陽気で素朴なOZ根性

1月16日（金）晴時々雨

3日間で800mmの降雨、最高風速20m。床上浸水1000戸。被害総額4億円、某国のような水増しは無意味。街路樹の大枝が折れ、土砂崩れも。2mの高波が押し寄せビーチの砂は流され、ヤシの木も根がむき出し。嵐が過ぎれば地域の人々が協力して修復作業。天災だから誰も文句は言いません。重機が必要な作業は市が行います。復旧作業は粛々と行われます。危機で人間は本性を現します。窮地に大騒ぎをして行政にたかる東洋人と気質が違うようです。

OZ魂

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Cheerful and simple OZ spirit
Fri. January

The precipitation was 800mm during 3 days, and the maximum wind speed was 20m. 1000 houses were flooded above floor level. The total amount of damage was $4M. Watered damage like in some country is none sense. Boughs of street trees were fell down and mud slides occurred. 2m high tide attacked and the sand on the beach was washed away. Also the roots of pine trees have been exposed. Local people work together to restore the damage after the storm. Nobody complains about it because it was natural disaster. City Council sends heavy machines for bigger damage. The recovery work goes on quite quietly. The true character appears during emergency. OZ’s temper is pretty different from that of Asian who makes fuss in disaster to sponge from the government.

OZ spirit

難民カンガルー

1月15日（木）快晴

雨は断続的に降っていますが、市内の水は少しずつ引いています。僕のアパートは高台にあるので被害はゼロですが、住処が水没したカンガルーも高台に避難。ドサクサ紛れにワニや毒蛇も人家近くにやって来ます。野生動物で1番怖いのは蚊。熱帯では洪水の後マラリアやデング熱が発生します。しかし豪州では安易に化学薬品を撒布しません。人家周辺の水溜りは物理的に排水します。

毒蛇タイパン

ニシキヘビ

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Refugee kangaroo
Thu. January 15 : fine

It has been rainy on and off, but the amount of flood water has been decreased gradually in Cairns. There is no damage in our apartment since it is located on the hill. Kangaroos that had lost their dens have evacuated on the hill. Crocodiles and poisonous snakes also have approach to houses in the confusion. The most dangerous animal above all is the mosquito. Malaria and Dengue fever break out in tropical areas after flood. Chemicals aren’t used easily in Australia. The pools around the houses are drained by manual labor.

typan

python

買いだめ

1月14日（水）快晴

豪州では毎週木曜日に給料が支払われます。普段は5：00pm閉店の小売店も木曜は8：00pまで営業。OZは1週間分の食料や日用雑貨を買い込みます。しかし安いからと不要なものを買い込んだりしません。災害時に買いだめに走る風景は見かけません。買占めや買いだめが社会的悪事であることはこちらでは常識。多少の被害では大騒ぎはしないし、逆に堂々と欠勤できるのでうれしそう。洪水での買いだめはビールとワインだけ？（photo by Cairns Post)

人影まばらな買いだめ風景

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Stocking up on
Wed. January 14 : fine

In Australia salary is paid on Thursday every week. Shops always close at 5:00pm but they are open until 8:00pm on Thursdays. OZs shop meals and daily commodities for one week. They never buy something unnecessary, even if they are reasonable. They never rush to shops to stock up on during natural disaster. It is common sense that buying up and stocking up are sin. They never make fuss in damages. By contraries they seem to feel happy because they can rightly be absent from work. Do they stock up on only beer and wine during flood? （photo by Cairns Post)

almost empty stocking-up-on shop

ワインあれば憂いなし

1月13日（火）晴

私は子供じゃないから洪水の真っ最中に遊んでいるわけではない。その証拠にゴムボートとヘルメットとライフ・ジャケットでフル装備。災害対策用品をこの機会に点検しているのじゃ。ヘルメットが割れていたり、ボートが沈んだりしたら大変なこっちゃ。ゴムボートもカヤックも水上アームチェアーも異常なし。だからワインをちょこっと飲んでいるだけ。(photo by Cairns Post)

サイクロン・パーティー

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No worries unless shortage of wine
Tue. January 13 : fine

As I am not a child I am not playing during the flood. As the evidence I’ve fully equipped myself with a life boat, a helmet, and a life jacket. I am just inspecting the emergency equipment taking advantage of this chance. If the helmet has a crack or the life boat sinks, it will cause a big problem. I have checked the life boat, the kayak, and the floating arm chair and confirmed everything was OK. So I am just drinking some wine.

cyclone party

サイクロン襲来

1月12日（月）暴風雨

日本の台風にあたるサイクロンがケアンズを直撃。強風、大雨、高波で全域に大きな被害が出ています。ハイウエイも冠水して生活物資の輸送にも支障が出ています。しかし自然災害は定期的にやって来るもの。OZは大騒ぎやパニックに陥りません。うろたえても事態を悪化させるだけ。何事も楽しまないといけません。こちらの家は水害に備えて高床式です。(photo by Cairns Post)

クイーンズランダー

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Cyclone is attacking
Mon. January 12 : wind and rain storm

A cyclone that is as same as Japanese typhoon is attacking Cairns. It devastated wide area by the strong wind, heavy rain and high tide. The transportation of daily commodities has become difficult by the flood of highways. We know that the natural disaster attacks periodically. OZs don’t run to fuss or panic. That will just make the matter worse. You have to enjoy everything in your life. Most houses here are high-floored to survive in the event of flood.

Qeenslander

シャコガイ

1月11日（日）雨

体長2m、重量200kgにもなるシャコガイは珊瑚礁の浅海で容易に見られます。貝殻には5対の波状の湾曲があり、紫色に膨らんだ外套幕には珊瑚と同じく褐虫藻を持ち光合成により栄養を摂取します。沖縄では刺身にするので絶滅寸前。食い物に意地汚い人々は知らん振り。私は貝になりたい。貝のような沈黙を守りたい。格差解消には団塊世代のノンワーキング・リッチ（天下り役人）が身を引かないと。まず隗より始めよ。

白蝶貝の刺身

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Tridacna
Sun. January 11 : rain

You can easily see tridacnas that become 2m long and 200kg heavy on the shallow sea bed of reef. They have 5 pairs of wavy curvedness on their both shells, and brown algae in purple swelled lips to photonic synthesis as same as coral to get nutrition. Since people in Okinawa eat them as sashimi, they are on the verge of extinction. Piggy people pretend to being indifferent. I want to be a shell and keep silent like what it does. In order to dissolve the disparity non-working-rich (parachutist officers) must resign. They have to give young generation a good example.

sashimi of white butterfly shell

医人変人物語

1月10日（土）雨

僕の小学生時代「尊敬する人物」の第1位は圧倒的に野口英世。彼はトラコーマ、梅毒、小児麻痺、狂犬病、黄熱病の研究で2度のノーベル医学賞候補者となりました。しかし彼は放蕩借金癖があり、芸者遊び、結婚詐欺、経歴詐称など社会常識の欠如も。手塚治も医者ですが、小学校では「漫画は堕落のもと」と厳禁されていました。日本ではゲバラの映画が本日封切。彼はカストロ率いる蜂起部隊の軍医でした。

ゲバラのバイク旅行記

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Story of strange men in medicine
Sat. January 10 : rain

When we were primary school pupils, the person we respected the most was overwhelmingly Dr. Hideyo Noguchi. He researched trachoma, syphilis, polio, rabies, and yellow fever, and was a nominee twice in Novel Prize. However, he had some bad habit of riot and debt, geisha parties, marriage fraud, career fraud and other defects of common sense. Osam Teduka was a doctor. In our school reading comics was strictly prohibited, being said they would lead us to corruption. The film of Guevara is premiering today in Japan. He was an army doctor in uprising troops commanded by Castro.

Motor Cycle Diary by Guevara

悪書は良書を駆逐する

1月9日（金）曇時々雨

ケアンズの本屋に日本語の本はありません。だから学校紹介や旅行会社が無料で貸してくれる文庫本を週2回4冊ずつ借りて来ます。ほとんどが在留邦人やワーホリの若者の寄贈本だから選択肢は狭い。安易で下手な文章の無内容な小説ばかりで、まるで中学生の作文。日本の出版物の90％は紙の無駄遣い。僕は美しいもの、楽しいもの、面白いものが好き。1ヶ月に35冊の本を読んでも感動するのはせいぜい1,2冊。

市立図書館

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Bad books drive out good ones
Cloudy occasionally rain

There are no Japanese books at the bookstores in Cairns. I borrow 4 books twice a week from school arrangement offices or tour agents. Most books are donated from Japanese living in Australia and working holiday makers, therefore it is quite limited. Most of them are like essays written by some junior high school students with simple and bad sentences or lack substances. I think 90% of Japanese publications are waste of paper. I like something beautiful, joyful, and interesting. I find 1 or 2 books I get moved at the most among 35 books I read per month.

Cairns manucipal library

1本のバナナ、1杯のかけそば

1月8日（木）快晴

戦後の飢えと寒さの中で子供の僕が憧れたのは、南洋に住んで毎日バナナを食べること。大学生の僕は解放戦線支援のためにバナナと即席麺をベトナムに輸送し続けました。オイルショックの頃は暖房用の灯油もなく、トイレット・ペーパーまで欠乏。バブル末期には「1杯のかけそば」が涙を誘いました。北海道、東北は冷害の常襲地帯。今回の世界不況なんて可愛いものです。

バナナボート

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A banana and a bowl of soba noodle
Thu. January 8 : fine

What childish I was longing for in starvation and the cold just after the Second World War was to live in some tropical area and eat bananas every day. When I was a college student I kept transporting bananas and instant noodles to Vietnam Liberation Front. There was no oil for the heater or toilet paper during the era of oil shock. The story of “A bowl of soba noodle” moved many people to tears after bubble burst. Hokkaido and Tohoku districts are frost damage prone zones. World wide depression this time is nothing to compare with.

banana boat

ベトナムの千羽鶴

1月7日（水）晴

8月に注文した「満月と千羽鶴」がやっと到着。待ったぞう。原画は加山又造の6曲2連の屏風絵。中国の工芸社が原画をモチーフに蒔絵と螺鈿の3連の板絵に。我が家の千羽鶴は中国製を模倣したベトナム製で、原画とはかなり異なる趣。原画の渋味が南下するにつれて派手目になり、空間的な構成が物象的な表現に変化。期待外れとユミは御冠ですが、東南アジア美術を見慣れている僕は結構興味深い。

中国の千羽鶴

元祖・日本の千羽鶴

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1000 cranes from Vietnam
Wed. January 7 : fine

Those 3 panels of “full moon and 1000 cranes” have just arrived. I was completely feeling tired of waiting for them. The original design is 2 pairs of 6 folding screens painted by Matazo Kayama. As these panels are made in Vietnam imitating Chinese ones, they seem quite different from original ones. The austere elegance of original ones has changed louder and louder and the special structure, to graphic when they went down to the south. Yumi isn’t satisfied with them because they are not what she expected but I am interested in them because I’m familiar with East south Asian arts.

1000 cranes from China

original 1000 cranes from Japan

蝦蟇口夜鷹

1月6日（火）快晴

世界規模の不況にめげず正月らしい景気の良い話をお届けします。昨朝テラスに幸運を呼ぶフクロウの姿。と思いきや巣立ちしたばかりのガマグチヨタカ。「１冨士２鷹３オバマ」と鷹だけでも縁起が良いのにお金まで運んで来るとは。夫婦仲が良くていつも番で行動し、虫やカエルやトカゲを食べます。ヤモリを狙ってテラスに来て朝帰りができなかったのでしょう。

ガマグチヨタカ

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Frog mouth
Tue. January 6 : fine

In spite of world-wide recession I will talk about some tough story that will fit New Year’s. I found an awl, the lucky bird at my terrace this morning. Actually, it was a fledging frog mouth. In Japan we say “No1 lucky thing is Mt Fuji, No2, eagle, No3, Mr. Obama” Frog mouths are related to eagles, moreover, they would bring us money. They have happy marriage lives, always being in pairs and eat insects, frogs, and lizards. This young guy must have come to my terrace to catch some geckos and failed to go home in the morning.

frog mouth

リーマン・ショック

1月5日（月）快晴

昨年度の株の下落率は米豪30％、日欧40％、中露50％。不動産価格や通貨や株価は変動するもの。大騒ぎするのは政治家、資本家、投機家、マスコミ。豪州の投資型年金をもらっている僕も20％の損害。しかし豪ドルは円に対して40％の下落。日豪のクレジット・カードを使い分けている僕は円高のお陰で生活費を40％節約可能。リーマンやピーマンがなくなっても肉や揚げ物料理が苦手な僕はあまりこたえない。

投資と預金

投資と投機

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Riemann shock
Mon. January 5 : fine

The rate of stock decline last year is 30% in the US and Australia, 40% in Japan and EU, and 50% in Chine and Russia. The price of real estate, currency, and stocks always varies. Those who panic are politicians, capitalists, investors, and journalists. I receive the investment type pension in Australia, and I got deficit of 20%. Au dollar is falling 40% against yen. As I always use 2 different credit cards, Australian and Japanese ones, I can economize 40% of my household expense by higher yen. Even if Lehman or pimento disappeared, I don’t mind because I don’t like meat or fried dishes.

investment and savings

investment and venture

怒らぬ若者たち

1月4日（日）快晴

内閣府の試算によると日本の30歳未満の世代は生涯１億５千万円以上の税や保険料を払うのに、政府から受けるサービスは１億円足らず。5000万円の「負担」超。一方60歳以上の世代は5000万円の「受益」超。その差は1億円。若者優遇政策は票につながらないし、政治屋も役人も借金のつけは次世代回し。マスコミも知らん振り。世代間の所得格差は拡大の一方なのに日本で若者が決起しないのが不思議。

日本の若者

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None-angry young men
Sun. January 4 : fine

According to the estimation from Cabinet Office in Japanese the generation under 30s will pay more than $1.5M of tax and insurance fee, regardless they receive less than $1M services. It is $0.5M over strain. On the other hand the generation over 60’s receives $0.5M over benefits. The difference is $1M. The policy of giving favorable treatment to younger people doesn’t gather votes, therefore the politicians and the officers pass the bills on to the future generations. Mass media also neglects it. Even though the income differences among generations have been becoming bigger and bigger, young generation doesn’t stand up to against it. I cannot understand it.

Japanese young generations

寝覚めの悪い初夢

1月3日（土）快晴

お屠蘇を飲みながら小浜さん曰く「経済危機克服の妙案がありまんねん」。「あんたは口がうまいから信用でけへん」と栗きんとんを食べながら平林女史。「簡単なこっちゃ。量的緩和や。お年玉として新札10兆ドル増刷するだけや。ビッグ3も銀行も救済し、財政赤字もいっぺんで解消やで」小浜さん雑煮に手を伸ばした。「そげなことできまっかいな？」平林女史はワインか缶ビールか迷っている。「イエス、ウイ、キャン」と小浜さんの１つ覚え。（写真はGM本社）

去年の初夢

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Conscience-stricken New Year’s first dream
Sat. January 3 : fine

Drinking New Year’s sake, Mr. Obama said “I have a fantastic idea about how to overcome the recession”. “I can’t trust you as you are a slick talker”. eating some sweet chestnut, Ms. Hilary answered. “It’s so easy. The answer is Quantitative relaxation. We just have to print out $1B new bills. Then we can save all Big 3 and banks, moreover, we can dissolve the budget deficit at once”. He stretched his arm to zoni. “Is it possible to do that?” She was considering which was better, some wine or a canned beer. “Yes , we can.” That’s his telling expression. (photo is HQ building of GM)
New Year’s first dream last year

ローゼン隔靴掻痒の年頭所信表明

1月2日（金）快晴

昨年は「みぞうゆう（未曽有）」の不況のために企業倒産が「はんざつ（頻繁）」に起こりましたことははなはだ遺憾であります。えへん。今年は旧来の料亭政治を「ふしゅう（踏襲）」することなく高級ホテルで会合したい。医者に社会常識がないのは漫画を見ないからに決まっとる。失言？あそう。何はともあれ厳しい現状を読み違えることなく、日本の底力で不況風と解散風を吹き飛ばしたい。

失言

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New Year’s policy speech by irritating Prime Minister
Fri. January 2 : fine

I am sorry that there were lots of “smash down” companies by the recession of a” life-shame” last year. Hem. I am determined I will have meetings at luxurious hotel not “stamping” traditional pattern, at geisha house. The doctors’ lack of common sense should be deprived from none familiar to comics. Slip of the tongue? Ah, so anyway, I will look straight this severe circumstances, and I hope overcome the pressure of recession and dissolution by Japanese underlying power

slip of the tongue