20130906

We traveled from Nagano to Gifu. 1 : We drove our car from Lake Suwa to Takayama.

There was a pleasure boat at Lake Suwa southern lakeside.

< There was a pleasure boat at Lake Suwa southern lakeside.  >
On this August 24 and 25, we left Lake Suwa, stopped at Shirakawa-go(village),and went to Takayama.
We passed through the Japanese central spine of mountains, and visited a big lake, an old folk house, and the old town.
This time, I introduce the scene that we saw while we went round Lake Suwa, went along Azusagawa(river), and got over Hida mountain range by a car.

On this day, it was overcast weather, and light rain occasionally.
However, I had a comfortable driving, because there wasn’t dazzling sunlight.


今年の8月24、25日に、私達は諏訪湖を出発し白川郷に寄り、次いで高山に行った。
私達は日本の中央の山脈を抜けて、湖や古民家、古い街並みを訪れた。
今回、私は諏訪湖の一周、梓川沿い、飛騨山脈越えの景色を紹介します。

この日は曇りがちで、時折、小雨が降った。
しかし日射しがきつくなく快適だった。


This trip's map : Three red marks are this sightseeing areas. A yellow line is this route.

< This trip's map : Three red marks are this sightseeing areas. A yellow line is this route. >
This red mark shows Lake Suwa, takayama, and Shirakawa-go from the right by rotation.
.
赤点の右から左へ、諏訪湖、高山、白川郷と並んでいる。


Kamisuwa hot spring resort in Lake Suwa southern lakeside

< Kamisuwa hot spring resort in Lake Suwa southern lakeside

Here are the most amusement center and many leisure facilities.
The fireworks display was held one week ago here.

ここは一番の繁華街で、レジャー施設も多い。
1週間前、ここで花火大会が行われた。


Viewing the south side of Lake Suwa from the opposite lakeside

Viewing the south side of Lake Suwa from the opposite lakeside
The altitude of Lake Suwa is about 800 m, and is 16 km in boundary length.
This lake is surrounded by beautiful plateaus and mountains.
The maintained lakefront is a recreation area of citizen, and a jogging trail.
Mt. Fuji looks small at the center of this photograph, and in the back at which the mountain range broke off.

諏訪湖の標高は約800mで、周囲長16kmです。
この湖は周囲を美しい高原や山々に囲まれている。
整備された湖岸は市民の憩いの場、ジョギングルートになっている。
写真中央、山脈が途切れた奥に富士山が小さく見える。

Lake Suwa northern likeside
Lake Suwa northern likeside

< Lake Suwa northern likeside    >
Many citizens practiced the regatta early in the morning.

朝早くから、多くの市民がレガッタの練習を行っていた。


Nagano Expressway, Matsumoto area 

< Nagano Expressway, Matsumoto area  >



going up along Azusagawa toward Kamikochi 

< going up along Azusagawa toward Kamikochi >
We climbed by our car.

ここから車で登坂することになる。


passing through Okuhida at 1300 m elevation 

< passing through Okuhida at 1300 m elevation >
This place is the highest altitude among this route.

今回のドライブで最も標高が高い所です。

crossing a mountain range finishes, and it will be soon at Takayama 

< crossing a mountain range finishes, and it will be soon at Takayama >
The rice is beginning to grow yellow.

Next time, we visit Shirakawa-go of world heritage that famous for a roof style.

稲が黄色く実り始めていた。

次回は、世界遺産の合掌造りで有名な白川郷を訪ねます。























20130903

History of sickness and medical art 8 : modern humans, the oldest medical art

 trepanation

< trepanation >
This time, I investigate vestiges of oldest medical art of our modern humans.
It shows a positive will to medical treatment, and a spirit of bold challenge.

今回、我々人類最古の医術の痕跡を探ります。
そこには治療への旺盛な意欲、果敢なチャレンジ精神がありました。


Code of Hammurabi 

< Code of Hammurabi >
The oldest proof that shows the existence of a doctor and a medicine document was in Middle and Near East.
The Code of Hammurabi of the 18th century B.C. is a collection of laws of the city state of Mesopotamia.
There are two strange articles (summary) in this.
"When a doctor treats a fracture or intestines, the patient must pay a silver coin."
"If a doctor cut a patient’s eyes with a bronze knife and made him blind, the doctor's hand has to be cut."
It is shown that doctors cured patients broadly, and received rewards, and were held responsible for mistake.
Surprisingly a doctor seems to operate on a patient with stinging his eyeball with thin needle.
The surgery became common, and therefore the regulations were necessary.
A cataract surgery of ancient Roman times might originate from this surgery.


医者や医術書の存在を示す最古の証しは、中近東にあった。
紀元前18世紀のハムラビ法典はメソポタミアの都市国家の法律集です。
この中に二つの奇異な条文がある(要約)。
「医者が骨折や腸を治療した場合、患者は銀貨を支払う。」
「医者が青銅のナイフで目を切開して失明させれば、手を切らなければならない。」
これらは医者が幅広く治療を行い、報酬を受け取り、さらには責任を問われることを示している。
驚くべきことに、眼球に細い針を刺し、手術をしていたらしく、法で規定しなければならいほど普及していた。
古代ローマ時代の白内障手術はこの手術が伝わったのかも知れない。


a medical book of papyrus

< a medical book of papyrus >
In Egypt from the 20th century B.C., a lot of papyruses that the surgery and the internal medicine were written were found.
A part of these description will be old more than 1000 years additionally.
In a relief engraving of about 2500 years B.C., a scene of performing circumcision with a knife was described.

エジプトで紀元前20世紀から、外科や内科の医術が書かれたパピルスが多数見つかっている。
これらの記述はさらに1千年以上遡るものがある。
紀元前2500年頃のレリーフに、ナイフによって割礼手術を受けている様子が描かれている。


a relief engraving of performing circumcision in Egypt

< a relief engraving of performing circumcision in Egypt >
The oldest example of the surgery was discovered in a burial site of the Neolithic era in France.
The skull of a male at about 5000 B.C. has been bored two holes into.
Since the bone tissue of the holes section was being reproduced, it is thought that it is remains of medical treatment.
The skull seems to have been cut open with a sharp stone implement like the volcanic glass.
There was an example that a cut disk of the remains was buried together with the dead body.
Such trepanations of prehistoric times are found widely in Europe, China, and Peru.

It has been said that the reason why such dangerous surgery was carried out was to send away a demon.


However, many of these surgeries were concentrating on the left-hand side of male heads, because they treated the injury of the battle.
The survival rate of the trepanation was considerably high, it was 25-80% in medieval Europe, ancient German, and ancient Peru.

Modern humans already were widely doing considerably difficult treatments from prehistory until ancient times.
From the next time, I introduce the medical art of the ancient civilization.


現存する最古の手術例は、フランスの新石器時代の埋葬地で発見された。
紀元前5000年頃の男性の頭蓋骨に二つの穴があいていた。
この穴断面の骨組織が再生していることから治療跡だと考えられる。
黒曜石などの鋭い石器で環状に切開したらしく、切り取られた円盤が共に埋葬された例がある。
このような先史時代の穿頭術はヨーロッパ、中国、ペルーで広く見つかっている。

このような危険な手術が行われた理由は、古くは悪霊を追い払う為とされていた。
しかし、この手術の多くが男性頭の左側に集中しており、戦闘の負傷を治療したらしい。
穿頭術後の生存率はかなり高く、中世ヨーロッパや古代ゲルマン、古代ペルーで25~80%だった。

先史から古代にかけて、既に人類はかなり難しい治療を広く行っていた。
次回から、古代文明の医術を見て行きます。












20130830

Travel to Vietnam 5 : a sightseeing tour of Mekong 2

 a garden of a restaurant

< a garden of a restaurant  
I introduce a restaurant in My Tho.
And I introduce the scenes from Mekong to Ho Chi Minh City also.

ミトーのレストランを紹介します。
メコン川からホーチミンまでの景観も紹介します。

a garden of a restaurant

< a garden of a restaurant    >
We had lunch at this restaurant.
This site is very large and the building and the yard are exotic atmosphere of a southern land.
Everywhere, there were deep green plants and flowers in full bloom.

ミトーのレストランで昼食をとりました。
この敷地は非常に広く、建物や庭は南国の楽園のイメージです。
到る所、濃い緑の草木が配され、満開の花が咲いていました。

a lunch

< a lunch   >
This lunch was impressive.
No. 1 is a fly of the elephant ear fish.
Although the fish dish was grotesque, it was nice, when we ate with soaking in nuoc mam(fish sauce).
Including a rice ball, we enjoyed the meal that was different with the appearance and the texture.

ここの食事は印象に残った。
一番は像耳魚のフライです。
グロテスクな料理ですが、それをヌクナム(魚醤)に浸けて食べると旨い。
ライスボールも含め、見た目も食感も異なる食事を楽しめた。


landscapes between My Tho and Ho Chi Minh City

< landscapes between My Tho and Ho Chi Minh City    >

A forest is visible to the long distance of arable land.
The rice plant that waits for harvest in vivid green, the fields that were already mown, and the neglected field have intermingled.
in a top photograph, the white, the blue, and pink's structural objects are graves.
The ship floating in a river and a lake made me feel nostalgic.



田園地帯の遠くに森林が見える。
青々と収穫を待つ稲、既に刈り取れた田畑、放置された畑が混在している。
一番上の写真にある白、青、ピンクの築造物は墓です。
川や湖に浮かぶ舟は、昔ながらの風情を漂わせている。


several cityscapes being near to Ho Chi Minh City

< several cityscapes being near to Ho Chi Minh City
Indeed, there is a feeling accomplishing rapid growth.
There are a flood of motorbikes on the road, many narrow dwellings growing taller, a dirty black river.
This Ho Chi Minh City seems to shoulder the instauration single-handed.
The expressions of people’s faces have been filled with eager.
On the other hand, they have gentleness and complaisant.


如何にも急成長を遂げている感がある。
狭い細く伸びた住居、どす黒い川、道路に溢れるバイクの洪水。
このホーチミン市が一手に復興を背負っているようだ。
人々の表情には意欲がみなぎっていた。
一方で、彼らは優しさや愛想の良さも併せ持つ。


Various religion

< Various religion    >
Top   :  In a car, the red tassel of a China style, a white Kannon statue.
Center :  A Buddhist temple wearing roof decoration of the Southeast Asia style.
Down :  a Christian church.

My impression of Vietnam trip
I never felt a stifling atmosphere under the communist regime that I held before going.
When I went to Guangzhou, China about 15 years ago, in the same way, I watched the people who felt a freedom and were full of life.
In Japan, although there was a bad image of Vietnam, it was greatly different.
Although Vietnam products are very cheap, Vietnamese said that Chinese products were better than it.
The land value and the wage seem to rise almost every year.
We prayed for development and said good-bye to a friend and left.
At this time, this travel writing of Vietnam finishes.

A next travel writing is the scenery of the mountain village in central Japan.



上 : 運転席。中国風の赤い房飾り、白い観音像。
中 : 東南アジア風の屋根飾りが見える仏教寺院。
下 : キリスト教会。

ベトナム旅行の印象
行く前に抱いて共産主義政権下の息苦しい雰囲気をまったく感じなかった。
15年ほど前、中国の広州に行った時と同様に、開放感で生き生きした人々を見た。
日本国内では悪いイメージがあったが、大いに違った。
ベトナム製品は非常に安いが、現地の人は中国製品の方が良いと言う。
土地価格も、賃金も毎年のように上昇している。

私達は発展を願い、友人に別れを告げ、去った。
今回で、ベトナム紀行は終了します。

次回の旅行記は、日本中部の山村の風景を紹介します。





20130827

Travel to Vietnam 4 : a sightseeing tour of Mekong 1

Mekong
  
I traveled a small island in Mekong.
This area is in "My Tho" of a doorway that is near from Ho Chi Minh City.
The island is covered in the jungle.

私はメコン川の小さな島を観光しました。
ここはホーチミン市から近いメコンの玄関口ミトーにあります。
島はジャングルで覆われている。

a map, the lower half shows Mekong delta.

< a map, the lower half shows Mekong delta.  


 Nature of the island


< Nature of the island    >

Top:   A pier of the island.
Center:   Riverside of Mekong.
Down:    Trees of the island. There is neither high tree nor bottom grass, and the ground is drying in the dry season.


上: 島の桟橋。
中: メコンの川岸。
下: 島内の樹木。高木や下草が無く、乾期で地面は乾燥している。


Attractions of the sightseeing trip  

< Attractions of the sightseeing trip  >

Top:  On a boat, I go round a waterway in the island. Many boats come and go in the small river.
Lower left:  I hung a python on the shoulder. A snake hardly moved, and I felt dignity and faint warmth. Adrenalin was secreted in my brain in large quantities.
Lower right:  the folk song and the performance were performed at the restaurant. I saw the women that wore “ao dai” (ethnic costume) for the first time.


上  : 小舟に乗り、島の水路を巡る。
たくさんの小舟が狭い川を往来している。
左下 : 肩に錦蛇を掛けた。
    蛇はほとんど動かず、私は重みと微かな温もりを感じた。
    アドレナリンが脳内に大量に分泌された。
右下 : レストランで民謡と演奏を演じていた。
     私は始めてアオザイ(民族衣装)を見た。


The fruit provided by the restaurant.  

< The fruit provided by the restaurant.  >

This island's economy seems to consist of a small-scale tourist business.
There was not the thick jungle that I had imagined.

島は小規模な観光業で成り立っているようだ。
私の想像していた鬱蒼としたジャングルは無かった。


I leave the island and come back to "My Tho" of the opposite bank. 

< I leave the island and come back to "My Tho" of the opposite bank. >


streets of "My Tho"

< streets of "My Tho" >

top : A street of the center part.
down : there are stores along the highway away from the center part.

I had imagined watching the people living calmly with the Nature, but there was not it.

However, I was able to watch the excellent vitality of Vietnamese people in the delta area and the town of Mekong.

On the next time, it becomes the last article of the travel to Vietnam.


上 : 中心部の街並み。
下 : 中心部から離れた幹線道路沿いの商店

大自然に囲まれ、ゆったり暮らす人々を私は見ると想像していたが、それはなかった。
しかしメコンのデルタ地帯や街に、ベトナムの人々の旺盛な活力を見ることが出来た。

次回は、ベトナム旅行の最後になります。



20130821

I enjoyed the movie in Kobe.

 Life of Pi

I went to the movie after all this time.
I easily introduce the impression of two movies and a cityscape of Kobe.

私は久しぶりに映画を見に行きました。
私は簡単に映画の感想と神戸の街並みを紹介します。

“ Life of Pi ”
First, I can say that it is the splendid visual beauty.
I was drawn into the screen reflecting a turbulent sea, a ferocious tiger, and mysterious beauty of the ocean.
Things to appear on the screen are only a boy, a tiger, and the sea.
If I say a complaint, it is to make fantastic beauty with CG too much.
However, unexpected development had surprise.
It is a recommended movie for children.

「ライフ・オブ・パイ」
先ず言えることは、素晴らしい映像美です。
荒れ狂う海、獰猛なトラ、大海原の神秘的な美しさに、私は引き込まれていました。
登場するのは少年とトラ、海だけです。
難を言えば、CGで幻想的な美しさを作り過ぎていることです。
しかし予想外の展開には驚きがありました。
子供にお薦めの映画です。


だいじょうぶ3組

“ Don’t worry! The class of 3 ”
The movie depicts the situation that a hero without inherently hands and feet strives as a primary school teacher.
The original is a novel based on an experience of Mr.Ototake.
I was impressed that the class had a target in an athletic meet, a girl who became truancy came back, and the classe held together by opportunity of an excursion during one year.
Acting of students and two teachers were wonderful.   
It is unmissable for the person concerned with education.



「だいじょうぶ3組」
映画は先天的に手足が無い主人公が小学校教師として奮闘する様子を描いています。
乙武氏の体験に基づいた小説が原作です。
1年の間に、クラスが運動会に目標を持ち、不登校になった少女を再帰させ、遠足で一つにまとまって行く様子は感動させます。
生徒と二人の教師の演技はどれも素晴らしかった。
教育に関わる人は必見です。


a map of Kobe

< a map of Kobe >


about Shinkichi 

< about Shinkichi >
I went to Minatogawa park by subway from Sannomiya, and went into a small movie theater "PAL cinema."
I came out of the movie theater and went to Kobe Station through Shinkichi.
Shinkichi is a common shopping street.

私は三宮から地下鉄で湊川公園に行き、小さな映画館「パルシネマ」に入りました。
私は映画館を出て、新開地を通り神戸駅に向かいました。
新開地は庶民的な商店街です。


from Kobe to Motomachi 

< from Kobe to Motomachi >
I looked up the high-rise building from JR Kobe Station.
There was a crowd in front of JR Motomachi Station, and in Motomachi shopping street.

JR神戸駅から見上げた高層ビル。
JR元町駅前、元町商店街、元町高架下商店街の賑わい。


view from the front JR Sannomiya Station front 

< view from the front JR Sannomiya Station front  >
A half moon whitely glittered in the blue sky at dusk.
I enjoyed the movie, the bookstore, and the shopping streets full day

夕暮れ近くなり、半月が青い空に白く光っていた。
今日、私は映画、本屋、商店街巡りと丸1日楽しみました。




20130819

History of sickness and medical art 7 : in preliterate society 4


A Mask dancing of Dogon( agricultural tribes) in the Middle West Africa 

A Mask dancing of Dogon( agricultural tribes) in the Middle West Africa  >

An etiology: Recognition of the world

Although native’s recognition about the sickness and the medical art is unscientific and superstitious, the base of it is a thinking that gives on to modern society.
First, they have caught logically the principle of cause and effect about the sickness in their own way.
For example, they thought that a swelling of hand and foot originated in an abnormality of the internal organs, or when a sickness prevailed in a village, it was carried with insect or the wind, or an epilepsy began from temporary cutting of a brain.
Although they did not need explanation beyond it, and could not make the exact medical treatment, they always have tried a certain understanding and explanation for it.
They think that most of mental diseases depend on the supernatural causes (evil spirit).

In order for people to advocate a general etiology with physical element (body fluid and blood, etc.), we had to wait for the city civilization birth.
Medicinal herb use and magic of medical treatment was still the main thing.


Her diseased part is purifying with leaves in Mexico. 

< Her diseased part is purifying with leaves in Mexico. >


病因論:世界の認識
先住民の病と医術に関する認識は、非科学的で迷信が目につきますが、現代に通じる思考が見られます。
先ず、彼らは病の因果論を彼らなりに論理的に捉えています。
例えば、彼らは手足のむくみが内臓の異常に起因し、村に病気が流行ると虫や風が媒介し、てんかんは脳の一時的な切断と見なしています。
彼らはそれ以上の説明を必要としませんし、的確な治療も出来ていないと言えますが、必ず何らかの理解と説明を試みます。
精神病の多くは、超自然的な原因(悪霊)と考えられている。

人々が物資的な要素(体液、血など)によって汎用的な病因論を唱えるには、都市文明誕生を待たなければなりません。
それでも治療はまだ薬草利用や呪術が主でした。



Medical treatment and magic:  Animism
To think that the magic and the evil spirits are causes of the disease are that they are thinking with separating the soul from the body, and moreover assume that the natural world have human nature.
Possibly you might have thought, "While clouds come out and it is raining, the sun is escaping to want not to get wet to rain."

Bushman living in Kalahari Desert may cure a poor bag of hunting.
First, the root of certain plant and the hoof of certain game animal are burned, and it becomes powder.
Subsequently, the droppings of the animal are mixed with it and it becomes a mash.
Several body surfaces of a hunter are injured with a razor, and the powder is rubbed in.
I guess that this is a courtesy to control misfortune by the indirect contact to the object, and the dirty things (impurity).
Thus, all medical treatment and the courtesy will develop from abundant experiences and the analogy.


Bushman

< Bushman >


治療と呪術 : アニミズム
呪術や悪霊が病因になると考えることは、身体から精神(魂)を分離し、さらに自然界に人間性(魂)を仮託することです。
自然現象を人間のように説明することは我々幼児期の自然な姿です。
「雲が出て雨が降っているとき、お日様は雨に濡れたくないから逃げているのよ」と幼児の頃にあなたは思ったかも知れない。

カラハリ砂漠に住むブッシュマンは弓矢不猟を治療することがある。
最初に、ある植物の根とある狩猟動物の蹄を焼き、粉にする。
次いでその動物の糞をそれに混ぜてすり潰す。
狩人の体表面数カ所を剃刀で傷つけ、その粉を擦り込む。
これは汚いもの(不浄)と対象への間接的な接触によって災いを制する儀礼と推測出来る。
このようにして豊富な経験と類推からあらゆる治療と儀礼が発展していくのだろう。


a dancing to cure

< a dancing to cure >

Magic, science, and religion
The anatomy of the animal might deepen understanding to the physiology and the sickness.
Therefore pastoral people would be able to escape easily from a conception of magic more than agricultural people.
This may be one reason that pastoral people have little mask culture (where the magic is thought as important in).
I think that this had made a difference of scientific development, along with the growth of the city civilization.
Moreover, by ethnic group, the ultimate responsibility contracting a disease included a difference in whether it was caused by self or outside.
These might have given a big influence on religion that was born in ancient civilization.



呪術と科学と宗教
動物の解剖は生理や病気への理解を深め、牧畜民は農耕民より呪術的な発想から脱しやすかったのだろう。
これが牧畜民に仮面文化(呪術を重視する)が少ないことの一つの理由かもしれない。
このことが都市文明の発展と相俟って科学発展への差異を生じたのかもしれない。
また民族によって、病気の最終責任は自己か外部に帰すかの差異もあった。
これらのことが古代文明に誕生する宗教に大きな影響を与えた可能性がある。