Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Afterquake

　　As the main quake was super-enormous, the afterquakes are big. The tsunami-alert from Japan's Meteorological Agency has been continuously issued after the main quake. And so, the fire department can't start their work against the fire of the chemical industrial complex, because it is located near the seashore. The rescue team can't likewise recover the bodies floating along the coast .
　　Several villages can't be reached even by the rescue team yet because all the routes to the villages were completely damaged. A village had been reportedly smashed leaving only 40% of its population alive. It means that 60% of the residents are missing or dead. This quake is the most terrible natural disaster if you ask me.
　　The accident in the Fukushima atomic power station is getting serious and people living near the plant have been evacuated from their houses. Naturally, it will cause a shortage of power. All the national economical activities will be affected badly. What will become of Japan?

(Vocabulary)
afterquake 余震
main shock ［quake, tremor］/ principal earthquake 本震
meteorological agency 気象庁
industrial complex コンビナート

Catastrophe

　　The eastern part of Japan was relentlessly rocked by an incredibly horrendous earthquake. It is said to be the most enormous one for 1000 years or the biggest natural disaster since recorded history. As you remember, a big earthquake battered Kobe City in 1995 and the death toll rose to 6000. It was really terrible, but today's earthquake is supposed to be 180 times more powerful than Kobe's earthquake. Unbelievable! The magnitude of the earthquake was beyond belief.
　　Eastern Japan, especially the Pacific coast, has been told that a big earthquake would break out in the near future, considering several earthquakes that have occurred regularly around this area in the past ten centuries. And so, people who live there were ready for earthquakes. The buildings, houses, infrastructure and other systems against disasters were well prepared. Actually, the earthquake couldn't destroy those, but the tsunami was far beyond our belief. The tsunami was 10 meters high in some areas and went over the coastal levee. Though houses could get over the earthquake, the tsunami hit and destroyed them.
　　My hometown had no damage and I live a calm daily life now. However, the influence of the earthquake will gradually emerge in my city. It will take a long time to recover, but Japan is strong enough to overcome any difficulty. I sent some money as a donation that I had saved for my next ski trip to Canada. The TV news says that the atomic power plant had a problem and the affected area is short of electric power. I decided to save electric power to supply it to them.
　　I have something that I want you to notice. It is that there's no rioting, no looting and no rumor that foments insurgency. People willingly and patiently line up to get something like food, water and other necessities. People try to be nice and look out for each other. I think that it's a kind of virtue of the Japanese people. The rescue teams from all over the world will thankfully help us rise up. They will realize our spirit of cooperation, noticing our behaviour even in an emergency.

(Vocabulary)
horrendous すごく恐ろしい, ぞっとする
beyond belief　信じられない［信じ難い］ほどの
The vastness of the universe is almost beyond belief. 宇宙の広大さはほとんど信じられないくらいだ。
assumption  [C] 仮定, 想定, 思い込み
coastal ［coast］ levee  防潮堤
foment 〈戦争・暴動など〉 をあおる, 扇動する
try to be nice 気を使う
look out for each other お互いに気を使う 

ALIVE

I'm fine. My loved ones are all fine. Don't worry about us.

Thank you for your concern. 

Bicycle Pump

　　A week has passed since I ordered my bicycle, "Jamis Aurora," online. The shop personnel told me that it would take a few weeks to deliver it because they were so busy having received many orders. If their work is as previously scheduled, my bicycle will arrive next week. I'm going to enjoy cycling on a regular basis to keep fit. I'm not sure now, but I'm thinking of joining the 100 km cycling event that will be held this autumn, though I'm a beginner now.
　　I visited a sports goods shop to examine some cycling gear today. As I don't know much about cycling gears, I asked my friends to come with me and they gave me some useful advice. I examined some goods directly with both hands and compared both the prices in the shop and on the net. Consequently I bought a bicycle pump, a light, a chain lock and bicycle clips which are used for fixing the bottom of the pants at about the same or at a lower price as on the net and after getting back home I ordered online several gears from the UK to be delivered to my house at a lower price on the net than in the shop. It's amazingly convenient.
　　The picture shows the bicycle pump that I bought today. It should be stored at the entrance or out of the house, but I put it in my room and often look at it with a smile. The number of the entries classified into the category "Sports" will increase.

(Vocabulary)
bicycle pump　自転車の空気入れ
as (previously) arranged / scheduled 予定通り
keep fit 健康を維持する
bicycle clip （自転車の乗る人の）ズボンの裾留め

What I Learned From Libya

　　The unrest in Libya is also broadcast almost every day in Japan. I wonder why Libyans hate Libyans so much that they kill each other relentlessly? What reason for excusing their slaughter do they have? I read some books about African history and I understood that there had been lots of armed intervention by the European superpowers into the African Continent in previous times. It was more harsh than I had learned in my high school days.
　　In Africa most borders were marked out, not considering African native people but suiting the  convenience of Europe. It is said that lots of kinds of people live in Libya, like Arabs, Berber and other African tribes. They have their own views and agendas. The majority are Sunni Muslim, but some people are Coptic Christians. It might be impossible for these people to get together and shape a single nation. Will the conflict drag on for a long time?
　　Japan is located in the far east of Eurasia. In a fixed area, with almost a single ethnicity and almost a sole history, Japanese people have survived on the globe since recorded history. Though there are several dialects, people use Japanese for daily communication. The people who live in Japan are the Japanese public. The way of thinking is alike. It might be an extremely special occasion. I reached this conclusion.
　　This might be the reason for the incredible stability of Japan. Despite frequent replacements of the prime minister, the social status is calm with a few rare exceptions. Armed uprisings have seldom broken out in Japan after the Edo era, which started in 1603 and continued until 1868. In this period, the social security was extremely stable and science technology and various cultures developed remarkably. These accumulations of technologies and cultures surely became the basis of the present Japan.
　　I hit on a curious idea now. The words, "country", "nation" and "state" are translated into Japanese as a single word, "kuni". This fact makes it difficult for me to distinguish between these three words. For example, in European countries and the States, different ethnic people live and different languages are spoken and there are different cultures in one country. It might be the reason that English has various words that stand for the Japanese word, "kuni".
　　Anyway, I hope that Libya will became a secure country soon.

(Vocabulary)
in previous times かつて
mark sth out  (線を引いて) ＜場所など＞を区切る, 仕切る
ethnicity  民族性, 民族意識
uprising  反乱, 暴動, （武装）蜂起

Earthquake In New Zealand

　　Two victims of the latest earthquake in New Zealand were transferred to Japan. It is reported that one lost a foot and the other can't walk alone. Both are around 20 years old and had left Japan only a few weeks ago with big expectations for living in Christchurch. Nearly 30 Japanese students are still missing. I'm really sorry to hear the news with all the more reason that my second daughter lived in southern Germany for a year to learn German. The families of missing people were shown the scene today and it made them throw away the last bit of hope. The scene of the collapse is incredibly catastrophic.
　　Pacific Rim countries are prone to earthquakes. It is well-known common sense that the buildings in those countries are strong enough to survive earthquakes. What measures against earthquakes do they set up? Another earthquake rocked the same city 6 months ago. After the earthquake, the owner of the building in which there were lots of students who were reportedly crushed had gotten an official certificate to use the building as before. Don't certain mistakes exist in the administration?  Body damage was so heavy that families can't identify their daughters or sons. DNA tests will be used to identify the victims.
　　It is profoundly lamentable to lose people who were full of promise.

(Vocabulary)
with all the more reason that ~  それだけに一層～
the last bit of hope  一縷の望み
Pacific Rim 環太平洋地域
Japan is prone to earthquakes. 日本は地震国である。
full of promise / with a future 未来のある

Long Walk

　　I walked my dog today a little longer than usual. The weather was clear and the temperature was that of early spring. It was very comfortable. The total distance of today's walk was 9.8 km. I am posting two pictures that were taken on the way. Though there is unrest like in Libya and the catastrophic disaster in New Zealand in the globe, how peaceful my hometown is! I feel really happy living in this city. One of the pictures shows the scene at a high school, where the students were working out for the Japan high school baseball championships in the summer.
　　I have been recording all the traces of my walk since last May, and the total distance of my walk during the last 10 months reaches nearly 500 km. I plot this data on the map of Japan, and I'm virtually enjoying the trip across Japan. All the procedure was done automatically by my smart phone. I'm imagining I'm in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo now, and I am heading for the south.
　　I ordered a new bicycle, Jamis Aurora, by e-mail the other day. I'm thinking of accumulating the total ride distance on the world map independently of the walking distance. What route should I choose? How about from the North Pole to the Antarctic? Anyway, my wandering area would surely expand and you would be able to see a wide variety of pictures around my hometown.

Orientation of Lions Club

　　I attended a meeting for newly-joined members in Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club today. I got lessons about the organization of the worldwide Lions Club. All Lions Club members seem to be under the same regulations all over the world. It was amazing for me. What can I do as one of the members? I felt something overwhelming. The club is naturally for volunteer work, but it sounded like it will be of use for shaping my character.

Christening of A Baby; Miyamairi in Japanese

　　The word, "Christening" doesn't exactly fit the event that I'm going to write about from now on, but I couldn't find a suitable word for it and chose it as the topic of this entry.
　　The first-ever visit to the shrine is called miyamairi. If the baby is a boy, miyamairi is commonly done on the 31st day after birth, and a girl formally on the 32nd day. However, the day of miyamairi is actually scheduled depending on the weather, the status of the baby and the schedules of the parents.
　　At the Ikutajinja shrine, the miyamairi ceremony was being held. I recalled each miyamairi of my daughter just like yesterday. At my daughter's miyamairi, I got up early and changed underwear into brand-new ones and dressed in a new shirt for the ceremony. The Shinto priests prayed for my daughters' healthy growth and happiness. Judging from their later life, the priests' spiritual power might have been strong enough to keep evil spirits away from them..

 

Kazamidori-no-yakata Under Renovation

　　As I'll show you the link to the official website of Kazamidori-no-yakata at the end of the entry, this building might be called the symbol of Kobe. I had visited there a few decades ago, and I was so delighted to know that it was located near my hotel. However, it was under renovation. The city personnel would like to complete the work this spring, the sightseeing season. Anyway, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the historic site in Kobe city. There remain several old houses around there which used to be owned by foreign diplomats, merchants and other overseas people.

http://www.kobe-kazamidori.com/history/index_04.html

 
 

Wedding Ceremony

　　There were a few lines of seats in the shrine and a newly wedded couple was given advice from the master of ceremony. The stage was perfectly ready as follows: it was not in the high season of sightseeing, but lots of people visit the shrine during their wedding ceremony. How did they feel? This stage was located on the way from the entrance to the main hall, so lots of people would witness the ceremony. This was a Shinto-style wedding, the most traditional one of Japan.
　　Nowadays, various kinds of wedding ceremonies are held in Japan. As for me, the style was the same and this encounter reminded me of our wedding of a-quarter-century-away.

(Vocabulary)
coordinator / master of ceremony　〔【略】MC〕進行係
inner shrine / main hall / main sanctuary / main shrine / shrine chamber 本殿
Shinto-style wedding 神前結婚式

 
 

Kitano-tenmangu Shrine

　　As soon as I finished breakfast, I set out for the Kitano-Ijinkan area, which is one of the tourist attractions of Kobe. I had my smart phone in one hand and the map getting from the front desk in the other. The phone showed my position on its display panel every few seconds. I would never lose my way with this gadget. I came across a shrine which I'll show below. The name of the shrine was Kitano-tenmangu Shrine. What the word "tenmangu" means was written in the past entries of this blog. Please follow the links below. I remembered my daughters abruptly. They were struggling for exams and I visited the shrine to pray for their success in exams.
　　Now, I'll give you some trivia about visiting a shrine. Look at the people in the picture. The stairs are narrow, but people are climbing on the end of the stairs. Why don't they walk up in the center of the stairs? To tell the truth, the center of the stairs of shrines is supposed to be the pathway for the god. So, faithful people don't walk the center, though this rule is often violated during the first three days of the year packed with people.
　　Needless to say, I obeyed the rule and the formal way of praying for my daughters.

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2010/05/dazaifu-tenmangu.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/01/dazaifu-tenmang.html

Walking in Kobe

　　I'm a stranger in Kobe. I wanted to ask my senior to show the city, but the walking was nothing but the burden for him. I was going to kill time until the departure time. When I passed the front desk to go to the breakfast, I happend to find a map. It showed that the most popular tourist attraction was near the hotel. It was the historic site of Meiji Era, which is about 100 years ago. I was so delighted to know that and check the hotel out instantly.

Seeing Again

　　I got out of the office just at noon like getting away from pursuers. My wife picked me up and took me to the train station. When I got out of the car, I saw a bus slip into the bus terminal. It was bound for Kobe. I didn't know the bus service between my hometown and Kobe. I had enough time before the departure time to compare the ticket fees of the bus and the train. Eventually, I chose the cheaper one, the bus. The bus took an hour more than the train, but it connects both hearts of the city. It was very convenient.
　　The doctor whom I wrote about in the last entry was in better condition than I expected, but he couldn't walk without his stick. I felt sorry to see his status, but we were very glad to see each other again.
　　Kobe is well known also as the city of Kobe beef. Kobe is a big urban city, but it has a rich natural environment. Lots of ships want to be supplied with water here in Kobe. We enjoyed the Kobe beef and domestic wines.

Two Day Trip to Kobe

　　I was in a very rural village for three years 15 years ago. The population of the village was only 1500. At that time, an elderly surgeon was in a small town clinic adjacent to my village. He had considerable experience and used to give me good lessons. He had accompanied the whaling fleet in his younger days as the fleet's doctor. His travel notes were published and are very interesting.
　　While he had run his private clinic in Kobe for decades, which is one of the famous ports of Japan and located near Osaka, he had held a hope that he would serve people in a more isolated, rural place as a surgeon. After the big catastrophic earthquake in Kobe, his mind was made up. He closed his clinic and moved to the village and we met there.
　　At the beginning of this year, his postcard read, "I'm getting older and feeble. If you don't come to see me at once, you'll lose the last chance of seeing me." I was so surprised and decided to visit Kobe.

(Vocabulary)
whaling fleet  捕鯨船団
My mind is made up. 決心がついた。 

Human Testing

　　I felt a slight chill last night and went to bed earlier than usual. I usually don't take medicines with a cold, but I thought it was a valuable opportunity to try medicines myself. I conducted some human testing. I also had a stiff shoulder and posterior cervical pain. I took a Japanese herbal medicine for these symptoms and this was really effective. I will be able to prescribe this medicine confidently. However, the diarrhea began. At first it was like water, but it gradually changed to formed stool. Do you understand what I mean by "formed stools"? I used this term to describe the stools which aren't watery. If you know a better expression please tell me. Anyway, I took another herbal medicine for diarrhea, but it wasn't good for me. It was a good lesson.

(Vocabulary)
human testing/experiment 人体実験
formed stool 有形便
dyspeptic  消化不良性の

A Demonstration

　　I joined in a demonstration that was held in my hometown. The demonstrators appealed for the resignation of the present prime minister, Naoto Kan. He is a left-wing activist. Lots of Japanese people didn't know about it, but now it is said that the internet offered people opportunities to think of his political stance. The support rate sank under 20% in the newest poll. I feel that the critical voice against him is getting louder. It was kind of a change of pace to cry out what I usually complain about to the government over drinking alcohol.

(Vocabulary)
a change of pace 気分転換、やり方を変えること

First Rain in 33 Days

　　My hometown has a mild climate and is a nice place to live in. The product from the sea and the mountainside is rich. It seldom has natural disasters, at least in my memory. However, it has only natural issues. It has repeated shortages of water in summer. In an extreme condition, the school pools are closed. People are told to avoid washing cars, watering plants in their garden, and going to the beach. In the feeding services of schools, cooks make an effort to save water. Economical activity goes to contraction by the water shortage.
　　The city hadn't had rain for 33 days. Which means, we didn't have rain yet this year. But finally we got rain today. It's not enough to fill the reservoir, but better than none.
　　In the southern part of Japan, the rainy season is from the end of May to the beginning of July. If we didn't have enough,,,,,I don't want to imagine the situation.

My Daughter Came Home

　　You might think the topic is a little orotund, but ask me, "Where did she come from?" She returned from Germany 'after a year's interval'. She lived in Freiburg alone and learned the German language and how German life was. Her major is German culture.
　　A Japanese old saying tells us that if you love your kids, you should leave them alone in travel. I looked for the same proverb in the dictionary and found this. "Spare the rod and spoil the child." Her life in Germany wasn't always happy, but she didn't give up and survived. I found something different in her from what she used to be a year ago. I realized that the old saying was correct. It was not bad to allow her to live in Germany as the saying goes.

(Vocabulary)
orotund (けなして) (演説・文章などが) 仰々しい [同意] pompous
saying  ことわざ, 格言
as the saying goes  ことわざにあるように, よく言うように
Spare the rod and spoil the child.《諺》 かわいい子には旅をさせよ。／むちを惜しめば子どもを駄目にする。

Soccer Asian Cup

　　Japan finally climbed up to the summit of the Asian countries in the Asian Cup of Soccer. Japan won over Australia by 1-0, winning an unprecedented fourth victory. The Japanese team became stronger bit by bit with every match it played. I'm very proud of them. Soccer analysts point out various reasons for their achievement, but the most significant point, I think, was their never-say-die spirit. They played 6 matches and in half of them they lost the opening goal. However, they nevr gave up and fought back.
　　The final match was broadcast at midnight in Japan. It is said that the viewing rate was nearly 40% and it was unbelievably high. I can't wait for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

(Vocabulary)
with every match it played  一試合ごとに
never-say-die spirit  不屈の精神
opening goal 先取点、先制ゴール
winning goal 決勝点
viewing rate 視聴率