Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Birthday Party

　　My hospital has an aged care facility. Japan, along with other developed countries, has the issue of decreasing birthrate and aging population, and so most hospitals have such facilities. The birthday party for facility users who were born in February was held today. Some entertainment is usually supposed to be prepared for every birthday party, and a group of Japanese traditional music players visited us for their consolation today. As I myself play the shakuhachi, Japanese bamboo flute, I can evaluate the skill of other shakuhachi players. The man who played shakuhachi in the group was really great. I was happy to hear their performance.
　　After the performance, some cakes and cookies were offered to the audience. Not only the facility users but also the inpatients, who were able to sit on the wheelchairs for some time, attended. It was a comfortable and relaxing time also for inpatients who can't live in their own houses due to some reasons and would stay in the hospital until their last moment.

職場には老人介護施設が併設されている。今日は利用者の誕生会があり、２月生まれの人たちの誕生を祝った。毎月、何か催しがあるが、今日は病院のスタッフの一人が通っている三味線教室の人たちが来てくれた。僕は尺八を吹くが、この尺八奏者は僕よりも遙かに上手かった。

演奏会の後にはケーキやお菓子が配られた。利用者以外にも車椅子に乗れる入院患者が集まっている。なんらかの障害があり、自宅に戻れず病院で暮らしている人たちには和やかな時間となった。

New Sunglasses

　　I got my three pairs of glasses fitted several years ago; two pairs of bifocal glasses and a pair of sunglasses, but recently those glasses became unfit for my eyesight and I decided to order new glasses. Especially this time, I'd like to get jogging-oriented sunglasses, but there was no shop to handle them. I flew to Tokyo. The following pictures show a commercial board in the shop and my sunglasses, which were delivered a month later. My new sunglasses adopt an up-to-date technology of polarizing lens and cut unnecessary light. This feature gives me clear vision. If you put something white on your car's dashboard, its reflection on the windshield will hinder your driving. With these sunglasses on, however, the reflection doesn't occur. It's amazing. Moreover, some devices are added for stabilizing on the back of the nose. It would help the glasses to stay in the proper position during jogging. I presumed that sunglasses are simply for cutting the strong daylight using dark lenses. It was partially correct, but partially wrong. I tried some lenses on. They were for high altitude climbing, skiing, night driving, and so on. When I wore one for high altitude climbing, the three colors of the traffic light were all seen as black. This type of sunglasses are naturally prohibited to wear during driving. In the case of one for night driving, the view was light, whereas the glare of headlights was suppressed. I ordered one for jogging-use.
　　My eyesight was tested and I picked the lenses and frame. It took about one and a half hours for these procedures. I'll report later about my impression from use. The pictures in which a red building is shown is Tokyo Station, which was renovated into its original appearance recently. Lots of tourists were swarming around. Taking advantage of a break in the flow of people, I took some pictures.

数年前にめがねを新調したが度が合わなくなってきたため作り直すことにした。今回はマラソン用にサングラスを作ることに。調べてみると専用の物が売られていた。ただ、地元にはなくて東京まで購入に出かけた。写真は眼鏡屋にあった広告と１ヶ月後に届いたサングラス。偏光レンズを使用しており反射光などの余分な光線がカットされるため非常に見やすい。また眼鏡がずれないような工夫も成されている。この店で知ったのだが、高高度登山用とか、スキー用とか、夜間の運転用とか、いろいろなサングラスが用意されていて驚いた。まずはマラソン用を作ってみて良かったらまた購入したいと思った。

視力を測り、レンズを決定し、フレームを選ぶまで１時間３０分。眼鏡の感想はまた後日。建物の写真は新装成った東京駅。１００年以上前の駅舎の再現。写真を撮っている人が多かった。もちろん自分もその中の一人です。(^_^;)

Coastline On A Winter Day

　　I commute by car every morning. It takes about an hour and I feel drowsy sometimes. When I got sleepy this morning, I pulled up my car and took some snapshots there to shake off my drowsiness. When I had a shooting lecture last month, I learned to think outside the box. I took several pictures that I hadn't ever taken; leafless trees on the roadside, leaves with no features. I think that the picture of an old tree expresses the melancholy of winter and the wintery sunshine at the same time. What do you think? As you see in the last two pictures, I understood how to blur its background, though in these pictures I failed to choose the objects. I should have picked more beautiful leaves. Anyway, shooting is fun!

 (Vocabulary)
think outside the box 　新しい独創的な考え方をする

International Students In Matsuyama

　　As a part of volunteer activities of Matsuyama Century Lions Club, we held a friendship gathering inviting about 40 overseas students who live in the city of Matsuyama. Their nationalities were, though I don't exactly remember, about ten kinds, and varied from a country in Africa to Barbados. I was grateful for their choice, I mean, they picked my hometown among lots of cities in Japan.
　　In an orchard whose owner is a member of the club, the participants enjoyed harvesting sweet potatoes, persimmons, oranges, etc, and baking pizza, okonomiyaki savory pancakes, etc. The hardest part of cooking okonomiyaki savoury pancakes is flipping them over with spatulas. Some weren't good at it, but it was fun to see them mis-flipping. I didn't get permissions to upload their pictures, but it would be no problem to show you pictures below. People wearing a yellow jacket are the members of the club. I was happy to have the chance to talk with international students about their countries and their daily life in Matsuyama.
　　There is no Muslim around me and I don't fully see their way of life. My knowledge about them is only obtained from books or literature. I heard that "Mirin", one of the essential seasonings in Japanese traditional dishes, doesn't go well with their religious life. I was surprised to hear that. I can't put up with the fact that religion interferes with personal food preferences. I wondered that they didn't feel ill at ease. I understood that it's the way of their lives. It was the day when I learned much.

１２月９日　留学生との交流会

松山センチュリーライオンズクラブの奉仕活動の一環で愛媛県松山市に住んでいる外国からの留学生の交流イベントを開催した。正確な数を覚えてはいないのだが、７～８カ国から４０名くらいの留学生が集まった。小さな田舎町によくこれだけの人が来てくれたなあと感謝。

会員の所有する果樹園で皆で芋、みかん、柿などの収穫体験、ピザを焼いたり、お好み焼きなどを作ったり、丸一日楽しんだ。参加者に許可は得ていないのだが、多分大丈夫だと思うので何枚か写真をＵＰする。黄色のジャケットを着ている人がライオンズクラブの仲間です。各国からの留学生と話すといろいろな話を聞けて楽しい。それぞれのお国の様子や松山で学んでいることを聞けた。

自分の周りにムスリムがいないから彼らの習慣についてあまり知らない。日本料理に欠かせない「みりん」がムスリムには都合が悪いと聞いた。調味料の成分にまで宗教的なものを持ち込まねばならないなんて、僕には耐えられない。彼らの習慣と言ってしまえばそれまでだが、窮屈には感じないのだろうか？　いろいろなことを勉強した一日だった。

Memorial Day

　　December 8th came around. This is the day when Japan launched what you call a surprise attack against the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor in 1941. It's actually, however, the day when Japan was trapped to be forced to start the war by the U.S. If you want to know about the details, I recommend you read "Freedom Betrayed": Herbert Hoover's Secret History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath. Anyway, the war between Japan and the U.S. had already started in Mainland China at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The then U.S. President, FDR, had sent up-to-date fighter planes and excellent American pilots to assist the Chinese People's Party though it was obviously a breach of international laws. The troops which he had sent were called the "Flying Tigers".
　　Leaving the evil of FDR aside, the air attack is prominent in Pearl Harbor, but there were several young soldiers who performed suicide attacks in the ocean against vessels trying to get away from the harbor. They were praised after death and their monument was built at their training site, Mitsukue in Ehime, which is an hour away from my office. Today, their memorial service was held in front of their monument. I attended it in the freezing wind. The meeting was really solemn.

１２月８日　慰霊の日

今年も１２月８日がやって来た。これは日本が真珠湾へ奇襲攻撃を掛けたとされる日である。実際はルーズベルトの仕掛けた罠にはまってしまった日である。日本とアメリカの間の戦争は既に始まっていた。アメリカは自国の飛行機とパイロットをシナへ送り、日本と戦争をしていたのである。その部隊の名前はフライングタイガーと呼ばれる。

その話は置く。話を真珠湾攻撃へ戻す。真珠湾攻撃の際に航空攻撃ばかりが目立つが実は、真珠湾から逃げ出してきた艦船を攻撃するために湾口で待っていた部隊がある。彼らは自らの命と引き替えに攻撃を仕掛け、そして散った。彼らはその後軍神として祀られた。彼らが攻撃の練習をした場所で今日、彼らの慰霊祭があり出席した。寒風吹きすさぶ中、神職の祝詞（のりと）が唱えられ、出席者が玉串を供えた。

Hijikawa Arashi Again

　　I went up to the observatory again to shoot the phenomenon. Other amateur photographers were waiting for the coming scene more than an hour before I reached the observatory. I admired their tolerance against coldness. However, the temperature didn't fall below zero. No "Arashi", no picture. I was sorry not to take a single picture there, so I took a picture of the monitor post for radioactivity. My town is located within 20 km from the Ikata Nuclear Plant.

Hijikawa Arashi

　　A natural phenomenon called "Hijikawa Arashi" is one of the winter features in the town of my office. It appears only on specific occasions. That is, when in a clear sky and the temperature falls below zero. It's produced by the distinctive terrain.
　　The weather forecast told that the weather would be suitable for the generation of "Hijikawa Arashi" last night, and I got up earlier this morning and climbed up to the "Arashi" observatory. If the weather met the condition, I would have seen the phenomenon, but temperature was a little over zero, though I felt freezing. I decided to try again.

Workshop with a Professional Photographer in Miyajima

　　I joined a shooting workshop held on Miyajima island today, which is known as one of the three most beautiful scenic spots in Japan. The lecturer was a professional photographer, Mr. Yuji Itsumi. The participants met up at the ferry terminal, and firstly received a briefing on the workshop. I'll show you some memos below. I was told to take pictures in a diaphragm preferentially exposing mode with automatic white balance.
　　The Itsukushima Jinja is on the island. This beautiful shrine is built out over the sea, and the gods of the sea are the object of worship. Lots of visitors visit the shrine, but we didn't drop in at the shrine. While just walking in the town, we sought out suitable objects for the shooting. The lecturer advised us how to cut out the scene, and how to pick the best camera setting in every case. To tell the truth, however, I wondered sometimes what the lecturer saw in the frame, but it would be due to lack of an eye for beauty. As several participants held their cameras in the same direction, most other passersby stopped to look in the same direction, but they also wondered, tilting their head in confusion, and said, "What are you aiming at?"
　　The last picture shows the lecturer, who was shooting confections for tea ceremonies using "kaishi" - a piece of paper used in the ceremony - as a makeshift reflex board. He put the room light out and changed the natural light into softer light with the reflex board. I admired his picture. The ordinary confections looked so nice. I think I understood the exposure correction.

(Vocabulary)
diaphragm (専門) (カメラの) 絞り
passerby 通行人, 通りがかりの人
reflex board レフ板

五海カメラマンのサイト
http://itsumioffice.sakura.ne.jp/index.html

今日は日本を代表する景色の一つ、宮島でプロの写真家によるワークショップがあり、参加した。集合場所は宮島側のフェリーターミナル。全員が揃うのを待うとまずブリーフィング。絞り優先で、ホワイトバランスはオート、など説明を受けた。ブリーフィングの内容は下記に載せておきます。ご参考まで。

宮島は日本三景の一つで美しい神社があるのだが、そこへは寄らず、ただ街中を歩き被写体を探して撮影した。被写体の切り取り方と撮影条件を教えてもらってから撮影するのだが、正直どこが良いのだろうかと不思議に思う構図もあった。５００枚くらい撮った。１０名ほどのグループが撮影しているので、何があるのだろうかと通行人が足を止めてカメラの先を眺めるのだが、皆が首をかしげてみていた。

最後の写真は休憩所で出されたお茶菓子を撮影する講師のカメラマン。懐紙を簡易レフ板として使用し、蛍光灯を消し、外から差し込む自然光を懐紙で柔らかい光として撮影していた。撮れた写真を見せていただいたが、まあ驚いた。撮り方でこのように見えるのかと。このワークショップで露出の補正については理解できたように思う。

Wandering with my camera

　　I dropped my wife near her party site, and started wandering in the city. To tell the truth, this wandering was just my purpose to visit this city. Onomichi City is known for its narrow and winding slopes with the nostalgic atmosphere of pre-modern times. Its terrain is also distinctive and attracts most visitors, so the city has been used as a filming location in several movies. What I wanted to do in this city was the shooting of ordinary streets.
　　Haven't you seen emotional pictures, whose subjects were simply conventional streets or ordinary people, for example in magazines? Common scenes seen in daily life will be shaped into artistic works by professional photographers. I wondered how they cut out common scenes into great pictures. I, who had just got a single lens reflex camera, would never be able to shoot pictures like professional photographers, but I just wanted to try it. I had already applied for a shooting workshop which is scheduled two weeks later. This wandering was, as it were, a self-training of shooting.
　　However, while walking in the town, I was not able to figure out what to shoot. I took pictures of the scenery, plants, paths, folk houses, and shrines, but I didn't get even a single picture for my satisfaction. I'm going to learn at least a few secrets of picking subjects of shooting.

で、カミさんを同窓会の開かれるレストランのそばでおろしてからは尾道散策。実はこれが今回の一番の目的。この町は狭い坂道が多いことで知られる風光明媚な土地。誰もが一度訪れると虜になる。数々の映画の撮影も行われた。この街で何をしたかったか。それは、『街角撮影』。

何でも無い普通の風景がプロの写真家に手に掛かると芸術的な写真になる。風景の切り取り方が素人とは違うのだろう。一眼レフカメラを手にしたばかりの自分に独創的な撮影は無理だが、それでも自分なりに風景を切り取ってみようと思い、軽装で坂道を歩き回った。実は２週間後にプロの指導を受けることになっている。その練習を兼ねて尾道の街を歩いた。

しかし、実際に歩いてみても、どこをどのように撮影したら良いのか全くわからない。カメラの設定を変えながら、風景、植物、街並み、家、神社などを撮ってみたが気に入った物は一枚もなかった。ワークショップで何か一つでもコツを掴みたいと思う。

Trip to Onomichi City

　　I drove my car to take my wife to Onomichi City, which is three hours away by car from my home. The city is not so far, but I don't go there if not for a special occasion. Today, her alumni party was scheduled at noon in the city. Starting in the morning was perfectly reachable, but I left yesterday, as I wanted to have a drink with a person who lives in Onomichi City. As we started after my work, we arrived in the city around 9 o'clock in the evening. Then, though I had not enough time, I enjoyed chatting with him over some alcohol and he treated me. I felt so sorry. I have to return a favor.
　　Today, until noon, we were in Tomonoura, which we'd been to a couple of times. It has a distinctive history and is visited by lots of tourists every year. This time we moved to Sensuijima island for the first time, which floats just in front of Tomonoura. The shuttle boat between the island and our side was designed and named after "Iroha Maru", which sank off the coast of Tomonoura in the late Edo period. It's known as the ship of Rhoma Sakamoto, who worked as one of the driving powers to shape a new era, Meiji. A flock of red-jacketed people got on the boat in exchange with us. They were members of a local Rotary Club planning to do some volunteer work cleaning.

カミさんの同窓会が尾道で開催されるため運転手を務めた。尾道はうちから３時間ほどの距離で、高速道路で簡単に行ける街だが、何か用がない限り行くことはない。同窓会は昼からだから朝自宅を出ても十分間に合うのだが、一杯飲みたい相手がいてわざわざ前日の夜出発。仕事を終えてからの出発で到着は２１時頃。それからなつかしい飲み会となった。すべておごってもらい申し訳なかった。

で、今日は昼までは鞆の浦観光。何度か来たことがあり、歴史的にも興味の尽きない街だが、今回初めて仙酔島へ渡ってみた。この地は幕末に活躍した坂本龍馬に縁があり、彼の記念館もある。写真の船は仙酔島への渡し船だが、異様な形は彼の船「いろは丸」にちなんでいる。島から戻ってきて折り返す船に乗る赤いジャケットの一団は地元のロータリークラブ。島の清掃ボランティアに向かうらしい。

Last Day in Bangkok

　　We had a boisterous party till late last night. The youngest participant was 30-some and the oldest was maybe nearly 70 years old. My wife and I bought souvenirs before the beginning of the party and left them at our hotel. I was going to put them together into a bag compactly after the party, but I was too drunk to pack my baggage, so I roughly put them in the bag and hit the sack. I had a hangover in the morning, but I had to leave my hotel at 7 o'clock. The bag of our souvenirs was made from paper and was fragile. While I was wondering if I had to buy a suitcase in the airport, I found a packing service as I show you below. Their method was really simple, just to wrap items with nylon sheets again and again, but the strength of the bag became stronger. It was helpful and I was able to check them in with the airline staff. The time difference between Thailand and Japan was small and didn't bother me at all. I arrived at Haneda Airport (Tokyo) and went back home on the last flight on the same day. This trip was really wonderful.
　　Nov. 23rd to 25th in 2018 falls on three consecutive holidays, and the alumni meeting would be held on 24th. I'd like to visit Bangkok again to see lots of tourist spots which I had missed this time. I'll leave Japan on the night of Nov. 22nd and fly into Bangkok on 23rd. Sightseeing in Sukhothai Historical Park and a night's stay around 23rd. Then I'll come back to Bangkok by the evening of 24th and attend the meeting. I was thinking of such a plan on the return flight.

同窓会前に購入したお土産のパッキングを夜するつもりができず。朝は二日酔。しかし、午前中に出発のため７時にはホテル出発。飛行機に預けるにしては脆弱な袋に詰まっているお土産をどうするかと思っていたら写真にあるような梱包サービスを見つけた。どうやるのかというと、荷物の周りに何重にもナイロンを巻き付けるだけなのだが、これで結構頑丈になる。助かった。タイと日本、時差は全く気にならない。夕方、羽田に到着し、同日の最終便で松山に戻った。実に楽しい旅だった。

来年は１１月２３日～２５日の連休を利用して同窓会は今年と同じように開催されるらしい。１１月２２日の夜、日本を出発し２３日早朝にバンコク入り。２３日にはスコータイ遺跡を訪問＆泊。周辺を観光して２４日同窓会までにバンコクへ戻る。２５日には今回寄れなかったバンコクの観光地を見て、夕方バンコク発、２６日早朝に羽田へ戻ってくるというコースは可能かどうか、飛行機の中ではそんなことを考えていた。

Alumni Meeting

　　A party was scheduled at a Japanese style restaurant. It was the alumni meeting of my junior-high and high school, in which I spent 6 years before medical school. My school had been a boy's school until 2001 and so most participants were men, but some were accompanied by their wives. It made the party happier. I'd like to show you group photos, but it takes time to get permission for uploading them from each person in the pictures, so I'll show you the scene of the preparation, in which a few alumni were sticking two school flags on the wall.
　　The atmosphere was really nice and enjoyable. We were at the age of from about 40 to 70, but they, including me, felt like teenagers at least in mind.
　　The next alumni meeting schedule was planned at the party. I wished that I would be present next time again. I heard of Sukhothai Historical Park from my friend and became eager to visit it. I'll examine if I could visit Sukhothai Historical Park and attend the party at once in a limited day-offs.

(Vocabulary)
Sukhothai Historical Park スコータイ歴史公園

愛光学園バンコク同窓会

夕方からはバンコクの繁華街の日本料理店で中学、高校の同窓会が予定されていた。２００１年まで男子校だったので、卒業生のほとんどは男性だが、今回数名が奥さん同伴だったので少し華やいだ雰囲気で始まった。写真は同窓会の準備をしているところ。集合写真もあるのだが、各人に掲載の許可を求めるのが大変なので準備風景だけ。実に賑やかな楽しい会だった。来年の開催予定も決まった。また参加したいと思うがその頃の勤務状況に寄る。ただ、友人から聞いたスコータイ遺跡には行ってみたい。遺跡観光と同窓会出席、同時に出来るのかどうか、検討したい。

Wat Phra Kaeo and Grand Palace

　　The former king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed away on Oct. 13th in 2016 and was cremated on Oct. 26th in 2017. He was so popular among his people and they had been mourning for him over a year. Then the Thai government declared on Oct. 29th that the mourning period ended.
　　My friend, who lived in Thailand, told us about the king's cremation and its related ceremonies, which was a big surprise to me. That was; The Thai government built the cremation facility only for the king during the mourning period at the cost of 16,000,000 USD and the total expense of the funeral ceremony of the king was 96,000,000 USD. Additionally, the high-profile facility would be pulled down after the ceremony. I wondered why the government didn't preserve that as one of the tourist spots. Anyway the facility would be open to the public before its demolition from Nov. 2nd to 30th., and lots of people, not only Thai, but also international tourists, were eager to see the cremation facility during this period of time. That is to say, we chanced to be in Bangkok at the perfect timing. Plus the Loy Krathong the previous night. I recognized the reason why there were so many people around.
　　People around us were willing to visit the cremation facility, which was to disappear soon. My friend, who was able to speak Thai, got to the entrance to check the waiting time and it was about 6 hours. Immediately we gave up the sightseeing of this area. We asked a Tuktuk driver to run his three-wheeler around the Wat Phra Kaeo and Grand Palace, and it was our sightseeing. Seeing our disappointment, my friend took us to a nearby famous brand shop of NARAYA, a chain of bag shops. My wife got a casual bag at a reasonable price. It's used in her everyday life.

ワット・プラケオと王宮

日本ではプミポン国王と通称されるBhumibol Adulyadej国王が２０１６年１０月１３日に崩御され、２０１７年１０月２６日に荼毘に付された。国民に大変な人気のあった国王でタイ国民は１年間の喪に服していたが、タイ政府は１０月２９日を以て服喪期間が終了したことを宣言。

友人から説明を受けて驚いたのだが、この間にタイ政府は王宮前広場に約１０ヶ月の期間と１７億円を掛けて火葬のためだけの施設を建設。１０２億円をかけた仮葬の儀が終わるとこの仮葬施設は解体するのだそうだ。そして解体前に１１月２日から３０日まで火葬施設を一般公開するとのこと。我々は実に絶妙なタイミングでバンコクに来たことになる。さらに昨夜はロイクラトン（Loy Krathong）祭りが重なった。人が多いはずだ。

もう２度と見る機会のないこの施設を見るために人々が集まっていたのだった。友人が王宮の入り口まで確認に行ってくれたのだが、中へ入って施設を見るとなると６時間くらいは待たねばならないとのこと。即、諦めた。トゥクトゥクで王宮と火葬施設の周りを回ってもらい、外からその風景をちらっと見て観光を終えた。バンコクはまた訪問せねばならない。しょんぼりしていると友人がNaRaYaという店に連れて行ってくれた。お手軽な価格でカミさんは手提げバッグを購入。帰国後、大切に使っている。

 

Rama IX

　　The Thai king of Rama IX is known as King Bhumibol the Great in Japan. I knew that he had passed away in October 2016 and I was wondering before the trip if I should wear conservative clothes during the trip in Thailand, or how long people in Thailand go into mourning. Just at that time, the Thai government issued a comment on Oct 29th, 4 days before my departure, that their period of mourning expired. That was good news for us, as we didn't want to see sad faces in Thailand and hadn't to care about our own clothes. However, I wasn't able to even imagine that the happening I'm going to write in the next blog entry would occur.

 cited from http://buzz-plus.com/article/2016/10/13/bhumibol-adulyadej-thailand/

タイ国王ラーマ９世は日本ではプミポン国王と称される。２０１６年１０月に崩御された。この時点ではタイ旅行は全く考えていなかったが、２０１７年秋にバンコクへ旅行することになり、出発が近づくにつれて服喪期間中なのか違うのか、気になっていた。着ていく服に気を遣わねばならないからだ。出発の４日前に喪が明けたと公式通知があったので、この件については思案無用と思ってほっとしたのだが、、、続く
写真は　http://buzz-plus.com/article/2016/10/13/bhumibol-adulyadej-thailand/　より引用

Wat Pho

　　Our small boat reached just at the opposite side of Wat Arun across the Chao Phraya river, where there were lots of people from across the globe swarmed. I heard that we were in the midst of the busiest tourist spot in Bangkok, but if so, the number of tourists was extraordinary. Anyway we walked forward against the river and got to Wat Pho. The Thai first medical university was founded in the grounds of Wat Pho and the temple plays an important role in the development of Thai-style massage. I'd really like to have seen inside the temple, but lots of tourists and the long waiting time deterred me.
　　We saw only the most well-known item in the temple, the golden lying Buddha, in a short time. Judging from the information board in the grounds, the temple seemed to be of considerable magnitude. I was sorry that the area we walked around was so limited. I have to revisit Bangkok.

ワット・ポー

ワット・アルンのほぼ向かい側にある船着き場に着いて大混雑の中、しばらく歩いた。このあたりはバンコク観光の中でも最も人気のある場所と聞いたがそれにしても人が多い。とにかくまっすぐ歩いてワット・ポーに到着。ここはもちろん寺院だが、タイ最初の大学でもあり、タイ式マッサージの総本山と聞いた。ただ、あまりの人の多さと限られた時間だったため、最大の見どころの大寝釈迦仏のみを見ただけで本堂へは立ち寄れず、残念。案内板を見るとかなり広い寺院のようだったが我々が歩けたのはごく一部で、残念からげたぞよ。（ってこれは松山弁(^_^;)）まあまたバンコクには来ることにしよう。

Crossing the Chao Phraya River

　　Now that I came to Bangkok, and saw the Chao Phraya River, I really wanted to cross the river. Lots of small boats were running on the river, which I had viewed from the terrace of Wat Arun. When I stood at the riverside, I found the water rough. I prepared for seasickness. I'm prone to suffer from seasickness. When I got on a huge ship, like the Diamond Princess, I was all right, but in the case of a middle-size ship, the passenger-cargo boat connecting Tokyo and Hachijojima, I had to get through the eleven hours of agony. As I had expected, the seats were so few and almost all of the passengers had to keep upright for about 10 minutes. The boat swung, but the boat wasn't equipped even with doors. I didn't want to fall in the muddy water, and I shouldered my way into the central area. The handrails were also insufficient. You can see my anxiety from my face in the following picture. When I arrived at the opposite side of the river, the street was so crowded, why?

(Vocabulary)
be prone to do ～するたちだ　～の傾向がある。
I'm prone to motion sickness. 乗り物に酔うたちなんだ。

八丈島からの帰り
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2014/03/eleven-hours-confinement.html

チャオプラヤ川をわたる

バンコクに来たからにはチャオプラヤ川を渡ってみたかった。ワット・アルンから眺めたチャオプラヤ川には多くの船が行き交っていた。川縁に来て見ると、結構荒れている。揺れるんだろうなあと覚悟を決めた。実は船酔いをするたちで、小舟は苦手。ダイヤモンド・プリンセスのような大型の船に乗ったときは何ともなかったが、八丈島と東京を結ぶ中規模の貨客船では大変な目にあったことがある。（LINK:和訳なし）船は思った通り、座席はほとんどなくて、立ったままの乗船。しかもドアがない。こんな濁った川に落ちたくない。なるべく中央に立つことにした。手すりさえも不十分。緊張の表情が写真から見て取れる。(^_^;) 対岸に到着すると、信じられないほどの混雑だった。いったい何が起こったのか。

Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)

　　I was unwilling to pass up the chance to see a floating market in Bangkok, and it was really nice to visit Talingchan Floating Market. As we weren't able to speak the local language, it would be troublesome to use the public transportation system. I was deeply thankful for my friend's company car. By the way, our next destination was Wat Arun. To tell the truth, we didn't have any sightseeing plan apart from the floating market.
　　On arriving at Wat Arun and getting out of the car, I involuntarily let out some Japanese words, meaning "magnificent". I wasn't immediately able to find a word to express its beauty and solemnity. The reflection of the sunlight was beyond description. The sun-reflecting tower rang a bell with the brightness. "The temple must be the subject of the novel 'Temple of the Dawn' by Yukio Mishima." It was long ago that I read the novel and I hardly remembered the story. I should have read it before the trip. Regrettable. Excuse me for repeating, but the temple was really beautiful. A part of the tower was under renovation. I hope that it will be preserved eternally for our descendants.
　　I climbed up to the what you call terrace, and viewed the Chao Phraya river. Lots of small boats were running on the river. I wanted to get on one of them, and asked my friend. He was already going to take us to the opposite side of the river. Wow!

(Vocabulary)
Chao Phraya チャオプラヤ川

ワット・アルン（暁の寺）　

水上マーケットは見逃せないと思っていたのでタリンチャン水上マーケットへ寄れたのは良かった。マーケットへの移動に公共交通機関を使うと面倒だったと思うので、これも現地の友人に助けられた。次に向かったのはワット・アルン。実は水上マーケット以外、どこを見て回るのか全て友人任せで何も考えていなかった。ミニバンが止まったところで上を見上げて驚いた。何と美しい寺院なのかと。そして思い出した。この寺院は三島由紀夫の小説『暁の寺』ではないのかと。読んだのは随分前のことであらすじをかすかに覚えている程度。こんなことなら読み直してから来るべきだった。実に美しい寺院で一部修理中だった。いつまでも大切に保存して欲しい。テラス部分とでも呼べば良いのか、登ることを許されている最高点まで登ると川が見えた。チャオプラヤ川だ。多くの船が行き来してる。あれにも乗ってみたいな～と思いながら降りると、ここからはミニバンを帰して船で移動するとのこと。やった～

 

Talingchan Floating Market

　　When it comes to Thailand, I always recall its Buddhas and floating markets. I had wanted to see a floating market since long ago, when I have an opportunity to visit Thailand. However, the most well-known one, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, was 80km away from Bangkok to the southwest. Apparently, it would take more than three hours only for transportation to visit the market and come back to Bangkok. We decided to drop in at a smaller one in the city, Talingchan Floating Market. The transportation was a minivan rented for free from my friend's company with its driver. It was really handy. We were able to go everywhere we wanted.
　　Our minivan stopped at a commonplace roadside. The street in front of us was closed to vehicles and was lined with a variety of stalls. We had to walk to the riverside or canalside, but enjoyed seeing what were laid out on the way. As I wasn't able to communicate with people at the stalls, I was sorry. Entering into the floating market through the gate, which I'll show you below, a smell of fish-grilling came to me, and it turned my sense of hunger on. I wondered what to eat for breakfast, wandering around. There were so many kinds of food, half of which I didn't know. Finally, I chose a dish which looked delicious, which a couple of local people were eating. Spicy, delicious, and economical! I liked it.

(Vocabulary)
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market ダムヌーン・サドゥアク水上マーケット　バンコクから南西に８０ｋｍに位置する水上マーケット　バンコクから観光に行くと一日を要する

タリンチャン水上マーケット

タイと聞いて思い浮かべるのが仏塔群と水上マーケット。バンコクではどうしても水上マーケットを見たかった。旅行番組などで紹介されるダムヌーン・サドゥアク水上マーケットはバンコクから離れており、友人によると往復で３時間はかかるとのこと。それではと、バンコク市内にある、やや小さめの水上マーケットに寄ることにした。移動手段は友人の会社の車と運転手。実に有り難かった。行きたいところに案内してくれる。

水上マーケットに着いたら川？運河？までの１００メートルくらいは産直市になっていてこの場所の散歩も楽しかった。マーケットで食事をするつもりで朝食は抜きでやってきた。メニューを見るといろいろとある。が、読めない。メニューの写真を見たり、地元の人たちが食べているものを眺めて決めた。スパイシーでうまくて何より安い！

Soi Cowboy

　　It was Soi Cowboy which our friend took us to after dinner, saying "Women don't usually want to visit it, but it's not prohibited for women to step into the alley." The Thai word of "Soi" means small street or alley, and Soi Cowboy was one of the most known entertainment districts. Our group, consisting of 4 men and 2 women, went into the alley. We entered in Baccara, which was located at the very back of the alley. I wanted to take pictures of shops and bars around on the way to Baccara, but I was too overwhelmed by the surrounding atmosphere that I wasn't able to snap even one picture. I'll show you pictures of my friends below. If my wife wasn't beside me, my face would have become another face. (grin)
　　I had assumed that such places were dangerous in general, but I didn't feel such anxiety. I saw few women as tourists or customers, but there were various kinds of people, like local people, international tourists, men, women, half-men, half-women,,,. We tried to take a TUKTUK, a three-wheeler, to our hotel. My friend had a favor to ask the driver to take pictures of his TUKTUK with me and I'll show you my picture with a TUKTUK. I enjoyed the whole day from Ayutthaya to Baccara. Bangkok became one of my favorite cities in the world.

ソイカウボーイ

女性はあまり行かないところだが、行ってはいけないわけではないからと、友人がニヤニヤしながら案内してくれたのがソイカウボーイ。男性４人、女性２人のグループで狭い路地を入っていった。路地の一番奥、バカラを目指した。（どういうところかは、写真を見て想像してください。”Soi Cowboy Baccara"でググると写真も出てきます。）ここでもまた僕は周囲に圧倒されキョロキョロするだけで撮影を忘れ、ＵＰする写真は友人からもらい受けた写真。友人と話したのだが、『それぞれカミさんが一緒でなければ別の顔になっただろうな』という感想。(^_^;)

こういう場所はどこでも危険が伴うと思うのだが、ここでは危険な感じはしなかった。さすがに客としての女性は見かけなかったが、いろいろな「種類」の人間がいたとだけ書き残しておこう。帰りはトゥクトゥクに乗ってみた。これも現地の友人がいればこそ。交渉してくれて最後に写真を取らせてもらった。もちろん、すこしチップを払ったが。アユタヤツアーからバカラまで楽しい一日だった。明日はバンコク市内観光と同窓会の予定。

Loy Krathong

　　My friend took us to a pond to show us the festival, called Loy Krathong. I found several description on the net. According to one of them:

Loy Krathong is also called the Water Festival. "Loy" means "set something adrift" and "Krathong", "lantern". It has been observed by Thai people since long ago. Thai people get together at the riverside and offer their thanks to the Goddess of the river on a night with a full moon in December of the lunar year, which falls in October or November of the present calendar, when the water level of the river gets to be the highest. The lanterns differ according to their regional custom and are decorated with trees and leaves of banana and with a candle and an incense stick put on it. Then the lanterns are floated on the water. Not only along the Chao Phraya river, but also ponds in parks and watercourses in the city are covered with lots of lanterns and people.

　　After dinner, we dropped in at a park near my hotel, and I saw lots of people gather around a pond and let their Krathong float on the water. Very noisy, but a peaceful atmosphere around attracted me. It must have been derived from their modesty. I received good vibrations from them. I suddenly recalled the scene in which we were involved about 12 hours ago at that time. The unbelievable congestion at the immigration control might have been brought about by Loy Krathong. It is held only on one day a year. It's natural that lots of people want to join or see it. I was happy to notice the fact, but there was another bigger factor which I had found on the next day.

食後、案内してくれたのがロイクラトンと呼ばれるお祭り。調べてみると、

ロイクラトン祭りは水の祭典とも呼ばれている。『ロイクラトン』とは、灯籠（クラトン）を川に流す（ロイ）というタイの人々の間で古くから続いていた風習で、河川の水位がもっとも高くなる、旧暦１２月（現在の１０月または１１月）の満月の夜に人々が川岸に集まり、川の女神“プラ・メー・コンカー”へ感謝の気持ちを捧げる。地方により形式が異なるが、バナナの幹や葉などで模った灯籠の上にロウソクと線香を立て、川に流す。チャオプラヤー川沿いだけでなく、街全体がロイクラトン祭り一色になり、バンコク市内では公園の池や、市内をめぐる水路などでクラトンを流す光景を目にすることができる。

とある。

ホテル近くの公園の池に寄り、写真を撮った。周辺は大変な賑わいである。クラトンを販売する露店が数十軒はあったろうか。今朝の入管での混雑は年に一日だけ開催されるこの祭りのためかと思われた。実はもう一つ理由があったがそれは翌日実感することになる。