Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

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。

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。