Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

WHITE RUST

　　I've been in serious trouble about white rust on the aluminium window-frame of my car. I tried to remove it in various ways, but in vain. Recently I found the cause of the rust. Most Japanese car makers adopt stainless steel for the window frames, but on the other hand, European and American manufacturers adopt aluminium. My car, which was produced in the U.S., is also equipped with aluminium window frames and they are easily stained with white rust.
　　I've been wondering why European and American car manufacturers use aluminium for the window frames. I hear that such a white rust phenomenon doesn't happen in the EU and the U.S., so they continue to utilize aluminium for the window frames.
　　I knew its cause from my acquaintance today. Its culprit was yellow sand from China. Actually yellow sand would not exist in the EU and the U.S. The yellow sand generates alkaline rain and this rain seemingly brings white rust on the aluminium window frames. My repulsion against China, which doesn't stop its environmental destruction, was intensified greatly.

(Vocabulary)
I hear .... 聞けば、、、
culprit (問題・難局の) 原因, 元凶; 犯人, 罪人, (不正な行為の) 張本人
repulsion 《[U], a/the ~》(書き言葉) 嫌悪感;[同意] disgust, revulsion

ASHIZURI MISAKI CAPE

　　I took my car for a spin with no set goal and I ducked into Ashizuri Misaki Cape, which is located at the southwest end of the fourth biggest island of Japan, Shikoku. During the typhoon season, the cape often appears in news items. It's sited on the approaching route of typhoons. The terrain is as you see in the following picture and I've not reached the tip of the cape as I don't like heights. I admire constructors who built the lighthouse in such a place.

(Vocabulary)
height [C] 高い所, 高所
I don't like heights. 私は高い所は苦手です．

Baby Seat

　　I have a 10-month-old granddaughter. I have been eager to see her, but the pandemic has deterred me from visiting her. The other day, her parents told me that they would bring her to my house and they received PCR tests and the results were respectively negative.
　　I was so happy and bought a baby seat for her. Car owners are required to install a baby seat by law when they travel with under-6-year-old kids.

Prep for Winter

　　I exchanged tires of the Model 3 to ones for winter-use. Today was a little early but the tires which were supplied to the car were considerably worn. The tires shop person advised me to buy new ones for next spring. In addition, the winter tires would be near the limit. I have to buy summer tires in the spring and then winter ones in late autumn next year. Tires for Model 3 are higher than usual ones, I can't risk myself and my fellow passengers.

(Vocabulary)
fellow passenger　同乗者

 

A Consideration about the Electricity Fee in my Model 3

　　It's been just two years since my Model 3 was delivered. Its mileage and electricity consumption is shown in the following picture.

mileage: 74215km
electricity consumption: 11576kWh
156Wh/km

　　What do you think of these data. The price of electricity is 30 yen/kWh in Japan and my car comes to need 4.68 yen per km. Taking an average of 180 yen of the price of the high octane gasoline in Japan together, my car is calculated to run 38km/L. This is considerably low-priced and helpful.

Short Trip to Yamaguchi

　　I'm bonkers about trips. I'm always itching to set out for a trip. The restriction associated with COVID-19 has been deterring me from going out of Japan. The other day, however, Japan finally came out of the long tunnel and the restriction was lifted, though the government is still requesting to wear a face mask and frequent hand washing.
　　I planned a short trip nearby before the next wave's occurrence. My destination was Yamaguchi prefecture located at the opposite side of my prefecture across Seto Inland Sea. I've been to the prefecture only a few times, but I don't know much about it. Two cities on the side of the Sea of Japan, Hagi and Nagato, were the target places.
　　Hagi City is well-known as the ground zero of the Meiji Restoration. In general, revolutions are raised by people who can get benefit from them, but the Meiji Restoration was accomplished by the samurai who wanted to put an end to their era. They descended from the privileged class to commoners. I'd like to learn the secret of the restoration in Hagi City.
　　As you may know, the 126th Ten-noh, which is translated as an emperor for want of a better word, ascended the throne three years ago. His new palace was also newly built. I hear that the wall of the reception hall is decorated with a traditional picture of Japan depicting the Nagato Coast. After hearing that, I was eager to see the scenery of the coast. That's why I decided to visit Nagato City.
　　My ferry left the harbor and headed for Yanai port in Yamaguchi prefeture. It traveled on the Seto Inland Sea, which is famous for scenic islands and the complex sea current. When my ferry passed the waters of an usually rapid current, the current was at a standstill. Enjoy the following pictures which I took from the ferry.

(Vocabulary)
hypocenter 〚通例the ～〛震源(地); （核兵器の）爆心(地点).
ground zero （核爆弾の）爆心地. 出発[始発]点.
for want of a better word 他に適当な言葉がないので

Porsche Taycan

　　An exhibition of Porsche cars was held in an adjacent prefecture and I joined it. I was able to actually sit on the driver's seat of a Porsche Taycan, Porsche's first-ever electric vehicle. Its general appearance was wonderful and the instrument panel was also beautiful. It was gorgeous, but to my sadness the price was also gorgeous. I can't afford the car, but it was refreshing to see such a beautiful car with cutting-edge technologies.

TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System)

　　An alarming sign showed up on the screen of my car, which wasn't familiar to me, but I promptly understood what it was meaning from its design. It was telling me about the low pressure of tires. It would be exacting work to figure out the design which can be easily and correctly recognized by people.
　　Anyway, I brought my car to a tire shop and had all the tires checked. The right front tire was slightly low-pressured. It was taken off and was sunk into water to detect the puncture, but no puncture was found. The air would be discharged bit by bit for long hours. Nitrogen gas was infused into all the tires and the inspection was done.
　　The mechanic pointed out the tire wear at the same time. It's 23 months since the purchase and I drove the car almost 70000km though I used winter tires during winter. I have to think about purchasing new tires next spring.

(Vocabulary)　tire wear タイヤの摩耗　

A Scene In My Car

　　I'm in Kochi Prefecture. I took on a task from a hospital and came here. I arrived fairly early and I parked my car at the multi-story parking lot of a nearby shopping center to avoid the sunshine. Watching a YouTube program, I'm checking my e-mail and writing this entry in the car. It's comfortable to stay in the electric vehicle. Even if you are using an air-conditioner, there's no noise and no uncomfortable vibration. That's not the case in cars with combustion engines. I became less hesitant to eat something in my car, even if it is greasy, so wet tissues and plastic gloves are always ready in the car not to get my hands dirty or greasy.
　　I felt the change of my life after getting my car. It sounds funny, but I felt the same feeling when a dog came into my family. The speed of life seems to become slow around me.

English and My Car

　　I don't have so many difficulties in reading English newspaper articles, but I'm not good at speaking. Suitable words even in my vocabulary don't promptly come up into my mind in every situation. Anyway, it would be inconceivable to you that my poorness in talking is connected to the fact that I own a Tesla car now. 　　When I visited Honolulu in Hawaii in 2018, I noticed a Tesla dealer shop along Kalakaua Avenue. I'd never entered a car shop abroad and something like valor began to rise up within me at that time. It urged me to get into the shop and try to speak to a salesperson, and I did it following the voice of someone in my mind.
　　Just after entering the shop full of my courage, I suddenly felt deflated, because the salesperson who attended me was a Japanese guy. He offered an opportunity to test-drive a Model-X during my stay in Honolulu and I drove a Model-X in Honolulu. The result? Its performance was superb and I became unable to get it off my mind. The price of the Model-X was too expensive for me, but I started to save money for the down payment for the car.
　　The more than one-hour test-drive was like a sightseeing tour. Some Japanese celebrities own their home in Honolulu, and the salesperson showed me those during the test-drive. His parting words were "See you again next year and I'll take you to another area in Honolulu!"
　　I revisited the dealer in 2019 and I saw a Model 3 at that time. I didn't know about this car. The same salesperson advised me to take a test-drive and I was amazed at its functions and price, which was narrowly within my reach. In addition, the sales of it would start in Japan two months later. I promptly ordered a Model 3. The company offers three types of Model 3 and I opted for the longest range type.
　　It's been two and half years since my last visit to Hawaii. I've never been to a gas station in these two years. Arriving at my house from my work, I insert the charging plug into my car. By the next morning, the charging has finished. The charging is done in the night and I don't mind how long it takes. It's very convenient and I love this car.

(Vocabulary)
deflated がっくりした, 自信をなくした;〈風船・タイヤなどが〉 空気の抜けた, しぼんだ

Chanthu Passed

　　The 14th typhoon of this year, called Chanthu internationally, passed over my prefecture last night. I was afraid that it would bring a heavy disaster to my hometown, but it didn't. I heard that some houses had their roofs peeled off, but no one was killed by the typhoon. Anyway, I was relieved.
　　Then, it's very hot today. The sky is completely clear. My smartphone indicates the temperature in my car to be 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). My car's internal temperature is set to be controlled under 100 Fahrenheit by using the air-conditioner, but if not,,, I don't want to think about it.
　　My hometown has got enough water to survive until the next rainy season, so I don't want another typhoon to come, but about 20 typhoons come or pass close to Japan every year. I still have to reckon with them for some time from now on.

 

Car Dealer Tour

　　My daughter's couple who got married last February are going to buy a brand new car. It's the first time for them to buy one and they asked me to accompany them to the dealers. They've already narrowed down the option to two cars, but they are wondering which of them to buy. They are thinking of an SUV whose price varies from $30000 to $40000. I know the cars manufactured by the Japanese companies are generally wonderful. Additionally, I admired the progress of the driving assistance system of each company.
　　The systems of both cars were superior to the Mercedes SLK200's, which I bought 5 years ago. The system was installed only in expensive cars those days, but the system is now provided to ordinary popular cars. Amazing! For instance, when another car approached my car from diagonally behind, my SLK200 alarmed me by the blinking of the light imbedded in the door mirror of the car-coming side. If I didn't notice the alarm and tried to change lanes toward its side, the car set off the alarming sound and added the resistance to the steering wheel to hinder my operation. When I knew these functions, I was astonished by its progressiveness. Naturally, those functions were expensive five years ago, but now such functions have become essential to most cars.

(July 22nd)

YouTube

　　I often watch YouTube recently. It's very handy to watch it even in my car. People of ability or of information sources post various motion pictures on the net. In terms of the location of the responsibility, these videos are more reliable than the information from the mainstream media.
　　It's also fun to watch videos about ordinary peoples' private lives or daily occurrences. One of my favorites is

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV_e5CE026DKpkXEeXvo3cQ 

　　A middle aged person who operates a tanker in a Missouri-based transport company posts videos regularly. I wanted to live in the U.S. in my younger days, so his way of life is very attractive for me.

 

Netflix

　　I'm under contract with Netflix and I admire it. When I have time, I can enjoy movies anytime and anywhere. The newly produced ones aren't on the list, but it's a question of time when those films are put on the list. I'm planning a camping trip using my car. See this link:

https://electrek.co/2018/07/31/tesla-party-camper-mode/

　　My car generates no poisonous gas and no noisy sound in operation, so it can function as an air-conditioner, the movie theater and electricity supply in an isolated site. I can't wait for camping with my granddaughter, who is only 4 months old now, though.

 

Fun Driving

　　Today was a day-off and I went out for a drive to a restaurant located in the mountainous area. It was about an hour drive from my house. My car has no engines and is driven by electricity, which means the inside is very quiet. You can even hear the birds' sound during driving. Additionally, the car-driving assisted by its autopilot function was unspeakably comfortable.

50000 km

　　The odometer of my car marked 50000km today after a year and 6 months' drive. The total amount of electricity consumed is 8027kWh, which is calculated to 161Wh per kilometer. The electricity fee is 30 yen/ kWh in my hometown. That is to say, the driving cost is 5 yen per kilometer. At today's rate of gasoline, it is three times lower than that of gasoline. I'm satisfied with this data.

EV Charging Service Card

　　I've sometimes written about my car, Tesla Model 3 so far. This car is driven by electricity not gasoline. Public high speed chargers are found everywhere, but I usually charge my car at home and don't use them frequently. When I have to use those public chargers, I've paid the fare for visitors. It's higher than the fares for members, but to get the membership I have to pay the basis rate every month.
　　I dropped in at a Nissan dealer near my house. Nissan is the car manufacturer which had rolled out the world's first electric car for ordinary use. It's a pioneer company of electric cars. I asked them about a membership of its charging club a few years ago. One of the conditions to become a member at that time was to be the owner of a car from Nissan. I didn't own any. I was ruled out at the first article of the membership agreement.
　　To my surprise, the 1st article was lifted and the membership was open to anyone. Additionally the basis rate was reasonable. I joined the membership of the Nissan Charging Club without a second thought. It's too stingy, but the charging fee was supposed to be exempt in the first month of the membership and it was early May when I joined the club. I didn't use the charger at home and charged my car at this dealer in almost all of May FOR FREE.

Grandpa's Dream

　　My eldest daughter got married last February without any gathering and ceremony due to the Wuhan virus prevalence. It was regrettable being unable to see her in a wedding dress, but next March, she will give birth to a baby. I can't wait. I will pamper him/her to the utmost. Take a look at the picture at the bottom.
　　Showing this picture to my wife I told her that I'll buy the baby this car. She laughed at me, saying that the toy is too early for the baby and it makes no sense until the baby begins to walk by itself. However, it took not to so long for her to notice that another car sat behind the cute one. "Just to be sure, you don't mean the bigger one, do you?"
　　The car behind is a Tesla Model Y, Tesla's SUV, which accommodates 7 people, and I love it. It's not a hit on the market in Japan now, but it will be rolled out within 3 years, considering that the Model 3 took 3 years to land in Japan since it showed up in the U.S. market.
　　I'm thinking that I'll purchase both cars - I don't know if the near one can be called a car or not - shown in the picture at the same time. The last obstacle is how to persuade her,,,. It's a big problem.

来年３月に初孫が誕生する。今から待ち遠しい。生まれたら、これ以上無いくらい甘やかすだろうと思う。下の写真を見て欲しい。先日、この写真をカミさんに見せて、生まれたらこの車を買うと話した。

カミさんはそれに乗れるようになるのは十分に歩けるようになってから。気が早いと言って笑うのだが、後ろにもう一台写っていることに気づくのにそう時間はかからなかった。あんた、後ろの車のことを言っているのではないよね、、、、、

後ろにあるのはテスラモデルＹ　まだ日本では発売されていないが、モデル３が米国発売から３年後に日本で発売開始となったことを考えると３年後くらいに発売されるだろう、、、これらの車を２台セットで買おうと思っている、手前の可愛い奴が車と呼べるかどうかはわからないが。、、、ただ、カミさんをどう説得するか、それが問題だ。

Gift from TESLA

　　I have a Tesla Model 3 and drive it every day for commuting. I like it more than any other cars which I had owned before. Besides the key points why I like it, I voluntarily answered the company's questionnaire a few weeks ago and received a cap, which is shown below.
　　I have already lots of caps which I was given when I joined several events, so every cap has its distinctive logo like names of military ships, submarines, marathon names etc. To tell the truth, I'm feeling difficulty disposing of them, but this cap will be long in my room.

Link by Model 3

　　I understand that Tesla Model 3 is selling explosively globally, but it is still rare in Japan. There's no Tesla dealer around, so I get information of my car mainly from several users' groups on the internet. Today, I visited a Facebook friend whom I knew in one of those groups. He runs a steakhouse in the neighboring city. I visited his steakhouse outside his working hours. We had a nice chat. There were lots of wines in his steakhouse, and I'm going to visit there to eat his steak! The following picture was shot in front of his steakhouse.

　テスラモデル３は世界中で爆発的に売れている、と聞いているが、日本ではまだまだ少ない。ネット上で情報交換をするユーザーの集まりがあり、そこを通じて知り合いになった人を訪問した。彼は愛媛県内新居浜市でステーキハウスを経営している。しばらく話が弾んだ。店内には数多くのワインがあった。ホテルを予約して食べに来たいと思う。最後に写真撮影。ただでさえ珍しい車なのに、色までレアな色。