Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

At Sea

　　The ship proceeded to the west all day long today. We had breakfast by the window of the Pacific Ocean side, while viewing the vast expanse of the ocean. The dishes were delicious, so I had a good appetite. To be honest, my wife wondered at my appetite, because we had a snack late at night in our room, taking a few dishes out from the restaurant after the magic show. One bottle of wine per person was permitted to bring into the ship, so we had two bottles. Holidays when I don't mind clocks are great! I was never called from my office. I was out of reach of the smart phone network in the first place.
　　The weather was clear and we took a walk to help digestion on the 7th deck where we were able to walk around the ship. The walking distance was about 600 meters per cycle. Then, I went swimming and my wife went window-shopping for some time. After that, we enjoyed several kinds of performances of various instruments, like a piano, violin, flute, and so on.
　　Getting back to the central hall, the champagne tower was already built and its pouring had started. I recalled our first cruising trip during which we tried to pour for the first time in our life. It was two years ago. The picture at that time was really nice and is placed now in the living room of my house. Then we watched a movie at the last time slot of the day under the sky full of stars wrapped up in a blanket. Adjacent bars offered soft drinks and pizzas for free, i.e., included in the cruise fee. The breeze on the ocean was a little bit cool, but comfortable.

終日航海の日　朝食は太平洋側の窓際で大海原を見ながらいただく。美味しいので食が進む。昨夜はあれほど食べたのに、よくまた食べられるものだと驚く。昨夜の記事には書いていないが、レストランから３品ほど持ち出して、自室で持ち込んだワインで２次会。カミさんが呆れていたことは書くまでもない。何時に起きても良い休日は最高。職場から呼び出されることもない。元より携帯電話は通じない。

食べ過ぎたので、７階のデッキを散歩。船の周りを一周するとやく６００メートル、そしてプールへ。さすがに泳いでいる人は少なかったが、食べてばかりでは太るので、、、。デッキに立っていると寒いけどプールの中やジャグジーは快適。他の乗客と話をするのも楽しい。ウインドウショッピングをしていたカミさんと合流していくつかのコンサートをハシゴ。中央のホールへ戻ってみるとシャンペンタワー！　２年半前にはこれに参加したなあとなつかしく思いだした。そのときの写真は良い記念になった。我が家のリビングに飾ってある。ショーの後は最上部のデッキで映画鑑賞。満天の星空の下、毛布にくるまって、無料の（クルーズ料金に含まれている）ピザと珈琲を楽しみながら。太平洋上の風が心地よい。少し寒かったけれど。

Embarkation

　　We finished all the procedures of embarkation and entered our room. Our luggage wasn't there. It would take time for us to get it. We checked tonight's event schedule and started out for the ship tour. While walking, I recalled every corner of the ship. It was two and half years since the last time. I realized that the best thing I had to do in this time slot was viewing the night view of Yokohama City from the sea. We climbed up to the deck to see the departure ceremony. It was my first time to see the scenery of the city from on the sea. It was so nice. Several people were swimming, but we headed for the restaurant for dinner. Another helping was free and I ordered two kinds of main dishes omitting the appetizer. Such a flexibility was really thankful to me as I'm a kind of chowhound. I scarfed them down not to be late for the magic show. I'm not LGBTQ+, but I was just curious about their meeting scheduled at 9:30 pm, but refrained from it.

(Vocabulary)
scarf down (inf)　〈食べ物〉を急いで食べる

　部屋に入ったがチェックイン時に預けた荷物はまだ届いておらず、今宵のイベント案内をチェックした後、船内探検に出発。歩いているうちにだんだんと地理を思い出した。この時間帯はやはり出港風景を見なくてはと思い、最上階へ。横浜の夜景を海から見るのは初めてだった。とても美しい夜景だった。すでに泳いでいる人もいたが、われわれはレストランへ。お代わり自由ということでメインディッシュをお代わり、、(^_^;)　そしてマジックショーを見て、、、LGBTQ+の集いに興味があったが、、、会場の前まで言ったが、、、立ち入る勇気は無かった。

Japan Coast Guard Archives

　　Next, we visited the Japan Coast Guard Archives to see the North Korea Spy Ship Exhibit. I felt indescribable anger at North Korea. Pictures inside were prohibited and I'll show you its outside view below. Being more than two hours left until our boarding time, we took a free shuttle bus which went round the principal places in the pier area to kill time. The scenes from the window were fun. Chinatown was murderously packed. As we were thinking of having lunch there at first, we were lucky to drop in at Hammer Head Park for lunch.

そして北朝鮮の工作船を展示してる資料館を見つけて入ってみた。彼らの悪辣さに改めて怒りを覚えた。ダイヤモンド・プリンセスの乗船時刻を待つ間、時間潰しに港の主な場所を廻る観光バスに乗ってみた。チャイナタウンの混みように驚いた。ここへ食事に行こうと考えていたのだが、ハンマーヘッドに変更して正解だった。

Former Yokohama Custom-House

　　The brilliant sea and comfortable sea breeze tempted us to walk around the pier and we found ourselves in front of the remains of the center office of the Customs House Annex. I had visited Yokohama before, but I didn't know about this remains. Japan, which had kept its trade-restriction policy for about 300 years, put an end to it during the Meiji Restoration and Yokohama was opened to overseas. Yokohama has still its nostalgic atmosphere as one of the oldest international trading ports. This building was destroyed by the huge earthquake and ensuing fire which occurred in 1923. FYI, the day of the earthquake, Sep. 1st is now designated as the disaster drill day. The basis of the building was left and buried at that time. Later, it was dug out and set to the center of the historic park.

(Vocabulary)
ensue (結果として) 生じる, 起こる;(ある出来事のあとに) 続いて起こる
ensue from sth ＜…＞の結果として生じる

で、フラフラと歩いていたら横浜税関跡にいた。横浜は何度か来ているが、このような史跡があったとは知らなかった。在りし日の風景を思い浮かべながら散歩。長く貿易制限を設けていた日本が広く海外に門戸を開いたとき、横浜は開港された。長い歴史がある。この建物は１９２３年９月１日の大地震とそれに続く火災により破壊され、復旧されないまま埋められていた。 因みに、９月１日は防災の日と定められ、避難訓練が行われている。

Yokohama

　　We were told to get together at the Diamond Princess's mother pier in Yokohama City at the designated time. The higher rooms you booked, the earlier you could get on board, just like passenger planes, but our room was the lowest class but one, so our checking time was late and set around 1600 hours. Being eager to see the ship as early as possible, however, we left my hometown in the early morning. When we got off the bus from Haneda Airport at the Yokohama pier stop, we found lots of tourists with suitcases walking from the direction of the pier. They would have been the passengers on the last cruise. The enormous ship came into my sight, as I was approaching the pier. I was excited, thinking of getting on board again. A big event, replicating the German-style Christmas, was being held in the nearby park. One single thing which I had to do this day was to get on board the Diamond Princess. I wouldn't drive, so I got sausages and a mug filled with German beer without a second thought.
　　Next, we headed for Hammer Head Park, which was still under construction. My wife wanted to drop in at a pizza house in the park. I didn't know its name, but the pizzas were delicious.

出港は横浜から。早い便で到着し、埠頭の周辺を観光した。埠頭へ向かうと、船から降りてくる人たちの一団に出会い、また巨大な船が見えてきた。また乗るのだと思うとワクワクする。近くの広場ではドイツのクリスマスマーケットを模したイベントが行われていた。今日の予定は船に乗り込むだけ。車の運転などない。ということで、ビールとソーセージ！
　
次に向かったのが、建設中のハンマーヘッド公園。ここにあるピザ屋に立ち寄りたいというカミさんの強い希望で。店の名前を画像で記録。とても美味しかった。

Cruise Tour to Taiwan

　　Japan is in the midst of a Taiwan boom. Japan's people got to realize the strong and inseparable relationship with Taiwan in regard to national security and also historically.
　　In the Great East Japan Earthquake, Taiwanese gave us lots of assistance. Most Japanese are grateful for their sympathy. It's one of the reason why I read books about Taiwan. Thumbing through some pamphlets from several travel agencies, the picture of the Diamond Princess caught my eye. My wife and I had enjoyed a cruising tour through the Strait of Malacca three years ago and we had a comfortable time on board. We decided to use the same ship to Taiwan. Recapping on our trip, we dropped in at Naha in Okinawa and Miyakojima island on the way to Keelung, Taiwan. I'm going to note trip memos down in this blog.

(Vocabulary)
recap vt. 要点を繰り返す, を要約する; vi. 要点を繰り返す recap on sth

Back in Japan

　　The return flight left Singapore late at night and arrived in Tokyo in the early morning. I crashed out from fatigue on the flight, but I really wanted to take a shower. The time difference between Singapore and Japan is only 2 hours and it made the flight less burdensome.
　　In order to reach my hometown, I had to change planes in Tokyo. Considering the possible delay of the international flight I had booked the last flight to the last destination, Matsuyama City, so I had eight hours of free time in Tokyo International Airport. So I took a walk in Shinagawa Ward adjacent to Ota Ward in which the airport is located.
　　I had two places which I had wanted to visit since a long time ago; one was the Omori Shell Mounds, and the other was Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
　　The Omori Shell Mounds was found and examined by Edward Sylvester Morse, who was a zoologist invited as a professor of Tokyo University by the government. One day, he noticed the exposure of shells on the way to his office and started to excavate the soil. He is now called the Father of Japan's archaeology. The site is put under the ward's administration as the Omori Shell Mounds Park, honoring his achievements. I headed for the second destination, but I didn't know that the university had two campuses and wrongly visited the Shinagawa Campus, so I'll write about it when I visit the other campus.

(Vocabulary)
burdensome（心身の）重荷［負担］となる, やっかいな.
the Omori Shell Mounds 大森貝塚

帰りの飛行機も来たときと同様に夜出発して早朝に日本に着く。昼間暑い中を歩いたためか爆睡したが、これほどシャワーの恋しい日はなかった。時差のないフライトなので体力的には楽である。
日本に着いてから、品川を散策。ずっと立ち寄りたかった大森貝塚へ寄った。縄文土器という命名はこの地を発見、発掘したモース博士によるものだ。東京海洋大学キャンパス内を散策するなどして半日ほどを過ごして帰松。

Optional Tours

　　Generally speaking, the Singapore City tour wasn't so much fun for me. The places, which attracted me, weren't included in the tour, though I knew that the moving distance and time were limited. Beautiful flowers and trees in the National Orchid Garden gave me a good time, but those plants were arranged by humans. They weren't attractive to me. I love wandering in the wilderness. This garden was so artificial to such a person like me. Some plants were donated by Japanese celebrities, but I didn't care for them. The tour guide gave a short lecture about flowers there. She knew lots of names of plants in Japanese, and I admired her for it.
　　By the same token, optional tours I had chosen didn't meet my high standards. The extremely high temperature was an unbearable factor, for which I don't mean to hold the travel agent responsible, though. I was really satisfied with the Diamond Princess, but I should have more elaborately planned the optional tours at every port of call. I heard from a newly-wed couple about their one-day trip in Phuket. They hired a taxi all day to avoid the scorching heat and visited several places of their choice. The taxi fee sounded like it was considerably low. I'll add hiring taxis into our option on the next trip.

(Vocabulary)
hold sb responsible (for sth) （＜…＞を）＜人＞の責任にする
I hold him responsible for everything that happened. 彼が起こったことすべての責任を負うべきだと思う．
of your choice 自分で選んだ, 自分の好みの
under the belt 所持して、身につけて
...workers with two or more languages under their belt are better-placed to land top-paying jobs. ２カ国語以上身につけている労働者は、高収入の職に就くのが有利になると言うことですね。

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：

シンガポール市内観光は総じてあまり面白いものではなかった。自分の興味のあるところはどこにも寄らなかった。移動距離や時間の制約を考えると仕方のないことではあるのだが。National Orchid Gardenに寄った。美しい花々が目を楽しませてくれたが、あまりにも人工的で山歩きを趣味とする自分には楽しい場所ではなかった。日本の有名人や政治家の寄付によって植えられた植物も有り、表示されていたが、興味なし。ここでもガイドの語学力に驚かされた。植物の名前を各言語で覚えているというのだから。

今回のツアーで利用したオプショナルツアーはどれも評価は低い。あまりの暑さで観光を楽しむことが出来なかった。船には満足したのだが、寄港地での過ごし方をこれからは慎重に考えてクルーズ旅行に出かけなければならないと思った。プーケットでタクシーを借り切ったカップルの話を聞いた。信頼できる仲介者を通じてタクシーを借り切って好きなところを廻ることを次の旅では考えたい。

What I Thought Seeing Posters in the Restroom

　　I don't like heights, so I felt relieved climbing down from the Sans Skypark, but I was taken to the Singapore Flyer next, which was known to be one of the highest ferris wheels worldwide.
　　The 1st picture shows the entrance of the Singapore Flyer. A woman in it was our tour guide. She talked with us in Japanese, but with local people in English or Mandarin. As I wasn't able to distinguish the conversation between her and the bus driver at all, I asked her. That was Hokkien. She sounded like she was able to use Cantonese too. I was taken by complete surprise. She would guide Cantonese people. She must be one of the top tour guides in Singapore. I can give her a well-deserved pat on the back.
　　The 2nd picture shows the Marina Bay Sands Hotel from the Singapore Flyer. I was scared only to recall that I had been at the edge of there shortly before. The next two pictures were shot at the restroom in the entrance hall of the Singapore Flyer. It must be for a campaign to save water.
　　According to our guide, most of the water in Singapore was imported from Malaysia. The gravel to extend the land was bought or robbed from other countries. It sometimes led to even the disappearance of tiny islets. I felt some fragility in Singapore's infrastructures, whose land can't support the people. I'm not sure, but the army drills in Taiwan.
　　While we are on the subject of Singapore, let me digress a bit and tell you a short story about Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was handed back to China, the UK wasn't required to return Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. They were obliged to return the New Territory Area only. However, the UK restored the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island along with the New Territory Area. It is said that the then Prime Minister Thatcher had been threatened with not supplying water from the mainland to the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island by the then Chinese Communist Leader, Deng Xiao Ping. He promised that China would adopt two different policies between their mainland and the newly-returned area for the coming 50 years then, but the promise is now going to be scrapped. The Singapore Flyer would run on electricity, which must be imported. Reflecting vaguely on various things, the prosperity of Singapore began to seem a house built on sand.
　　Back to the track, the streets in Singapore were clean without litter, but Japan is the same. However, as for public toilets, both countries were completely different. Japanese toilets are second to none.

(Vocabulary)
Hokkien　福建語　閩南語
Cantonese　広東語
Deng Xiao Ping 鄧小平
a house built on sand 砂上の楼閣

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　シンガポールのトイレで考えたこと
　
実は高所恐怖症のためSans Skyparkから降りてホッとしたのだが、すぐにまた観覧車に乗るという。世界でも有数の高さらしい。Sans Skyparkから見えていたので嫌だなと思っていたのだが。
　
最初の写真は観覧車、Singapore Flyerへの入り口。立っている女性はガイド。我々に対しては日本語で話すが、現地の人とは英語やシナ語で話していた。バスの運転手との会話は全く聞き取れなかったので尋ねると、福建語だという。バスの運転手は福建語しか話せないという。このガイドの語学力には驚いた。広東語も使えると言うから香港からの観光客も案内するのだろう。おそらくはトップクラスのガイドだろう。
　
２枚目の写真はSingapore Flyerから撮影したMarina Bay Sands Hotel。あの上に立っていたのかと思うだけで怖かった。Singapore Flyerから降りてトイレに寄った。そこで次の２枚のポスターを見つけた。水を節約しようという啓蒙ポスターのようだ。ガイドに寄れば水はほとんどマレーシアからの輸入。国土を拡げるために使っている土砂はインドネシアなどから買ったり、無断で奪ったり、、、小さな島がなくなってしまうほど。水や食糧を自給できない国の脆さを感じた。この国の陸軍は確か台湾で訓練をさせてもらっていたはず。
　
香港の歴史を思い出した。香港返還時、あまり詳しく報道されていないが、イギリスは香港島と九竜半島の返還義務はなかった。返還義務のあったのは新界地区のみ。香港島と九竜半島を返還することになったのは水を供給しないなどと鄧小平に脅され、向こう５０年の一国二制度という彼の言葉を信用したサッチャーが結果的には騙された形だ。Singapore Flyerは間違いなく電気で動いているのだろう。この電気も結局は輸入。いろいろと考えているうちにシンガポールの繁栄が砂上の楼閣に思えてきた。
　
街並みが美しいと評判のシンガポール、確かにごみが落ちていないが、これは日本も同様。ただトイレは違った。日本のトイレに勝るトイレは世界中探してもないと思う。

One Day Tour In Singapore

　　After passing our luggage to a travel agent, we got on a sightseeing bus. The transport service of luggage from the cruise ship terminal to Singapore airport was really helpful. We didn't want to carry our luggage with us in the scorching heat. The first place we visited was the Sans Skypark, which was located on the roof of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, whose characteristic appearance, along with its rooftop pool, is well-known among international tourists. I was able to view the southern part of Singapore from there, but the pool was only for hotel customers and I was only able to see it.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：

船から下りて受け取った荷物を旅行会社の手配した荷物専用車にすぐに預けた。これは本当に有り難かった。この暑い中、荷物を持っては歩けない。観光バスに乗り、クルーズ船専用ターミナルを出発した。まず寄ったのはSans Skypark。今やシンガポールのランドマークとなった屋上にプールのあるMarina Bay Sandsの屋上展望台だ。ただ名物のプールは宿泊客専用とのことで横から眺めただけ。屋上からの眺めは圧感で、シンガポールの南部を広く見渡すことができた。

Disembarkation

　　The ship got moored in Singapore. We were told to stay in our cabin until the designated time to ease the congestion at the gate. Passengers who had debts in the ship had to pay that at the disembarkation desk. As for me, I had signed the paper in advance and all the payments were automatically done by credit card and we had only to receive our passports before getting off the ship.
　　On the way to the exit, I found a panel on the wall, which I'll show you below. It was what you call, a proof of birth of the ship. The passenger ship, the Diamond Princess, was surely built in Japan. Proceeding on the route, there stood an information panel, which told us that the Diamond Princess was going on a cruise to Kota Kinabalu, which I had visited last fall, in the evening on the same day. I felt like staying on the cruise. Murmuring that I would be sure to come back, I took a picture of the bow with the ship's name.
　　The immigration control was at the same place as when I had left Singapore. The procedure was really smooth. People, who had got on board 5 days ago, just came out of the ship. The inspectors would be feeling at ease. When I dropped in at the Baggage Claim, lots of German words came into my ear. I was able to understand some part of their conversations, and that was fun for me. When I went out of the building, I found the German passenger ship of "Mein Schiff", which I had seen at the harbour of Penang island. I'll show you pictures shot from the top of the Singapore Flyer. This side is the Mein Schiff and the opposite is the Diamond Princess in the pictures.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　
　
いよいよ下船。あらかじめ指示された時刻まで部屋で待機。支払いの残っている人は下船デスクで支払いを済ませてパスポートを受け取る。僕は事前に登録したクレジットカードでの精算なので下船デスクでパスポートを受取るだけ。
　
下船口にこの船の出生証明とも呼べるパネルがあったので撮影。日本生まれの船だ。指示されたルートを進むと写真に示した案内を見つけた。この船は夕方には新しい客を乗せてまたすぐに出港するようだ。行き先は『コタキナバル』、昨秋に訪れたボルネオ島のあの街だ。このまま降りずに乗っていたい気がした。また乗るからなと念じつつ、陸上から舳先の写真を撮った。
　
入国手続き場所は乗船したところと同じ。スムーズに手続きは進んだ。５日前に乗り込んだ同じ人が降りてくるだけなので審査官も気楽だろう。Baggage Claimへ行くと、やけにドイツ語が聞こえてくる。外を見るとあのマインシフがやって来ていた。言葉が聞き取れるというのはそれだけで快感。この後訪問したSingapore Flyerからの写真をupする。向こう側がDiamond Princess、手前がマインシフ(ドイツ語で僕の船)である。

Regret

　　After packing our suitcases and giving up swimming, I went up to the deck to drink something. Then I noticed my misunderstanding about the 20 hours-operating restaurant, Horizon Court.
　　There were several groups on the deck who were chatting over wines and dishes from Horizon Court. I could have taken dishes out of the restaurant. We had dinner every evening at a decent restaurant set up by the tour company and didn't drop in at Horizon Court in the evening. We found this evening that we could have eaten some sweets, dessert, or even another dinner every night at Horizon Court.
　　To tell the truth, I got two bottles of wine at Singapore Changi Airport and brought them into the cabin. I got some snacks on Penang island, since there was no shop which handled such items in the ship. I wished that there were some convenience stores on board, but I realized why not. Such shops weren't necessary as there were lots of kinds of nibbles at Horizon Court for free.
　　Every restaurant in Japan has time limitations, if you are allowed to eat as much as you like. It is prohibited to take dishes out to eat them later. However, the restaurant was on board, where the customers weren't able to go out. It's the same thing to eat in the restaurant and in the cabin or somewhere else. You were allowed to bring dishes back to the cabin.
　　I was so sorry to find that out just on the previous night of the disembarkation. I was determined to reserve a cabin with a balcony next time and enjoy wines there. I'll show you a picture of balconies.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　船内でスナック類を売っていない謎判明
　
荷物の整理後、夜１０時頃だったか、泳ぐのは諦めて一杯飲もうかとデッキへ出てみた。ここで大変なことに気がついた。デッキチェアーに横になって、２０時間営業のHorizon Courtから料理を持ち出してワインを飲んでいる乗客が何組もいたのだ。この手があったのか～と地団駄。つまり、ディナーの後、Horizon Courtへ寄って、何回でも食事できたし、持ち出すこともできたのだ。Horizon Courtの夕方以降のメニューを見ていないと家内も残念がっていた。
　
実は、船室で飲むために、シンガポール空港でワインを買って持ち込んでいた。そして、つまみをペナン島で買って持ち込んだ。そのつまみが美味しくなくて、結局捨ててしまった。船内にスナック菓子を売っているところがなかったからだが、そのわけがやっとわかった。必要ないからだ。
　
日本人的感覚では食べ放題と言われても大体は時間制限がかかっている。後で食べようと食べ放題のレストランから料理を持ち帰ることは禁止されている。ただここはどこへも出られない船の中。持ち帰って船室で食べようと、レストランで食べようと、食べる量は同じ。食べ放題のレストランから料理を持ち出すことは禁止されていなかった。
　
明日には降りなければならない今になって気がつくとは、、、次回はバルコニー付きの部屋で、テイクアウトした料理を心ゆくまで味わうことにしたい。

Briefing on Disembarkation, Blockage of Toilet

　　Then I attended the disembarkation briefing. It was an obligation of passengers. You can easily imagine how crowded the gate would be when more than 2000 passengers get out of the ship at one time. I was told to do packing and put our suitcases in front of the cabin's door before 9 o'clock, which would be collected by the crew. We were supposed to receive them after the procedure of immigration on the next day. I carelessly put my swimming trunks into my suitcase, and had to give up swimming under the star-studded sky.
　　To add insult to injury, the toilet in my cabin became blocked. I didn't know why. I called the front desk. They told me that they would deliver a pipe fitter as soon as possible, and we didn't need to stay in the cabin. However, since I'd like to see what's happening and how he or she would fix it, we waited for the repair person.
　　A young man came in 10 minutes later and didn't do anything but look at the toilet in my cabin. He went out and came back in 5 minutes. The toilet began to work properly then. I asked him about his job. He was a plumbing specialist and was on board only in case of pipe troubles. I asked him, "how many kinds of specialists are on board?" He didn't know that. He seemingly didn't know other crew members except for several persons associated with his job. I thought it might be natural for him not to know other crew as there were over 1000 crew members on board.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　下船手続き

全員出席を義務づけられている下船説明会。下船、シンガポールへの入国手続きなどの説明。２０００人の乗客が一度に下船する混雑は容易に想像できる。それを少しでも軽減するために指示に従わなければならない。スーツケースは２１時までに部屋の前に出すよう指示された。このスーツケースを手にするのはシンガポール入国後となる。これにうっかり海パンを入れてしまったため、満天の星の下、プールサイドでシンガポールスリングを飲むという最後の計画が流れてしまった。（泣）

追い打ちを掛けるようにトイレが詰まった。フロントに電話をすると、できるだけ早く修理するが、部屋にいなくても直しておくので外出ＯＫとのこと。とはいえ、修理風景を見たいので待っていると、１０分ほどで担当者が来て５分で直した。聞けば、水回りの修理のためだけに乗船しているとのこと。いったいどれだけの専門職がいるのかと尋ねたが、知らないとのこと。部署が違えば知らないのも当然か。１０００人ものクルーがいるのだから。

（写真は下船時に渡された記念写真で航海の記録が書かれています）

Kitchen Tour

　　The kitchen tour was great! It appeared there were several kitchens in the ship, and I was able to see one of them. Not hearing from the crew, but in my humble opinion, in some epidemics like Norovirus, the decentralization of kitchens would be much better placed to protect healthy passengers from the risk of infection. I'm not a specialist of the design of kitchens, but I realized that it was elaborately designed.
　　The cooking tables differed by its method, like boiling, frying, roasting, simmering, and so on. The several enormous fridges were set and I found some nice ideas for facilitating waiters' work around there. The kitchen staff members were supposed to cook for 2700 passengers and 1100 crew members. The crew have meals in the time slot when the passengers don't eat. That is to say, the kitchen would operate all day.
　　The guide told us about the purchasing of meat. In case of beef, they purchase a whole body of beef cattle and cut it into various parts in the ship, and they use all of them without its skin. Two processing specialists were on board. These stories surprised me. In the stockroom of wines there were numerous bottles. To my regret, I forgot to take pictures in the kitchen. I'll post a picture of a restaurant just before starting dinner time.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　厨房見学ツアー
　
厨房見学ツアーは圧感だった。厨房は船内に何カ所も有るらしい。そのうちの一つだけを見せてもらったのだが、実に機能的に造られていた。ツアーガイドから聞いたのではなく、自分が勝手に思いついたのだが、キッチンをいくつかに分けておくことはノロウイルス等による感染症対策としても有効と思われた。料理方法別に調理場が異なり、ウェイターが運びやすい工夫など随所に見られた。２７００人の乗客の食事と、１１００人の乗組員のまかない食を作っている。乗客が食べない時間帯にスタッフが食べるのだからほぼ２４時間稼働している調理場だ。肉の仕入れ方法を聞いたのだが、牛一頭の肉をまるまる積み込んで、船内に解体専門のスタッフが２人いて船内で捌いているそうだ。骨まで利用しているらしい。ワイン蔵も覗いた。かなりの数だった。厨房内の写真を撮り忘れ、セッティングを終えたばかりのレストランの写真をupします。

On the Last Day

　　On the all-day cruising day, I saw an array of events on the bulletin, Princess Patter. A variety of events were scheduled at every corner of the ship. Some passengers spent a relaxing time in galleries or the library, others enjoyed jogging or doing exercises in the gym. As for me, I joined the wine tasting, the British-style afternoon tea party, and the kitchen tour. Then I attended the briefing for disembarkation, which was required by the crew.
　　The wine tasting was not fun at all. A specialist's one-sided commentary was difficult to understand, containing words new to me. Additionally, the tastes of the wines weren't special to me, but it might be due to my poor tongue.
　　With regard to the British afternoon tea party, I had assumed that I had to learn something ritual like Japan's tea ceremony, but I was wrong. It was really easygoing. I heard that the Brits would find it unusual and odd that Japanese people would learn how to drink teas even paying tuition fees. Comparing the Japanese tea ceremony with the British one, their thoughts are really acceptable to me. Anyway, I enjoyed a British tea and some sweets. One thing that I was sorry for was that we were gathered into a Japanese group. I wanted to chat with passengers from other countries.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　
　
終日航海の日にはいろいろな催しが目白押し。ギャラリーや図書館でのんびり過ごしたり、デッキでジョギングしたり、フィットネスジムでエクササイズ、プールで泳いだり、人それぞれ。僕の午後はまず、ワインのティスティング、そしてイギリス式アフタヌーンティー、そして厨房見学ツアー、下船方法説明会、ディナーの予定。
　
まず、ワインのティスティング：　面白くなかった。一方的な説明だけで聞き取れない単語も多かったし。ワインの味にしても、特別な感じはしなかった。これは当方の舌の問題かもしれないが。
　
続いて、アフタヌーンティー。日本の茶道のような特別なやり方があるのかと思ったが何も無し。気楽なものだった。イギリス人が、日本人が茶道をお金を出して学ぶことについて不思議に感じると言うのが納得できた。他の国の人たちと同じテーブルを囲むことを期待したのだが、日本人だけで集められた。ちょっと残念。

On the Roof Deck

　　My wife went window-shopping and I went up to the roof deck. I was lying on a beach chair without sunscreen under the tropical strong ultraviolet rays, over free soft drinks, reading a travel guidebook of Singapore, for about an hour and a half. This behaviour was reckless in hindsight. I suffered from a first degree burn over my whole body. Several events were held there and I stayed a long time against my better judgement.

(Vocabulary)
in/with hindsight (with the benefit/wisdom of hindsight とも) 今にして思えば, 後になってわかったが, 後の祭りだが

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　熱帯の強い紫外線の下で大やけど

メディカルセンター見学の後、ランチ。カミさんはショッピング街、ギャラリーめぐりをするというので一人デッキで日光浴。結果的にこれは無謀だった。日焼け止めを使わず、次に入港するシンガポールのガイドブックを読みながら無料のソフトドリンクを飲みながら約１時間３０分、熱帯の強い紫外線の降り注ぐ炎天下にいて全身１度熱傷。写真にあるようなイベントが次々とあってついつい長居をしてしまったのです。

Medical Center

　　The next spot which I visited was the medical center. I was so much interested in its equipment, the number of staff members, the work shift, and so on. I wanted to chat with the ship's doctors of the Diamond Princess. I feel a little bit like working as a ship's doctor.
　　I asked the concierge at the front desk if I was allowed to make a medical center tour, showing my doctor's certificate in advance on the previous night after the musical. She told me to wait for the captain's directive. I wondered if my request was a big issue that required the captain's permission. Anyway, the concierge called me about an hour later and told me to visit the center anytime directly and comply with its receptionist.
　　I dropped in at the medical center just before noon. The equipment was beyond my expectation. I wanted to talk with doctors, but they were absent at that time, and a nurse guided me in the medical center as long as I was out of reach of personal information.
　　There was an operating room equipped with shadowless lamps and a gas machine, which seemed to make surgeons capable of performing simple operations. There were three or four wards, which were equipped with pipes of oxygen, ventilators, X-ray film viewers, and one of them was designed for isolated patients. A stretcher, which takes on the role of the ambulance on board, was placed in front of a silver and seemingly thick door with lots of medical apparatus for emergencies. I often see stretchers in my office, and wasn't interested in it. However, the silver door behind the stretcher caught my eye. The nurse, who guided me, didn't explain about the door, but I asked if it was a morgue. My speculation wasn't wrong, but not correct. It was a refrigeration morgue. The longest voyage of this ship is from Japan to Hawaii and from the U.S. to the U.K. and if someone passed away during these voyages, he or she would be kept in this morgue, because there's no means to take the body out of the ship.
　　When I told her about my specialty, cross-sectional emergency procedures, she replied that I was eligible enough for a ship's doctor. I thought that a ship's doctor was an option in the future.

(Vocabulary)
comply with something (フォーマル) ＜法律・規則など＞に従う, ＜要求＞に応じる
The company has not complied with the law. 会社は法律に従っていない．
gas machine / anesthetic machine 麻酔器
an X-ray film viewer / Schaukasten シャーカステン
morgue 死体安置［保管］所、霊安室

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　メディカルセンターと霊安室

次に立ち寄ったのが船内にあるクリニック。いったいどのような設備があるのか、スタッフの数や勤務形態などに興味があった。可能ならこのような船に勤務してみたいという気も少しはある。

昨日の夜、ミュージカルの終わった後、コンシュルジュに医師資格証を呈示して医師であることを示した上で、クリニックの見学ができないかと尋ねた。ちょっと待て、キャプテンに相談するとの返事、、、船長にまで通さなければならないことか？と驚いたが、１時間ほどして電話があり、明日直接クリニックへ行き、窓口で相談するようとのこと。閑なら応対してくれそうだ。

で、寄ってみた。思った以上の施設だった。医師と話をしたかったのだが不在？『不在』ってあり得るのかなと思ったが他に何か用があったのだろう。ナースが対応してくれて、個人情報に触れない範囲で隅々まで見せてくれた。

無影灯や麻酔器の置かれた手術室が有り、簡単な手術ならできそうだった。入院用の病室は３室あり、酸素配管、呼吸器、シャーカステンなどが備わっており、隔離用の部屋もあった。船内で救急車の役割を持つストレッチャーは重装備ですぐに持ち出せるよう専用の場所に置かれていた。ただその奧にあったドアが気になった。説明をしてくれたナースはスルーしたのだが、あれはもしかして霊安室かと尋ねたら、やはりそうだった。しかも、冷蔵霊安室！日本からハワイ、アメリカからイギリスへの大西洋横断、これらの航路が５日から１週間の終日航海となり、その間に亡くなられた場合は運び出せないのでこの霊安室へ安置されるとのこと。

自分の得意な分野（各科横断的な救急処置）を説明すると、船医として十分に勤まる、というよりももったいないくらいだとおだてられた。先々でこういった豪華客船の船医も良いなあ。

Theater

　　I dropped in at the theater after breakfast [See the following pictures.] You might wrongly assume where this is, but this is on board. I didn't watch performances which had been given there and really wanted to enjoy them on the last night of cruising. This theater was closed in the afternoon for a rehearsal for a musical which would be put on in the evening. "What musical is it?", I wondered. I decided to wrap the dinner up earlier and move to the theater to get seats.
　　The second picture was shot during waiting for the opening. I refrained from shooting during the play.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　終日航海の日、船内探検　

朝食後、シアターを覗いてみた。１枚目の写真。念のため書いておくが、これは船内にある。実はまだここで行われていたショーを全く見ていないので、今日こそは観劇しようと思った。この場所、午後は、夜のショーのリハーサルのため入室禁止という看板が出ていた。いったいどのようなミュージカルなのか、楽しみ。ただ、席を確保するためには夕食後のんびりしてはいられない。少し早めに夕食を切り上げてここへ移動しなければと考えた。

２枚目の写真は夜１９時頃開演を待っている時に撮影した。ミュージカル上演中の写真は撮影を控えたが、楽しいショーだった。

All-day Cruising

　　The Diamond Princess was on the ocean all day on March 15th. All passengers stayed in the ship and most facilities were crowded. What should I do?
　　Examining the on board map, I found several places which I had not yet seen. I listed several spots to see and decided to visit them in turn. We had breakfast at the usual place, Horizon Court. It was not so crowded as I had expected. Lots of passengers might start the day leisurely. I ate a big breakfast.

(Vocabulary)
leisurely ゆったりした, のんびりした
a leisurely pace/speed ゆっくりとした歩調［スピード］
leisurely [副](書き言葉) ゆっくりと
have a large [big] breakfast. 朝食をたくさん食べる

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　終日航海の日
　
今日は一日中どこへも寄港せずクルージング予定。外出できないので船内の施設はどこも混んでいる。さて何をしようか。
　
船内マップをじっくり見ると、まだ見ていない場所がいくつもある。リストアップして見ていく順番を決めた。まずはいつもの場所、Horizon Courtで朝食。思ったほど混んでいない。今日は皆、朝はゆっくりスタートするのかな。いつものようにたっぷりと朝食を摂る。

Back to the Ship

　　Most tourists seemed to be heavily worn out. We were supposed to walk around the city center for an hour in the afternoon, but even local people weren't walking outside. I thought that one hour was useless. I can't help pointing it out to be a fault of the travel agency. There would be other air-conditioned facilities and tourist spots, or beautiful scenery which we were able to see from inside of the bus. Looking at the map, the area we visited was only a small southeastern part of the island. We didn't see well-known beautiful beaches on the west coast. I know it's hindsight-based opinion, but I should have picked up an air-conditioned taxi for sightseeing. In Phuket, you should spend time at beaches, I assumed.
　　When our bus stopped at the pier, which was connected to the Diamond Princess, I was relieved. The picture shows the Diamond Princess and its tender boat coming to pick us up. "I can get back to my comfortable cabin." I uttered silently in my mind.
　　My cabin wasn't equipped with a bathtub, and I bathed in the Japanese-style public bath this evening. Then I took a walk on the stern deck. There was a basketball and volleyball court. The second picture shows my dessert. I was able to eat as much dessert as I wanted. I got a hunch to gain weight. I was determined to have some exercise on the next day and slept.

(Vocabulary)
hunch 予感, 虫の知らせ

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　暑さに参った話

昼からはツアー客のほとんどが暑さに参っていた。予定ではプーケットタウンの街を自由行動となっていたが、外を歩いている現地の人など、ほとんどいない。この１時間ほどは無駄な時間だった。旅行会社の観光スケジュールは間違っていたと言わざるを得ない。冷房の効いた観光施設、あるいはバスから眺める美しい景色が他にもあったろうにと残念に思った。地図を見ると我々が廻った地域は島の南東部のごく一部。有名なビーチが並ぶ西岸地域は行けなかった。結果論だが、冷房付きのタクシーをチャーターすればよかった。

バスが桟橋について沖に待つダイヤモンド・プリンセスを見てホッとした。写真は沖に停泊するダイヤモンド・プリンセスと迎えに来ているテンダーボート。やっと船に戻ることができる。つまり、快適な場所に戻ることができると言うことでツアー客には安堵の表情がありありと出ていた。

我々の船室にはシャワーしかなかったので、夜は久しぶりに日本式の風呂に入り、船尾方面を散歩。屋上にはバスケットボールやバレーボールのできるコートがあった。写真は夕食の後のデザート。もちろんデザートも数十種類あって、食べ放題。太る予感。明日は運動をしようと心に決めて就寝。