Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Relaxing Evening

　　We finished today's plan of getting food for a few days and the check-in of the Honolulu Marathon. We were so tired and had jet lag, but some started washing clothes in the washing machine and some started learning how to use kitchen utensils. The scene of four women gathering in front of the oven was humorous and I took a snapshot of them.
The following pictures are taken from the 34th floor of our room. How wonderful they were. The sinking sun and the night view were great. The 4th and 5th was the indoor pool for guests only. I'll show you the pictures of fireworks which are called the Hilton institution in the next entry.

(Vocabulary)
institution 〈話〉〔ある地域内の〕よく知られた人［もの］、名物

　食材の買い出しを済ませ、マラソンのチェックインも済ませ、今日の予定は終了。時差ぼけ中でさすがに疲れているが、洗濯機を使って洗濯を始めたり、キッチンの装備の使い方の研究が始まった。オーブンの前で４人の女性が並んでいる姿が少しユーモラスで笑えた。
　窓からのスナップを少し紹介する。この美しさはどうだ。太平洋に沈む夕陽に周辺の夜景。４枚目と５枚目の写真はアイランダー内にある、宿泊者専用のプール。雨の日には重宝する。次の投稿ではヒルトン名物となった花火を紹介する。多くの写真の中でどれを選ぶか一苦労しそうだ。

Waikiki

　　We went out shopping for food. The 1st floor of the condominium was the trolley terminal and it was very handy. We got on a trolley to the Royal Hawaiian Center and walked along Kalakaua street. I'll show you some snaps taken on the way.
　　I saw a big Christmas tree in the center. It didn't sit well with me in such hot temperatures. People around wore light clothes like a T-shirt, shorts, beach sandals, and so on. No one wore a long coat or snow boots. Anyway, such curious sensations were also a fun part of the trips. We walked through the International Market Place and reached Waikiki Market, which had opened early this year. This market, I thought, would be very convenient for visitors who stayed around Waikiki beach. With prices soaring, daily visits to restaurants cost a lot and take-out supper is also a high price. The room equipped with a kitchen was a blessing.
　　The last picture shows a famous hand gesture called "SHAKA". FYI, "SHAKA" isn't Hawaiian. Anyway, it has a sad story and I'd like to let my friends know the story, but in vain. There stands a statue of a man who had been the origin of the "SHAKA" gesture at the entrance of the Polynesian Culture Center in Kahuku, northeast of Oahu island. Kahuku was his original place. The description of the monument is a little different from the common explanation on the net, but the description on his monument was much more acceptable for me. I was going to take my friends there, but time was short.

(Vocabulary)
wear light clothes [clothing] 薄着する
hand gesture/signal ハンドサイン

　全員で買い物に出た。コンドミニアムの１階がトロリーのターミナルとなっているので実に便利。ロイヤルハワイアンセンターまでトロリーを利用し、後はカラカウア通りをブラブラと散歩。道中のスナップを呈示します。
　こんなに暑い中でのクリスマスツリーにはやはり違和感あり。カラカウア通りからインターナショナルマーケットプレイスを抜けてワイキキマーケット到着。今年初頭にオープンした話題のマーケットなので来てみた。ワイキキビーチ近くのコンドミニアム滞在者には便利な店だろうなと思う。物価が高いのでそうそうレストランは利用できないし、テイクアウトも高いから部屋にキッチンがあるのは助かる。
　最後の写真はシャカSHAKA（実はハワイ語ではありません）、ハワイでの挨拶のハンドサイン。実は悲しい歴史があるのだが、同行の仲間達に伝えることを忘れた。カフクにあるポリネシアンカルチャーセンターの入口にこのサインを生んだ人物の銅像と悲しい歴史が書かれていてそれを見てもらいたかったが時間が足らずに寄れなかった。ネット上の説明と少し異なっていてここに書かれている説明の方が僕には受け入れやすかったので。

Penthouse

　　We stayed in the penthouse on the 34th floor of the Hilton Grand Islander. This is one of the best rooms in the Hilton Hawaiian Village and was very wide. As one of the benefits, we were able to have breakfast and an evening meal, hors d'oeuvre, or pupu in Hawaiian including wine and beer for free in its lounge located on the same floor.
　　Eight of us used this room, so we got 8 key cards and 8 towel cards. The towel cards can be exchanged for towels at the towel stand near the beach or pools. When coming back to the room, you can receive it in exchange for the used towels. This system is very handy.
　　After enjoying the scene from the balcony, we went shopping for food. Shopping for food is one of the daily activities, but it's great fun in unfamiliar places.

(Vocabulary)
hors d'oeuvre〈フランス語〉pupu <ハワイ語＞　オードブル

　アイランダーの３４階にあるペントハウスへ入室した。最上級の部屋だけあってさすがに広い。同じ階にあるラウンジでは朝食と夕食（軽めのオードブル＋ワイン、ビール）が無料でサービスされる。
　８人で利用するので８人分のカードキーとタオルカードを受け取った。タオルカードはビーチに数カ所あるタオルスタンドでタオルに交換してくれる。使ったタオルと交換で返してくれるので何度もビーチへ行ってもその都度新しいタオルを貸してくれる便利なシステムだ。眺めをしばらく楽しんだ後、夕食の食材の買い出しに出かけた。
　買物は日常的な行動だが、見知らぬ土地での買物はそれ自体が非日常で楽しい。

Arrival

　　We left Japan in the evening on the 8th, but arrived in Honolulu in the morning on the same day as we strode across the dateline. I usually try to get over jetlag as soon as possible, but this was not the case on this trip. I'll write about the reason in the following entries.
　　Anyway, a brilliant blue sky of Honolulu welcomed us. All the procedures at the airport were perfectly done in a minimum time thanks to the face authentication system. We would stay at the Groud Islander in Hilton Hawaiian Village. I firstly visit Hawaii in this season. The Christmas tree displayed at the airport was a little curious to me.
　　After depositing our suitcases at the condominium some who would join the Honolulu marathon headed for the convention center to check-in the marathon and others started to walk around the village. Then we got some food at the Waikiki Market which was opened in early 2023.
　　I'll show you some pictures shot in the airport, the village and the convention center. The two medals are for the winners and they seemed to be made from 100% gold.

(Vocabulary)
a face [facial] authentication system 顔認証システム

8日の夜に日本を出発したが、日付変更線を跨ぐために到着は同日の朝。眠気はピークだが今回の目的であるホノルルマラソンに合わせるために敢えて時差を解消せず、維持する考え。
ホノルルは快晴で何のトラブルも無く入国審査完了。顔認証システムのお陰で実にスムースに入国できた。この時期にハワイを訪れたのは初めてで、真夏のクリスマスツリーに違和感大！
まずはホノルルマラソンにチェックイン。コンドミニアム近くのコンベンションセンターで受付を済ませ、コンドミニアム周囲やワイキキを散策。今年開業したホノルルマーケットで食材を買い込む。
この投稿ではリゾート内の風景とマラソン受付会場、そこに展示されていた優勝者用の純金のメダルを呈示します。

Flight to Hawaii

　　Some airlines like JAL, ANA, Hawaiian, etc fly various types of airliners from several airports in Japan to Honolulu. Japan's Capital, Tokyo, has two international airports, Narita and Haneda. My local airport has direct flights to Haneda, so the flights leaving Haneda are very handy in respect of the connection to overseas flights. However, we chose ANA Airbus A380 among them which starts from Narita International Airport. This is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. I've experienced it once, but my friends never.
　　This trip is what you call an anniversary trip as I wrote in the previous entry, so we took premium economy seats. I'll show you the seat and our first in-flight meals.

日本からホノルルへは数社が飛行機を飛ばしている。東京には二つの国際空港があり、地元の空港と繋がっている羽田空港が便利だが、今回は先に書いたように記念旅行であり、日本からはこの路線しか飛んでいないA380に乗るために成田空港を利用した。シートは二階席のプレミアムエコノミー。搭乗待合室や最初に運ばれてきた機内食をＵＰします。

United Club

　　We left our local airport and made a connection at Haneda International Airport with an inter-airport connecting bus. It was about noon when we got to Narita International Airport. We checked in at ANA counter and passed through the departure formalities. Then we headed for the lounge offered from United Airlines, United Club for lunch. The three of us were gold members of the Star Alliance and utilized the benefit. The lounge was open and larger than I expected. Its atmosphere was gorgeous. I had lunch and some beer. I'd like to have taken snapshots to record the scene inside, but I couldn't avoid other customers coming in the pictures and gave up taking pictures.
　　I'll upload the pictures which my friend took. Our next destination was ANA's lounge! We had a short and small party there over dishes and alcohol offered from ANA for free. The lounge-hopping was new to me.

(Vocabulary)
come in the pictures 写真に写り込む

 


地元の空港から飛行機と空港間連絡を乗り継いで成田空港へ到着したのがお昼頃。ＡＮＡのカウンターでチェックインを済ませ、出国し、ランチはユナイテッド航空のラウンジで無料の料理やアルコールをいただいた。メンバーのうち３名がスターアライアンスのゴールドホルダーだったので特典を生かして全員で。ユナイテッド航空のラウンジは豪華で広く開放的でくつろげた。写真を撮ろうとしたがどうしても人が映り込んでしまうので迷惑を掛けてもいけないので写真は諦めた。
代わりに同行の友人が撮った写真をＵＰする。ほろ酔い気分でラウンジを出て今度はＡＮＡのラウンジに立ち寄り、まったり。ラウンジのハシゴは初めての経験。

Honolulu Marathon 2023

　　I found a flyer of the Hawaiian tours in my home which was designed by JAL, Japan's flagship airline company. My wife spotted it at a nearby supermarket and brought it back. The tours were for people who would join the Honolulu marathon which would be held on Dec. 10th. Lots of Japanese would join it after three years of the restraint on overseas tourism, including me and my friends!
　　The tour was elaborately tied-up with upscale hotels and restaurants along with the convenient flights. I've run the Honolulu Half Marathon several years ago. A few hundred top runners were serious at that time, but most runners were running with fun or sightseeing on the public road on which people weren't usually allowed to walk or run. The Honolulu Marathon would be the same. I'd like to enjoy the marathon in December, ignoring the finishing time.

Coffee Break

　　I make house visits every Thursday afternoon for patients with various hardships. Not a few elderly people live alone on small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. It is one of the social problems in Japan that the working-age people in the rural area have a tendency to move to big cities for work and financial benefits. Consequently, elderly people are left alone or with their partners. Some of those have physical problems and need assistance in every aspect of daily life. My house visit is a part of that assistance.
　　Today, the number of calls were smaller than usual and my colleague and I were able to take a coffee break during the house visit in a recently opened outdoor coffee shop on the island. The weather was clear and the scenery was great. The break was a real change of feeling.

Farewell Bonfire

　　My father passed away in January this year. In Buddhist teaching, his spirit is said to come back to his original place and stay there for several days during a certain term called "Obon". On the first day of the "Obon", the bereaved are supposed to light a fire called "Mukae-bi", a welcome bonfire, for the bonfire to work as the beacon for the returning spirit from the next world. I lit the Mukae-bi several days before and I lit "Okuri-bi", the farewell bonfire today.
　　I'm full of a sense of loss and recalled lots of memories with him, seeing the Buddhist materials burn. After a while, I put it out, hoping that his spirit would come back next year.

Segaki-e; 大施餓鬼会

　　I've been writing this blog for 18 years, and every entry became a substitute of my diary now. I'm going to record a Buddhist service, which is called Segaki-e, for my departed father today.
　　The family temple brings together people who lost their beloved ones over the past year and holds a Buddhist mass, Segaki-e, which is a service for the benefit of suffering spirits. My wife and I attended the mass to pray for my father's happiness in the next world.

(Vocabulary)
菩提寺　family temple

Hiroshima

　　I took my car to the repair shop in Hiroshima city on Aug. 4th. Hiroshima city isn't far away from my hometown, but I knew only the principal sightseeing sites. I was going to wander in the city and carried my electricity-assisted bicycle with me. During the repair, I rode my bicycle around the downtown.
　　Lots of people were preparing the ceremony being held two days later in Peace Memorial Park. I was able to drop in at the Atomic Bomb Museum, but didn't. When I visited the museum for the first time long ago, I was so upset and shocked that I wasn't able to stifle tears. I just didn't want to ride my bicycle with tears. The Government didn't show those pictures and various ruins to all the national leaders at the G7 in May. I partly understand the Government either for the good or for the bad, however I'd like them to take a close look at every exhibit.
　　I heard that Aug. 6th of 78 years ago was considerably hot. Civilians whose skin was burned off dove into the river for water and coolness, and got drowned.
　　August is the month when every Japanese laments the victims of the last war.

(Vocabulary)
either for the good or for the bad 事の是非はさておき

First Bon Festival

　　Japan has the custom of making a sacred fire at the Bon Festival in order to welcome departed souls back. During the Bon festival the spirits of ancestors are believed to come back. This fire will be a beacon for the spirits. Originally this fire should be lit on a clay vessel, but I put special spiritual wood on the barbecue grill. My father loved camping and outdoor activities and he would be happy.
　　Coming two weeks from now on, my ancestors will live with us in the same house.

New Shoes

　　I bought a pair of jogging shoes after an interval of several years. The pandemic started, the runners began wearing masks voluntarily in Japan. The experts would be able to run with masks on, but I can't. I would easily become depleted of oxygen, so I haven't practiced jogging for three years. However, I have a marathon which I would really like to join. It's the Honolulu Marathon. That's why I bought new shoes. I asked the shop worker to choose the best ones for beginners. It looks French-made and its cushioning properties are wonderful to protect knees and feet. My next overseas trip will be Oahu island in December.

(Vocabulary)
cushioning properties クッション性

Severe Jet Lag

　　I'm writing this entry at 3 o'clock in the morning. I got back on the 18th and suffer from severe jet lag now. I wake up at an unbelievable time and I'm always sleepy in the daytime, but I decided to ignore the symptom optimistically. I'll recover soon.
　　As usual, I'll arrange pictures by the shooting time and add descriptions. After finishing all the trip memos, I'll arrange all entries by the time and date on my blog. The after-five-years U.K. has changed in a big way. As I'll write later, my fundamental knowledge about the U.K. became enlarged. With my daughter's guidance also, I enjoyed the stay in the U.K. to the fullest.

 

Black Sea

　　I woke up when my lunch was delivered and immediately I made sure where I was. Surprisingly, my plane was flying over the Black Sea. On the screen, "Odesa", "Sevastopol" and other familiar cities in recent news items were shown. There was nothing to keep me busy and I was wandering on the map, zooming it in and out. I found Sinop on the ground and recalled the well-known naval battle in 19th century. By the way, the incident during which the Russian missile cruiser Moscow was sunk by Ukraine in the Black Sea was still fresh in my mind. I uttered "Were the pilots insane?" I recalled the Malaysian passenger plane which had been shot down over the disputed area in Ukraine, which happened to be on the same day in 2014.
　　Looking down over lunch, two distinctive summits of Greater and Little Ararat came in my sight. They were solemnly beautiful. I promptly took my binoculars out and searched Mt. Ararat for the ruin of Noah's ark(grin). I had mistakenly put these binoculars into my suitcase on the way to the U.K., but I carried them into the cabin on the way back to Japan in an attempt to observe the land of Scotland and Iceland. However, I wasn't able to view them, as the plane took the eastbound route, but luckily the clear sky gave me a wonderful splendor of the Eastern district of Turkey.
　　Before long, the street of Yerevan came into my sight. The weather was perfect and Mt. Ararat would be clearly seen from the Armenian Capital city. Recalling the history of Armenia, I felt a feeling of sympathy for the people of Armenia. Mt. Ararat, which is now located in the territory of Turkey, originally belonged to Armenia. Japan is lucky to be an island country.
　　My plane veered to the right then to the left in the meantime. I assumed that the move was to avoid North Korea. The last meal was offered around the time when the plane passed out into the East China Sea. The 13 hours' flight was really a challenging task.
　　This is the last entry on my trip to the U.K. this year. My next trip plan to the U.K. is up in the air at present, but I'd like to visit the U.K. next year too. The most possible destination and time of the year is the western area of London in June. Bath, Bristol, and Wales if I can. I have to learn the area's history and culture from now.

(Vocabulary)
missile cruiser ミサイル巡洋艦
be still fresh in our minds　記憶に新しい
massif 〘地〙中央山塊, 大山塊; 連峰.
binoculars 双眼鏡
Noah's ark ノアの箱舟
Yerevan エレバン（アルメニアの首都）
in the meantime そうこうしているうちに

食事が来たため目が覚め、反射的に現在の飛行位置を確認した。なんと黒海の上を飛んでいる。オデッサ、セバストポリなどニュースで聞き慣れた街が表示されている。しばらく地図を拡大したり縮小したりして周辺を地図状で散策。シノープを見つけた。有名な海戦のあった場所だな～　などとのんびりは出来ず、ただただ早く通り過ぎてくれと祈った。ここはロシアの誇るミサイル巡洋艦モスクワが撃沈された場所ではないか。パイロットは正気なのか？２０１４年の奇しくも同じ日、７月１７日にウクライナ東部の戦場の上空で撃墜されたマレーシア航空機を思い出した。

写真に示した食事を食べながらふと地上を見ると特徴的な山塊が！大小アララト山だ。ノアの箱舟の残骸が見えはしないか（笑）と双眼鏡を取り出した。往路ではうっかり預け荷物の中へ入れてしまったが、復路ではスコットランドやアイスランドを眺めるために手元に置いていた。

しばらくすると、アルメニア、エレバンの街が見えてきた。エレバンの街からアララト山は間違いなく今日も見えているだろう。アルメニアの人々の近代史を思い、同情した。日本人にとって、歴史的、文化的に切り離せない富士山を中国に奪われてしまったような状況だろう。日本は島国で良かった。多分北を避けるためだろう。飛行機は大きく右回旋し、中国大陸を抜ける頃、最後の食事が出た。１３時間のフライトはさすがに長く感じた。

Unexpected Flight Route

　　The BA plane was already in the air when I found myself. The scotches in the lounge gave me a comfortable nap time. Immediately I made sure where I was and was surprised to know my location. My plane was about to fly over Germany.
　　I assumed that the plane would fly to the west to avoid the disputed area on the same route as one from Japan. During my stay in Oxford, I studied about the terrain and history of Scotland and Iceland to enjoy the scenery from the window. It came to nothing in the end. I was going to view the "Falkirk Wheel" over Scotland, which I learned about on a narrow boat on the Oxford Canal. I spotted its site on the map in advance. I wanted to view the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland. Iceland is apparently the only place in which you can observe the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on land. I found a unique distinctive terrain on Iceland on the flight from Japan and I persuaded myself at that time that the terrain has a solid name. It was the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. However, my study wound up in vain. Disappointed, but bottles of wine were offered. Let's watch a movie over wine.

(Vocabulary)
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 大西洋中央海嶺
persuade oneself that ～だと確信する

　スコッチが効いたのか、気がついたら離陸していた。位置を確認するとなんと、ドイツ上空にさしかかるところだった。

　ウクライナ戦争を避け、西へ進むと思い、スコットランドや、アイスランドの地形や歴史を勉強して搭乗したのに。スコットランドではナローボートで教えてもらったFalkirk Wheelを上空から眺めるためにその場所を調べておいた。アイスランドには大西洋中央海嶺を地上で観察できる世界で唯一の場所があり、多分上空から見ることができるだろうと思っていた。この独特の地形は往路で見つけており、なにか必ず有名な地形だろうと思って調べたらこのような場所だった。しかし、全て無駄に終わった。がっかりしていたらワインが配られたので、赤も白も戴いた。スコッチの影響が残る中、ワインを飲みながら映画かな。

Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow Airport

　　I left for Heathrow Airport by a bus named "Airline", which had confused me on my arrival in London. The weather was nice and I enjoyed the peaceful scenery on the way. I spent wonderful days and was happy to see my daughter's brilliant life. She is still newly-fledged, but I'm very happy to know her to be of assistance in the health of people in the U.K.
　　I had something that I'd like to try to use on this trip. It was a "Priority Pass". This card has been delivered every year in the past several years, but I've not used it, nor was I even interested in it. A British Airlines for Tokyo starts from terminal 5 and I visited Plaza Premium Lounge at terminal 5. Presenting the card, my wife and I were allowed to come in the lounge "for free". We could spend a relaxing time there until departure. We were lucky to carry the card.
　　The lounge was a little cluttered, and I wished that they would keep things neat, but this was maybe due to the customers. Anyway, I enjoyed some new dishes including several kinds of scotch whisky produced on Islay. The Bowmore and Laphroaig never run short in my home. Though both have a unique smack, which smelled bad and terrible at first, I'm addicted to them now. I tasted all of the offered scotch whiskies, maybe five to six kinds. I arranged them in small batches in a line on my table and started to drink from the end, minding glances from others. (grin)

(Vocabulary)
full(y)-fledged 一人前の, 本格的な
new(ly)-fledged 一人立ちしたばかりの.
cluttered 〈部屋などが〉 散らかった, 雑然とした
neat きちんとした, こぎれいな, こざっぱりした

　ロンドン到着時に迷ったエアラインという名のバスでオックスフォードを発った。天気が良くて、景色を楽しめて快適なドライブだった。つつがなく過ごせて良かったし、元気な娘の姿に安心した。一回り成長した姿を見ることができた。まだ半人前だが人の役に立っていることが嬉しかった。

　今回試したかったものがある。それがプライオリティ・パス。毎年、更新されたカードが送られてくるのだが、その価値がまったくわかっていなかった、というより興味も無かった。東京行きのブリティッシュエアウェイズ機はターミナル５から出発する。プラザプレミアムラウンジでパスを提示すると、何の問題もなく、無料でラウンジを利用でき、搭乗前の１時間余りをリラックスした気分で過ごすことができた。カードがなければ有料なので、パスを持っていて良かった。

　ラウンジは日本のエアラインのラウンジと比べると少し雑然としていた。もう少し、整理整頓が出来れば良いのにと思ったが、これは利用者の責任かもしれない。写真に示すように料理やデザートを戴いたが、いろいろなスコッチウイスキーを試すことが出来た。なかでもアイラ島のものが数種類置いてあり嬉しかった。我が家では、Bowmore, Laphroaig を欠かすことはない。あの独特の香りがやみつきになる。５～６種類のスコッチウイスキーを少量ずつ並べて味比べをした。周囲の目が少し気にはなったが、、、

Shopping Mall

　　I noticed that there was no shopping mall while I had gotten around. I asked my daughter about the inconvenience of the absence of a shopping mall or something like that. Actually, however, the mall existed where I didn't walk, and I visited it with my wife. It was surprisingly located adjacent to Pembroke College. I admired that the city had such a free broad convenient space as the shopping mall, but this place seemed to have been an important remains. After an elaborate historical examination, the site was backfilled and the shopping mall was constructed on it. I'll upload some pictures below.
　　Today is the last day in Oxford, in which my daughter spent four years. I enjoyed its scenery and history to my heart's content.

(Vocabulary)
get around あちこちに移動する、動き回る、歩き回る
to one's heart's content 満足いくまで、思う存分、心ゆくまで

　オックスフォードの街を観光していて近代的なショッピング街がないことに気がついた。これはあまりに不便だろうと思って娘に尋ねると、ショッピングモールがあるというので行ってみた。旧市街と比べた時代のギャップに驚いた。市街地から近い便利な場所にショッピングモールを建てる土地がよくあったものだと感心していたら、ここは古い遺跡があったらしい。十分な調査の後、埋め直してモールを建築したらしい。中の様子と、屋上からの風景、発掘調査についての説明を下に示す。
　今日はオックスフォード滞在最終日、娘の晴れの姿と娘が４年も暮らした美しい街を堪能した。

Awful Pack Of Cigarettes

　　On the way back to my hotel, I felt thirsty and dropped in at a convenience store to get something to drink. A customer who was waiting before me asked something to the store staff member. Then, the staff member turned around and opened a hanging break-front cupboard behind him. With an instant glance, I understood that the contents of the cupboard were impressive packs of cigarettes. The awful pictures on the packs caught my eye and I'd like to have taken a close look at them, but its door was closed after taking some packs out. This is my speculation, but the doors of the cupboards might have been protection from the sight of younger generations. At the same time, I wanted one because of the health guidance for my patients. The following picture shows two packs of different cigarettes. The reminders that cigarettes are incriminated as the major cause of lung cancer are read on the packs of Japanese cigarettes too, but they are very gentle being different from those of the U.K.'s. Now, I use these packs as instructional goods.

(Vocabulary)
hanging cupboard つり戸棚
break-front 両開きの戸棚
cupboard doors 戸棚の扉
instructional (教材などが) 指導用の

喉が渇いて寄ったコンビニで煙草が販売されていることを知った。店員の後ろにある扉付きの棚にあった。店員は客の求めにより煙草を取り出しすぐに閉めた。青少年の視線に触れないようにしているのだろう。日本も真似たい行動だ。その煙草は今、禁煙指導のため、手元にある。

Oxford Castle & Prison

　　Leaving the Oxford Canal, I called in at the Oxford Castle & Prison, which was one of the tourist spots in Oxford. Until now, my articles about Oxford were on the better side of Oxford, but the dark aspects of its history were displayed there. Small government-like bodies were born everywhere in medieval Europe. Rival warlords were fighting each other and plagues frequently broke out in the Middle Ages. Consequently, lots of victims were produced. Putting them in perspective however, in my opinion its dark history apparently leads to the present social development.
　　Scanning the nations globally, the developed countries are unexceptionally through the tough time of the feudal era. While seeing the dire displays in the prison, I supposed that numerous victims might have been requisite for later development.

　運河から外れてオックスフォード城跡へ。これまでどちらかというと、オックスフォードの美しい歴史ばかり見てきたが、ここでは暗い歴史が展示されていた。中世ヨーロッパは群雄割拠の時代、各地に小さな国ができて、互いに争い、多大な犠牲も生まれた。しかし、今から振り返れば、それが今の発展に繋がっていると思う。
　世界全体を見渡して、封建時代を経ていない国家はまともな国とはなっていない。残酷な展示を見ながらこのような時代は長い人類の歴史の中で必須だったのかもしれないと思った。