building of this school has been under construction since two years ago and it's finally completed. After the move, its old building started to be pulled down. This building was built 49 years ago, and I remember how things were at that time. I was in the second year at that time and spent it in the first generation of building until July in 1972 and moved to the second one, which is now being pulled down. It's been 49 years since then, and the building in which I learned a lot handed over the baton to the newest one. I viewed the whole picture of the school from a hill nearby. There were lots of things that happened over the 49 years. Some of my friends are already in Heaven. Time flies, I felt deeply what this phrase meant.
　　A huge effort was required to enter the school and it might not be that different today from back then. Before entering this school, I was in a deserted rural district. When I visited the school for the first time to take the entrance exam, I felt like I was in another country. I seldom saw people from other countries in my district, but I found several Spanish people in the school grounds. The first principal always had his heart in the right place. His bronze is smiling now from the pedestal.

 

Chanthu Passed

　　The 14th typhoon of this year, called Chanthu internationally, passed over my prefecture last night. I was afraid that it would bring a heavy disaster to my hometown, but it didn't. I heard that some houses had their roofs peeled off, but no one was killed by the typhoon. Anyway, I was relieved.
　　Then, it's very hot today. The sky is completely clear. My smartphone indicates the temperature in my car to be 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). My car's internal temperature is set to be controlled under 100 Fahrenheit by using the air-conditioner, but if not,,, I don't want to think about it.
　　My hometown has got enough water to survive until the next rainy season, so I don't want another typhoon to come, but about 20 typhoons come or pass close to Japan every year. I still have to reckon with them for some time from now on.

 

Green Book (Netflix)

　　I watched a movie, Green Book, on Netflix and I came to know about the Green Book through this movie. I'd like to actually hold it to see inside and looked for it on Amazon. I found many of them. They were cheap on the American Amazon site, but expensive on the Japanese site for getting them only out of curiosity. I gave up feeling the real history of persecuted black people.
　　My generation in Japan learned that democracy was brought by the U.S. for the first time after the defeat in the Pacific War, but it was a terrible lie. As this movie tells, real democracy didn't exist in the U.S. even after the Pacific War. In addition, the war in which Japan fought the U.S. and its allies was called the Great East Asian War in Japan. Japan had to fight them to expel the superpowers from their colonies in Asian countries. The U.S. changed the war's name itself into the Pacific War to conceal Japan's justice.
　　Anyway, I was surprised by the fact that this movie was based on a real heart-warming story. I love these kinds of movies which leave lingering happy emotions.
　　As for not only Netflix but other movie distribution systems, I'd like to send the developers applause. Thanks to them, I can watch movies anytime and anywhere.

 

Low-water Crossing

　　I felt a sense of confinement and drove my car nearby. The following picture shows a distinctive bridge connecting small clusters across the river. As you can imagine from its design, when the water level of the river becomes extremely high, this bridge can avoid the strong pressure from the flow. By sinking into the water, the bridge can avoid the collision with driftwood. It's the wisdom of people who had lived along the river. FYI, this river is well-known as the clearest river in Japan.
　　This bridge is called "Sinking Bridge" literally in Japanese. I googled the name of this type of bridge to write this entry, and I knew the word, "low-water crossing". The internet is really handy, and a new online trip will start often when I find something interesting.

(Vocabulary)
cluster 集落
driftwood [U] 流木

Virtual Trip

　　All the people living in Japan are requested not to move for non-urgent and unnecessary issues due to the pandemic. I have wanderlust, so this request from the municipality is a hardship. I've been enjoying online trips these days to ease my impatience. This trip is free of charge and doesn't require any reservation of hotels, transportation, and so on. It's really stress-free. However, I'm so sorry not to enjoy the local cuisine or specialties. To tell the truth, I'm planning to set out for a short trip in November. I suppose and hope that the pandemic will be under control at that time. The destination is where there are few cases of the coronavirus infection.
　　When on earth can we go back to the original life?

Prime Minister Race

　　The election campaign for the next prime minister has just started. The possible candidates are three of them. One of them is a female and she might become the first women to get the premiership. I have been supporting her since long ago and I really hope that she will become the next prime minister.
　　Her policy is conservative and I think she can be compared to President Trump in the U.S. She is very popular, but the media in general hate her and try to hamper her success in the election. I recalled the presidential election of the U.S. that took place since last autumn to this February.

 

The 5th Wave

　　The population of my prefecture is 1.3 million and the number of infected people topped 5000 the other day. The number was under 3000 until the 4th wave, so 2000 people got newly infected during the 5th wave of the pandemic. How long will this condition last? I wonder if the 6th wave will come up next winter or not.
　　The restaurants and bars in downtown have to stop serving alcoholic drinks by 20:00 hours. Many municipal facilities are closed and to my perplexity, the nearest branch of the public library is also closed. I keep two books from the library and they are already overdue, but I'm not urged to return them. It's ok, but I can't borrow books newly.
　　It's getting cooler day by day and various events are on schedule in autumn. I've enjoyed some of them every year, but all of them would be suspended or cancelled. I would just have to wait for the end of the pandemic.

(Vocabulary)
perplexity (特に書き言葉) [U] 困惑, 当惑;《[C]通例複数形で》難題, 難局