Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Princess Patter

　　Now, life at sea has started. The title of this entry is the name of the bulletin of the ship and I'll show you it below. When we came back to our cabin, our suitcases were there. Passengers had to obey the dress code in most restaurants, and we brought respectable clothes to make us presentable. We took them out and hung them in the closet. If we should leave our room on the next day, this would get us nowhere. I thought that it was the cruise to move with the room itself. My wife rushed to the laundromat after changing clothes to wash sweaty clothes. If these were half dry, no problem! We were able to move with them hung in the bathroom. The dinner was really gorgeous! We perfectly went all out! We were able to eat as much as we could, so I skipped appetizers, soup, pasta, and bread, then I ordered two kinds of main dishes with wine. I was afraid that the price of wine would be expensive, but they had a variety of reasonable ones as well as the expensive ones.
　　I'll upload the pictures of the Princess Patter of the 1st day. You could tell where and when all the events would be held. Pages 2 and 3 were translated into Japanese. The evacuation drill is written at the right of the middle of page 2.

 マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　　船旅開始　部屋がまるごと移動するのはこの上なく快適
　　
いよいよ船内での生活が始まる。タイトルは船内新聞の名前だ。部屋に帰るとスーツケースが届いていた。夕食はある程度の身だしなみを要求され、夕食用の服を持参したが、しわになると困るので衣類をすぐにクローゼットに片付けた。そして、こんなことができるのがクルーズだ。一泊だけで移動するホテルだとこうはいかない。カミさんはさっそくコインランドリーへ。今日は暑かった。取りあえず汗臭いものを洗濯。半乾きでも問題なし。シャワールームに干したまま移動できる。そして夕食はゴージャス！メインディッシュが何種類でも食べ放題。なので、前菜なし、スープなし、メインディッシュ２種類とワイン！ワインは予想していたほど高価なものばかりではなかった。
　
１日目の船内新聞をアップする。船内で行われていることの概略がここに書かれている。２ページと３ページが日本語に翻訳され配られてきたが、ほとんど役に立たず。いろいろなイベントが船内のあちこちで行われていることがわかる。２ページ目の真ん中辺り右側に１５時１５分からの避難訓練について書かれている。笑ったのが、４ページ目、上の段の左側、上から６項目目にIzumi Japanese Bath(泉の湯)というのがある。その４行目にNude Timeとある。午後４時から８時までは水着で、８時から１０時までは日本式でということなのだが、まあJapanese-style Bathと書かれるよりはわかりやすいかも。（笑）しかし、ヌードタイムとは、日本人が聞いたらなにやら誤解しそうな言葉ではなかろうか？(^_^;)

 

Exploration

　　Carrying the map of the ship, I began to explore the ship. Some people were doing the ship tour and others were swimming in the first picture. I wanted to jump into the pool to escape from the cruel high temperature, but my swimsuit was in the suitcase. People who were swimming at this time of departure must have brought their swimsuits in their carry-on bag and have been frequent guests at the same time. Next time, I must be sure to put them into my carry-on bag. Then, I found myself having my heart set on repeating the cruise trip.
　　The second picture shows the indoor pool. You'll see a bar counter in the back of the picture. The next picture shows the jacuzzi at the stern, which was set outside of the Japanese style public bath. The instruction was also written in Japanese, about which I'll write in another entry.
　　Several dozen people were in the stern, who seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere of the departure. The scenery just after the heavy and short rain was really beautiful. I thought it was also nice to wait for the departure here over a glass of Singapore Sling. The last two pictures show the Ovation of the Seas. It appeard in full view against Marina Bay Sands just after the departure.

(Vocabulary)
stern 船尾
Singapore Sling シンガポールはラッフルズホテルで考案されたカクテル

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　船内探検開始

船内地図を持ち船内探検を開始。１枚目の写真では船内を見て回る人に加えてもう泳いでいる人がいる。ジャグジーに使っている人も。あまりの暑さにすぐにでも飛び込みたかったが水着はスーツケースの中。この時点で泳いでいる人は水着を手荷物として持ち込んだリピーターに違いない。次回は水着は手荷物に入れることにしよう。と、すでにもう、また次のクルーズに出るつもりになっている、、、(^_^;)
　
２枚目の写真は屋内プール。奧にはバーカウンターが見える。３枚目は船尾にあるジャグジー。船尾方向の眺めはかなり良い。日本式の風呂の外に設置されていた。４枚目の写真でジャグジーの説明が日本語で書かれている。なぜここに日本語が？と思ったが、これについては後の記事で書く。
　
次の写真は船尾左舷から、船尾にて出港を待つ人たちを撮ったもの。スコールが上がったばかりの風景が美しい。シンガポールスリングでも飲みながら、出港を待つのもいいな。最後の２枚は先の記事で書いたRoyal Caribbean InternationalのOvation of the Seas。出港してその全景を見ることができた。

Evacuation Drill and Ovation of the Seas

　　I entered my cabin at about 14:00 hours. My cabin was located on the inner side of the 10th floor, and was the cheapest one though it had no window. My wife and I would stay in this room for 6 days. I'd like to have opened our suitcases at once, but they were late. After all, they arrived at about 16:00 hours. We decided to explore the ship until then.
　　Before that, I had to join the evacuation drill starting at 15:15 hours. Under the ship's regulations, all passengers must have evacuation training. We brought life jackets from the cabin to the workshop and actually put them on, and listened to the siren ordering the evacuation. I had a lecture from a Japanese crew member. The "Muster Station D" on the right upper corner on the cruise card which I had shown in the previous article gives the meeting site in an emergency. The attendance and absence was strictly managed and passengers who didn't attend the workshop seemed to be called up to another workshop.
　　The ship was really enormous. Its length was 290 meters. We went up to the highest deck at first. Almost all the passengers were seeing the left side, and we also walked to the left. We were able to see Marina Bay Sands, Gardens By The Bay, and lots of vessels off the shore. Then, I was surprised to see the right side of the Diamond Princess. I thought it was the building of the terminal. Taking a careful look, however, another huge ship was moored over the terminal. I wasn't able to read its name, and I moved from the top to the tail and took pictures. Its name was Ovation of the Seas! I remembered the signboard of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Company in the terminal. It would sail out soon. It had a crane-like structure on its top. What's that? A ball hung at the tip of the crane. What is that used for? This ship apparently accommodates 4180 passengers. Marvellous!

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：         建物ではなく船だった、、、の巻

１４時頃に船室に入ることができた。１０階の内側、すなわち窓のないチープな部屋だ。しかし６日間は自由に使える。まずは荷物の整理をしたかったがまだ届かない。結局１６時頃に届いたのだが、それまで船内を探検した。
　
と、その前ににっぽん丸でも行われた避難訓練。１５時１５分船室から救命胴衣を持って指示された場所に集まった。実際に救命胴衣を装着し、船外退避を指示するサイレンを聴き、日本人クルーから避難の際の心得を聞いた。前の記事に載せているクルーズカードの右上、Muster Station Dというのは緊急サイレンが鳴った時に待機する場所を表している。この訓練は出欠を厳しく記録された。欠席者には別途指導があるらしい。なかなか厳しい。
　
船内は実に広い。全長２９０メートル！取りあえず一番近いエレベーターで一番上へ行ってみた。１４階のデッキではほとんどの人が左舷側にいるのでそちらを見ると、マリーナベイサンズやガーデンズインザベイ、沖に停泊する無数の船舶を見渡せた。タグボートが近づいて来た。出港の準備が始まったようだ。ふと右舷側を見て驚いた。クルーズターミナルビルだと思っていたらその向こう側に一隻大きな船が停泊しているではないか。名前を読めなかったので、船首から船尾まで移動して船名を確認した。"Ovation of the Seas"「海の喝采」かぁ、粋な名前だ。Royal Caribbean Internationalの船だ。ターミナルに案内板があったことを思い出した。近く出港するのだろう。そして良く見ると屋上にクレーンがある。その先端には人が乗り込めそうなボールが吊ってある。気になった。あれは何に使うのだろう？この船、調べてみると旅客定員は４１８０人。ダイヤモンド・プリンセスより大きい。次はあれに乗るかぁ？

Passport Checking

　　I had to leave my passport with the ship's crew at embarkation. It was the third time for me to leave it with others. The first time was in South Korea 6 years ago when my plane wasn't able to land in Japan and flew to South Korea. I was told that my passport had to be kept by the hotel which I had reached at 2 o'clock in the morning. I was so tired and followed his instruction without further thought, but I got angry to find later that it must have been for protection against escape. Who would want to escape in South Korea? (LINK)
　　The second time was when I was heading for Karafuto (Russian name: Sakhalin). I heard that it was to make it easier and faster to enter Russian territory, but Russian officers were really slow in their work. I was angry all the more that they had no legal evidence to live in Karafuto.(LINK)
　　Then this is the third time. The procedure was really smooth and the passengers were able to go out of the ship as soon as the ship arrived at the port of call. I realized how lazy the Russian officers were after such a long time.
　　The picture shows my cruise card, which was used as my ID card, a credit card available only in the Diamond Princess, and the room key. When I was out of the ship, I was told to carry a copy of my passport.

(Vocabulary)
after such a long time 今更ながら

マラッカ海峡クルージング記： パスポートを航海中係員に預けてしまう件

乗船時にパスポートを預ける決まりになっている。パスポートを他人に預けるのは３回目の経験である。一度目は６年前の春、カナダからの帰り、日本国内に着陸できずに仁川国際空港に降りたことがあった。夜中の２時。混乱の中たどり着いたホテルでパスポートを預けるよう指示された。訳がわからなかったが疲れていたので言われるままに預けた。後で考えると、これは逃亡の予防だったに違いない。それに気がつき誰が南朝鮮なんかで逃亡するかと腹が立った。
　
２回目はにっぽん丸でのクルーズで樺太へ向かったとき。樺太は大泊(ロシア名コルサコフ）へ降りるとき、手続きを円滑にするためとのことだったが露助の税関職員の仕事ののろさに辟易した。奴らに南樺太に住む権利はないだけに腹が立った。
　
そして、今回が３回目。逃亡の予防もあったかも知れないが、マレーシア、タイへの入出国をダイヤモンド・プリンセスのスタッフが代行してくれるとのこと。樺太での嫌な思いが甦ったが、心配は全く無用であった。露助どもが如何に怠慢だったかと今更ながら実感した。
　
写真はパスポートと引き替えに渡されたクルーズカード。今でも乗船の記念として手元にあるが、船室の鍵で有り、船内で利用できるクレジットカード、IDカードとなる。船外へ出るときはパスポートのコピーを携帯するよう指示された。

パスポートを預けた件
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/04/hotel-and-airport-personnel.html

露助どもが上がってくる
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/09/immigration.html

Check-in To Diamond Princess

　　I'm meaning to write about check-in to the cruise ship, the Diamond Princess. We were going out of Singapore and entering Malaysia the next morning. I wondered what procedure was required. As our bus was approaching the port, the huge body of the Diamond Princess was getting more and more enormous. Though the ship was there, I had to get through several steps. I received my suitcase and another bag of wine from the JTB's luggage transport staff members in the parking lot which was swarming with more than 2000 passengers. Then, I checked my suitcase at the counter shown in the first picture. Baggage checked here would undergo X-ray tests and be delivered to the passengers' cabins.
　　Next, I had to pass through the examination of my carry-on possessions. I declared two bottles of wine here. While waiting for the next inspection, I found the signboard of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Company. I knew their ship utilized this terminal. The 4th picture shows the entrance of immigration control. I didn't take pictures inside, but there were more than 20 booths. When I went out of the terminal building, the Diamond Princess was waiting for me. Taking a close look, its magnitude was beyond my expectation. Leaving my passport with the crew, I got on board to its 7th deck.

マラッカ海峡クルージング記： 　いよいよ乗船です

ダイヤモンド・プリンセスへの緊張のチェックイン。この船でシンガポールを出国し、翌早朝にはマレーシアに入国する。どのような手続きなのだろう。バスが港に近づくにつれて見えてきた巨大な船。すぐそこにあるのに乗り込むには手続きがいろいろとある。まずはＪＴＢの荷物運搬スタッフからスーツケースを受け取る。２０００人もの乗客がいて受取場所はごった返している。そして１枚目の写真の場所で荷物を預ける。ここで預けた荷物はＸ線検査を受けた後、船室へと運ばれる。１６時くらいに自室へ届けられた。

次は手荷物検査。２枚目の写真に示すように飛行機に乗り込むときと同様な検査があった。手荷物チェックを受けた後、出国審査を待っているときにRoyal Caribbeanの案内板があった。Royal Caribbeanのクルーズ船もこのターミナルで発着するのだと知った。４枚目の写真が出国審査場への入り口。中の撮影はしなかったが２０箇所以上のブースがあったように思う。一気に２０００人以上が乗船するのだから広く造っているのだろう。出国審査を終えて外へ出るとダイヤモンド・プリンセスが待っていた。近くで見ると本当にでかい。クルーにパスポートを預けて、船の７階に乗船した。

Singapore Debut

　　I arrived in Singapore early in the morning on Mar. 11th. After passing the immigration control, I bought two bottles of wine for myself at a duty-free liquor shop. Passengers of the Diamond Princess were strictly regulated about the carry-on wines, that is to say, up to one bottle per person. Even if you got one at a port of call, you would have to leave it on the ship until disembarkation. This rule might be from their policy to have passengers buy wines on board. If you want to bring your bottles in the restaurant, you have to pay corkage. If you don't drink them up and want to have your left-over bottle at the restaurant, you have to pay some fee. That's why I brought my bottles in the cabin, though my cabin was the cheapest one without windows.
　　We arrived in Singapore too early to visit tourist spots and took a rest at JTB office for some time. Then, we started to go sightseeing, but we had to get to the cruise ship terminal before noon, so we could only see a few spots near the port. All the spots were the first time for me, but I had seen them in some pictures or TV programs and they had no historical importance. I was not satisfied with them, but it was a good plan considering the restricted short time. I'll show you some pictures shot at Merlion Park and Gardens by the Bay. Our suitcases and bottles of wine were delivered from the airport to the seaport by the staff members of the JTB. It was really nice for us not to carry them under the cruel heat right on the equator.

(Vocabulary)
disembarkation 降りること, 下船, 下車
corkage (ホテル，レストランへの酒類の) 持ち込み料, 栓抜き料

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　初めてのシンガポール
　
３月１１日早朝にシンガポール入り。まず最初にしたことは免税店でワインを２本購入。船にはアルコール類の持ち込み規制が有り、ワインは一人１本まで。なので２本持ち込むことにした。途中の寄港地で買ったものは下船日まで船に預けなければならない規則になっている。要するに船で買って飲めということか？船内のレストランへ持ち込むと持込料金が発生し、飲み残しをキープするとキープ料金が課せられる、、、で、部屋で飲もうと持ち込んだわけだ。窓のない、一番安い部屋だけど、、、

あまりにも早く着いたため、ＪＴＢのオフィスでしばし休憩。そしてＪＴＢの手配した現地ガイドの案内で市内観光。昼には船への乗船手続きをしなければならないので、港近くの数カ所の観光地だけを巡った。映像で見たことのあるところばかりで、歴史的なものでもなく、個人的には不満足だが、時間的制約の中、これが精一杯のプランだろう。Merlion Park, Gardens by the Bayで撮った写真をアップする。ワインやスーツケースは空港でＪＴＢスタッフに預けて港で受け取った。暑い中、持って歩かずに済んで本当に良かった。

Singapore Airline

　　I might have been able to apply the tour directly to the cruise company (LINK), but I joined the JTB's plan. JTB is one of the principal Japanese travel agents derived from the Japan Travel Bureau Foundation. I supposed that it would be easier and more reliable to join it than my private application. They booked not only the ship, but also our flights between Singapore and Japan. The ship passengers are supposed to apply for optional tours on board if they want, but JTB offered their original tour plans with Japanese speaking tour guides at every port of call in advance. Additionally they would publish the Japanese translation of the ship's bulletin every day. I'll show you some of them later, and actually, their Japanese versions were a bit disappointing to me.
　　We gathered at Haneda International Airport. We were 34 of us and a tour guide. My wife and I made friends with some of them during the cruising. I flew Singapore Airlines, whose CAs were all stylish and pretty. That's not the case in airlines in the USA. Its in-flight entertainment system was not kind to Japanese, but it was ok because I had to sleep all the way on flight. The plane left Japan at 22:50 hours and arrived in Singapore at 05:30 hours. I didn't have time for movies. The time difference between Japan and Singapore is only an hour. The picture shows the breakfast, which was so-so.

(Vocabulary)
port of call 寄港地

マラッカ海峡クルージング記：　羽田からシンガポールへ

ダイヤモンド・プリンセスに乗船するにあたり、直接予約する方法があったかもしれないが、旅行社を通す方が何かと楽だろうと考えＪＴＢを通じて予約した。航空券の予約もお任せできるし船内新聞が日本語に翻訳されるというのも助かる。そして寄港地でのツアーに日本語を話すガイドが付いてくれるのも有り難かった。
　
ツアーの参加者は羽田空港に集合した。３４名の参加者に添乗員が一人。このうち一部の人たちとは航海中にすっかり仲良くなった。利用した航空会社はシンガポール航空。ＣＡが皆スタイルが良くて美しいのに感激。アメリカの航空会社だとこうはいかない。(^_^;)いつものように記念に機内食をｕｐ。これは到着直前に出された朝食。味は平均レベル。映画などの機内エンターテインメントは物足りなかったが、時差のない地域への移動であり、夜中は寝ておかなければならないので映画がなくてもまあ、許せた。羽田を夜１０時５０分に出発し、シンガポールに翌朝５時３０分に到着。

Exercise on the Deck

　　I had a good sleep on the last night of this trip and got up refreshed at shortly after 5 o'clock in the morning. We were supposed to arrive in Otaru at about 10 o'clock and finish our cruise tour there. After having straightened our room, I went out on the roof deck with a cup of coffee. It was a clear sky and a nice ocean view! The light exercise session was just about to start and I joined in. Stretching and walking on the deck blown by a salt breeze was really comfortable. It became a good appetizer at the same time. I ate breakfast twice or more than usual.
　　I had another travel plan in Hokkaido for two more days after disembarkation and so I packed our possessions which we wouldn't need any more into the suitcase and it was to be sent to my home. I got sad to think of us leaving the Nippon Maru. We met new acquaintances and began to chat frankly with crew members. I decided to join a fan club of the Nippon Maru, the "Dolphins' Club," to get the information of the ship. I'll show you the scene of Otaru City from the deck and today's bulletin below.
　　After the cruise we stayed in Hokkaido for two days for some reason. I'll write about a surprise in the next entry on the way home.

　 　 　

Review of the Karafuto Tour

　　Karafuto is now called Sakhalin worldwide, but it's undoubtedly Japan's territory. Japan received the southern part of Karafuto (Sakhalin in Russian) starting at a longitude of 50 degrees north and the associated islands from Russia in the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905 in the wake of the Japanese-Russo War (1904-1905). However, Russian troops invaded it in the summer of 1945, after World War II and they are even now keeping it occupied. I didn't want to show my passport to the Russian immigration officers, but I made a trip to Karafuto on Sep. 6th, the day when Karafuto became Japan's territory 110 years ago, which is the next day of the treaty.
　　There were extremely few signs for tourists nor English-speaking local people. Waitresses in the restaurant were arrogant and there was no explanation for dishes. Gagarin park, one of the main tourist attractions, used to be the Japanese garden until 1945, but there were no comments about the historical facts. The museum on Karafuto's history and culture had no English description on their displays. Various things were simply placed in the showcase. The holy Karafuto shrine was destroyed and renovated to the War-related museum. Unbelievable!
　　Karafuto is located in an isolated area seeing it from Moscow and looked deserted. I had a plan of riding my motorcycle on the soil of Karafuto, but I barely saw a motorcycle even in the capital city of Toyohara. I didn't see any repair shops and assumed that there was no motorcycle culture to enjoy motorcycle-riding itself. Motorcycles must be a means of transportation.
　　I couldn't help imagining what would have become of Karafuto if it wasn't occupied by Russia. I would never visit Karafuto at least while Russian people are dominant on the island.


（Auf Deutsch）
　　Die Südhälfte von Karafuto wurde an Japan unter dem Vertrag von Portsmouth im Jahr 1905 abgetreten. Aber Russland hat Karafuto im Jahr 1945 nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg überfallen und es ist immer noch besetzt. Es war mir sehr unangenehm, den russischen Beamten den Reisepass zeigen zu müssen, aber ich bin nach Karafuto am 6. 9. 2015 gereist. Der Vertrag von Portsmouth, nämlich Frieden mit Russland, wurde am 5. 9. 1905 geschlossen. Das heißt, die Geschichte von Karafuto als japanisches Territorium hat an diesem Tag vor 110 Jahren angebrochen.
　　Ich will meinen Eindruck und meine Meinung über die Besichtigung von Karafuto mitteilen. Es gibt nicht genügend Schilder für die Touristen. Nur wenige können Englisch sprechen. In einem Restaurant waren die Kellnerinen überheblich. Es gibt keine Erklärung zu den Speisen. Der Gagarinpark war früher ein japanischer Garten, aber es gibt kein Schild, das zu zeigen. In dem Heimatmuseum wurden verschiedene Gegenstände ausgestellt, aber ohne japanische oder englische Erklärung. Der ehemalig Karafuto Schrein ist zum Kriegmuseum geändert worden.
　　Karafuto liegt im Grenzland von Russland und ist mir kulturell rückständig erschienen. Ich hatte einen Plan, dort Motorrad zu fahren. Aber ich habe nur einmal, ein Motorrad gesehen. Ich habe kein Motorrad Geschäft in der Straße gesehen, und ich dachte, daß es keine Kultur gibt, Motorradfahren zu genießen.
　　Ich mußte mir vorstellen, wie Karafuto geworden wäre, wenn es japanisch geblieben wäre. Wahrscheinlich will ich russisches Karafuto nicht noch mal besuchen.

(Wortschatz)
Vertrag von Portsmouth　ポーツマス条約
die Hälfte  半分
j3 et4/et4 an j4 ab/treten  譲り渡す
ein/fallen  思いつく；侵攻する
der Eindruck 印象
die Meinung 意見
überheblich 傲慢な

樺太雑感

　樺太の南半分はポーツマス条約（１９０５）により、日本領となった。しかし、１９４５年夏、ソ連が侵攻し、現在も占領を続けている。パスポートを呈示して樺太に渡るのは抵抗があったが、ポーツマス条約の翌日、つまり１９０５年９月６日からちょうど１１０年目に当たる今年の９月６日に樺太へ旅行した。

　案内標識が極端に少なく、英語を喋る人が少ない。レストランでのウェイトレスの態度は傲慢で、料理のメニューもない。ガガーリン公園はかつての日本の庭園だが、それに言及した看板もなければ、英語表記さえない。観光地にはほど遠い環境だ。樺太歴史博物館にも日本語はもちろん英語表記さえない。単にいろいろなものが並べられているに過ぎない。神聖な樺太神社は戦争博物館と化していた。

　ロシアの辺境の地にあり、寂しい土地のように思えた。オートバイを持ち込んで樺太を走る計画を持っていたが、オートバイを見たのは一台だけ。修理工場のようなものも見かけず、オートバイを趣味とする文化はここにはないように見えた。

　もし日本のままだったらどうだったろうかと考えずにはいられなかった。ロシアに占領されている樺太を訪れることはもうないだろう。

The Last Night

　　The last night came. The happy time passes so rapidly. We enjoyed the dinner, the cocktail party thrown by the captain, and the Russian folk music concert. It was our first cruise ship experience and we became perfectly hooked on it. We'd like to join another cruise trip even on foreign ships.

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ

Tanker and Rescue Boat

　　When I got back to the Nippon Maru, an oil tanker was alongside the Nippon Maru. It seemed that the fueling was finished judging from the draft line. I've never seen this type of ship. I observed it carefully and found a rescue boat aft. It was just like a roller coaster about to start. I imagined that in case of fire on such a tanker, the crew members would have to evacuate as fast as possible.
　　When I entered my room, I felt at home. I thought that it was because I had experienced a sense of otherness in Karafuto. I saw the last service of the tender boat from my room and headed for the restaurant.

(Vocabulary)
otherness  ほか［別］のものであること, 異種であること

Shopping Square in Toyohara

　　The last visiting site was the biggest shopping square in Toyohara. Lots of articles for daily use were sold. I dropped in at a watch shop to check the price of my favorite watch, SEIKO ASTRON, which I had been thinking of buying in Japan or another country to save on the consumption tax, but the young shop workers weren't able to communicate in English. What's going on about the education in Karafuto? When I went up the stairs, I found several Japanese people selling Hokkaido products. They were really happy to see us, the Nippon Maru passengers, and treated us to their wine and dried goods.
　　An hour's drive on the Korean-made fairly old and dilapidated bus took us to Oodomari, where the makeshift pier to the Nippon Maru was set. Looking down on the port of Oodomari and Aniwa Bay, I recalled that lots of Japanese refugees had set out for their motherland from here in August 1945. More than 1700 people on the three passenger ships torpedoed by Russian submarines were killed before reaching Hokkaido. 70 years have passed since the Russian invasion, but the Japanese people would never forget their cruelty.

(Vocabulary)
a dilapidated building, vehicle etc is old and in very bad condition
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ

Streets in Toyohara (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk)

　　I often got on our tour guide's case about his proficiency in Japanese. When he found something to point out from the bus, he started to talk about it. While he was choosing his words, it passed out of sight. I wasn't able to take pictures of them. Finally, I didn't know what almost all the pictures taken through the bus window were for. In the era of Japanese territory, Karafuto was inhabited by not only Japanese but also Korean people, because the Korean Peninsula, which was not what you call a colony, was a part of Japan at that time. Korean people were treated just like original Japanese in those days. Now, South Korea trades on the hostile relationship between Japan and Russia. There were national flags of Russia and South Korea on the construction site of something. There was also a monument for Korean people who wanted to go back to Korea in vain on the hill looking down on the town of Oodomari.
　　I was eager to see how Karafuto would be on this trip, but I had another purpose, which was to see what the motorcycle culture was like. When I visited South Korea in 2009, Korean people didn't have a mind to enjoy riding itself. Motorcycles for them were merely a means of transportation. Karafuto was just like South Korea in that way. I saw only one motorcycle on the street but there was no motorcycle shop as far as I saw. I might have to give up the thought of riding on Karafuto.

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ

Museum

　　The place to which we were taken next was a museum, the theme of which was the history of Karafuto (Sakhalin in Russian). It was the tourist attraction which I had been eager to visit first of all. I'll write about the museum in this entry.
　　Generally, I was disappointed to see inside and outside of the museum. I wondered if the museums in communist countries were always like this. There were various items displayed indeed, but with only few Russian descriptions and without English ones. I was not able to absorb information there, and I asked the tour guide some questions, but he didn't give me proper answers. He didn't have enough vocabulary of technical fields such as natural science, rock science, archaeology, biology, and so on. I could only imagine what the articles on display meant.
　　One more surprising fact! I didn't find the description about the Japanese-Russo War (1904-05) and their invasion into Japan after World War II in the museum, though I managed to presume it by pictures or other items. A Japanese map described in Japanese showed southern Karafuto as of August 15th 1945, which was the date of Japan accepting the Potsdam Declaration, and a milestone which used to be placed on the border between the USSR and Japan, namely on the latitude of 50 degrees, were exhibited in a low-profile corner.
　　Several folk crafts of Ainu were exhibited. Those were seen also in museums in Hokkaido and so they didn't feel new to me. As I can make out the Cyrillic alphabet, I searched "Мамия" (Mamiya in English). It might be written somewhere, but I was not able to find it. A Japanese explorer, Rinzo Mamiya found the strait between Karafuto and the Eurasian Continent, which was named the "Strait of Mamiya". Karafuto seemed to me a less-developed area, at least academically

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ
Cyrillic alphabet　キリル文字 (スラブ語民族の文字)
Eurasian Continent ユーラシア大陸

Lunch in Karafuto

　　We were taken to a decent hotel in Toyohara (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in Russian). My wife is a good cook and had a keen interest in Russian cuisine, since we decided to join the cruise tour to Karafuto several months ago. The dishes which we ate were as follows: ,,,,, I'd like to list them and their details, but I didn't know their names, because there was neither a menu nor a dish description by the waitresses. Even if they were not able to speak English or Japanese, they should say something, even a few words, like greetings, with smiles on their faces. What they did was just place the dishes on the table without words nor expression. Their rude attitude reminded me that we were in a socialistic state, Russia. I took pictures for later examination, and I'll show you below. After lunch, I dropped in at a souvenir shop in the hotel lobby, but nothing attracted me.

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ

Gagarin Park

　　I reached Gagarin Park in Toyohara. The name of the park, Gagarin, is from the first-ever space traveler, Yury Gagarin. I wondered if he had come from Karafuto, but a journalist, who was a member of my tour group by chance, told me that it was probably because he was just popular among Russian people. He also told me that the statue of Gagarin also stood in Moscow and both facial expressions are fully different. I'll refer to the journalist below. After coming back home, I examined Gagarin and found his remark right.
　　By the way, I felt something Japanesque in the park. The lake in the park reminded me of my hometown, and lots of cherry trees were planted in the forest. The vegetation of the park was just like the one in Hokkaido. When I went back to the Nippon Maru, I looked it up in a photo collection in the library. This park used to be called "Toyohara Kouen (Park)" and the lake in the picture was called "Ojigaike Lake". In spring, especially in the season of the cherry blossoms, lots of people enjoy walking in the park. The park was designed and built by Japanese! Then, I found a monument by the path which seemed to have something to do with Japan and so I took its picture, but I don't know what it meant.
　　The next moment, the most astonishing event on the trip happened. I met Mr. Shigeharu Aoyama in front of the statue of Gagarin. He is a very famous polemicist in Japan. It was so sudden and unbelievable, but he was undoubtedly Mr. Aoyama. I spoke to him and chatted for some time and took pictures! He also knew the historical importance of the day, Sept 6th. He was on a private tour with his wife, but other members noticed his existence by my speaking to him. I was so sorry to disturb his vacation.
　　I found an interesting object, the dinosaur holding a box in which several dirty books were placed. I heard from the local people that it was the book-exchange box, as it were. Anyone can take books from the box. It seemed to be a nice idea, but I doubted that Toyohara City had its public library. I asked my tour guide about the dinosaur, but wasn't able to get useful information from him. The capability to guide guests from Japan was inferior, even putting it mildly.

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ
telepolemicist テレビ番組で活発に発言する著名な論客〔television + polemicist〕
polemicist  論客

Karafuto Shrine

　　I walked up to the site where the former Karafuto Shrine had been built. I'll show you pictures of its approach and the War Museum built in the grounds in 2013. After the destruction of the Shinto Shrine, two tanks and three mortars were exhibited at the site. I wasn't able to get a handle on the Russian way of thinking.
　　If you are Japanese, did you notice that a picture showing tanks shows a very famous journalist and telepolemicist in Japan? I didn't notice him at that time, but I had an opportunity to talk with him. I'll write about it in the next entry.

Sightseeing Bus

　　The bus which was waiting for us at Oodomari harber was old, dirty and a South Korean product, and additionally the air-conditioner didn't work well. In addition, the purplish pink interior decorations made me sick.
　　As for the tour guide, he was poor at his work. I wasn't able to understand his Japanese fully. He talked about something which he saw from the bus, but when I looked at what he was explaining, the bus had already passed by. He seemed to be a leader-class interpreter there, but was downright never up to snuff. The tour guides for other buses were students who were learning Japanese in college. Hearing that, I gave a heavy sigh. The tour along the highway from Oodomari to Toyohara vanished in smoke. I was just sitting in a hard rotten seat of a second-hand bus.
　　I was moving in the bus for a total of 3 hours, but I didn't know where I visited or where the bus ran except a few tourist spots. Anyway, about an hour's drive took me to Slava square, "glory square" literally in English, at which Karafuto Shrine had been standing before 1945.

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ

Makeshift Pier

　　I arrived at a makeshift pier set for the tender boat in Oodomari harbor. Some crew members of the Nippon Maru were positioned and would stay there until the closing time of the pier. Hot Japanese tea and hot coffee were always ready for passengers. The service of the tender boat was scheduled every hour. All the passengers who had chosen one of the optional tours started their tour from there and a few people went into the city on foot. They were going to enjoy wandering in the city of Oodomari. They seemed to go back to the Nippon Maru at noon for lunch and then go back to the shore and continue sightseeing. I thought it was a nice idea. On the other hand, some passengers stayed on the ship all day and enjoyed a relaxing time there. I knew that the cruising tour has lots of options to spend vacations. The last picture is the Nippon Maru from the shore.

(Vocabulary)
北緯５０度以南の樺太は日本領、したがってこのブログでは日本名を使う
Karafuto (樺太)　Sakhalin サハリン
Toyohara (豊原)　Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ユジノサハリンスク
Oodomari(大泊)　Korsakov　コルサコフ

Tender Boat

　　When I walked out on the deck after breakfast, the tender boat was already ready for transporting us. My turn was the last service and I was seeing other passengers get on the boat and be taken to the shore, while waiting for my turn. I was viewing the coast with my binoculars and found a few military ships by chance, maybe destroyers, moored at the pier in a jumble. As the area didn't look like a navy base, I wanted to see them up close, but they were Russian. I refrained from approaching the military ships. No peace pact has yet been signed after their invasion in 1945.
　　The sea was calm and the tender boat offered a smooth, comfortable ride to the shore.

(Vocabulary)
in a jumble  雑然と, 乱雑に