Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Honolulu Half-Marathon 8 (Diamond Head)

　　The first picture shows the 9 mile point. The distance from the start was displayed in the unit of kilometer and mile. This indication in miles stirred a delightful emotion that I was actually running an overseas marathon. The black tent in the next picture was a first-aid station, and the staff members looked bored. Then, a wonderful idea crossed my mind and I wondered if I should ask them for some help, like a taping, a massage, or a cold spray, but I didn't. However, I regretted a little not chatting with them about the conditions concerning medicine in Hawaii. The next picture shows the delivery from the aid. At a glance I assumed that it was "Gyousen-Ame" candy. I was hooked by the Hawaiian "Gyousen-Ame", but it was Vaseline. I didn't know how to use it, but it was lucky I found out it was vaseline before I put it into my mouth.
　　Let me explain "Gyousen-Ame". It is a kind of glutinous starch syrup, and can date back to 1000 years ago. The material is malt only. Water was added to the malt and the mixture is simmered without the addition of sugar. It has a nostalgic and plain sweetness.
　　The route was uphill to KCC (Kapi'olani Community College) and most runners were walking there. The vacant parking lot had been used for KCC Farmers' Market yesterday. Then the route was downhill for a short distance and it continued to the most agonizing section, which ran around Diamond Head in a clockwise direction. Almost all the runners were walking in the 6th picture. When I took this picture, I was on the opposite side of the road and was admiring the view of the horizon, which I was never able to see in my home town. The last picture shows the old fort of the U.S. Army. I had been there last year with my daughter. If the weather would become clear during my stay in Hawaii, I'd like to climb up again.

(Vocabulary)
glutinous starch syrup 水飴
malt 麦芽、モルト

最初の写真は左折し、登り始めたところ。ほとんど歩いている。距離表示がマイルで表示されていて、改めて海外で走っているのだなあと実感した。救護所のスタッフは主に女性。閑そうだしちょっと寄ってお世話になってみようかとも思ったが、やめた。後で考えると少しここで休憩しておしゃべりも良かったなと後悔。次は救護所で配られていたもの。ハワイで『ぎょうせん飴』！と思って飛びついたのだが、、、食べ物では無いと言う。ワセリンとのこと。どのように使うのだろう？ま、とにかく口に入れずに良かった。(^_^;)　

ぎょうせん飴というのは、水あめの一種で約1千年の歴史がある。麦芽を原料に水を加えて煮詰め、砂糖を一切使わない。素朴な甘みがある。

ＫＣＣファーマーズマーケットまで登り、一旦下るもダイヤモンドヘッドを時計方向に再び登る。６枚目は最もきついと言われる坂道。ほぼ全員が歩いている。この写真を撮ったのは道の反対側からで、ここで僕は展望台からハワイ南方の海を見て感動中。マラソンと言うより観光ラン。最後の写真は陸軍の砲台跡を下から眺めて撮ったもの。

Honolulu Half-Marathon 7 (Back to Waikiki beach)

　　I got back to Waikiki beach at past seven. The second picture shows my condominium, and my wife must have been waving at me, but I wasn't able to recognize her due to the slight darkness. The runners were almost walking around Waikiki beach, and I caught up and overtook them one after another to make up for lost time in the downtown area, where I took pictures in every tourist spot. The marathon route would turn left just a little ahead at the corner of Honolulu Zoo in the direction of Diamond Head.

７時過ぎ、ワイキキビーチまで帰ってきた。一枚目の写真には滞在しているコンドミニアムが写っていて、カミさんがバルコニーから応援してくれているはずだが、暗くてよく見えず。ワイキキビーチでは歩いている人がほとんどでダウンタウンでのんびり観光していた分、どんどん追い抜いて遅れを取り戻した。この先、ホノルル動物園の角で左に曲がりダイヤモンドヘッドの登りとなる。

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。

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。

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。(^_^;)

Mecca of Scuba Diving

　　I was able to view Mt. Fuji from Ose Cape. If the weather was clear, I would have taken beautiful pictures and so I brought my tripod, but unfortunately it was a cloudy day. The next stuff which came into my sight were several divers with full gear. Some divers were going out of the cove by a fishery boat. A few divers were sinking just in front of me. What? I wondered if Ose Cape was somewhere special.
　　Wandering around with such an idea in my mind, I met the person again who had helped us reach Ose Cave an hour ago when I had lost my way. He was ready to dive with his wetsuit and other diving gear. He was also a diver. We chatted for some time. Ose Cape seemed to be one of the best places for scuba diving. I heard from him about what he saw in scuba diving. His story reminded me of a wonderful figure of the photographer who had taken my pictures from the sea bottom when I was enjoying snorkelling with my daughter in Oahu island last May. One of my Facebook friend often uploads his pictures taken underwater, and they are always beautiful. His words might be a cue for my new hobby.
Then, I drove along the west coastline of Izu Peninsula and headed for Nirayama Reverberatory furnace on the list of World Heritage Sites.

 (Vocabulary)
Reverberatory furnace 　反射炉　金属融解炉の一種

スキューバダイビングのメッカに足を踏み入れてしまった

大瀬崎の海岸を歩くと遠くに富士山を見ることができた。晴れていれば良い写真が撮れるだろうと思い、三脚を持参していたが、良い写真を撮ることは諦めた。見るとダイバーたちが続々とこちらへ向かって歩いてくる。船で沖に出るダイバーもいる。目の前で海に沈んでいくダイバーも。何なんだ、このあたりは？

そう思いながら歩いていると、ここへ来る途中で道案内をしてくれた男性に再会。ウェットスーツで身を固めていた。１０分ほど立ち話をした。この場所は日本でも有数のダイバーのメッカらしい。この男性からダイビングの魅力を聞いた。フェイスブックで水中写真をＵＰするＦＢＦがいる。こんなことができたら良いなあと思っていた。また、この春にハワイでシュノーケリングをしている僕を海底から撮影してくれたカメラマンを思い出した。彼の話を聞いて自分にも出来るのではないかと思うようになってしまった。

Good Comes out of Evil

　　Last November I carelessly hit my left foot against the wall of the garage and the fifth proximal phalange in my left foot was broken. I'll show you my X-ray film below. If you observe it closely, you'll find the crack on the fifth proximal phalange. After the accident I decided to give up jogging for three months, but I thought at the same time that no physical exercise wouldn't be good for my health and I took to a muscular workout. I've continued training under the instructions of a professional trainer until now. The weight became heavier and that let me know my improvement. Today, however, an unexpected happening made me recognize the value of the workout and I'm writing about it.
　　In some conditions, which I cannot tell you all the details about due to the confidentiality doctors must observe, I had to do an urgent tracheotomy on a choking patient, who was lying on his low bed whose height was only 40 cm or so. We didn't have time to transfer him to another bed suitable for the operation. I was able to open the trachea in a minute or so, and saved his life. Then, I realized the improvement of my physical strength.
　　I had to keep my body bending forward for more than 10 minutes on his low bed to perform the operation, and successfully completed all the procedure without lumbago or stretching myself. This was unthinkable before. I understood my stable and strengthened trunk. I was determined to continue the workout.
　　Good comes out of evil! If I didn't get this fracture, I wouldn't start this kind of workout. I remembered, "Inscrutable are the ways of Heaven." Yes, Exactly!

(Vocabulary)
proximal phalange 基節骨
Riss （ドイツ語）リス（細い割れ目）
confidentiality 内密であること, 守秘, 機密保持
a breach of confidentiality 守秘（義務）違反, 機密保持違反
inscrutable 〈人が〉無表情の; 不可解な, なぞめいた
Inscrutable are the ways of Heaven. 人間万事塞翁が馬

（抄訳）

昨年１１月、不注意から足を壁にぶつけてしまって左第５趾基節骨を骨折してしまった。それ以後、３ヶ月はジョギングを中止することにしたが、何もしないのは良くないと思い、筋トレを始めた。きちんとトレーナーについてもらい、弱いところを補強するようにしてきた。持ち上げるバーベルの重さが重くなってきていることから進歩は感じていたが、今日、思いがけないことからその効果を実感できた。

ある状況で（守秘義務のため詳しくは書けない）、緊急に気管切開をしなくてはならなくなった。患者はほぼ窒息状態。患者の寝ている介護用の膝下くらいの高さの低いベッドで手術を行った。１分程度で気管を開放、救命しえたのだが、このとき、自分の身体の変化を実感したのだ。

というのは、前屈みで細かな作業をし続けて１０分、背を伸ばすこと無く腰痛も起こらず完了。こんなことは考えられないことだった。明らかに体幹が強くなっている。これからもこのトレーニングを続けなければならないと思った次第。

写真は昨年１１月２１日、痛みが引かないため撮ったレントゲン写真。禍転じて福となすという言葉があるが、この骨折がなければ筋トレをやっていなかったのだから人間万事塞翁が馬である。

 

Sea Of Kota Kinabalu

　　Dense cloud before Mt. Kinabalu was really regrettable for me as a climber. I was gazing in the direction of Mt. Kinabalu for some time. That might be why N chan's father took me to the gate to the mountain despite sudden torrential rain. We reached the starting point of climbing  Mt. Kinabalu in the 2nd picture after a 20 minutes' drive. Due to the heavy rain, I didn't go out of the car, but the scene was carved in my mind. I'd like to stand here some years later with my perfect climbing gear. Let's climb Mt. Kinabalu, my buddies!
　　Coming back to Kota Kinabalu(KK), I went out for a walk around our hotel alone. I found a questionable Japanese restaurant near the hotel on the way. I'll upload its picture. If you are a Japanese, you'll find it's not run by Japanese.
　　I stood at the seaside of KK, called Jesselton Point. Before me, the sea of KK was calm. In this season of 72 years ago, the principal fleets of the Japanese Imperial Navy, including that Battleships Yamato and Musashi, left Brunei Bay, about 100km westward from there, for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They fought the US and Australian Navies near the Philippines and lost lots of vessels and soldiers. I hate wars, but you must know the accurate historical facts about the war and its victims to avoid another war. While thinking such a thing, I was wandering arond the seashore. Lots of various sizes of boats were moored at Jesselton Point. A glance at the port showed that this place was the Mecca of marine sports.
　　The name of the island off the coast of KK is Gaya Island, along the coast of which there stood lots of houses on the surface of the sea. It just looked like a kind of shantytown. I asked N chan's father about them. People who lived there were from the Philippines and he looked like he didn't want to refer to them. I gave up asking about them. According to my travel guidebook, gorgeous resorts were built at the opposite side of the island but there's no connecting road between the resorts and the, what I say, shantytown. It would be an isolated area from KK, though it was close at hand. I'm going to show you pictures of resorts and houses on the sea shot from the sky on the way to Japan in the last day's entries.

(Vocabulary)
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Gaya Island  ガヤ島　コタキナバルの真向かいにある島

マレーシア旅行記：　コタキナバルの山と海　７０年前の様子に思いを馳せる
　
僕があまりにも見えないキナバル山方向を眺めていたからか、Ｎちゃんパパが気の毒がって登山口まで案内してくれた。車で２０分くらいで写真の場所に到着。２枚目の写真はキナバル山へのスタート地点。何年か先、この場所へ登山のフル装備で立っていたい。どなたか一緒にどうですか？どのような山なのか、興味のある方は調べてみてください。
　
さて、コタキナバルへ戻り、夕食までの間、しばし休憩。僕は一人で街を歩く。英語が通じる街は気が楽だ。見て歩きたいところがたくさんあるのに時間が十分ではないのが残念。ホテル近くで目に付いた店の写真をｕｐする。日本料理店とあるが、日本人なら一目で日本人の経営では無いことがわかる。（笑）
　
海岸に出てみた。コタキナバルの海だ。この海から７２年前のこの時期に、少し西寄りにあるブルネイ湾から大和や武蔵を含む日本帝国海軍艦艇がフィリピン、レイテ島に向かったことを思い出した。戦争は嫌だ。だが先人たちの努力、犠牲を正しく知るべきだ。そんなことを思いながら港を散策した。この場所はJesselton Pointと呼ばれる。この言葉については後ほど書くつもり。イギリス統治時代の名残だ。繋がれているボートを眺めるだけでここがマリンスポーツのメッカであることがわかる。
　
沖に見える島には水上生活者の家が並んでいる。コタキナバル出身のNちゃんのお父さんに聞くと、フィリピンから来た人で勝手に住んでいるらしい。どのような人たちなのか、興味はあったが、それ以上の質問はやめた。島の反対側にはゴージャスなホテルが有るが、互いを繋ぐ道路はなく、孤立した村落のようだった。帰国時に飛行機からホテルとこの一群の水上家屋が見えたので撮影した。後日upする。

Cycling

　　When I woke up, it was raining. I was sad but only because I was disappointed because I was going to ride a road bike for the first time. As my car was a 2-seater and I was not able to bring my bicycle there, I rented a road bike shown in the first picture. Then I got to the meeting point of beginners. All the participants were grouped into two groups, i.e. advanced and beginners and I belonged to the beginners, who would ride for 40km. FYI, the advanced cyclists would ride for 100km around the island.
　　Participants classified into the beginners group were separated into smaller groups which consisted of 5 to 8 persons and each group was led by a skilled cyclist. Our team started at about 9:30 am. Reaching the entry of a large inlet, we deposited our bikes into a transportation truck as shown in the second picture. Our bikes were supposed to be carried to the destination of the small and tiny ferryboat, which we were going to get on board there. The destination of the ferryboat was the theme park of Nijushino Hitomi Eigamura.
　　Let me write about this park. "Nijushino Hitomi" literally means 24 eyes. The park was built on the basis of the movie set for "Nijushino Hitomi", in which a young woman was dispatched as a school teacher and took on 12 pupils, i.e. 24 eyes. The story was in the era before the Great East Asian War. Years later, the teacher came back to the island and heard about the former pupil's stories. Some of them were still not accounted for in the battlefield, and some of them were killed by the enemy's bombing. Recalling her happy days with pupils, she shed tears. The ending scene was like that. The author was born on Shodoshima island and the story was from her real life.
　　I took a walk after lunch in the park and started riding on the way back. We dropped in at a few resting sites and received cordial welcomes at every site. In the last but one picture, we were served olive-related products. The last picture was shot when all the beginners' teams got back without any accident!

　天気は雨。1枚目の写真はレンタルした自転車。ツアーは上級者と初心者に分けられ、上級者は島一周１００ｋｍ、僕は初心者コースで入り組んだ入江は渡し船でパスすることで走行距離を短縮して４０ｋｍ。
途中で自転車をスタッフに預けて渡し船に乗った。この船は二十四の瞳映画村の前まで行く。映画村内で弁当を食べてしばらく散歩。帰途、オリーブの丘でオリーブを使ったお菓子やそうめんなどごちそうになる。
　映画村は二十四の瞳という映画が撮影された跡地に立っている。映画の原作はこの島出身の作家による。映画は、ある若い女性が教師になって初めて赴任したこの島の小学校で１２人の子供を教える。そして転勤する。その後大東亜戦争が起こり、ふたたびこの島へやって来た女教師はかつての教え子の何人かと再会し、他の子供達のその後を聞く。戦争で何人も死んでいた。最後には涙を流さずにはいられない。
　映画村からの帰途、地元企業に立ち寄りながら甘い物をたくさんいただく。事故なく皆ゴールに戻り記念撮影。

Shodoshima Island

　　The ferry slowly entered the principal port of Tonosho. Olive oils and cosmetics, foods derived from olives, soy sauce, and somen noodles are known as major products of this island. However, the island is not so highly evaluated as a tourist spot. The cycling tour event, which I'd join tomorrow, was planned by a major travel company and local body of commerce and industry to raise the awareness about Shodoshima among Japanese people.
　　I'd visited the island nearly 40 years ago from the opposite side of Okayama City. I didn't remember clearly the scene of those days, but the base station of the Kankakei Gorge Ropeway remained as it used to be 40 years ago. Kankakei Gorge is the representative sightseeing spot on the island. I took a walk on the narrow path in the gorge and then the historic streets in a small village. After taking a shower in my hotel, I attended the party of the eve of the event with lots of other strange participants. My wife was going to enjoy sightseeing on the next day, not to ride a bicycle, but by courtesy of the company she enjoyed dinner with me and the performances of local people. Praying for the clear sky of the following day, I hit the sack.

　小豆島に着いた。オリーブ、醤油、そうめんなど特産品はいろいろあるのだが、観光地としてはそれほどメジャーな場所ではない。サイクリング大会は旅行会社と地元の企業がタイアップして島を宣伝するための大々的なイベントだろう。
　４０年前に今回とは反対のルート、岡山市からこの島へ来た。当時のことはよく覚えていないが、島一番の観光スポット寒霞渓のロープウェイ乗り場は変わっていなかった。寒霞渓を歩き、古い街並みを歩き、サイクリングイベントの前夜祭を楽しみ、翌日の快晴を祈りつつ床に就いた。

Miserable Accident

　　A serious bus accident occurred on January 15th in the mountainous region of Japan, which claimed 15 lives. Most of the victims were young. This accident would be recorded as one of the most miserable accidents in Japan. The full-scale investigation into the accident is still underway.
　　In addition to the poor driving technique and the possible breakdown of the braking system, it is said that the background of the accident might be caused by the wrong policy of the Government, the loosening of regulations. The relaxation of various regulations made it easy for ordinary people to build new companies. Consequently, too many bus companies were established and this boosted the cutthroat competition among smaller companies. Anyway, I'm going to keep an eye on the investigation.

(Vocabulary)
easing / loosening / relaxation of regulations 　規制緩和
cutthroat competition / dog-eat-dog / excessive competition　過当競争

LSD (Long Slow Distance)

　　The topic, LSD, isn't about the hallucinatory drug here. It's a training method for a marathon to make the distance you can run in one time longer, or to get used to the distance itself.
　　I joined my friends to do the LSD training on Jan. 11th. The distance was 25km. They usually run at the pace of more or less 5 minutes per km and they would run the distance at the pace of 7 minutes per km. This pace was actually slow for them, but my best record of 10km is 73 minutes. That works out to 7 minutes and 18 seconds per km. That is to say, 7 minutes per km was not "slow" for me but beyond my ability, but I tried to follow them and was able to finish the distance of 25km along with them.
　　The result is shown in the following picture. I took a rest on the way three times for hydration, urination and lunch break. The watch was halted during these times including waiting time for stoplights. The watch says my average pace was 6 minutes and 47 seconds!

(Vocabulary)
hallucinatory  (薬物などが) 幻覚作用のある
hydrate;
to supply someone or something with water to keep them healthy and in good condition

Osaka Marathon

　　I started jogging after seeing cheerful runners passing over the finish line at the Ehime Marathon in 2013. I usually jogged for a short distance when I started, but I made the distance longer and I joined the Ehime Marathon the next year. As for the result, I had to stop at the time control point of 40.5km. I learnt the technical word of DNF at that time. I wasn't able to finish my first full marathon, but I still kept my wish to finish it. I joined my fourth marathon, the Osaka Marathon, on Oct. 25th.
　　I had a slight convulsion in my left leg at 24km and did a stretch. I took some anti-convulsion medicine at 25km. After taking in salt at 25.2km which I was given from people along the street, the symptom decreased. However, I felt a foretaste of convulsion when I increased my pace, and I ran at the slowest pace that I could successfully finish the race. My record was 6 hours 50 minutes in gross. It took about 40 minutes to pass the start line after the gun.

(Auf Deutsch)
　　Als ich beobachtet habe, wie Teilnehmer am Ehime Marathon das Ziel erreichten, habe ich mich zur Teilname am nächsten Ehime Marathon entschlossen. Ich habe mit kurzem Jogging angefangen, und habe die Strecke, die ich auf einmal laufen konnte, verlängert. Nach einem Jahr habe ich am Ehime Marathon teilgenommen.
　　Das Ergebnis war, daß ich am Zeitkontrollepunkt von 40,5km wegen Zeitüberschreitung gestoppt wurde. Der offizielle Rekord war 5 Stunden 45 Minuten für 40km. Der Rest des Weges war nur noch 2km! Ich konnte nicht den Marathon zum Ende laufen.
　　Ich wollte den Marathon unbedingt erfolgreich beenden und habe seitdem geübt. Am 25. 10. habe ich am vierten Marathon, Osaka Marathon, teilgenommen.
　　Bei der 24-km-Marke habe ich im linken Bein einen Krampf bekommen und Stretching gemacht. Bei der 25-km-Marke habe ich chinesische Medizin eingenommen. Von den Zuschauern an der Straße habe ich an der 25,2-km-Marke Salz bekommen und dieses Salz hat mir den Krampf gemildert.
　　Wenn ich die Geschwindigkeit gesteigert hätte, hat der Krampf vielleicht wieder zu passieren gedroht. Also, mit einer Geschwindigkeit von 10 Minuten pro Kilometer, die langsamste Geschwindigkeit um die volle Strecke laufen zu können, konnte ich das Ziel in 6 Stunden 50 Minuten erreichen.

　２０１３年の愛媛マラソンでゴールする人たちを見て、翌年の愛媛マラソンに参加しようと決心しました。短いジョギングからスタートして、走る距離を伸ばしていき、１年後に愛媛マラソンに挑戦。結果、４０．５ｋｍの関門で時間切れでストップ。公式記録は４０ｋｍで５時間４５分。マラソンのフィニッシュはかなわなかったけれど、完走したいと思い、それ以後も練習を続け、１０月２５日に４回目のマラソンを走りました。大阪マラソンです。
　２４ｋｍ地点で左足にけいれんがあり、ストレッチをして、２５ｋｍでは薬を服用。そして２５．２ｋｍで沿道の人から塩をもらい、症状は軽快。スピードを上げると再びけいれんが起こりそうだったのでゴールできるぎりぎりのゆっくりとしたスピードで走り、なんとか６時間５０分で完走しました。

Relay Marathon

　　I joined the Ojoka relay marathon. It became popular and now might be called a seasonal event of my hometown. Facing the rapid increase of applicants, the organizer decided to hold the event for two days. The first day was for groups of friends and the second was for workplace teams. My team was made up from members of the Matsuyama Chuo Lions Club and their friends. We were assigned to the first day. In the relay marathon several runners ran a circuit of 1.5km in turn with a sash in which an IC tip was sewn for recording the time and the lap numbers. I'm carrying it in the following picture. It was a good exercise and the get-together at night was a lot of fun.

(Vocabulary)
sash たすき
hand one's sash to the next runner  次の走者にたすきを渡す.

Jogging Shoes

　　My jogging shoes got worn to a useless level. I remember the day as if it was yesterday when I saw the Ehime Marathon at the finish point in February in 2013 and immediately decided to take up jogging to join the marathon, and bought the shoes on the way back. Two and a half years have passed since then. I couldn't have finished any marathon, but my physical strength became surely stronger before I started to jog. I am really thankful for the opportunity to see the successful runners' joyful faces and making friends with several fellow marathon runners.
　　Back to the shoes, I wonder how long I had run with these shoes. Judging from my runner's watch, the distance will come to from 600 to 700km. I attended 10km roadraces twice this year and I'll join the Osaka Marathon on Oct. 25th for the first finish after another 10km roadrace on Oct. 10th. The green shoes in the picture are the replacement.

(Vocabulary)
come to sth:
 to add up to a total amount:
That comes to £23.50. / The bill came to £48.50.