Weekly Topics/Archive
October 2011
|
I express my heartfelt sympathy to all the victims of the flood in Thaland.
I pray that the floodwaters will recede as soon as possible.
|
It's only recently that the heavy rain due to influence of typhoon caused
such great
damages as the washout of the river banks and the landslides in the mountain area
in Wakayama and Nara Prefectures in Japan.
Newspapers and TVs reported extensively that the damage caused by the flood
has
been spreading in Thailand on the Indochina Peninsula for the past week.
According to their reports, the floodwaters are just about to approach
to the city of
Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
My daughter has lived in Bangkok and worked for UNEP.
I recently received some phone calls from my relatives, being concerned
for her safety.
So, yesterday I catched up with her on the flood.
I don't like to feel humiliated by not being able to answer an inquiry
about her.
Anyway, I'm relieved to know that she works as vigorously as ever.
But I was very surprised to know that the flood has a great influence on
her working place.
She said her office which is located in KlongLuang, PathumThani Prefecture
next to northan
Bangkok will be closed for a week until next Monday and the temporary office has been
opened at a hotel in Bangkok.
According to her, in the rainy season, there are floods somewhere in Thailand every year,
though they are small in scale.
This year, there happened to be a huge flood and three hundred and several tens of people
died and about 2.5 million people fell victims.
This year's huge flood was caused by several factors.
The three major causes of it are as follows.
First, there was more rain all over the Indochina Peninsula this year.
It caused floods not only in Thailand but also in neighboring countries
like Cambodia,
Laos and Vietnam.
Second, the large-scale dams in the upper portion of the Chaophraya River reached full
water level and then some of them simultaneously discharged water.
I took a sightseeing trip to Thiland with several members of the alumni society "Ikoikai"
three years ago.
I remembered that I took a boat tour on the Chaophraya River flowing through Bangkok
and enjoyed the senery along the river.
(Please click here to look at the web page.)
I remember that it was affluent and rushing past even in ordinary times.
Third, there is prevailing an illegal logging in the rainforests in Thailaand.
As a result of it, the water-retaining capacity of forests has declined
recently.
It is said this is a remote cause of flood.
Since some secondary roads are covered with water even in Ayutthaya, a
World
Heritage site, in the central region of Thailand, tourists can't visit
many sightseeing spots,
for example, temple like Wat Yai Chai Mongkul, Bang Pa-In Palace and etc.
(Please click here to look at the web page.)
It is also said that many Japanese companies in Ayutthaya's industrial
park have been
forced to shut down.
Not only earthquakes and tsunamis but also floods are dearful natural disasters,
aren't they?
Actually, a tsunami triggered a nuclear plant disaster in Fukushima, Japan.
It's because no one knows what will happen by them.
By the way, the Japanese government received support from the Thai government
for the
Great Tohoku Earthquake.
So, the Japanese government has offered reasonable assistance to the Thaii
government
for this time's great flood, hasn't it?
[Note] express one's heartfelt sympathy to 〜 ； 〜に対して心からお見舞いの言葉を述べる
the floodwaters recede ； 洪水の水が引く，washout ； 決壊(大雨などによる)
landslide ； がけ崩れ，newspapers accounts ； 新聞記事(報道)、be concerned for 〜；〜を心配する
catch up with someone on 〜 ； (人)と〜について情報交換する、 feel humiliated ； 恥をかく
vigorously； 元気に、 answer an inquiry about ~；〜に関する問合せに答える
I'm relieved； 安心しました， as 〜as ever ； 相変わらず〜、 a hundred and several tens；百数十の
fall victim to〜；〜に被災する、 the upper portion of a river ； 川の上流部
full water level ； 満水位、 simultaneously ； 同時に，discharge water ； 放水する
affluent；水量が多い、 rush past ； (川が)勢いよく流れる，急いで通り過ぎる
in ordinary times ； 平時に, prevail ； (広く)行われている，横行する、 illegal logging ； 違法伐採
rainforest；熱帯雨林、 water-retaining capacity ； 保水力, remote cause ； 遠因
secondary road ； 周辺道路、 Wat Yai Chai Mongkul ； ワットヤイ・チャイモンコン
Bang Pa-In Palace ;バンパ−イン宮殿, be forced to 〜；〜を余儀なくされる
shut down ；(操業などを)中断する,停止する
Japanese Diary / No.397−2011.10.21 / 「タイの洪水」
The autumn golf competition，the Kyoto Open 2011, hosted by Kansai Ikoi-kai
Reunion
will be held on October 24th.
I made a preliminary visit to Panasonic Resort Arashiyama located in Arashiyama,
Kyoto,
which is one of Panasonic's recreation facilities.
It is the site for the eve of the competition.
Panasonic Resort Arashiyama |
The Ikoi-kai Reunion is the name for class reunion of the Dept. of Materials
Physics I had
studied at. and the Kansai Ikoi-kai is one of its branches.
It consists of two major groups ; one is the group which enjoy tennis and
another is the one
which enjoy golf.
This time，the joint eve of festival will be held together with both groups.
I'm an organizer of the golf group.
So, I visited there，combining with making arrangements with a fasility's
staff，with Kawamata−san and Kobayashi−san who are organizers of tennis
group.
It's located in a quiet residential area near the Togetasu-kyo bridge over
the Katsura river
and Tenryuji temple.
It had even a stone garden, so had the unique atmosphere of Kyoto.
After that, Kobayashi-san dropped me off at JR Kyoto station before going
home.
Since I had time, I visited Toji temple to take a walk.
It is ten minutes walk from Toji station, which is the next stop from Kyoto
station of the
Kintetsu Kyoto Line.
The five-storied pagoda of Toji temple |
I entered the temple around 4:30 in the evening and walked through the temple complex
until closing time, 5:30 p.m.
I used to take the train, which is called "Nara-den" at that
time, to go to Kyoto when I was
a student.
I usually saw the five-storied pagoda of Toji temple from the train and
so feel familiarity
with it.
However, though I'm used to seeing it, I've never been there.
That's strange, you know.
I imagine you have had such a situation.
I truely understood the meaning of the proverb, “The darkest place is under
the candlestick.”
Toji temple was a large temple, which is the headquarters of the Shingon
sect of esoteric
Buddhism and which has been designated a World Heritage Site.
It had many Buddhist images inside the Kondo Hall, the main hall and Kodo Hall which are
designated as national treasure and important cultural asset.
Buddhist images inside Kodo hall(Copy from a pamphlet “Toji Temple”) |
I had been a long time since I visited a historical temple.
For more details, please visit the following link.
Picture Picture / Pilgrimage to old temples / 「京都・東寺 散策」
Whenever I take a walk in the temple grounds while seeing some Buddhist
images, I feel
comforted and relaxed.
[Note] Kansai Ikoikai Reunion ； 関西いこい会、 recreation facilities ； 保養所
make a preliminary visit to 〜 ; 〜を事前に訪れる，〜を下見に行く
Dept. of Materials Physics ； 物性物理工学科， eve of festival ； 前夜祭
combining with 〜 ； 〜と兼ねて， make arrangements with 〜 ； 〜と打合せする
residential area ； 住宅地，five-storied pagoda ； 五重塔
feel familiarity with 〜 ； 〜に親しみを感じる
The darkest place is under the candlestick. ； 灯台もと暗し(諺)
Shingon sect ； 真言宗， esoteric Buddhism ； 密教、 Kondo Hall ； 金堂、Kodo Hall ; 講堂
Japanese Diary / No.395−2011.10.07 / 「クラス会・会場の下見と東寺散策」
 TOPペ−ジへ戻る
|
|
