Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

911

　　This topic isn't for a Porsche car and is about the terrible or indescribable terror attack which occurred in N.Y. on Sept. 11th in 2001. The anniversary ceremony will be held tomorrow in Japan's time. I watched the scene on T.V., and the preparation of the ceremony was going on. The monument caught my eye and victims' names were carved on its face. I recognized again how many people were involved in the terrorism. They must have wanted to live more. I'm so sorry.
　　I wonder who or what produces terrorism. Poverty? Exclusivity? Fundamentalism? or some other reason? I don't know the true reason, but these factors are found extremely rarely in Japan.
　　Lots of people return to their original home on around Aug. 15th to celebrate the "bon festival", which is from Buddhist culture, and visit shrines at the very start of every year, which is from Shinto culture. In addition, they celebrate Christmas also. What do you think of this religiously irresponsible behavior of Japanese people? People who have roots in other countries can celebrate their special occasions in their favorite way in Japan. Japan is one of the countries in which terror attacks hardly happen.
　　I hate fundamentalism. It's simply egoism. Watching how the prep for the commemorating ceremony is going, I conceived as above.

 

Paralympic's Over

　　I seldom watch the paralympic games. I'm not interested in their sports, but this is not the single reason. The long and short of it is that I have become too sorrowful to bear seeing the games. Even if someone set a record high in some games - of course, it's surely joyous - his/her record is, in many cases, created by setting categories. Their record might be changed by their tools or categories. I'm totally indifferent to their records, but I admire their tremendous effort. I'm not confident to continue to exercise like them with physical handicaps.
　　On the other hand, I have another paradoxical viewpoint. I cannot help comparing handicapped athletes with other people with disabilities. People with disabilities will have hardships for living itself. They must have been struggling to make a living. Once a handicapped athlete rises to fame, he/she would get some financial support and also get exempted to work, then he/she would be able to concentrate on his/her sports. I had been seeing ordinary handicapped people in my daily life as a health care worker, who couldn't afford to start with their favorite sports. How do gold medals glitter among such a few number of players.

 

Japanese Alcohol, Sake

　　My son in law sent me a nice sake. He seems to have a somewhat special route to the manufacturers and often gets me nice difficult to obtain sake. I've enjoyed many kinds of excellent alcohol drinks from the world and sake is equal to them. This sake is preserved a degree below zero for five years waiting for the sake to get mellow. This sake seems to have been produced by the frantic efforts of manufacturers. I'll drink it with respect to the manufacturers.

(Vocabulary)
be equal to sth
1 ＜…＞に対応できる [同意] be up to sth
I'm sure he's equal to the task. 彼はその仕事に対応できると確信している．
2 ＜…＞に比肩する
The museum's collection is equal to any in Europe. その美術館の収蔵品はヨーロッパのどの美術館にもひけを取らない．

My Granddaughter

　　My first grandchild turned 6 months. Her pictures have been sent to me almost every day. I want to see her, but can't due to the pandemic. The Government requests us to refrain from moving at present. The picture shows her picture with which the following caption was added. "She is dreaming of traveling by air."
　　I wondered if a baby who has never seen a plane would dream so. Placing it aside, anyway, I love the expression of her face, which looks proudly with a little shyness.

Belated Mass Vaccination

　　I attended the mass vaccination today. The applicants were from hospitality industries of my prefecture. Senior citizens and people with chronic diseases or high risks for infection are prioritized in the official mass vaccination by the Government, so the young generation have been put off.
　　The president of the industry group is my friend from junior high school, and he was meaning to take various steps for recovery from the pandemic in the industries, and one of the steps was the vaccination. That's why this mass vaccination was planned and I was asked to check every applicant's condition if they were all right to get vaccinated, or not. Staffs of accommodations, restaurants, actors and actresses from show businesses, , , people who were tasked with many roles in the hospitality industries got together.
　　After the perfect preparation of the vaccination, however, it was postponed. Can you guess the cause? It was because the contamination of the vaccine, Moderna, was reported. Consequently, a major part of our stocks of Moderna which were seemingly possible to be contaminated judging from its Lot number were collected. I was afraid if the foreign body was something biological, but it was a micro piece of stainless steel which had been apparently peeled off from the production machine. Anyway, the mass vaccination had to be postponed and it finally started today.

(Vocabulary)
put sth off ～を先延ばしにする

 

September 1st

　　September 1st is the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake which occurred on Sept. 1st in 1923. Tokyo was devastated by the quake at that time, and the day of Sept. 1st was designated as the disaster drill day in the wake of the quake. Japan has been hit by many kinds of disasters so far and it recovered each time. Japan is on the volcanic belt and also on the usual route of typhoons. Japanese people are fated to make efforts to build a disaster-resistant land.
　　I reckon with those disasters and the necessities of life for the period of three days are stored in my house. Even if the lifeline was destroyed, relief supplies would be delivered within two days anywhere in present Japan. Drinking water can be preserved for 10 years at room temperature. Several kinds of canned food, rice and a gas cartridge stove are also stored. Two flushing toilets in my house would be unusable, but I can dig a hole in my garden.
　　Anyway, September in Japan will see some typhoons. I hope that Japan doesn't meet strong ones.

(Vocabulary)
relief goods/supplies 　救援物資

 

What I Think About Afghanistan

　　Afghanistan is surrounded by several countries, all of which are eccentric and hard to deal with. Since the time of Alexander the Great, no foreign nation was able to control this country. Even well-known Alexander the Great wasn't able to conquer the area, and every nation or power which tried to conquer the area since then was fought back. The U.S. is going back home now. I've seen the same scene in which lots of people were trying to escape the country as that of present Afghanistan. Though I didn't know about the global conditions, I felt somewhat sorry to see the people who were fleeing Vietnam in 1975. Then Laos and Cambodia became communist. Then Iran became islamic in 1978.
　　The U.S. lost its authority. Lots of people in the world would think so, observing the situation of Afghanistan. I saw the U.S. President Biden's televised address about a month ago, and he told us that Afghanistan's situation is perfectly controlled by the U.S., but his fabrication was exposed in a few weeks. The U.S. declares that it will protect Japan from invasions by other countries, but is that credible? I learned that the U.S. isn't almighty. Japan should get armed enough to discourage the Chinese Communist Party.
　　How about buying the U.S. Naval 7th fleet along with the soldiers from the U.S.? The U.S. can save budget and the U.S. national bond which Japan owns would be enough to pay for them.

(Vocabulary)
lose one's authority 権威を失墜する

Anniversary of The End of The War

　　August 15th rolled around again. Showa Ten-noh declared the defeat of the Great East Asian War on this day in 1945. This day is deeply engraved in the mind of most Japanese, though the official signing day was Sept. 2nd. Since then, the Japanese have been brainwashed by biased historical education, but now lots of Japanese people came to learn the real history and became proud of being a Japanese.
　　There is a shrine called "Gokoku" in every prefecture. "Gokoku" means the protection of the country and numerous people who lost their lives for the sake of Japan are honored in the shrine. I was going to visit Gokoku shrine in my hometown, but I was afraid to be close to other people in the grounds. Then, I visited the Army's graveyard in my neighborhood to avoid crowded circumstances. I expressed my sincere gratitude for the present peaceful environment in my hometown.

Radiology and My Present Job

　　I had worked as a general surgeon for nearly 40 years. During those days, I often utilized a variety of tests using radioactive rays, like chest X-ray test, CT test, etc. I sometimes adopted radiation therapy for breast cancers and esophageal cancers. However, I didn't know exactly about the principle of radiology. Just like you can drive a car, not knowing the structure or mechanism of the car. In the clinical scene, many specialists assisted me.
　　Now, I've changed my job from a general surgeon to a company doctor and the radioactivity has also changed its character for me from the means for the treatment to something to protect. However, there's no radiologists around me.
　　The following picture shows a book, which I received from my Shakuhachi - Japan's traditional bamboo flute- instructor, who was a specialist of radiology by trade. I had to learn the radiology and radiation hazards from this book to keep the employees of my company safe and healthy.

(Vocabulary)
by trade 職業は
He was a boat builder by trade. 彼は船大工の職人だった．

Heavy Rainfall

　　Heavy rain has been continuing across Japan like in the rainy season, which is from June to mid-July in a usual year. A part of Kyushu got devastated by a landslide and inundation above the floor level.
　　This abnormal weather is said to continue for a week judging from the pressure pattern. It seems timely for the Government which requests its nationals to refrain from going out for nonessential and nonurgent business, but the expansion of damage is concerning.
　　The sectors of transportation, sightseeing, hotels, restaurant business, and so on are already suffering hardship. Then, this heavy long-lasting rain is added. I hope that they will survive the hardship and live up to the expectation of people who are itching for a chance to set out for trips.
　　I got an e-mail today from the organization consisting of all the hotels in the Dogo Onsen Spa area, which is the most popular tourist spot in my hometown of Matsuyama City. They asked me to assist in the mass vaccination, which is scheduled next Thursday, of the staff members of tourism industries in Dogo Onsen Spa. I replied OK promptly.

(Vocabulary)
inundation 浸水, 氾濫(はんらん)
live up to sth [句動詞]《受け身形不可》＜期待など＞に添う
The movie didn't really live up to expectations. その映画は実際のところ期待はずれだった．
be itching to do sth (inf) ＜…＞したくてうずうずしている
be itching for sth (inf) ＜…＞が欲しくてたまらない

 

Small Trip to Fuchu City

　　I was asked to check the condition of the applicants for the vaccination from Hiroshima Prefecture, and I visited Fuchu City in the Prefecture. I left my house on the previous evening and took a hotel in Fuchu. I love wandering in strange places and I took a walk around the hotel. It was located near the Fuchu Railroad station and the station was thought to be the center of the city, but I felt it was deserted. It might be due to the pandemic and/or the restriction from it. Almost all of the commercial facilities were closed.

 

Tokyo Olympics Over

　　The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are over. I think that this Olympics finished in success. Because of the pandemic, various limitations were imposed on this Olympics, but people who were involved in the Games have done a good job. I'd like to extend my congratulations to them and thank the Government for its decision. Seeing the happy faces of the participants and ordinary people, some groups who were against the Olympics sank in silence. Their gloomy appearance made me feel refreshed. In addition, I hope for the vigorous fights and cultural exchange in the coming 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

(Vocabulary)
gloomy 鬱(ゆううつ)な, 重苦しい; 悲観的な[同意] depressing ; 薄暗い, 陰気な
cultural exchange 文化交流

Cancellation of My Trip

　　I had a plan to visit Hokkaido this summer vacation to see my youngest daughter. She works in a hospital in Hokkaido as a resident and she is a postgraduate student of Oxford at the same time. She temporarily came back from the U.K. last summer avoiding the pandemic in the U.K., and she is going to re-visit and stay in the U.K. for at least two years. If the pandemic should cease next summer, I'm sure to visit Oxford next summer vacation with my wife, but its possibility might not be high. We'd like to see her in Hokkaido, but we had to give up the plan due to the surge of the Wuhan virus infection.

 

Lunch Break During the Health Check Session

　　The annual medical check of the employees is regulated to be compulsory for every business unit by law. If something wrong was found in the tests, the employee will be sent to a clinic. I had been working in the clinic side for a long time until last year, but now I'm in the medical check side and I deal with people who sometimes strongly declare that they don't need any medication.
　　If they don't feel any health problem subjectively, they don't comply with my opinion often. I soothe them to consult a doctor at that time. It requires much effort, but my job is rewarding.
　　The following picture shows my table at lunch time during the session. My lunch was a sweetened bun and a canned cafe au lait over reading a book through my kindle.

At A Parking Lot

　　When I parked my car at a parking lot along the highway and dropped in at the toilet, a strident song of birds surprised me. The song was of three birds in their nest which is set inside the men's toilet. They seemed immature and looked unable to fly. Their parents were absent. They might be hunting for their children's food. It might be from the security issue that the nest was built in the toilet, not outside.
　　I noticed that a guard against a fall was set under the nest. It is considered to be auspicious in Japan that birds build their nest at the house, so the highway company might have set it. Or, just for the protection from droppings? Anyway, it seemed that I had to put up with the boisterous songs until they leave the nest.

(Vocabulary)
strident〈音・声が〉耳障りな, やかましい
a strident voice/tone 耳障りな声［音］
droppings (鳥獣の) 糞(ふん)

Mass Vaccination

　　The mass vaccination had already started in Japan. The health care workers, including me, were given a shot on a priority basis. Next, the elderly who wanted to get vaccinated and people with chronic diseases have been given the shot. Then ordinary people began to receive the vaccination.
　　However, there's a shortage of doctors, who perform the preliminary examination of applicants. I was asked to attend the vaccination meeting planned by the nearby municipality. Arriving at the designated place, there were about 10 doctors and 30 to 40 paramedical staff members along with clerical staff.
　　In addition, there must have been some more staff behind the scene who prepare the vaccines, which was frozen. The vaccine was from Pfizer and it was preserved frozen. It should be thawed before use and should be set in syringes. Paramedical staff members would be ready behind the partition wall. I'd like to join the vaccination projects when I have time.

(Vocabulary)
on a priority basis　優先的に
thaw [他] (thaw something ↔ out とも) 〈冷凍食品〉 を解凍する

Tokyo Olympics

　　The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has just started though it's in 2021. There were various controversies over the holding of the Games, but the Government decided to hold it overcoming huge difficulties. To tell the truth, I'm not so much interested in the Olympics, but there would be no country other than Japan that would be able to hold such a big international event at present. People who are involved in the Olympics still have a lot on the plate, but I hope that it ends in success.

 

Car Dealer Tour

　　My daughter's couple who got married last February are going to buy a brand new car. It's the first time for them to buy one and they asked me to accompany them to the dealers. They've already narrowed down the option to two cars, but they are wondering which of them to buy. They are thinking of an SUV whose price varies from $30000 to $40000. I know the cars manufactured by the Japanese companies are generally wonderful. Additionally, I admired the progress of the driving assistance system of each company.
　　The systems of both cars were superior to the Mercedes SLK200's, which I bought 5 years ago. The system was installed only in expensive cars those days, but the system is now provided to ordinary popular cars. Amazing! For instance, when another car approached my car from diagonally behind, my SLK200 alarmed me by the blinking of the light imbedded in the door mirror of the car-coming side. If I didn't notice the alarm and tried to change lanes toward its side, the car set off the alarming sound and added the resistance to the steering wheel to hinder my operation. When I knew these functions, I was astonished by its progressiveness. Naturally, those functions were expensive five years ago, but now such functions have become essential to most cars.

(July 22nd)

Plague 2020

　　I read a nonfiction book about the pandemic of the Wuhan virus which had been published just a year ago. I've read five or six nonfiction books by the same journalist before and I believe in his ability of collecting accurate information. The process from the sparse appearance of the virus in Wuhan to June in 2020 was documented precisely and I learned much from the book.
　　Turning back all the history from the bird's view, I noticed several points which I didn't understand in real time. When Wuhan was locked out, the Japanese Government didn't mind the issue. The prevalence of the virus was underestimated in Japan. What who said then is documented in the book. I learned that the Japanese health and labor ministry was unable to control the risk.

(Vocabulary)
sparse まばらな, 少ない, 〈髪が〉 薄い
precisely 正確に, ちょうど

Bed, Toilet, Comparison

　　Three weeks have passed since I began using my bed. I should have used it much earlier. My bed made by Nihon Bed is very comfortable and contributes to my health.
　　Japan's bedding is not bad, but the western bed is much better especially for older people. Comparing both, the bed will be declared the winner. By the way, how about toilets?
　　When I saw the western style toilet for the first time more than 50 years ago at my uncle's house, I was surprised at its curious shape, but now I prefer the western one. I can't detect any merit for the Japanese style toilet now. The western style can be the winner in terms of the toilet.
　　However, once the Japanese accepted the western style toilet, its progress has been remarkable. When you open the door of the compartment, the toilet senses your presence and opens its cover for you. After the business, it cleans around the anus and dries up. Any bad smell is automatically eliminated from the compartment. You might say that I'm lying, but it's true. If you come to Japan, I advise you to use the toilet just after arriving at the airport, I assure you that you'll be astonished by its function.

(Vocabulary)
be declared the winner 軍配が上がる