Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Honolulu Half-Marathon 6 (Sightseeing)

　　It was getting light and hot. I was running along the coastline in the first picture. Soon after, I passed the turn and got into the downtown area, where various tourist spots appeared one after another. The second picture shows the Coronation Pavilion and Iolani Palace. The next shows the central post office. In the next picture, I was granted an audience with King Kamehameha. (grin) A professional photographer took my picture with him on my right shoulder.
　　This photographer was sent from a Japanese company, which takes pictures of entrants in various events. Their pictures would be on sale on its website. The company's photographers were standing by on at least five or six points on the route. I'm going to have their pictures seen later. However, lots of runners didn't know about this system, and the runners around me were laughing to see me get carried away in front of the professional photographer. Turning to the right in front of Kawaiahao Church in the 6th picture, I found portable toilets along the route. Several dozen runners were lined up and I didn't use it. I'm going to write about portable toilets later.

(Vocabulary)
the Coronation Pavilion 戴冠式台
Iolani Palace イオラニ・パレス
King Kamehameha Statue　カメハメハ大王像
Kawaiahao Church　カワイアハオ教会
audience (要人との) 公式会見, 謁見
[＋audience with] an audience with the Pope ローマ法王への謁見
grant sb an audience ＜人＞に謁見を許す
Kamehameha I カメハメハ1世（大王）

徐々に明るくなってきた。そして暑くなってきた。１枚目は海岸を走っているが、この直後に折り返してダウンタウンを貫く道路に入った。次は戴冠式台、イオラニ・パレス、次の古風な建物は郵便局、そしてカメハメハ大王に謁見。なんと大王を右肩に乗せて記念撮影。オールスポーツのカメラマンに向かって大きくポーズを撮る僕を見て周辺の人が笑っています。６枚目の写真にあるカワイアハオ教会の前を右折。このあたり、歩きながら写真を撮る人多し。マラソンと言うよりも観光旅行に近い。右折をするとすぐにトイレを見つけた。トイレについては書きたいことがある。後ほど。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 5 (Baby Buggy)

　　"What are they doing?" I wondered, when I saw several specific runners. They were pushing baby buggies. I assumed at first sight that they must have carried their food and water or something like that in it, but actually they were carrying babies. Why? Did they want their babies to experience the marathon? Or, did they want to run with their babies? Or, they might have failed to find baby sitters. I didn't know the exact reasons. Anyway, I enjoyed my debut in the overseas marathon.

　
いったい何なんだ、こいつら。と思ったのが、ベビーカーを押しながら走っている人たち。携帯食や水を積んでいるのか、やるなあと思ってちらっと覗くと本物の赤ん坊、幼児が乗っていた。(^_^;)　子供にマラソン体験か？とも思ったが、子供を放置できず仕方なく連れて走っているのかも、、、詳細不明だが、そこまでしなくても、と思うのだが。まっ、人は人。前を向いて大きなお尻を眺めながら走ろう。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 4 (Overflow)

　　As I passed by Ala Moana Center, the road became congested with lots of runners. As you see in the first picture, some were running on the sidewalk, outside of the marathon route. It must have been a violation, but no one minded. I'll tell you one thing, I was on the sidewalk to take a picture, not for the run. Anyway, with that aside, in Japan, the runners are regulated by plastic tape or guards not to step out of the route except on several occasions like washing hands, medical care, and so on. I felt again that the organization of the marathon was irresponsible.
　　After a while, several police motorcycles came in the opposite lane, and immediately I rushed onto the median and held my camera. At that time, a motorcycle policeman sent me that distinctive finger sign. I realized that this sign must have some specific meaning. I'll write about this later.
　　I wanted to see the top runner, who should have passed the turn and come just after the leading police motorcycles, but no one came. The motorcycle policemen passed by at a speed of about 40 km/h without taking care behind. What have they done on earth?

(Vocabulary)
median (médian strip とも) [名] [C](米) 中央分離帯
turn (マラソンの)折り返し点

１枚目の写真はアラモアナセンターにさしかかったところ。道路が混んでいて歩道を走っているランナーが多いことがわかる。断っておくが、僕は写真を撮るために歩道の上にいるのであってここを走っているのではない。ま、それはおいといて、普通なら歩道を走らないよう規制があるはず。ちゃらんぽらんというか、適当というか、まあ気楽なマラソンだと言うことがよくわかった。
　
しばらく走ると反対車線を白バイが走ってきた。中央分離帯によってカメラを構えると、先ほどの警察官たち、例のピースサインに似たハンドサインを送ってきた。これについては後で書く。
　
この後、普通は先頭ランナーが走ってくるはず、、、しかし、来ない。この白バイ隊員たち、いったい何をしてきたのか？　彼らは後ろを気にすることなく時速４０キロくらいで走り抜けていった。まあいいか。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 3 (Starting Position)

　　I reached the designated point, but there was no signboard where to be ready. I didn't even see the staff members. The organizers would be considerably irresponsible. Anyway, as I was wandering around, an announcer told us that it was 30 minutes to go. I was pushed toward the road. It was about 50 meters from the starting line. This area should be for fast runners, not for slow runners like me. I tried to retreat backward, but couldn't due to packed runners. Finally I got started from this point.
　　Just after the report of the gun, the runners started off. The runners around me ran away or overtook me at an unbelievable speed. I was afraid that I might be hit from behind, so I got away for the walkway. The top group was really fast. I stayed there for about 10 minutes and went back into the stream of the runners. Pictures show the condition around me just before the start signal.

(Vocabulary)
report (フォーマル) 爆発音, 銃声, 砲声

さて、スタート地点についたは良いがどこに並ぶべきか、何の指示もない。役員がどこにいるのかさえわからない。実にいい加減な運営だと思った。ブラブラしているとあと３０分というアナウンスがあり、道路沿いから道路の中へ押し込まれた。スタートラインから５０メートルくらいの位置だ。これは僕が並ぶところではない。後ろへ下がろうとするも自由がきかず、結局この位置からスタート。

スタート直後、周りの選手は僕の全力疾走に近いスピードで追い抜いていく。後ろから衝突されそうで怖くなり、路肩に避けた。驚いた。トップグループはさすがに凄い。１０分ほど待って人の流れに合流した。写真はスタート直前の様子。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 2 (Policemen)

　　While approaching the starting point, which was arranged on Waikiki beach, several police motorcycles caught my eye. In such a case in Japan, motorcycle policemen tend to be tense, but what had happened to them, who looked relaxed. As I spoke to one of them, saying "Good morning, officer!", he sent me a finger sign, in which you extend the thumb and the little finger from your fist. I often saw this finger sign in Hawaii. I'll write about this sign later.

ワイキキビーチに近づくと白バイが数台止まっているのが見えてきた。しかし緊張感は全くない。日本のマラソンだと先導する白バイ隊員はかなり緊張していると思うが、この警察官たちには微塵も感じられない。話しかけてみると親指と小指を突き出す独特のハンドサインを示した。このハンドサインについては後に書く。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 1 (Zombie)

　　At 4 o'clock before the alarm set off, I got up and ate heated rice cakes, which I brought from Japan for the Honolulu Half-Marathon. Rice cakes are filling and last longer than any other food for me. I put on my running outfit and took the following picture in front of the door. The start time was 6 o'clock and I was requested to get ready at the starting point by 5:30. I left my condo at about 5 o'clock. It was still dark and felt a little chill. It was funny for runners with thin clothes to walk, as they looked like zombies in cult movies.

４時起床　日本から持って来た餅（腹持ちが良い）を食べて身支度を整えドアの前で撮ったのが１枚目の写真。６時スタートで、５時３０分頃までには集合という指示があったので５時頃に家を出た。まだ薄暗い。ハワイとはいえ少し寒い。薄着の人たちが、ぞろぞろと歩く姿がゾンビ映画のシーンみたいで可笑しかった。

Test Drive Continued

　　I asked for a Japanese to guide us during the test drive for the sake of mutual understanding when a situation calls for instant reaction. He used to work in a travel company and gave us a good commentary about Hawaiian lives, his student days in the U.S. mainland, houses of Japanese celebrities, and so on. He seemed to frequently get vegetables in KCC Farmers' Market. A very noted actor in Japan test-drove the same car with his family last month, and I heard a funny story about his daughter, though it's secret.
　　By the way, I got tired and wanted to hit the hay as early as possible, so we didn't dine out. Our supper was retort-pouched curry and rice taken from Japan.

(Vocabulary)
commentary
a spoken description of an event, given while the event is happening, especially on the television or radio:

 

横に乗ってもらうスタッフには日本人をお願いした。彼は元旅行社勤務だったとかで、試乗ではあるが車の話以外に、ハワイの暮らしや彼の学生時代の話、日本人セレブの家のことなど、観光案内をしてもらっているようだった。ＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットには野菜を仕入れによく行くそうだ。同じ車を先月、日本人なら誰でも知っている超大物俳優の家族が試乗して、たいそう気に入っていたらしい。面白い話をいろいろ聞いたが書かない方が良いかも知れないので書かずにおく。さて夕食は、疲れたのでどこにも出かけず日本から持ち込んだご飯にレトルトのカレー。安上がりで大満足。

Test Drive

　　When I was allowed to test-drive a TESLA, I was requested to show my driver's license to them, which was naturally issued and valid in Japan. To my surprise, a Japanese driver's license was valid in Hawaii too. That might be only for a limited time, but I was able to drive the car without any legal procedure. Next, about the car insurance. They had taken the bodily injury and property damage liability insurance out, but not for motor vehicle insurance. If I damaged the car, I would have to pay compensation. However, they told me that I could use my drive-other-cars-endorsement, if I took the insurance out.
　　I got scared. The price of the test drive car was over 100,000 dollars. I had left all my cars' insurance in my old friend's hands. I hastily sent him an email to ask if I had a drive-other-cars-endorsement. My friend was also intimidated by my question. If I had damaged such a valuable car in Hawaii and asked him to handle the accident, ,,, Mr. N, who would read this article, so sorry to have made you confused.
　　He replied to me that I had already such an endorsement and he would confirm if the endorsement was valid in other countries or not, but before his report came to me, I began to test-drive a TESLA car. I was tense, but both backing the car into the parking spot and parallel parking were totally automatic! I didn't need to be worried about scratching the car. The car which I test-drove was Model X. I got an intense impression from the car. That was the autopilot! It would be in the far future, but I'd like to get one.

(Vocabulary)
take sth out ＜保険など＞に入る, ＜ローンなど＞を組む
The couple took out a $200,000 loan. 夫婦は20万ドルのローンを組んだ．
bodily injury liability insurance 対人賠償責任保険《主に米国で用いられる》
property damage liability insurance 対物賠償責任保険
motor vehicle insurance 車両保険
drive other cars endorsement 他車運転危険担保特約

 試乗させてもらうことになったとき、いくつか条件があった。日本の運転免許を持っていること。国際免許で無くてもＯＫというには驚いた。短期間だけかも知れないが、日本の免許でハワイでは車の運転をしても良いとのこと。次に保険のこと。『試乗車は対人・対物保険に無制限で加入しておりますが車両保険には加入しておりませんので、万が一車両損害が発生した場合は全てお客様負担となります。あらかじめご了承ください。保険加入されている場合は、ご自身の他車運転特約が使用可能です。』とのこと。

ビビったよ。車両価格１０００万円を超える車だから。他車運転特約というのに入っているかと所有する車の保険を一任している友人にメールで尋ねたら、やはり友人も質問の内容にビビっていた。もし僕がこんな高価な車をハワイで擦って、保険での処理を頼んだとしたら、、、この記事を読んでいるだろう、Ｎ君、ハワイからの突然の連絡、許せ！

特約は付けているけど海外で乗る車に適応できるのかどうか調べてみると言ってくれたが、結果が来る前に試乗の時刻となったので用心して乗りましたよ。(^o^)　しか～～し、バックでの駐車も縦列駐車もすべてオートマチック！　擦ったりする心配は無用だった。試乗した車はＳＵＶのＭＯＤＥＬＸで、感想は素晴らしいの一言。加速は凄いし、これこそが自動運転！随分先になるだろうが、本気で購入を考えることにした。

Hilton Village

　　I got back home by LeaLea Trolley. It was sunny in the morning, but it was getting cloudy toward noon. I heard from local people that the weather had been unstable these couple of weeks in Honolulu. Despite the fact that Oahu island is a little island, it seemed that all the island seldom has the same weather at the same time. The weather forecast is focusing on Daniel K. Inouye International Airport area, and so it's natural that it rains in the Waikiki area under the weather forecast of clear sky.
　　I took a walk in the Hilton Village though it was cloudy. The building in the first picture is my condominium. All the pictures were shot in the scope of 10 minutes from my condo. I saw some people jogging around the lagoon. I had a feeling that they would join tomorrow's Honolulu Half-Marathon.
　　I became a little sleepy and went back home. I took a short nap as I had an appointment of showing up at the TESLA dealer's office to test-drive its up-to-date SUV, Model X.

(Vocabulary)
I have a feeling that ~ ～のような気がする

ＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットからＨＩＳが運営するレアレアトロリーで戻ってきた。朝は晴れていたのに曇ってきた。このところホノルルの天候は安定していないらしい。またオアフ島は小さな島なのに、全島が一斉に雨になったり晴れたりもしないという。天気予報は空港のあたりが基準になっており、空港が晴れていてもワイキキビーチあたりが雨なんてことは普通だという。

天気は良くないがヴィレッジの中を散策した。１枚目の写真に写っている建物の中に僕のコンドミニアムがある。写真に写っているのはすべて我が家から徒歩１０分圏内。ラグーンの周りをジョギングしている人たちがいた。明日のマラソンに出る人たちなのだろうか？

少し眠くなったので帰宅。１６時にテスラのショールームへ行く約束があった。試乗中に眠くなっては困るので昼寝をしておくこととした。

KCC Farmers' Market

　　I arrived at KCC Farmers' Market about 8 o'clock. Lots of people already swarmed across the area. At first, I drop in at a stall to drink a cup of Kona coffee. It would be possible to drink it also in Japan, but it was particularly great to taste it in Hawaii. KCC stands for Kapiolani Community College. The market was held in the parking lot of this college. A cute schoolgirl who was selling hamburgers told me so. A few thousand Japanese students seemed to belong to the college, but I thought they wouldn't sufficiently master English skills.
　　Anyway, a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits were displayed. I wanted to try some, but I'm afraid if I had a stomach trouble, I wouldn't be able to join the marathon tomorrow. I refrained from raw foods and ate heated foods. As I ate oily foods and my hands became greasy, I didn't hold my camera and there are no pictures for food. Sorry! From next year, it's desirable to fly into Honolulu on Friday, watch fireworks in the Hilton Village, and get fresh vegetables and fruits there on Saturday.
　　After washing my hands, I wandered around the garden plants' corner with my camera in hand. Various unknown - at least for me - plants were arranged and I'll show you some of them below. This market was located on the route of the Honolulu Half-Marathon. This point is at the top of the slope from Waikiki beach. You can see Diamond Head on your right hand here. About the same time tomorrow, I would be totally worn out and come up here,,,, I imagined my exhausted face.

８時頃、着いた。すでにもう人があふれている。まずはコナコーヒーで一服。人混みの中へ分け入った。ＫＣＣというのはカピオラニ・コミュニティ・カレッジのことで、この短大の駐車場で開かれているからＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットと呼ばれるらしい。ハンバーガーを売っていた地元の可愛い女の子から教えてもらった。この大学には日本人がかなり多く在籍しているらしいが、そんな環境では英語は上手くはならないだろうなあ。
　
ま、それは置いといて、新鮮な野菜に加えてフルーツの類いがいろいろあってどれも美味しそう。明日、マラソンがなければいろいろと手を付けていただろうが、万一腹を壊したりしたら明日のマラソンを走られないので今日は熱を通したものだけを買って食べた。脂ぎったものをいろいろと食べて手が脂でヌルヌルになったので、カメラを持てず、朝食の写真はなし。来年からは、金曜日にホノルル入りしてヒルトンの花火をラグーン（打ち上げ場所に近い）で見て、翌朝のこのマーケットで１週間分の新鮮な野菜や果物を仕入れるのがいいなと思う。
　
手を洗った後、一眼レフカメラを取り出して園芸コーナーを巡った。ここで撮った写真もＵＰする。名も知らぬ花ばかりだったがどれも印象的だった。このＫＣＣファーマーズマーケット前の道路は明日海岸から上ってくるマラソンコースに当たっている。右側はダイヤモンドヘッドだ。ここまで登ってくれば後はしばらくは下り。明日はヨレヨレになってここを通るのだろうなあ。

Local Bus Debut

　　I got up at about 4 o'clock due to the influence of jet lag. As tomorrow's marathon would start at 6 o'clock, awakening at this time was advantageous to me. However, it was too early to go out, and I examined its route to know where there were tourist spots on the route. I didn't want to fail to see and shoot them.
　　I was going to visit KCC Farmers' Market to have breakfast, which seemed to be the liveliest one among the same kinds of markets on Oahu island. The market is supposed to be held every Saturday morning. The market was a long way on foot and I learned how to use the local bus from my travel guidebook. The passengers get on the bus through the front door and get tickets from the driver. I got a one-day ticket and this enabled me to freely move by bus as far as I liked. That was really helpful for tourists.

時差ぼけのため早朝覚醒。明日のマラソンスタート時刻が朝６時なので身体を慣らすには都合が良いが、出かけるには早いので朝食前にマラソンコースの予習。と言っても走るための予習ではなく、コース上のどこにどのような観光スポットがあるかという下調べ。
　
今日はオアフ島で一番賑やかだというＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットへ向かう。土曜日の午前中だけ開催されている。日本で言うところの産直市。そしてここで朝食を摂る予定。そしてその前にオアフ島の路線バスデビュー。まだ乗ったことが無いので利用方法をガイドブックなどで調べたものの、ちょっと緊張気味に乗車。前乗りで一日フリー乗車券を購入。これで一日何回でも、どこまで乗ってもＯＫ。旅行者には優しいシステムだ。

Fireworks

　　After witnessing a traffic accident on Kalakaua Avenue, I was wondering if the autopilot cars like TESLA cars could avoid such accidents. At that time, I found the TESLA dealer's shop at the corner of the International Marketplace on the avenue. I myself was astonished to find that.
　　The twist of the story really surprised me. The TESLA car which was displayed in the room was priced at more than 100,000 dollars, and I was not able to afford one. Naturally I didn't mean to buy one, but they would offer me a chance to test-drive one the next day. I comfortably spent some time in the showroom, but I might overstay my welcome there.
　　Anyway, I was late for the fireworks which were held every Friday night in the Hilton Village. I wasn't able to reach the best point and shot the fireworks on the way under the palm trees. Those fireworks were very gorgeous. I'll show you the pictures below. Today's supper was pop-in Hawaiian burger and Kona coffee.

思わぬ展開に驚きながらテスラのショールームに長居をしてしまった。置かれていたテスラ車は買えるような価格でもなく、買うつもりも無かったのだが、話の流れで試乗させてもらえることになった。ワイキキビーチへの途中で交通事故を目撃し、自動運転だとこんな事故は起こらないのだろうか？などと考えていたときに目の前にテスラのショールームが現れたのだからこの偶然には驚くしかない。お陰で週に５分間だけ打ち上げられる花火を見損ねた。花火はまた来年だな。少し遅れたけれどヤシの森の中から花火を撮影。なかなかみごとなものだった。夜はチンしたハワイアンハンバーガーとコナコーヒーで簡単に。

What I Thought after Witnessing A Traffic Accident

　　I dropped in at the ABC store to get some food for my wife on the way back to my condo. I put them on the kitchen table and immediately went out toward Waikiki beach. I wanted to see the starting point of the Honolulu Half Marathon in advance and also know how long it would take to walk to the point. While walking on Kalakaua Avenue toward Waikiki beach, I encountered a traffic accident. A Mercedes sedan seemed to hit a bicycle. Fortunately, the bicycle man looked like he didn't seriously get hurt. I supposed that the Mercedes' radar wouldn't be so good to detect human bodies.
　　In the driving assistance technique, there seems to be two types of method for detecting humans ahead. One is the millimeter-wave radar and the other is the stereo camera system. My Mercedes has the millimeter-wave radar system, but it seems not so good for detecting humans. After several test drives, I decided "once" to choose a SUBARU SUV with its driving assistance system of "EYESIGHT", but....
　　When I found a TESLA showroom on the way to my condo, I recalled its excellent autopilot system, and I just wanted to chat on the topics of automobiles in English, so I entered the room. Just seeing the TESLA cars was enough for me, but they offered me a chance to test-drive! I'll write about my impression on the TESLA car later.
　　By the way, it was about 15 minutes from my condo to Waikiki beach. It was a really beautiful scene. I understood why lots of people got together there. I took my single-lens camera out of my bag. Pictures were taken without the tripod, but I think they are considerably good.

(Vocabulary)
millimeter-wave radar　ミリ波レーダー

時差ぼけのため寝ているカミさんのための夕食の材料を買い込んで一旦帰宅。そして、ひとりでワイキキビーチ方面へ散歩。マラソンのスタート地点の下見とそこまでうちから歩いてどのくらい掛かるのか確認しておきたかった。そしたらなんと、途中で交通事故を目撃。ベンツのセダンが自転車とぶつかったようだった。大きな事故では無かったが、ベンツのレーダーは人を発見するのは苦手なんだよな～と思いつつ、、、、歩き続けた。
　
前方を監視する方法としてミリ波レーダーとカメラを利用する二つのタイプがあるようなのだが、僕の車にも付いているミリ波レーダーはどうも人を見つけるには能力が落ちるような気がする。いろいろ試乗した結果、我が家の次の車はスバルの運転補助システムであるアイサイトを搭載したＳＵＶにするつもりだった。一度試乗して気に入った、、、のだが。
　
なんと帰り道でテスラのショールームを発見。英語を試してみたくて、また近くで見るだけでもいいと思って入ったところ、、、翌日に試乗させてもらえることに、、、先ほどの事故を見て思っていたことが、現実に、、、(^_^;)　試乗の結果は後ほど。
　
で、結局、コンドミニアムからワイキキビーチまでは１５分ほどだった。そしてビーチは実に美しい風景だった。人がここに集まる理由がわかるような気がした。

Check-in for the Honolulu Half-Marathon

　　A whole day's rest on the arrival day will do me good, but I've had a very hectic day. At first I had to activate my SIM free smartphone. It was my first time to use my SIM free smartphone and I felt slightly uneasy, but the activation process was really smoothly done while waiting for immigration inspection. That enabled me to use Google Map at any time. It was very handy. I bought a two generations old Taiwanese smartphone to save money, and it was right! Its performance was satisfactory.
　　I had asked a Japanese taxi driver in advance to take us to my condo from Honolulu International Airport. I knew him from the last trip. He gave us various information on Hawaii on the way. Leaving my wife at my condo, who suffered from jet lag and wanted to take a good sleep, I stopped by a travel agency of HIS five minutes from my condo to get their running bus (LeaLea Trolley) tickets valid for seven-straight days. With this ticket, I can go around the principal areas on Oahu island.
　　Then I reached the Hawaii Convention Center on foot. The check-in procedure was really easy. There were several booths handling jogging gear and goods for keeping fit. Their explanation was half in English, and it was a good chance to listen to English conversation concerning jogging. I stayed in the check-in site for some time.

ハワイへ着いた日は時差ぼけのためゆっくりしたいが何かと忙しい。まずはＳＩＭフリースマホのアクティベーション。初めてのことなので不安だったが、入国審査を待つ間に完了。これでグーグルマップが利用できるなど便利になる。費用を節約するために２世代前の台湾製のスマホを買ったのだが、機能的に十分満足。

空港からの移動は前回の旅でなじみになった日本人タクシードライバーに日本から前もって依頼していた。彼からハワイ情報などを聞きながらコンドミニアムに到着。旅装を解いた後、うちから５分のところにあるＨＩＳのオフィスへ寄ってトロリーチケットの購入。７日間乗り放題を購入。これがあると買物などに便利で、ダウンタウンからワイキキまで気軽に移動できる。

そして次にハーフマラソンの受付。受付会場のハワイ・コンベンションセンターはうちから徒歩圏内。助かる。受付は簡単に終了。いろいろなブースが出ていたので冷やかして廻る。英語で商品説明をしているのを横で聞いてマラソン関連の英語表現を聞けたのもよかった。

Hawaii Tour

　　I got back from my spring vacation. I was in Hawaii for a week. I'm writing trip memos now after coming back. In my usual way, I'll set my articles in chronological order. I learnt lots of things in the field of current topics, historical matters, and cultural aspects this time. My trip memos would become considerably huge, but subscribe to them when you want to kill time.
　　I left Matsuyama city on Apr. 6th and enjoyed sightseeing in Tokyo with my daughter, who lives there. Then I started for Hawaii late at night on 6th with my favorite airline, ANA. I know I'd lose one day during the return flight, but it's nice to arrive in Honolulu on the same day, feeling that I received one more fantastic and valuable day. It was the second time to visit Oahu island, and a Japanese taxi driver, whom I got to know on my first visit, was waiting for us at the exit of the international terminal. I asked him to guide us on a whole island ride and take us to my house in Hawaii, the Great Islander.
　　The hotel staff member on the front desk was the same guy who welcomed us last year. Anyway I got several stuff with room keys from him and I'll show you one of them below. It was a warning for their customers who'll check out on Apr. 8th. The hotel would be surrounded by the route of the Honolulu Half Marathon.

ハワイ旅行に行ってきました。これから書いていく記事は帰国後に書いていますが、いつものように時系列で並べていきます。今回は時事問題、歴史問題、文化に関する話など思うところが多く、相当長い旅行記録になると思われますが、よろしければお付きあいください。読んでもらうためには『２５０単語以内で完結する』を目指して書きます。

さて、４月６日松山を発ち、東京に住む娘と東京観光の後、お気に入りのエアラインＡＮＡで夜遅く羽田を出発。帰りに一日損をすることを知ってはいてもホノルルに同日午前に着くのは一日得をした気分で嬉しい。今回は２回目のハワイだが前回の旅で知り合った日本人ドライバーと空港出口で待ち合わせ、滞在中の移動や観光のお願いをした後、ハワイの我が家、アイランダーへ。

受け付けてくれたフロントマンは去年と同じ人だった。いろいろと渡されたものの中に去年と違うものが一枚。写真に上げた一枚の紙。コンドミニアムの周りがホノルルハーフマラソンのコースに当たっているための注意書きだ。これに参加する自分としてはニヤニヤしながら受け取った。

Necktie

　　I don't usually wear neckties even in my office. While commuting, I wear everyday clothes. As soon as I arrive at my office, I change my clothes to my white coat or surgical gown, so I don't need so many neckties.
　　Today, I had to attend an important meeting and looked for a suitable one in my closet. The one I found and will show you below was new to me. I didn't remember where or when I got it. Anyway, someone might have presented it to me on some special occasion. I tried to put it on. When I asked my wife for her advice, she found a weird word on it. Takeshima island, which has been illegally occupied by South Korea, was described by its Korean name. I immediately pulled this necktie off and threw it away. I got angry at South Korea.
　　Most Japanese media don't want to report the inconvenient truth of both Koreas and China, but now even ordinary people can get the truth online. Lots of Japanese people know the fact that Korean people distort their history. They damage lots of books and maps in public libraries worldwide. They insist that the Sea of Japan should be called "East Sea", though they don't appeal to China for the modification from Yellow Sea to "West Sea". I can read Korean a little, and the more I know about Koreas, the more I hate them.

ネクタイ

日頃ネクタイをしない。通勤はほぼ普段着で、職場に入るとすぐに白衣に着替える。ところが今日はライオンズクラブの会合があり、久しぶりにネクタイを着けることになった。誰かにもらったものだと思うが着けたことのないネクタイをクローゼットの中に見つけて着けてみた。家内がじっと書かれている地図を見て大変な事実を発見した。南朝鮮が不法占拠している島の名前が朝鮮読みになっていたのだ。すぐにこのネクタイを外し、捨てた。いったい朝鮮人ども、どこまで腐っているんだ。
　
日本のメディアの多くはシナ、朝鮮の不都合な真実を報道したがらないが、今では普通の日本人がネットで正しい情報を得ている。朝鮮人たちが世界中で公立の図書館などで本や地図を毀損していることを知っている。彼らは日本海を「東海」と呼べと言うが、ならばシナ様に黄海を「西海」と呼べとなぜ言わない？日本を馬鹿にしているのか？少しだけ朝鮮語を読めるのだが、知れば知るほど嫌になる国だ。＞朝鮮
　
黄海北道・黄海南道という北朝鮮の地名から黄海と名付けられたのでは？と思われる方へ：
　
ＷＩＫＩからの引用ですが、黄海道（ファンヘド、こうかいどう）は、李氏朝鮮の行政区分朝鮮八道の一つ。主要都市である黄州と海州から頭文字を取って命名された。黄海に面していた故の名称ではない。高麗時代は「西海道」と呼ばれていた。現在の北朝鮮の行政区分、黄海北道・黄海南道に相当する。なので、日本海を東海と呼べと主張する奴らが筋の通った連中なら、黄海を西海と呼ぶよう主張するはずなのです。

Spring is coming!

　　It was an unclouded blue sky today. The annual garden plant market has been running since a week ago in the nearby park, which was so crowded and lively with lots of people. The cherry tree was 50% bloomed. I decided to jog for about 10km around the park for the Honolulu Half Marathon 2 weeks ahead. You can usually see Gogoshima island which is located off the coast of Matsuyama City from the park when it's clear skies, but the island could not be seen in the haze.
　　As soon as I began running, I felt something different from usual with me. I had a fit of coughing at about the 1 km point, and wheezing started. I stopped running and walked in the park. Lots of kids were swarming on the play equipment.
　　I have no history of bronchial asthma and so I was surprised to hear my own wheeze. I checked today's weather condition online, and found a warning for a high level of PM2.5, though the level of the yellow sand from China wasn't so high. I presumed that the above symptoms would be from PM2.5 and/or pollen. I'm going to take some medicines to relieve the symptoms.

Installation of Sprinkler

　　Today is Sunday. In the OPD, an installation work is underway while the department is vacant. What will be installed is a sprinkler system, which is obliged to set in all the hospitals including even small clinics by the Japanese government. It will be a strong measure against a fire. A part of costs is a state-sponsored subsidy. It's really welcome.

(Vocabulary)
a state-sponsored subsidy 国からの補助金

スプリンクラー設置工事

今日は日曜日、この日を選んで外来の工事をしている。この数ヶ月、病院のスプリンクラー設置工事が進んでいる。国の方針で2020年までに設置が義務づけられたものだ。火事に対して十分な防護が出来ることになる。費用の一部は国が負担してくれるという。有り難い。

Light Fixtures

　　An elementary school is adjacent to my office. The kids' cheerful voices are always energetic and nice to me, other staff members, and inpatients. Today is Saturday and the school is closed, but it was noisy. Looking down from the ward, a large-scale construction was underway. It looked like they were building several light fixtures for night school activities. In my neighborhood, an elementary school will close at the end of March due to the decrease of pupils. Kids in that school will be schooled at this elementary school adjacent to my office. This school will be more lively, but the decrease of population will lead to the decline of Japan. Is there anything that can be done about it?

(Vocabulary)
fixture 《[C]通例複数形で》(室内などの) 据え付け品, 建具

照明設備設置工事

土曜日はとなりの小学校は休みのはずだが騒がしい。病棟の窓から見下ろすと大がかりな工事が始まっていた。どうやら夜間、運動場を照らすための照明装置が設置されるようだ。このあたり、子供の減少によりこの春にまた一つ小学校が閉校となり隣の学校へ統合された。隣の学校は賑やかになるが、人口の減少は国力の衰退に繋がる。なんとかならないものかと思う。

Tasting

　　I was invited to a wine tasting organized by an importer of wines. I frequently see cheap wines on shelves of convenience stores and some of them sometimes make me feel dizzy. In such cases, I pass them to my wife for cooking use. All the wines prepared for tasting received authoritative assurance of the importer company. Listening to the lecture about each type of wine, I tasted them. I chose and bought 10 wines for my stock and I will use them for some special occasion and presents for my friends. I can't wait for their arrival.

今年もまたワイン試飲会に呼ばれた。コンビニに行くと安いワインが並んでいるが、飲むと頭が痛くなることがある。その場合はすぐに料理用ワインに回す。今日の試飲会に並んでいるワインはどれも輸入メーカーのお墨付きの付いたものばかり。頭痛の心配は無い。ワインの説明を聞きながら気に入ったワインを選び、我が家のストックする。何かの記念の日に開けたり、大切な方々への贈り物に使う。今回もまた10本ほど注文した。届くのが楽しみだ。